Posts by author
Janet Fricker
Tailoring palliative care visits to patients’ needs saves resources without harm
Stepped palliative care, with visits occurring only at key points in the patient’s cancer journey, resulted in fewer palliative care visits than conventional early palliative care. The study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, held May…
Using telemedicine in cancer care for environmental and public health benefit
Telemedicine, in addition to patient convenience, offers the environmental benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with knock-on benefits for people with chronic conditions. The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held May…
Giuseppe Curigliano: driving progress in precision cancer medicine
“Fundamentally, if you do more whole genome sequencing, you’ll discover more targetable alterations, and once you have this information you can consider whether there are any clinical trials available for your patient.” The advice comes from Giuseppe Curigliano, Head of…
HPV vaccination programme will reduce cervical cancer health inequalities
England's HPV vaccination programme is helping to close inequalities in cervical cancer, cutting incidence rates across the socioeconomic spectrum. The study, published in the BMJ, found that the vaccination programme was associated with a substantially reduced incidence of cervical cancer…
Use of e-cigarettes after quitting smoking increases lung cancer risk
Former cigarette smokers who use electronic cigarettes may be at higher risk of lung cancer than those who do not use these devices. The study abstract 3051, presented in a session at the American Thoracic Society 2024 International meeting, held…
Cancer survivors who are less lonely live longer
Greater feelings of loneliness are associated with higher mortality rates among cancer survivors. The study, published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN), April 25, found that cancer patients reporting severe loneliness had a 67% higher all-cause…
Plant-based diets lower risk of progression in prostate cancer
Higher intakes of plant foods following a diagnosis of prostate cancer were associated with lower risks of cancer progression. The study, published in JAMA Netw Open, 1 May, found men diagnosed with early prostate cancer whose plant food intake was…
Extracellular vesicles from injured hearts accelerate tumour growth
Small extracellular vesicles secreted by the hearts of mice with myocardial infarction accelerated the growth of lung cancer tumours already present in the same mice. The study, published online in Circulation, 15 March, found that the cardiovascular drug spironolactone reduced…
One-stop lung screening and smoking cessation advice works
Offering ‘stop smoking’ support as part of a national lung cancer screening programme resulted in nearly nine out of ten people agreeing to an immediate consultation and three-quarters accepting longer term support. The evaluation of an ‘opt-out’ face-to-face smoking cessation…
New drug combination offers potential to prevent bone metastasis
A combination of existing drugs may inhibit development of bone metastasis in breast cancer patients. The study published in Cancer Discovery, 1 March, found that a combined treatment strategy that activates T cells while at the same time targeting cells…