At CancerWorld, we don’t just publish science, we publish stories. As Alberto Costa, reminds us: CancerWorld is not about papers, it’s about people.
The June, 2025 issue brings that philosophy into sharp focus. On our dual cover, we feature two individuals whose lives and leadership exemplify what it means to serve, not from the stage, but from the ground up.
In a rare and candid interview, Her Royal Highness Princess Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud opens the doors to a life guided by purpose, advocating for children with cancer, championing women’s empowerment, and extending dignity to the most overlooked. Her work with the Sanad Pediatric Cancer Foundation is not simply charity; it is structural compassion, and it is changing lives.
Across continents, in a mountain cottage on Ithaca, we find Alberto Costa, breast cancer surgeon, educator, ESO founder, and reluctant public figure, reflecting on medicine, mentorship, and meaning. His story is at once intensely personal and unmistakably European. He has trained generations of oncologists and quietly built institutions that outlast careers.
But these profiles are only the beginning. This issue moves from South Africa to Santiago, from Guangzhou to Vancouver, tracing the global effort to close the gap between what science can achieve and what systems deliver.
We cover pediatric researchers in Canada who use chicken eggs to test therapies in real-time. We explore the inspiring story of Catharine Young from the Lab to the White House. We examine the cultural and scientific negotiations of traditional Chinese medicine as it interfaces with modern oncology, and explore a pioneering hereditary cancer program in Chile, where genetic counselling and sequencing are finally reaching underserved communities, and shaping national strategy.
We trace the microbial footprints of cancer, mapping the pathogens that drive oncogenesis across the globe and opening new fronts in prevention. Our News Editor, Janet Fricker, dives into a study uncovering how microbiota-derived bile acids can block androgen receptors and enhance anti-tumour immunity, revealing an unexpected axis between the gut, hormones, and immune response.
Then take a hard look at culture. In a special feature aligned with World No Tobacco Day, our Co-Editor-in-Chief, Adriana Albini, in collaboration with Francesca Albini, explores the quiet resurgence of smoking in cinema — and its implications for public health. In an era shaped by imagery, the fight against tobacco addiction now includes the fight for narrative accountability.
Finally, we celebrate a story of perseverance that began far from the spotlight. In Curious, Rejected, Accepted, Dr. Amalya Sargsyan reflects on her path from medical student in Armenia to practicing oncologist, and how a fellowship from the European School of Oncology (ESO) transformed her career.
Whether through science, storytelling, or systems change, CancerWorld remains committed to elevating the human dimension of cancer care. In every issue, we ask: Who are the people shaping this field, not just in the lab, but in life?
This month, we invite you to meet them.
Yeva Margaryan, Managing Editor, CancerWorld
