Posts by tag
cancer innovation
Behind Every Drug There Is a Story: Brian Druker, Imatinib, and the Human Journey Behind a Revolution in Cancer Care
Twenty-five years after imatinib transformed chronic myeloid leukaemia from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable disease for many patients, Brian Druker reflects on the curiosity, setbacks, and patients who shaped one of oncology's greatest breakthroughs. Long before I understood the…
Larry Leksell: The story of Elekta
“Tax planning was one major reason for the foundation of Elekta.” Larry Leksell says it with a smile that suggests he enjoys disrupting the mythology people create around founders. Most people expect a grand story of origin. A visionary revelation.…
The Scientists Who Turned Cancer Prevention into a Vaccine: Dr Douglas Lowy and Dr John Schiller
The 2026 Pezcoller Foundation–AACR International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research has recognised two scientists whose discoveries reshaped one of oncology’s greatest ambitions: preventing cancer before it begins. On 9 May, at the Teatro Sociale in Trento, Italy, Dr…
Rewriting RAS: A New Targeted Option on the Horizon for Pancreatic Cancer
Metastatic pancreatic cancer remains one of the most treatment-refractory solid tumours in oncology. Despite multiple incremental refinements over the past decade, first-line therapy continues to rely on cytotoxic chemotherapy, most commonly FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel, with limited change in…
Rewriting the Surgical Narrative: Dr Lazaros Papadopoulos On Breast Cancer Care, Mentorship, and the Meaning of Small Changes
“Life is often a sequence of chance events, and many times we are called to rewrite our own narrative.” For Dr Lazaros Papadopoulos, that idea is not abstract. It is the thread that connects a childhood shaped by admiration for…
CancerWorld #115 (May 2026)
In oncology, progress is measured in survival rates, response curves, and treatment gains. But those numbers rest on a quieter assumption: that health systems can deliver what science makes possible. When they cannot, progress becomes uneven—not in discovery, but in…
CancerWorld #113 (March 2026)
Scientific discovery drives oncology forward, but progress only truly begins when knowledge is turned into action. Every issue of CancerWorld explores the people, ideas, and systems shaping the future of oncology. Scientific breakthroughs remain essential, but their true value emerges…
Rethinking Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer: A Universal Approach
Chimeric antigen receptor natural killer T (CAR-NKT) cell therapy, a novel form of immunotherapy, is emerging as a promising ‘off-the-shelf’ treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer. In a study published in PNAS, November 21, 2025, U.S. investigators report that CAR-NKT cells…
Sustainability, the Architecture of Equitable Cancer Innovation
In oncology today, innovation advances at a breathtaking pace, yet the capacity to deliver it to all who need it lags behind. Each new therapeutic frontier exposes the same paradox: the deeper our biological insight becomes, the wider the gulf…
Common Sense Oncology: Putting Patients Back at the Center in the Era of Cancer Innovation
Precision medicine, immunotherapy, and cellular therapies have reshaped the landscape of oncology, turning once-fatal diagnoses into chronic, or even curable, conditions. These breakthroughs represent extraordinary scientific progress and a deepening understanding of cancer biology. Yet beneath this success runs a…