Posts by tag
cancer treatment
Cancer is Universal. Meaning is Not!
She nodded when I said cancer. Only later did I understand that she had heard something else. The consultation unfolded with clinical precision. The translation was accurate. From a professional perspective, nothing was missing. And yet everything was. When I…
Immunotherapy’s Hidden Burden: Rethinking Toxicity in the Era of Breakthroughs
Immunotherapy has redefined cancer care—offering survival where little once existed, and in some cases, the possibility of long-term remission. But as its use expands across tumor types and earlier lines of treatment, a more complex reality is coming into focus:…
After the Bell: Rethinking Cancer Care Beyond Treatment
As cancer survival improves, a critical gap persists: the period after treatment, where psychological distress, identity disruption, and unmet needs remain insufficiently addressed in routine oncology care. A System Designed for Treatment, Not Transition “We have to be next to…
A Matter of Timing: Radiotherapy Efficacy Linked to Circadian Regulation
Timing of radiotherapy administration may significantly influence treatment efficacy in breast and prostate cancer. A Spanish study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that circadian oscillation of Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) modulates DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, making radiotherapy more effective in…
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…
Psycho-Oncology at a Crossroads: From Global Recognition to Real-World Impact
The launch of World Psycho-Oncology Day signals growing momentum behind psychosocial care in cancer, but without structural change, millions of patients will continue to go without the support they need. With the announcement of World Psycho-Oncology Day (WPOD), to be…
Michael Gnant at the Crossroads of Oncology: Precision, Restraint, and the Courage to Challenge Orthodoxy
Sixteen years ago, Dr. Michael Gnant was portrayed in CancerWorld as a surgical oncologist unafraid to push boundaries in breast cancer care. Today, his perspective reflects not retreat but evolution. The boundary-pusher remains, but his focus has widened. His work…
The Day Immunotherapy Went Off-Patent
In oncology, some milestones arrive with applause. Others arrive quietly. This year, one of the most important cancer drugs of the modern era begins to lose its monopoly. Nivolumab, one of the first PD-1 inhibitors to reach patients, is set…
Karen Knudsen: The Scientist Who Refused to Move Slowly
“I’m a scientist first and foremost. I don’t remember a time not thinking about being a scientist.” What Karen Knudsen, the CEO of Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, remembers clearly is the pull not toward prestige or power, but toward…
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…