Posts by tag
immunotherapy
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…
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…
Gentle with People. Precise with Cancer.
Each evening, after a day leading one of Italy’s busiest radiotherapy departments, Prof. Andrea Filippi, Head of the Radiation Oncology Unit at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, and the Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology in the Department of…
Artificial Sweetener Reduces Response to Immunotherapy
Could artificial sweeteners undo the benefits of immunotherapy? A study published in Cancer Discovery, July 30, found that melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who consume high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose have worse responses to immunotherapy…
She’s Gone and Done It: The Story of Dr. Nageatte Ibrahim
Dr. Nageatte Ibrahim has spent her career at the intersection of oncology, science, and medicine, with achievements resulting in global impacts. Trained as a physician and scientist, she played a central role in the development of Keytruda, one of the…
Antidepressants Show Potential to Fight Cancer
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) enhanced the ability of T cells to fight cancer and suppressed tumour growth across a range of cancer types in both mouse and human tumour models. The study, published in Cell, May 20, further showed…
Curious, Rejected,Accepted: An ESO Fellow’s Road to Becoming an Oncologist
It was 2018, and I was a fifth-year medical student at Yerevan State Medical University. Word spread that our new oncology professor was someone extraordinary: Gevorg Tamamyan - a Harvard-trained, Nature-published pioneer of pediatric oncology in Armenia and president of…
Microbiota-Derived Bile Acids as Androgen Receptor Antagonists Enhance Anti-Tumour Immunity
The gut microbiota can transform cholesterol-derived bile acids into metabolites capable of blocking androgen receptors and strengthening anti-cancer immunity. The study, published in Cell, April 15, demonstrates how one of the microbiota-derived secondary bile acids is capable of suppressing tumour…
What Caught Our Eye in April: Oncology’s Top Moments
April 2025 marked a significant month in oncology, with notable advancements in cancer treatment and research. Here’s a summary of the most compelling studies and recent breakthroughs that caught our eye this month. Popular CT scans could account for 5%…