Posts by tag
precision medicine
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…
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:…
A Survivor’s Perspective: San Diego’s Rise as a National Cancer Research Hub
How policy, philanthropy, and scientific collaboration are reshaping the cancer research landscape and why early detection can be the difference between life and death. Twenty years ago, I received a diagnosis that changed everything and led me to dedicate the…
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…
Charles Balch Treated Thousands of Patients. He Says That’s Not His Greatest Work.
If you try to list everything Charles Balch has done, you quickly realize the list does not help you understand the man. He has led some of the most important institutions in oncology. He has built systems that are now…
“Medicine is Deeply Relational: The Human Heart of Oncology in the Age of AI”
From genetics to palliative care, clinician-scientist Rita Canário reflects on building a career in Oncology that bridges research, patient care, and the human side of medicine and why this integration is essential for the future of oncology. “I was never…
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…
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…
Surviving the Tumor, Living with the Impact
“When this tumor entered our lives, nothing felt stable anymore — we had to rebuild our days piece by piece," a caregiver recalls. Why brain cancer survivorship needs to move center stage — as research pushes into AI, precision medicine…