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COVID-19 diagnostic delays predicted to increase cancer deaths

Substantial increases in the number of avoidable cancer deaths in England are predicted as a result of diagnostic delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, report two modeling studies published in the August issue of Lancet Oncology. Both studies underline the urgent need in the time of COVID-19 for public education programmes to be introduced across […]

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Prognostic biomarkers: could they help doctors, patients and families to better navigate the end of life?

“We had to explain that the reason she had broken her hip was because she was getting weaker and essentially dying… At that stage knowing whether Mum had days or months left would have been an important factor.” Helen Waddell, talking about her mother Liz Skinsley “I wish we’d had the opportunity to plan our […]

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20-year WHI follow-up study finds oestrogen selectively protects against breast cancer in women who have undergone hysterectomy

A 20-year follow-up of the two Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) hormone replacement studies found that, among postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy, use of oestrogen in comparison to placebo was associated with lower breast cancer incidence and mortality, while among those with intact uteruses, use of oestrogen plus progesterone was associated with higher breast cancer incidence, […]

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Dietary counseling remains cornerstone of cachexia management, say new ASCO guidelines

For cancer cachexia, dietary counseling should be offered with the goal of providing patients and caregivers with management advice, conclude the first guidelines on cachexia ever published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In the absence of evidence, the new guidelines, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, add that no specific pharmacological […]

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Dietary guidelines need reform to meet global health and environmental goals

National dietary guidelines in most countries need to be reformed to take into account health and environmental targets, concludes a study published in the BMJ (published online July 15). The international study, by UK, US and Australian investigators, found around one-third of national food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) to be incompatible with the non-communicable diseases […]

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Link between COVID-19 and prostate cancer raises possibility of new treatments

The overlapping biology identified between the molecular pathogenesis of COVID-19 and prostate cancer raises the possibility of repurposing drugs, including androgen deprivation therapy, for treating COVID-19, suggests a review in Nature Communications Biology, published 8 July. In the review the US authors additionally highlight the increased vulnerability of prostate cancer patients to COVID-19 and call […]

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MDT meetings: why patient care suffers if I’m not there

In a disease as complex as cancer it seems the most logical way to ensure uniform standards of high quality care for all patients. Team meetings can also offer opportunities for education, provide a way to increase the number of patients entered into clinical trials, facilitate communication between primary, secondary and tertiary care, and provide […]