2018 World Cancer Congress report

The World Cancer Congress has released a summary report of proceedings that took place from October 1-4, 2018 in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  The top 5 congress highlights consisted of networking and creating collaborations, sharing best practices, big debates, creating a global village, and meeting experts. 


To access the summary report, click here.

Study links social isolation to higher risk of death

A large American Cancer Society study, appearing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, links social isolation with a higher risk of death from all causes combined and heart disease for all races studied, and with increased cancer mortality in white men and women. The study says addressing social isolation holds promise if studies show interventions are effective, as they could be relatively simple and could influence other risk factors, as social isolation is also associated with hypertension, inflammation, physical inactivity, smoking, and other health risks.

To read more about this study, click here.

Eight factors may link disparities in cancer death rates and income

The results of a recent study in JAMA Network Open linked food insecurity to an increased risk of cancer death. People in low- and middle-income counties in the United States are more likely to die of cancer than those who live in high-income counties. Eight factors, including lack of access to high-quality clinical care, food insecurity, smoking, and obesity may explain more than 80% of the relationship between poverty and disparities in cancer death rates at the county level.

To read more about this study, click here.

Blood test shows promise for detecting genetic changes in brain tumors

A new study, published in Clinical Cancer Research on October 15, 2018, has found that a blood test may reveal whether a child with a type of brain tumor known as a diffuse midline glioma has a specific genetic mutation associated with the disease. The test is called a liquid biopsy. The finding that DNA from these tumors can be detected in blood means that it should be possible to identify and follow molecular changes in children with these rare and highly lethal brain tumors using a minimally invasive test, according to the study's leaders.

To read more about this study, click here.

Global melanoma deaths up among men, but not women

A new report from the World Health Organization analyzing global melanoma skin can cancer death rates from 1985-2015 indicates that in nearly all 33 countries studied, men had higher melanoma death rates compared to women.  Australia exhibited the largest increase in death rates while Japan registered the lowest.  Further the Czech Republic was the only country of those studies that had a decrease (albeit it only 0.7%) over the 30-year study.  While study author Dr. Dorothy Yang explains that there are a number of biological factors explaining the difference in mortality rates among genders, she does also state that "men are less likely to protect themselves from the sun or engage with melanoma awareness and prevention campaigns."


To read more about this report, click here.

How necessary is HPV cervical screening for women after 55?

A new Canadian study questions the necessity of screening for cervical cancer in women over 55 with one negative result from the HPV test.  The study, conducted on 200,000 women in British Columbia indicated that a single negative HPV SNA test at age 55 resulted in a very low risk (less than 1%) of developing cervical cancer.  According to study author Talia Malagon, "continued screening [for[ women [that] have a negative HPV test would provide little benefit."


To read more about this study, click here.

Immunotherapy drug cemiplimab approved for advanced squamous cell skin cancer

Cemiplimab. a drug that belongs to a class of agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, Has been approved by the FDA for patients with an advanced form of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a common type of skin cancer. This is the first agent to be approved by FDA specifically for advanced SCC.

To read more about this drug, click here.