RAS inhibition in pancreatic cancer

 The Experimental Oncology Group at the National Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid has recently unveiled findings from genetically engineered mice afflicted with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.  The mice "underwent rapid apoptotic cell death that resulted in complete tumour regressions and remained tumour-free for over 200 days post-treatment."  While results of these animal studies are promising towards determining therapeutic vulnerabilities of pancreatic cancer, Dr. Ben Westphalen, chair of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Precision Oncology Task Force cautions that these results cannot yet be applied to patient care. More work is needed to determine side effects of the triple combination therapy in humans. 

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Structured exercise enters ESMO guidelines for colon cancer as recommended treatment

 The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) has released an update to their colon cancer guidelines, whereby "physical activity, when personalized and delivered as a structured program" is now recommended...for patients with resected stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer." Over a period of 3 years, 889 stage III or stage II high-risk colon cancer patients enrolled in the CHALLENGE study saw significant improvements in disease-free survival over 5 years (80.3%) compared to 73.9% of patients who received health education materials and standard surveillance with no structured exercise program. 

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European parliament adopts its position on the Critical Medicines Act, strengthening security of cancer care in Europe

 The European Parliament recently adopted first-reading of the Critical Medicines Act, expanding "collaborative procurement and solidarity mechanisms, explicitly acknowledging their relevance to specialized treatments, including in oncology."  Now entering interinstitutional negotiations, the Critical Medicines Act ensures that continuity of care for cancer patients will remain a key focus area for European Union health policy. 

To read more about the Critical Medicines Act, click here. 

Biological mechanism enabling breast cancer to spread to the brain uncovered

Researchers from the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences in Tel Aviv, in partnership with researchers in 14 laboratories in Israel, USA, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Austria, have uncovered "a mechanism that allows breast cancer to send metastases to the brain - a highly lethal occurrence for which there is currently no effective treatment."   Following injection of cancer cells with or without functional gene P53, results indicated that "cells with disrupted P53 activity thrived much more." These findings are crucial towards developing new drugs and personalized monitoring for early detection and treatment of brain metastases. 

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Source: 

Laue K, Pozzi S, Zerbib J, et al. p53 inactivation drives breast cancer metastasis to the brain through SCD1 upregulation and increased fatty acid metabolism. Nat Genet. Published online December 29, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41588-025-02446-1