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Oncology
UK committee wants restrictions on prostate cancer screening
Updated draft recommendations for British prostate cancer screenings have advised the government against a population-wide screening programme, with the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC)...
Pancreatic cancer pill keeps patients alive for twice as long
The highly anticipated results of a clinical trial for pancreatic cancer pill, daraxonrasib, have been released, giving doctors hope for treating the stubbornly lethal...
Optimism as smart drug shrinks tumours by 30% – UK trial
A smart drug that stops cancer cells “hiding” from treatment can shrink tumours by at least 30% in six of the world’s most common...
DNA test helps breast cancer patients avoid chemo – global study
A study led by University College London suggests that millions of people with breast cancer might be able to avoid chemotherapy – after “practice-changing”...
Blood test option now offered for colorectal cancer screening
Many people skip colonoscopies as a test for colorectal cancer, and the American Cancer Society has now updated its screening guidelines, expanding the number...
Cancer – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hope
Recent findings from the world’s largest cancer conference are cause for optimism and hope in the usually bleak world of oncological diagnosis and prognosis,...
Discovery Life’s defence fails in cancer claim dispute
A cancer patient has triumphed in a dispute against Discovery Life, when the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) ruled that when it comes to...
Why GLP-1 link to breast cancer survival may be too good to be true
Much-hyped research linking GLP-1 drugs with a significant reduction in death risk after breast cancer diagnosis is unpackedDr F Perry Wilson, from the Yale...
Why South Africa’s boys should also get the HPV vaccine
South Africa’s 2026-2030 strategy, which will soon be launched, aims to get girls vaccinated from the age of nine against HPV before they turn...
Vitamin B12 and complicated cancer link
We’ve all heard the advice: eat your fruit and vegetables, get your vitamins, and stay healthy. For the most part, that guidance holds up....
Personalised DNA vaccine shows promise in US brain cancer trial
In a small phase 1 trial, researchers found that an adjuvant personalised DNA vaccine was safe and demonstrated promising efficacy among patients with MGMT-unmethylated...
Single infusion could suppress HIV for years, study suggests
A study, to be presented this week in Boston, USA, shows promise for a type of therapy for HIV that has already cured some...
Cancer patient in remission – after biopsy and no treatment
An American woman is thought to be one of only nine known cases where a biopsy led to the cancer vanishing within a matter...
UCT launches pioneering Liver Centre
The launch of a ground-breaking, multi-disciplinary liver centre, pioneered by clinicians at the University of Cape Town, represents a new dawn for patients suffering...
Aspirin can cut cancer risk – evidence unravels the mystery of why
The 4 000-year-old drug, commonly used to treat pain, prevents certain tumours from forming and spreading across the body, findings that are already changing...
Vitamin D boosts breast cancer treatment – Brazil study
Scientists in Brazil have found that a simple daily vitamin D supplement may help chemotherapy work more effectively in women with breast cancer and...
Why cancer in young people is on the rise – British analysis
A major analysis has shown that 11 cancers are becoming more common in young people in England, with the researchers suggesting that artificial ingredients,...
New treatment slashes death risk for paediatric leukaemia
British doctors have found a gentler treatment for children whose leukaemia has come back, which could boost survival and quality of life, a Great Ormond Street...
Patients cancer-free for three years after new treatment – UK trial
A new approach to treating certain bowel cancers is showing long-lasting effects, say researchers, with patients remaining cancer-free for nearly three years after a...
Promising signs for mRNA cancer vaccines
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, which had generated excitement in the cancer research community long before it became popularly associated with the Covid vaccine, is...
Hidden gut virus may be linked to colon cancer – Danish study
Scientists in Denmark say that a newly discovered virus hiding inside a common gut bacterium could help explain one of medicine’s long-standing mysteries: why...
SA teen’s leg saved in pioneering surgery with liquid nitrogen
In a South African first, a Centurion surgeon has performed a hip and limb salvage procedure using a liquid nitrogen dipping technique, saving the...
Mining giant and nuclear agency in cancer medicine quest
In an innovative partnership, the state-owned South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has joined forces with Sibanye-Stillwater, the multinational mining and metals processing group, in...
Two new drugs boost pancreatic cancer survival
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging diseases to treat, and while survival rates have improved since the 1970s, they have plateaued in recent...
HPV jab halves men’s cancer risk – Japanese cohort study
Cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) affect both men and women in large numbers, but prevention efforts initially focused on women, reports CIDRP...
Anaemia linked to increased cancer risk – Swedish study
A recent population-based oncology study suggests that anaemia is associated with an increased risk of both cancer and higher mortality, with the scientists saying...
Genetic testing boosts black women's breast cancer survival – US study
Researchers have suggested that advanced genetic testing could help erase the gaping disparities in breast cancer survival rates between white and black patients –...
Combination treatments can reduce breast cancer survival – US analysis
A team of American researchers found that patients who received a combination of traditional therapies and complementary and alternative medicine were less likely to...
Man ‘cured’ of HIV, cancer, after stem cell transplant from brother
An HIV patient in Oslo has been in remission for five years since a stem cell transplant from his brother, who was found resistant...
Low CD4 count linked to cervical cancer risk – Swiss-SA study
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bern, Switzerland, and in collaboration with the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, has found...
Cape team pioneers cryoablation for thyroid cancer
In what is described as a monumental step forward for cancer treatment in South Africa, a team at the UCT Private Academic Hospital successfully...
Nicotine vaping linked to lung cancer – Australian analysis
Nicotine vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancers, a comprehensive review of more than 100 studies has suggested, with the researchers warning...
Chemo care should include podiatry – Australian study
Irreversible nerve damage to the lower limbs is a common side effect of chemotherapy, yet up to 50% of patients are missing out on...
Cancer drug pulled from market over safety concerns
The cancer drug tazemetostat (Tazverik) is being voluntarily withdrawn in the United States and all other markets over concerns about secondary cancers, pharmaceutical company...
Vegetarians have lower risk of five cancers – large global study
A landmark study on the role of diet – using data from more than 1.8m people – has suggested that vegetarians have a substantially...
HPV vaccine winning the cervical cancer war, but …
Two recent studies confirm the HPV vaccine offers lasting protection against cervical cancer, but geography still determines who benefits, reports Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.
In...
New oncology clinic opens in Springbok
Cancer patients in remote Northern Cape towns will no longer have to endure gruelling journeys of up to 1 200km for life-saving treatment, thanks...
Microplastics found in 90% of prostate tumours – US study
American researchers detected microplastics in nearly all prostate cancer tumours examined in a recent study, finding that the tumour tissue contained about 2.5 times...
Young scientist to explore nanoparticle therapy for brain cancer
Michael Gomes, a PhD candidate at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP), has been awarded the 2026 South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)...
Global breast cancer cases expected to rise to 3.5m by 2050 – Lancet
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women globally, and the number of cases worldwide is estimated to reach more than 3.5m by 2050,...