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Oncology
Steady rise in cancer treatment alternatives to surgery – US report
The second annual report from the US National Cancer Database (NCDB) shows a notable increase in the use of medication therapies like chemotherapy and immunotherapy...
Two-pronged therapeutic technology for cancer wins 2026 Pfizer Prize
A team from Geneva University Hospital (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has won Switzerland’s prestigious 2026 Pfizer Prize for Biomedical Research for...
US to probe health links from cellphone radiation
A study on cellphone radiation will be undertaken by the US Department of Health and Human Services, building on Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s...
Smokeless tobacco a growing oral cancer burden
Clinical interventions are vital to slash the burden of disease associated with smokeless tobacco, and providing cessation treatment in clinical settings is critical, say...
Drug combo boosts hope for multiple myeloma survival
A new therapy for bone-marrow cancer is creating a stir and raising hopes of a potential cure, reports The Washington Post.
Oncologist Luciano Costa waited...
Durban hospital saluted for heart care in cancer treatment
A pioneering South African centre is being celebrated internationally for its dual roles of treating cancer while protecting heart health, with the team at...
Century-old tumours hold clues to young people's cancer
Bowel cancer samples that have been stored for up to 100 years will be analysed by British scientists to try to solve the mysterious...
Short exercise bursts can trigger anti-cancer signals – UK study
Evidence suggests regular exercise can help tackle cancer, with a recent study finding that cancer-fighting biological changes might be triggered in the body after...
Common food additives linked to cancer – French study
A recent study, published in The BMJ, has suggested that greater consumption of food preservatives widely used in processed foods and beverages was associated...
Why some doctors say certain cancers shouldn’t be treated
Statistics show a clear spike in eight cancers in younger people, but that has brought a debate over whether many cases ever needed to...
Can a mammogram help find heart disease?
A growing body of evidence has proved that cardiovascular disease clues lie in the breasts, with experts calling for more emphasis on the importance...
UK starts new prostate cancer treatment trials using AI, robotics
Britain has launched a transformative trial for a prostate cancer treatment that has fewer side effects and which could work as well as if...
Global study flags disparities in child cancer deaths
Concerned experts are urging faster action to help reduce childhood cancer rates and boost survival, while calling for investment in registries as well as...
Bleeding alert for cancer patients on extended blood-thinners
Researchers who have identified four predictors of clinically relevant bleeding in patients receiving extended anticoagulation with apixaban (Eliquis) for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) said...
More proof that one dose of HPV jab as good as two – Costa Rica trial
The results from a recent trial support the WHO recommendation for single-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to achieve higher coverage while sustaining efficiency, say...
US approves changes for cervical cancer screening
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is introducing two key changes for cervical cancer screening: the option of self-collection of vaginal samples for primary human...
Growing concern over tattoos, cancer link – Swedish study
Sweden’s population has become one of the most tattooed in Europe, but at the same time, the incidence of melanoma is increasing, with a...
Why screening for the deadliest cancer misses most cases – US study
Recent research has found that current lung cancer screening guidelines could be missing most cases, prompting calls for changes to detect the disease earlier,...
PARP inhibitors under-used for prostate cancer – Utah study
Experts say it’s concerning that nearly half of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are eligible for PARP inhibitors – which could improve...
Why colorectal cancers are rising in young people – US nurses’ study
The sharp climb of colon and rectal cancers in young people has overlapped with the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the United States –...
Serotonin’s role in cancer
Serotonin is often described as the happiness chemical because of its well-known role in regulating mood. However, recent research suggests this familiar molecule may...
SA’s cervical cancer crisis a wake-up call
Sixteen women die from cervical cancer every day in South Africa; a sobering reality which calls for authorities to take stock of its approach...
WHO roadmap for paediatric cancer drugs
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released six new target product profiles for child-friendly formulations of essential cancer medicines, giving pharmaceutical manufacturers a technical...
Grant for NMU researcher to study cancer-fighting indigenous plants
Dr Nehemiah Latolla, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Nelson Mandela University’s Department of Human Physiology, has been awarded an Australia-Africa Universities Network Partnership Research...
Eastern Cape chemo patients left in the lurch after bungle
There appears to be no end to the problems affecting the Eastern Cape Department of Health, the latest mess coming after its account with...
Cancer victim dies after alleged wrong diagnosis of TB
A 20-year-old woman from Bizana in the Eastern Cape who was apparently treated treated for tuberculosis (TB) for two years instead of cancer as...
Why are so many millennials getting cancer?
Millennials – people born between 1981 and 1995 – are the first generation at greater risk of developing tumours than their parents, writes Lydia Begoña Horndler...
Pioneering light therapy may kill cancer cells in 30 minutes – Texas study
American scientists have suggested that a groundbreaking light therapy could kill cancer cells in just 30 minutes, and while the research is in its earliest stages,...
FDA approves GSK’s myeloma drug
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved GSK’s blood cancer treatment Blenrep, in one combination regimen, the company has announced, clearing the way...
Covid-19 jabs could unlock new tumour treatment – US study
The Covid-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5m lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer, write Adam Grippin...
Guided missiles create super highway for targeted cancer treatment
A new generation of precision missiles – antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are treatments that work like a Trojan horse, delivering chemotherapy to the interior...
First MS patient gets CAR T-cell therapy in UK trial
A biology teacher has become the first patient in the United Kingdom to receive CAR T-cell therapy to potentially treat multiple sclerosis (MS), with...
Low quality cancer drugs in Africa sparks call for tighter regulations
The number of people receiving treatment for cancer has risen dramatically in the past decade in many African countries, but regulatory bodies often don’t have the...
Increase in several cancers among adults of all ages – global study
While colorectal cancer is rising particularly fast among young adults, researchers have found that several other cancers have showed an increase in numerous countries...
Toxic BPA found in breast milk, but no SA law to stop exposure
In South Africa, there is no law preventing toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) from being used in most food packaging, even though research...
Common painkiller may have anti-cancer properties – UK study
Ibuprofen is a household name – the go-to remedy for everything from headaches to period pain – but recent research suggests this everyday drug...
Ultrasound holds promise for surgery-free cancer therapy
Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting...
Private sector to bail out NHLS in cancer test backlog
In a bid to slash its overwhelming backlog of cancer tests at its Johannesburg facility, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) – which receives...
Cancer deaths to top 18m in 2050 – The Lancet
The global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023 showed a sharp increase, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to...
Low-dose radiation re-emerging as osteoarthritis therapy
Increasing numbers of radiation oncologists are now offering low-dose radiation for osteoarthritis in the hands, feet, knees, shoulders, elbows and hips, saying it’s becoming...