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[News] New Zealand extends breast cancer screening to 70–74-year-olds

As of Oct 15, 2025, New Zealand has, begun a nationwide extension to its breast cancer screening programme, which will now include women aged 70–74 years as well as those already eligible (aged 45–69 years). This will mean tens of thousands more women will be able to access free mammograms once every 2 years, beginning with those aged 70 and 74 years and then expanded over a 4-year rollout to include women aged 71, 72, and 73.

[News] Eastern Mediterranean Region backs Cairo Call on breast cancer

Health ministers in the Eastern Mediterranean region have officially adopted the Cairo Call to Action on Breast Cancer, uniting governments in the region behind a shared framework to address long-standing inequities in cancer care. The agreement outlines priorities to strengthen primary care screening, improve diagnostic and treatment services, expand psychosocial support, and integrate cancer data systems.

[News] ESMO Congress 2025

Sara A Hurvitz (Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA) and colleagues presented results from the randomised, open-label, phase 3, VIKTORIA-1 trial in 392 patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. Medium progression-free survival was 9·3 months in patients receiving the triplet combination of gedatolisib (180 mg, intravenous, once weekly for 3 weeks), fulvestrant (500 mg, intramuscular, every 2 weeks [cycle 1] then every 4 weeks) and palbociclib (125 mg, once daily for 21 days) compared with 2·0 months (hazard ratio [HR] 0·24; 95% CI 0·17–0·35; p<0·0001) for patients receiving fulvestrant alone and 7·4 months (HR 0·33; 0·24–0·48; p<0·0001) for those receiving the doublet combination of gedatolisib plus fulvestrant.

[Corrections] Correction to Lancet Oncol 2025; 26: 1443–53

Di Federico A, Stumpo S, Mantuano F, et al. Long-term overall survival with dual CTLA-4 and PD-L1 or PD-1 blockade and biomarker-based subgroup analyses in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review and reconstructed individual patient data meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol 2025; 26: 1443–53—In figure 4A of this Article, the p value should have read p=0·20, and in figure 5A, the p value should have read p=0·012. These corrections have been made to the online version as of Nov 24, 2025.

[Corrections] Correction to Lancet Oncol 2024; 25: 1038–52

Allaf ME, Kim S-E, Master V, et al. Perioperative nivolumab versus observation in patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing nephrectomy (PROSPER ECOG-ACRIN EA8143): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 study. Lancet Oncol 2024; 25: 1038–52—In this Article, some of the numbers of patients in the Results and figure 1 have been corrected. The appendix has also been corrected. These corrections have been made to the online version as of Nov 24, 2025.

[Correspondence] Misclassification of p16-positive, HPV-negative patients biases de-escalation trials – Authors' reply

We appreciate the important points raised by Jessica T Lovett and colleagues regarding p16 immunohistochemistry as a surrogate for HPV status in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in de-escalation studies such as MC1675.1 As they noted, the prognostic implications of p16 and HPV discordance have been previously analysed, such as in a multinational study by Mehanna and colleagues.2 Patients who were p16-positive and HPV-negative had an increased rate of cancer recurrence (hazard ratio 1·92, 95% CI 1·42–2·60).

[Correspondence] Misclassification of p16-positive, HPV-negative patients biases de-escalation trials

We read with interest the Article by Daniel Ma and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology.1 Ma and colleagues should be congratulated on completing a randomised trial of de-escalated radiotherapy in patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The authors report progression-free survival, local regional control, freedom from distant metastases, and overall survival as secondary endpoints. The de-escalation protocol resulted in a reduction in progression-free survival, local regional control, and systemic control in patients who received de-escalated treatment with extracapsular extension compared with patients who received standard of care.

[Correspondence] SBRT in oligometastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

The Article by Tamim Niazi and colleagues1 on the Prostate Cancer Study 9 (PCS-9) investigated stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) in oligometastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study is the second randomised trial, after the ARTO trial,2 to evaluate this combination. Both PCS-9 and ARTO showed improved radiographical progression-free survival with SBRT. However, a significant biochemical response benefit was only observed in the ARTO study, possibly reflecting differences in disease burden (baseline prostate-specific antigen was 3·4 ng/mL in ARTO vs ~10 ng/mL in PCS-9) and imaging strategies, with molecular imaging in ARTO likely identifying earlier disease.

[Correspondence] SunRISe-4 perioperative safety and TURBT stratification

We read with great interest the interim analysis of the SunRISe-4 trial by Andrea Necchi and colleagues.1 This study assessed the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant TAR-200 plus cetrelimab in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who were ineligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy.1 The authors reported a 42% pathological complete response rate with manageable toxicity, underscoring the potential to combine intravesical gemcitabine delivery with PD-1 blockade. Although these findings expand treatment options for cisplatin-ineligible patients, we highlight two points to enhance interpretability and clinical translation.

[Comment] The paradox of generics: broader access, less freedom

The Italian National Health Service is founded on universal coverage and equal access to care.1 In this context, sustainability is not optional, but structural; innovative treatments must coexist with responsible use of constrained financial resources. In oncology, where novel therapies have improved outcomes but also driven up costs, generic drugs represent a crucial tool.2 When patent protection expires, bioequivalent formulations can be marketed at lower prices, enabling systems to reduce expenditure on established therapies and reallocate resources to innovation.

[Comment] A deliverable national cancer control plan for the UK: lessons from abroad and the need for discipline at home

The UK has had serial national cancer control plans (NCCPs) since 1997. Early progress was undeniable, but momentum has waned over the past 15 years, with considerable slippage in cancer survival rankings (eg, the UK is ranked 28th of 33 countries, with similar wealth and income, for 5-year survival with lung and stomach cancer)1 and very poor performance in the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership cancer policy scorecard.2 At a meeting convened by St George's House (Windsor, UK) in September, 2025, international experts shared experiences of designing and implementing their own plans.

[Comment] Re-establishing human-centred care

In 2021, the Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative, and End-of-Life Care (University of Toronto, Canada) in collaboration with the Institute of Cancer Policy (King's College London, UK) launched a project called Biomedicine and the Soul of Medicine: Optimising the Balance. As part of this project, a multidisciplinary symposium held over 3 days on Palliative Care, Culture, and the Clinic brought together more than 600 registrants from over 60 countries to explore humanistic and culturally relevant dimensions of cancer care, particularly for patients with advanced disease.

[Comment] Targeting IDH mutation: another milestone, but not the finish line

Targeted therapy has entered the stage of glioma management. Mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is the molecular hallmark of WHO grade 2 diffuse low-grade gliomas. In The Lancet Oncology, Timothy F Cloughesy and colleagues compared the mutated IDH inhibitor vorasidenib with placebo for diffuse low-grade gliomas without high-risk features, with 6 months' additional follow-up.1 As expected with the short additional follow-up, this study supports the results of progression-free survival, time to next intervention, and adverse events from the phase 3 trial (INDIGO).

[Comment] Focused ultrasound treatments could increase survival in individuals with glioma

Non-invasive and targeted transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) treatments combined with systemically administered microbubbles enhance the delivered chemotherapeutic dose within brain tumours, due to reversible blood–brain barrier opening (BBBO).1–3 In preclinical studies, increased drug delivery has led to measurable overall survival benefit in animal models of high-grade glioma.4–7 However, to date, there has been no evidence of prolonged overall survival in individuals with glioma.

[Comment] Increased extent of neurosurgical resection in IDH-mutated glioma: issues for translation to standard practice

Improved molecular classification of glioma has allowed identification of defined patient subgroups with prolonged survival outcomes and the potential for alternative management plans.1,2 Specifically for newly diagnosed patients with lower grade glioma (WHO grade 2–3) harbouring the IDH mutation, initial neurosurgical decision making can be complex due to the balance of optimising disease control and avoidance of long-term neurological morbidity. Additionally, these tumours present with varying neuroradiological appearance related to volume, morphology, and neuroanatomical site, which means interventions require individualisation based on these parameters.