Despite steady increases in rates of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) after mastectomy, racial disparities in IBR have persisted in the years since implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

For patients undergoing jaw reconstruction after surgery for head and neck cancer, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques can improve some key clinical outcomes, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Financial toxicity, the financial distress linked to cancer treatment, significantly impacts patient outcomes. To combat this, the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute established a Financial Toxicity Tumor Board in 2019. 

The board is the first known institutional-level intervention of its kind, functioning like a traditional disease-focused multidisciplinary tumor board, but with a singular focus on financial distress. It includes participants from all areas of the cancer center including clinical, supportive and administrative domains. 

A recent study led by the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has focused on this relationship and its effect on colorectal cancer. The study shows that the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs2355016—a tiny DNA change that some people carry—affects how intratumoral microbiota adhere to tumor cells, promoting CRC progression.

More Americans are beating cancer than ever, yet many still grapple with treatment’s long shadow — especially on their mental health.

A new Northwestern Medicine study found most head-and-neck cancer survivors who underwent radiation don’t know about “survivorship care,” even as many grapple with side effects such as lingering dry mouth, swallowing problems and psychological distress.

This Phase III trial is based on a Phase I trial of patients in which the engineered cells were shown to be safe and effective, with minimal side effects. Initial study results were published April 9 in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

Study findings indicate that a newly discovered drug, RMC-6236, also known as Daraxonrasib, is a powerful inhibitor of RAS (including KRAS, NRAS and HRAS). This study evaluated the effectiveness of RMC-6236 in patient-derived pancreatic tumors harboring KRAS mutations.

Fusobacteria, which are part of the oral microbiome, are suspected of playing a role in cancer progression. Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) are working on innovative strategies to inhibit the spread of these bacteria. Antisense molecules, which could serve as programmable, targeted antibiotics, show great promise. In a recent study, a research team led by Jörg Vogel identified a compound that effectively halts the growth of five Fusobacterium species. The findings were published today in the journal mBio.

Patients with advanced solid tumors experienced significantly improved survival outcomes with tailored treatment guided by tissue plus liquid biopsies vs. individually, according to results presented by Paolo Marchetti, MD, at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025.