New results from an Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT) study reveal that a simple weekly electronic symptom check-in with care team, significantly improves the quality of life for individuals undergoing treatment for advanced cancer. The study found that the biggest improvements were seen among patient groups that have historically faced the greatest barriers to care, including Black patients and individuals with less formal education. The findings, published in JCO Oncology Practice, show that using remote check-ins help bridge communication gaps between patients and their treatment teams, offering a powerful way to make cancer care more effective.

A recent review illustrates that metabolic crosstalk between tumor cells and immune cells shapes immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in skin cancers, mediating the imbalance between pro-tumor and anti-tumor immunity and limiting durable clinical benefits of immunotherapy. Systematically dissecting metabolic reprogramming mechanisms and metabolic-targeted interventions provides theoretical support for advancing combinatorial metabolic-immune precision therapy for skin malignancies. Emerging metabolic intervention strategies, combined with novel analytical technologies and artificial intelligence, create promising avenues to overcome therapeutic bottlenecks in skin cancer treatment.

A new review in Advanced Cancer Research explains how artificial intelligence is being used across cancer drug discovery, from finding targets to designing and testing new drug candidates. The authors show where AI is already useful, and what still needs to improve before more AI-designed therapies can reach patients.A new review in Advanced Cancer Research explains how artificial intelligence is being used across cancer drug discovery, from finding targets to designing and testing new drug candidates. The authors show where AI is already useful, and what still needs to improve before more AI-designed therapies can reach patients.

Immune checkpoints (ICs) are receptors that regulate immune responses through both activating and inhibitory mechanisms. Inflammatory microenvironment modulates IC expression through cytokines, metabolites, and oxidative signals. Immune checkpoint inhibitors not only enhance antitumor immunity but also reshape systemic immune networks. This review summarizes the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which ICs regulate inflammatory responses and highlights their roles across diverse pathological conditions.