Presented at ESTRO 2025, which gathered a record attendance of 7,908 participants this week in Vienna, Austria, a 10-year study, involving over 4,000 UK patients, confirms that a one-week course of post-surgery radiotherapy is just as safe and effective as the traditional three-week regimen for early-stage breast cancer patients. These long-term results from the FAST-Forward trial, could further reduce the burden on breast cancer patients worldwide, and expand access to life-saving radiotherapy.

A recent study by the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) and Helmholtz Munich found that six cardiometabolic risk groups previously identified in middle-aged individuals can also be applied to older adults without diabetes. Using data from the KORA F4/FF4 study of people aged 61 to 82, researchers identified clusters with varying risks of developing type 2 diabetes and related complications. One cluster, marked by high inflammatory load and insulin-resistant fatty liver, showed particularly high risk. The study highlights the importance of personalized risk assessment and early prevention strategies even in older age.

For a long time, research on the tumor microenvironment (TME) has focused on the influence of immune cells and bacterial communities. However, in recent years, scientists have discovered that fungi may play a more critical role. A team from the Department of Breast Medicine, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University published a review (Doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2024.0240) in Cancer Biology & Medicine, systematically revealing the interactions between gut fungi and tumor-related fungi, as well as their profound impact on cancer development and treatment responses. This study has pushed fungi to the forefront of tumor research, particularly highlighting their unique role in cancers such as pancreatic cancer, providing theoretical support for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.