Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience significant healthcare disparities across the oncology spectrum of care. Systemic barriers, past harmful healthcare experiences and sociopolitical climate, and other impediments to accessing health care among others, combine to influence these disparities. TGD individuals undergoing gender-affirming mastectomy (‘top surgery’) face unique challenges related to breast cancer risk assessment and screening. Currently, a patient can undergo top surgery without understanding how that procedure will affect their lifelong breast and chest cancer risk – and critically, without knowing if they carry predispositions that could fundamentally reshape their surgical decisions.

 

A new study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has identified critical barriers that influence healthcare professionals' integration of cancer risk evaluation, within the context of gender-affirming mastectomy and pre-surgical planning. They include clear institutional accountability, harmonized evidence-based guidelines, standardized care pathways and embedded genetic counseling in multidisciplinary gender-affirming care teams. These findings mirror what patients reported in a previous companion study – that they lack clear information before and after surgery.

About the Study: Cardiology practitioners need to remain updated on rapidly evolving breast cancer therapies to care for this growing, unique patient population. The field of cardio-oncology has evolved to address the cardiovascular needs of patients and survivors.

Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have developed a biodegradable implant designed to deliver cancer-fighting immunotherapy drugs directly into tumors over an extended period, a strategy that could improve treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects.

Loss of one copy of the DNA Ligase I (LIG1) gene in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) with TP53 mutations confers resistance to chemotherapy, but researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have identified a vulnerability in these cells and used it to their advantage. The team identified underlying molecular mechanisms of platinum resistance that they neutralized with combinations of available drugs to reduce tumor growth in animal models. This work also highlights LIG1 status as a patient stratification factor for ongoing and future clinical trials.

About The Study: In this cross-sectional temporal analysis, the marked reductions in excess mortality indicate meaningful progress achieved for several major cancer types through population-wide cancer control efforts. Persistent or worsening disparities in breast cancer and uterine corpus cancer and substantial residual disparities in prostate cancer highlight priorities for equitable interventions. These findings may guide more targeted and efficient cancer prevention and control strategies to further accelerate progress. 

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s July tip sheet contains several story ideas, including cancer researchers training as firefighters, new pancreatic cancer research, sex-specific immune differences in GBM, and a sarcoma expert who is exploring AI to develop better predictive models for bone cancer.