Author: NewsCancer

An interest in intratumor heterogeneity and breast cancer stem cell tumor evolution turned a 2-year fellow program into a 6-year tenure at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for Vanessa Almendro-Navarro, PhD, MBA.In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Almendro, who recently joined City of Hope as chief commercialization officer, discussed her clinical background as a fellow and beyond, as well as how those experiences may impact her new role at the institution. Initially a faculty member of a clinic in Barcelona, an interest in breast cancer research being pioneered at Dana-Farber drew her to the Boston area and served as a “fantastic experience,” effectively…

In the landscape of soft tissue sarcomas, the “immune-cold” tumor microenvironment remains one of the most significant hurdles to durable immunotherapy responses. For clinicians treating subtypes like synovial sarcoma, the challenge isn’t just activating T cells but ensuring they can effectively traffic into a hostile or indifferent tumor niche.In this discussion, Seth M. Pollack, MD, Steven T. Rosen, MD, Professor of Cancer Biology and Director of the Sarcoma Program at Northwestern University, and co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, dove into the pharmacological and physical strategies currently being tested to…

IntroductionBreast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women, with more than 2.3 million new cases in 2022.1 Historically, breast cancer was treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy and was initially thought to be less responsive to immunologic agents due to factors creating a poorly immunogenic tumor environment, such as lower tumor mutational burden (TMB) and fewer tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).2 However, as cancer treatment has evolved, there has been increased interest in incorporating immunotherapy into breast cancer regimens due to success in the treatment of melanoma, small and non–small cell lung cancer, and other advanced malignancies.3-5Breast cancer is an extremely heterogeneous…

At the 2026 Tandem Meeting, Monzr M. Al Malki, MD, shared compelling findings from a first-in-human study of TRX103, a novel off-the-shelf allogeneic CD4 T-cell therapy. Designed to improve immune reconstitution in HLA-mismatched hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, TRX103 utilizes cells from healthy donors engineered to express IL-10, granting them the properties of Type 1 regulatory (Tr1) cells.In an interview with CancerNetwork®, Al Malki, director of the Unrelated Donor Bone Marrow Transplant and Haploidentical Transplant Programs and associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope, detailed how this approach induces “infectious tolerance,” significantly…

As breast cancer management shifts toward de-escalation and highly targeted systemic therapies, radiation oncologists must balance oncologic safety with patient quality of life. At the 2026 American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) Summit, Sunil W. Dutta, MD, shared insights into how recent landmark trials and the rise of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are reshaping clinical workflows for both low-risk and metastatic populations.In this interview with CancerNetwork®, Dutta, assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, explored the nuances of shared decision-making and the practicalities of modern sequencing. He spoke about utilizing phase 3 PRIME II…

Standardized early detection protocols for pancreatic cancer must be prioritized to mirror the long-term survival improvements achieved in other major malignancies, according to Diane Simeone, MD. Earlier in 2026, the American Cancer Society published results that revealed that the 5-year survival rate across all combined cancer types was 70%; however, pancreatic cancer was significantly lower, at 13%.1CancerNetwork® spoke with Simeone, director of the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, about what needs to be done to address this problem. While precision oncology has advanced the treatment landscape for patients with lung cancer and melanoma, Simeone noted that the…

Despite there not being significant differences in efficacy with lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) across real-world and clinical trial settings, more can be done to deliver optimal outcomes to patients not treated in a clinical trial setting, according to Irtiza N. Sheikh, DO.Sheikh, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics – Patient Care, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Section of the Division of Pediatrics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussed considerations for reducing discrepancies in outcomes between patients treated in the real-world vs those treated in a trial setting. First, he explained that differences in…

Language.A bridge, a barrier, a living thing that connects—or separates—souls. It is the vessel through which we share knowledge, build trust, and seek understanding. Yet sometimes, in medicine, even the richest language fails to carry the weight of what our hearts want to say.During the fall of 2025, I cared for a 35-year-old woman recently diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Only 2 weeks earlier, she had been full of life—working, laughing, taking care of her family. A recent emigrant from China, she lived here surrounded by love: parents, a sister, and a small but fiercely close-knit community. In the blink…

At the 2026 American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) Summit, CancerNetwork® spoke with Pranshu Mohindra, MD, about his presentation highlighting practical considerations for using hypofractionated radiotherapy among patients with lung cancer. His session sought to educate colleagues and providers on hypofractionation in the context of thoracic malignancies, thereby expanding the modality’s use for patients.According to Mohindra, a clinical professor and vice-chair of Operations & Quality in the Department of Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/UH Seidman Cancer Center and director the UH Proton Therapy Center, his presentation reviewed strategies for treatment planning and decision-making with respect to hypofractionated…

Feb 13 (Reuters) – A jury in Pennsylvania state court on Friday ⁠awarded $250,000 ⁠to the family of a woman who sued ⁠Johnson & Johnson alleging its talc-based baby powder was to blame for her ovarian cancer.The jury in the Philadelphia Court ​of Common Pleas sided with family members of Gayle Emerson, who claimed that Johnson & Johnson knew for years its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers.Jurors ‌awarded Emerson’s family $50,000 in compensatory damages and $200,000 in ‌punitive damages.In a statement, Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation, said the company plans to appeal.“This token verdict…