Death rates from ovarian cancer are predicted to fall by 17% in the UK and by 7% in EU countries in 2022 compared to 2017, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. Researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), a professor at the University of Milan (Italy), say […]
The use of polygenic risk scores in pre-implantation genetic testing is unproven and unethical, says ESHG
Some private fertility clinics have begun to sell polygenic risk scores1 (PRSs) analyses on embryos to prospective parents. This practice raises many concerns, representatives from the European Society of Human Genetics told a media briefing in London. In a paper published in the European Journal of Human Genetics*, they say that there is no evidence […]
Paediatric surgeons urge parents not to buy toys containing magnets for Christmas
Paediatric surgeons are urging parents not to buy toys that include small, often brightly coloured magnets as Christmas presents, following a dramatic rise in the number of children needing operations after swallowing them. The Children’s Surgery Foundation issued the warning as research showed a five-fold increase in children swallowing magnets in the last five years. […]
Atrial fibrillation and death are more common during the first year after breast cancer diagnosis
Women are significantly more likely to develop an abnormal and often rapid heart rhythm in the first year after being diagnosed with breast cancer than women without cancer, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The study also found that patients who developed the condition, known as atrial fibrillation, after a breast […]
Fewer cases of children’s cancer picked up during COVID pandemic
But cancer diagnosis following admission to intensive care was higher A study of cancer in children and young adults in England has found that fewer patients were diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, presented at the NCRI Festival [1], also shows that children who were diagnosed with cancer during the first wave of the […]
Simple, cheap urine test can detect urothelial cancers in Lynch Syndrome patients
Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to detect signs of urothelial cancer using a simple, postal, urine test in Lynch Syndrome (LS) patients who are at high risk of developing tumours. The findings, presented at the NCRI Festival[1], offer the potential to develop a cheap, easy and non-invasive way of […]
Blood tests predict which prostate cancer patients are resistant to chemotherapy drug
Regular blood tests before and during chemotherapy for prostate cancer can detect whether or not a patient is resistant or developing resistance to treatment with docetaxel, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival.[1] The findings could enable doctors to detect early on, without invasive procedures, if a treatment is working and switch to alternatives […]
Data available for training AI to spot skin cancer are insufficient and lacking in pictures of darker skin
The images and accompanying data available for training artificial intelligence (AI) to spot skin cancer are insufficient and include very few images of darker skin, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival and published in Lancet Digital Health. [1] AI is increasingly being used in medicine as it can make diagnosis of diseases like […]
Children in the UK and Ireland still diagnosed later with larger kidney cancers than in rest of Europe
Childhood cancer expert calls for frontline healthcare workers to be trained in paediatric medicine Children with kidney cancers continue to be diagnosed with larger and more advanced tumours in the UK and Ireland than in other Western European countries, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival.[1] As a result, a leading childhood cancer expert […]
Pilot study reveals the benefits of ‘whole genome sequencing’ for children with cancer
Unravelling the entire genetic code for each child who has been diagnosed with cancer can give a more accurate diagnosis or reveal new treatment options, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival.[1] These are the results of a pilot study of the process known as whole genome sequencing. The study also shows how whole […]