A simple blood test can help detect cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain or weight loss. This is according to a Swedish study from Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital and others, published in Nature Communications.

Study found that nearly half of Medicare Part D beneficiaries with cancer are projected to reach the annual out of pocket cap, with about one-third doing so as early as January. Enrollment in Medicare Prescription Plan would allow beneficiaries to spread these costs across the year — substantially reducing monthly payment volatility.

Analysis of the medical records of 1,269 elderly patients with advanced cancer by researchers at University of Tsukuba has found that more than 70% were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and that the prescription rate declined closer to the patient's death. Discontinuation was more frequent among patients admitted to palliative care units, those with polypharmacy, and females. These findings may help reduce treatment burden among patients nearing the end of their life.

After increasing for more than 25 years, lung cancer death rates are finally levelling off among women in European Union (EU) countries apart from Spain, according to predictions of mortality rates from the disease for 2026 published in Annals of Oncology. In the UK, death rates from lung cancer have been falling among women for several years, although from a higher peak than those seen in the EU, but they have continued to rise among EU women during this time.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) are advancing precision oncology by delivering highly accurate, high-dose radiation that achieves strong local control across multiple cancers and survival benefits in oligometastatic disease. Ongoing technological innovations have improved treatment precision, reduced toxicity, and enabled efficient hypofractionated and single-session approaches. Emerging evidence also highlights synergy with immunotherapy and expanding applications beyond oncology, while future trials aim to standardize practice and optimize patient selection to further strengthen personalized cancer care.

Thanks to improved therapies, 85% of U.S. children diagnosed with cancer now survive at least five years, with more than half a million survivors in the country today. But this group faces a unique set of challenges after getting cancer treatment at a young age—including an increased risk for new cancers later in life, as well as heart, lung, brain and other complications. Survivorship care addresses these issues by screening for common health problems and treating them early, but many childhood cancer survivors never receive it. A Keck School of Medicine of USC review of more than 8,500 research publications found that barriers ranging from gaps in specialized care to emotional trauma may explain why many people with childhood cancer do not get the recommended survivorship care. For example, children with cancer are treated by pediatric oncologists in children’s hospitals. After recovery, they must seek follow-up care from a different provider—but it’s often unclear where to turn. Adding training on survivorship guidelines and care plans to medical school curricula is one key solution. In addition, specialized cancer care centers that offer survivorship care to adult patients can broaden their scope to welcome childhood cancer survivors. Survivors also miss out on care because of barriers at the personal level. Some people lack knowledge about survivorship care or hold inaccurate beliefs, including that care is not very important. Others actively avoid seeking follow-up care because of emotional trauma or distress related to getting cancer treatment at a young age. Helping survivors understand their risks and feel empowered can make them more likely to stay engaged in follow-up care, the review found. Solutions include giving patients a clear survivorship care plan and treatment summary before they leave pediatric care, along with shared decision-making tools that help patients, caregivers and providers collaboratively build the care plan. Peer mentorship programs can also support young adults as they navigate the transition from pediatric to adult care.