BUFFALO, NY – December 30, 2024 – A new editorial was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 15 on December 24, 2024, titled “Pitfalls and perils from FDA-approved germ-line cancer predisposition tests.“

In a paper published in Molecular Biomedicine, the authors underscore the heterogeneity of Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) by elaborating on their origins, types and function. Most importantly, by elucidating the direct or indirect crosstalk between CAFs and immune cells, the extracellular matrix, and cancer cells, they emphasize the tumorigenicity of CAFs in cancer. Finally, they highlight the challenges encountered in the exploration of CAFs and list targeted therapies for CAF, which have implications for clinical treatment.

This study, led by Prof. Bin Du, Li Weng, and Hongda Chen from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, examines the rising burden of sepsis among hospitalized cancer patients in China from 2017 to 2019. Sepsis, a serious condition caused by infection-related inflammation, is a leading cause of death in cancer patients. The study found a 35.3% increase in sepsis incidence, from 4111.20 to 5564.42 per 100,000 admissions. Sepsis-related mortality also rose by 53%, with higher rates in older patients, especially those aged 85 and above. The study highlights the need for focused interventions on infection prevention, early detection, and timely management to reduce sepsis-related mortality, especially in regions with limited healthcare resources.