Urothelial carcinoma is an aggressive entity that is associated with significant morbidity, but there have been major advances in both our understanding of and treatment options for patients with this disease. In this review, the authors focus on novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches in the perioperative setting, with an emphasis on patient-centered and individualized care. For urothelial carcinoma

CASE PRESENTATION A 52-year-old transgender man presented for evaluation of a new diagnosis of breast cancer. The patient was designated female at birth. Three months after initiation of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with testosterone gel, he underwent bilateral mastectomy for gender affirmation. Final pathology revealed a left-sided, pathologic T1 tumor (pT1) that was identified as grade

The number of people living with a history of cancer in the United States continues to rise because of the growth and aging of the population as well as improved survival through advances in early detection and treatment. To assist the public health community serve the needs of these survivors, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute collaborate triennially to estimate cancer

The publication of the American Cancer Society’s “Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Statistics, 2025” report affirms that the number of people living in the United States with a history of cancer is rising because of advances in detection and treatment that have improved survival.1, 2 In our opinion, it also presents a new opportunity to engage all stakeholders in the discourse on cancer survivorship

Reirradiation (reRT), defined as administering a course of radiation therapy to a specific area previously irradiated, is an evolving treatment strategy for locoregionally recurrent cancer that offers significant potential and poses inherent challenges. Advances in such techniques as intensity-modulated and stereotactic body radiation therapy have improved precision, making reRT a viable option for

Approximately one in 3500 to one in 5100 live-born infants have atypical external genital development, known as differences in sex development (DSD). In 2005, an expert consensus conference thoroughly reviewed aspects of health care for individuals with DSD. The conference proposed a classification system to help provide individualized evaluations and management. Some types of DSD are associated with

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Contemporary advances in systemic and locoregional therapies have led to changes in peer-reviewed guidelines regarding systemic therapy as well as the possibility of downstaging disease that may enable some patients with advanced disease to ultimately undergo partial hepatectomy

Vulvar and vaginal cancers represent rare malignancies, with an incidence of 2.7 per 100,000 women for vulvar cancer, predominantly affecting women older than 60 years, although rising rates are observed in younger demographics. Approximately 90% of vulvar cancers are squamous cell carcinoma and frequently are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Vaginal cancer, constituting less than

Women who are diagnosed with cancer during their reproductive years have significantly fewer livebirths than those without cancer, according to a Danish registry-based cohort study. Researchers found that livebirth rates after a cancer diagnosis increasingly declined with age and varied with specific cancers. The rates of a first livebirth after cancer were lowest among women with leukemia, breast

No abstract is available for this article.

“The results are very provocative in terms of turning the assumption that we’ve always had on its head, and that’s why it’s such an important study—because it challenges dogma.” —Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH Early results from the first study comparing active monitoring to surgery for patients with low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) support the short-term safety of active monitoring. Researchers released

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common and aggressive subtype of ovarian cancer, accounting for approximately 70% of all ovarian cancer cases and contributing significantly to the high mortality rates associated with this disease. Because of the asymptomatic nature of early stage disease, most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages when the cancer has already spread into the

The peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are the only disease for which four histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been approved globally as single agents. Although it is not clear why the PTCL exhibit such a vulnerability to these drugs, understanding the biological basis for this activity is essential. Many lines of data have established that the PTCL exhibit marked sensitivity to other epigenetically

In this issue, Islami and colleagues present remarkable data estimating that 3.9 million lung cancer deaths have been averted over the past 5 decades, along with a compelling analysis revealing 75 person-years of life gained from avoided premature lung cancer deaths—both of which can be attributed to a major public health victory in tobacco control.1 The consequence of the estimated number of averted

Cancer molecular imaging is the noninvasive visualization of a process unique to or altered in neoplasia, such as proliferation, glucose metabolism, and receptor expression, which is relevant to patient management. Several molecular imaging modalities are now available, including magnetic resonance, optical, and nuclear imaging. Nuclear imaging, particularly using fluorine-18–fluorodeoxyglucose positron

Individuals from rural areas in the United States suffer higher rates of morbidity and mortality from cancer than their urban counterparts. This review is based on the idea that equity—the elimination of unnecessary and preventable differences between groups of individuals—should underlie access to cancer care resources for patients from rural areas. Access to cancer clinical trials serves as the framework

Patients living in rural communities who have chronic diseases, including cancer, have inferior survival compared to those living in urban areas. In this issue, Unger et al. provide an excellent overview of factors that challenge rural patients while highlighting how clinical trial availability can improve rural outcomes.1 They discuss delayed diagnosis, underinsurance, provider shortages, the higher

Lung cancer mortality rates in the United States have declined steeply in recent decades, largely because of substantial reductions in smoking prevalence, as approximately 85% of lung cancer deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking. In this study, the authors estimate the number of averted lung cancer deaths and corresponding person-years of life gained during 1970–2022 as a measure of progress

No abstract is available for this article.

When Patricia Santos, MD, was a medical resident in radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, she and her colleagues observed the numerous challenges that people experiencing homelessness (PEH) face after a cancer diagnosis. “A number of us who were doing work in this space had our own individual stories of what we saw on a one-on-one basis, but we found very

“We’ve had very few innovations in colorectal cancer up until the immunotherapy era starting around 2014, so this is huge in this rare subtype.” —Benjamin L. Schlechter, MD Results from a new study published in the November 27, 2024, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM; doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2402141) showed that a combination of two immunotherapy drugs led to longer progression-free survival

Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) represent a distinct group with head and neck cancer. They are often nontobacco users, nonalcohol users, and on average are 10 to 20 years younger than patients with cancers of other head and neck sites. Given good baseline health status and the effectiveness of contemporary treatment,1-3 patients with NPC typically have long projected life expectancies

Despite the advances in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatments, all of which have led to improved cancer survival, globally, there is an increased incidence in cancer-related deaths. Although each patient and each tumor is wholly unique, the tipping point to incurable disease is common across all patients: the dual capacity for cancers to metastasize and resist systemic treatment. The discovery

African American and other Black individuals (referred to as Black people in this article) have a disproportionate cancer burden, including the lowest survival of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers. Every 3 years, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths for Black people in the United States and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence (herein

Nearly 90% locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) responds to induction chemotherapy (IC) with significant tumor volume shrinkage. Radiotherapy always follows IC, and reduced volume has been proposed. However, the efficacy and safety of reduced-volume radiotherapy is uncertain.

Next-generation sequencing has revealed the disruptive reality that advanced/metastatic cancers have complex and individually distinct genomic landscapes, necessitating a rethinking of treatment strategies and clinical trial designs. Indeed, the molecular reclassification of cancer suggests that it is the molecular underpinnings of the disease, rather than the tissue of origin, that mostly drives outcomes

No abstract is available for this article.

A new phase 2 study found that ponsegromab (Pfizer) helped with issues typically associated with cancer cachexia by suppressing weight loss and improving appetite and physical activity. Researchers found that the monoclonal antibody inhibited the serum level of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), which is associated with cachexia’s multifaceted syndrome. Currently, there are no medicines approved

“This information likely will not lead to changes in decision-making but may help long-term cancer survivorship planning and treatment.” —Robert Krouse, MD Colorectal cancer studies commonly use broad “umbrella” terms when discussing the outcomes of rectal cancer surgery and fail to ferret out the prevalence of the individual side effects. A study from Denmark has investigated the prevalence of erectile

Since 1951, the American Cancer Society has compiled and published data on an annual basis pertaining to the incidence and outcomes of most malignancies in the United States. This meticulous effort consistently manifests as one of the most cited articles in the literature, extensively referenced not only by oncologists but also by health scientists at large. The influence of this reporting is attributable

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrence and outcomes using incidence data collected by central cancer registries (through 2021) and mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (through 2022). In 2025, 2,041,910 new cancer cases and

Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, such as olaparib, talazoparib, rucaparib, and niraparib, comprise a therapeutic class that targets PARP proteins involved in DNA repair. Cancer cells with homologous recombination repair defects, particularly BRCA alterations, display enhanced sensitivity to these agents because of synthetic lethality induced by PARP inhibitors. These

Despite ongoing efforts to increase the number of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in medicine, Hispanic women remain severely underrepresented in these fields. This disparity not only hinders scientific innovation and the delivery of culturally competent medical care but also perpetuates a systemic exclusion. Research specifically addressing the challenges faced

Since 1946, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has invested more to find the causes and cures of cancer than any other single nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization. Each year, the ACS extends this support to investigators at institutions across the United States as part of its grants program, funding research for high school interns through world-renowned professors, including the ACS Professorship

The first 5 decades of research in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were dominated by the cytarabine plus anthracyclines backbone, with advances in strategies including allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, high-dose cytarabine, supportive care measures, and targeted therapies for the subset of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Since 2017, a turning point in AML research, 12 agents

In the United States, over 2 million individuals openly identify with a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth. A cancer diagnosis is physically and psychologically taxing—and, in some, traumatic. However, for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people, many of whom have experienced discrimination in myriad health care settings, the challenges may be even greater. These recommendations

No abstract is available for this article.

A study based in the United Kingdom reports that, in general, most women between the ages of 15 and 39 years who have survived a cancer diagnosis are at low risk for pregnancy complications later in their lives. The study appears in The Lancet Oncology (doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00269-9). According to the study authors, limited data are available on the risks of obstetric complications among survivors

“While it’s been known for some time in the surgical literature that bilateral mastectomy does not impact mortality, this study more clearly confirms that through large sample sizes, length of prospective follow-up, and thoughtful subgroup analysis.” —Monique Gary, DO Although rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and bilateral mastectomy are increasing among women with unilateral sporadic

The 2024 Breast Cancer Statistics highlight a few interesting trends: breast cancer incidence is increasing, there is a greater increase in younger women, and most of this increase is driven by early stage diagnosis and hormone receptor (HR)-positive disease.1 In addition, compared with other racial groups, women with Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage have a greater increase in breast

This is the American Cancer Society's biennial update of statistics on breast cancer among women based on high-quality incidence and mortality data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer incidence continued an upward trend, rising by 1% annually during 2012–2021, largely confined to localized-stage and hormone receptor-positive disease.

In order to maintain the high standards of CA’s content, the Editors of CA rely on the knowledge and dedication of many experts in deciding which topics to pursue, which manuscripts to publish, and what modifications to make to ensure medical and scientific accuracy and suitability for our readers. We thank our Associate Editors and our Editorial Advisory Board, who continue to provide these services

“Although we need to wait for overall survival analysis in a few years to be completely certain of this strategy, this is virtually identical to the improvement seen in the adjuvant trial (ADAURA) that led to an improvement in OS, so it is well worth using now.” —Nate Pennell, MD, PhD Investigators for the phase 3 LAURA trial reported that for patients with unresectable stage III non–small cell lung

No abstract is available for this article.

It has been widely reported that patients who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other gender-diverse characteristic) have more health risks than the cisgender and/or heterosexual population. According to previous studies, most of the disparity has been attributed to the minority stress theory: Members of these communities disproportionally experience discrimination

Older adults with cancer heterogeneously experience health care, treatment, and symptoms. Geriatric assessment (GA) offers a comprehensive evaluation of an older individual's health status and can predict cancer-related outcomes in individuals with solid tumors and those with hematologic malignancies. In the last decade, randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the benefits of GA and GA management

In this issue of the journal, Magnuson et al. provide a comprehensive review of available geriatric assessment (GA) tools and their impact on outcomes for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. In addition, the authors provide a clear guide for clinicians to help understand the importance of GA and management.1 An assumption inherent in the GA is that improvement in outcomes is driven by modifications

In 2018, the authors reported estimates of the number and proportion of cancers attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in 2014 in the United States. These data are useful for advocating for and informing cancer prevention and control. Herein, based on up-to-date relative risk and cancer occurrence data, the authors estimated the proportion and number of invasive cancer cases (excluding

No abstract is available for this article.

A new study appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) investigated the effectiveness of an emerging colon cancer screening option—a cell-free DNA (cfDNA) blood-based test known as Shield—that researchers and clinicians hope will encourage more people to be screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) (doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2304714). Allison Rosen, MS, from Houston, Texas, is a 12-year CRC survivor

“AI tools may soon be able to help identify appropriate clinical trials for individual patients and even assist oncologists with a preliminary assessment of which trials a patient will be eligible for.” —Shiraj Sen, MD, PhD With artificial intelligence (AI) erupting across all aspects of life, including health care, oncology is a logical field ripe for new applications. AI is already used in cancer

Social media is widely used globally by patients, families of patients, health professionals, scientists, and other stakeholders who seek and share information related to cancer. Despite many benefits of social media for cancer care and research, there is also a substantial risk of exposure to misinformation, or inaccurate information about cancer. Types of misinformation vary from inaccurate information

Tumor-agnostic therapies represent a paradigm shift in oncology by altering the traditional means of characterizing tumors based on their origin or location. Instead, they zero in on specific genetic anomalies responsible for fueling malignant growth. The watershed moment for tumor-agnostic therapies arrived in 2017, with the US Food and Drug Administration's historic approval of pembrolizumab, an

No abstract is available for this article.

Although approximately half of patients with cancer receive symptom management and advance care planning (ACP), a new study reports that the percentage is much worse—only approximately 20%—for low-income and minority patients. The researchers note that this disparity results in not just reduced quality of life for the patients but also increased costs of care for individuals and overall. The study

“Too often, we have patients who are told concretely—by their physicians—that HT therapy is bad—it increases your breast cancer risk; this doesn‘t account for all of the other medical benefits of HRT and quality-of-life factors that impact women during menopause.” —Ellie Proussaloglou, MD It has been more than 2 decades since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI; https://www.whi.org/) alarmed clinicians

Cancer mortality rates have declined during the last 28 years, but that process is not equitably shared. Disparities in cancer outcomes by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender identity, and geographic location persist across the cancer care continuum. Consequently, community outreach and engagement (COE) efforts within National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for all cancer sites, including gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), is meant to be dynamic, requiring periodic updates to optimize AJCC staging definitions. This entails the collaboration of experts charged with evaluating new evidence that supports changes to each staging system. GEP-NETs are the second most prevalent

The rising costs of cancer care and subsequent medical financial hardship for cancer survivors and families are well documented in the United States. Less attention has been paid to employment disruptions and loss of household income after a cancer diagnosis and during treatment, potentially resulting in lasting financial hardship, particularly for working-age adults not yet age-eligible for Medicare

Two important reports regarding cancer incidence in the United States1 and globally2 have been recently released. In summary, almost 20 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer in 2022, and almost 10 million died of their disease.2 Lung cancer is the most common cancer globally, followed by female breast, colorectal, prostate, and stomach cancers. For women, breast cancer is the most common