Trastuzumab has transformed the prognosis for women with HER2+ breast cancer. On the occasion of the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Congress 2021, leading oncology experts recall with enthusiasm the pioneering work of researchers like José Baselga in this field and push for continuous research to investigate how to further improve the treatment of this cancer sub-type

At ELCC 2021, Prof. Fiona Blackhall sees hope for improving patients’ poor prognoses on the horizon  

With multiple new therapies available, Prof. Johan Vansteenkiste says the search is on for biomarkers to better match patients to treatments 

With the growing use of real-world evidence (RWE) to support regulatory approvals of new anti-cancer medicines in Europe and the USA, can this type of research ensure greater inclusion of women, the elderly, diverse ethnic groups, those with rare cancers and other under-represented populations in oncology studies?

According to Prof. Urania Dafni, high quality real-world evidence can provide broader information and more generalisable conclusions to verify the clinical applicability of evidence from RCTs 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, real-world data have shown they can support clinical decision-making in complex situations but extensive bureaucracy is still a limiting factor

Promising results with cancer vaccines based on specific antigen mutations in individual tumours, and typically used in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, are fuelling an upsurge of interest in cancer vaccination for patients with established cancer, explains Prof. Pedro Romero. 

However, researchers’ concerns about missing opportunities to publish their real-world evidence-based papers in high-ranked scientific journals are justified to some extent due to lack of ‘best practices’ from publishers and suitable peer reviewers for these study designs

While locally tailored cancer screening programmes, particularly for cervical cancer, are showing encouraging results in some areas with limited resources, cancer care is still suffering some bottlenecks due to lack of training for healthcare staff and shortages of medicines

Medical oncologists have traditionally played a marginal role in helping drive the adoption of preventive lifestyles, “but now it is time to strengthen our commitment” says ESMO President