In the Spotlight

Despite the encouraging findings of a new global survey demonstrating a high rate of uptake of the ESMO/ASCO Global Curriculum in Medical Oncology, resource limitations in lower-income regions as well as country-specific political circumstances may be hindering its implementation locally.

Discrepancies in anti-cancer drug approvals around the globe are even bigger in low- and middle-income countries, raising some questions about how they impact on patients’ access to quality cancer care.    

Available data now allows evidence-based treatment of cancer diagnosed during pregnancy and new therapies are improving many young patients’ survival prospects, but couples’ preferences and values must continue to guide medical teams even when hope is scarce

Exciting new data show that adjuvant targeted agent olaparib after chemotherapy can cut the risk of BRCA-mutated breast cancer returning or spreading in women 

Expert says widely applicable predictive testing is needed to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment

Although knowledge on pathogenic germline variants has improved over the years, researchers are hunting for new genetic causes of cancer to better identify families at higher risk to develop the disease 

Tumour evolution is one of the primary reasons for resistance to treatment and researchers are now learning how to use it to lead tumours down a dead end

As the complexity of the cancer landscape increases, miscommunication and misunderstanding emerge as major obstacles to patient self-determination

How ESMO is transforming the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic into opportunities to re-shape the future of the oncology community 

Efficacy of targeted therapies has enabled unprecedented survival gains in the last few years, but Prof. Jean-Charles Soria believes overcoming drug resistance is likely to be a local battle fought in the tumour microenvironment