Keytruda, first approved in 2014, belongs to a class of immunotherapy drugs that enable the immune system to attack cancer cells, extending survival for millions and transforming fatal diagnoses into manageable conditions.
The study published in the Lancet analyzed data from 381 patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, revealing a 35% reduction in the risk of death among those treated with relacorilant compared to usual care.
Jessica Mason went back and forth to her GP and hospital with swelling, bleeding and pain in her vagina but says she was "fobbed off" before "begging" for a scan which revealed cancer requiring urgent treatment. The 44-year-old believes she was only referred for an MRI because she "broke down in tears" to a doctor, adding: "I knew there was something wrong."
For years, scientists have viewed cancer as a localized glitch in which cells refuse to stop dividing. But a new study suggests that, in certain organs, tumors actively communicate with the brain to trick it into protecting them. Scientists have long known that nerves grow into some tumors and that tumors containing lots of nerves usually lead to a worse prognosis.
New findings on cancer survival rates offer hope for the more than 2 million Americans diagnosed each year. Seven out of 10 Americans diagnosed with cancer now survive five years or more, according to the American Cancer Society, a 7 percent increase since the mid-1990s, when the rate stood at 63 percent. The survival rate data - from patients diagnosed with cancer between 2015 and 2021 - showed, significantly, that those with high-mortality cancers and advanced diagnoses had the largest gains.
Three in four cancer patients in England will beat cancer under government plans to raise survival rates, as figures reveal someone is now diagnosed every 75 seconds in the UK. Cancer is the country's biggest killer, causing about one in four deaths, and survival rates lag behind several European countries, including Romania and Poland. Three-quarters of NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, a Guardian analysis found last year, prompting experts to declare a national emergency.
Smoking, being overweight, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and sunbeds are the top preventable causes of cancer, experts have warned. Researchers from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) analysed 30 risk factors that cause cancer, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and air pollution. Using data from across 185 countries, they estimate that about 7.1 million of the 18.7 million new cancer cases diagnosed globally in 2022 were preventable.
A report last year found unnecessary surgeries were carried out, cancers were missed and poor standards of care were delivered at the University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital. CDDTF said it wanted to support the patients it had let down, including by offering access to psychological support, and to ensure they knew how to make a claim or raise concerns with police.
As every week, month, year passes, women are getting more frustrated, upset. You can't put their pain on hold. A lot of them have had to give up work or reduce their hours. They're struggling to make ends meet. We have some members, they've had to sell their homes and move in with elderly parents, marriages broken down We see those women at three in the morning trying to put up a post saying, I don't want to be here any more'
These figures represent decades of crucial scientific breakthroughs. From vaccines that prevent cancer to kinder, more targeted treatments. Because of this, thousands more people today can make memories, reach milestones and spend precious time with their loved ones.
The surgery was long and grueling - almost 12 hours - and my recovery was tough. I couldn't lift my baby for weeks. My husband served as a caregiver for both me and our son, while my mom and sisters rotated shifts to help. I hated feeling like a visitor in my own life, but slowly my strength began to return. It took me about a year to fully recover and start to feel like myself again.