For decades, lung cancer has been associated with stigma, anxiety, and loss. Advances in screening, therapeutics, and survivorship have created a new reality; lung cancer is treatable, survivable, and increasingly understood as a chronic disease for many. A special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, published by Elsevier and in collaboration with the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT), details this transformation, outlining how radiology is moving beyond disease detection to providing equitable care and becoming a champion of patient dignity.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer have unique needs compared with other age groups. Access to palliative care among this age group remains challenging. New research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250615 points out gaps and areas for improvement in providing palliative care for AYAs with cancer in Ontario.

Organoids, clusters of cells which contain the same cell types as full-sized organs, offer huge promise for medical research — but making them usually takes a lot of complicated manual work. Now scientists have found a simple, automated way of producing lots of organoids at once, using a tank full of oxygen-infused growth medium which is continuously stirred. These organoids, as a better model for real lungs than cell lines, could provide a more effective way of testing new lung disease treatments. If made from a patient’s own cells, they could even test treatments before someone tries them for real.

Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting women globally, with late detection frequently contributing to its high mortality rate. Multiple factors drive these delays, including a lack of awareness, financial constraints in low-income countries, and limited access to non-invasive and accurate biomarkers. This review aims to introduce biomarkers, particularly hematological and biochemical serum markers, as essential, non-invasive, and accurate tools for improving the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic management of breast cancer. Hematological markers are measurable blood parameters that reflect physiological and pathological processes such as inflammation, infection, cardiovascular stress, autoimmune conditions, and cancer. Routinely measured hematological markers, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and red blood cell indices, are typically obtained from standard tests like the complete blood count. Regular monitoring through complete blood count is essential during cancer treatment to evaluate changes in blood cell counts and detect potential adverse effects. Because of their affordability, minimal infrastructure requirements, and broad accessibility, hematological parameters have been increasingly studied for their association with high-risk factors in breast cancer, particularly in resource-limited settings. Their utility underscores their critical role in improving patient outcomes across diverse healthcare environments. This review summarizes the clinical value of various hematological and serum-based biochemical markers in the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer. Prediction methods that incorporate hematological and serum-based biochemical parameters can support screening, diagnosis, and staging. Overall, individual or combined blood indicators hold significant potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness.

When gene transcription falls out of sync with other biological processes, that dysfunction can contribute to aging, cancer and other diseases. Researchers revealed how key regulatory proteins work in a precise hierarchy to meticulously adjust pacing during transcription. These regulatory proteins may now emerge as potential drug targets for a variety of disorders. The single-molecule platform that revealed these findings is a novel approach to studying similar processes that could have broad applications in biology.

Study of 48,000 AYAs finds nearly 1 in 10 develop metastatic recurrence after non-metastatic cancer, highlighting urgent need for tailored survivorship care and early detection strategies.