BUFFALO, NY — January 29, 2026 — A new research perspective was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on December 23, 2025, titled “Necrotizing fasciitis of the head and neck – clinical features, diagnostics, and management strategies.”

E-cigarettes are attracting growing numbers of users, including teenagers, yet their health effects remain poorly understood. Researchers at Kyushu University found that e-cigarette vapor—regardless of nicotine content—released carcinogens, such as formaldehyde, and disrupted gut microbiome stability in zebrafish, reducing certain beneficial bacteria while increasing xenobiotic degradation-associated microbes. Exposed fish also showed impaired behavioral responses. The findings raise concerns about inadequately disclosed e-cigarette ingredients and highlight the need for greater transparency and evidence-based regulation.

PrECOG, LLC, today announced the publication of final results from the pivotal phase 3 PATINA study in the New England Journal of Medicine which evaluated whether adding palbociclib to anti-HER2 and endocrine therapy, following induction chemotherapy, could delay disease progression in patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer. Results showed a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 44.3 months in the palbociclib arm, compared with 29.1 months in the control arm.

Led by the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, the European ACHILLES project will train 16 researchers in experimental haemato-oncology with the aim of developing new, more effective treatments and diagnostic tools for leukaemia and lymphoma. Over the next few years, researchers will join a European network of 15 leading centres in 12 countries, where they will work with the most advanced technologies to lay the foundations for the therapies of the future.

Researchers have developed a new biomimetic nanocomposite (mPDA-Cas9) for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by combining CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy with photothermal therapy. The new nano platform significantly inhibits tumor growth while showing minimal toxicity.

Alliance Foundation Trials, LLC (AFT) today announced the publication of the pivotal phase III PATINA study (AFT-38) in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), marking a major milestone for patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2+) advanced breast cancer (ABC). The study’s results demonstrate that the addition of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib to standard first-line maintenance therapy significantly prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) by more than 15 months compared with standard therapy alone.

Cells must faithfully copy their DNA before dividing, a task carried out by polymerases that rely on clamp-like proteins to tether them to the genome. New research shows that one such protein doesn’t just play a catalytic role as a clamp-loader. It also stabilizes the process as it moves the length of the DNA strand. The findings revise our understanding of the fine details of DNA replication and may have implications for human disease.