Articles related to Oncology, Medical

A meta-analysis of 14 observational studies found that very high chili pepper consumption was associated with increased gastrointestinal cancer risk, particularly esophageal cancer. The findings were observational and did not establish a causal relationship between chili pepper intake and cancer development.

ASCO released updated recommendations for recurrent ovarian cancer that reinforce platinum-based doublet therapy as the preferred approach for platinum-sensitive disease and provide guidance for platinum-resistant disease, maintenance strategies, and monitoring. Recommendations were derived from a systematic review of studies published through 2025.

A randomized noninferiority trial involving 648 men with MRI-visible prostate lesions found that cognitive fusion biopsy achieved clinically significant prostate cancer detection rates similar to software-based fusion biopsy. Subgroup analyses suggested body mass index may influence the relative performance of each approach.

A phase 3 trial in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer found that adding concurrent thoracic radiotherapy to chemoimmunotherapy did not improve survival outcomes and was associated with higher toxicity. Investigators reported more adverse events and treatment-related deaths, raising safety concerns about this combination strategy.

A two-year analysis of 12,670 screened men found that the Stockholm3 risk model detected more clinically significant prostate cancers than PSA testing alone, primarily through fewer false-negative results. The findings suggest improved screening discrimination, although follow-up remains limited to two years.

An engineered probiotic strain delivering a modified IL-2 therapy directly within pancreatic tumors slowed tumor growth and enhanced immune activity in preclinical models. Combination studies with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy showed additional activity, though human data are not yet available.