BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-03-10DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00213-1
Julia Ten Hove, Danielle Kain, Jacqueline Galica, Jennifer O'Donnell, Michael D Brundage
{"title":"Patients' responses & reflections when receiving news of cancer progression: a qualitative study.","authors":"Julia Ten Hove, Danielle Kain, Jacqueline Galica, Jennifer O'Donnell, Michael D Brundage","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00213-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00213-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Limited literature exists characterizing the range of patient reactions during conversations about serious illnesses. This paper explores the variability of patients' responses when receiving bad news about their cancer progression to offer guidance for clinicians navigating these conversations through a patient-centered approach.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighty-four participants were interviewed and asked to put into their own words why finding out their cancer is growing is difficult news to hear. Responses were transcribed and qualitatively coded by multiple data analyzers using inductive content analysis to categorize responses and develop themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We grouped the data into two main themes: (1) a spectrum of negative and positive emotional responses and reflections upon hearing bad news, and (2) considerations about quality of life and the future. Participants expressed a range of strong emotions and reflections on their future, including concerns about life expectancy, quality of life, and available support, as well as positive reflections of acceptance and hope.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and implications: </strong>This study illustrates the diverse ways patients respond to news of disease progression, emphasizing the need for individualized, empathetic communication strategies to address these responses. The findings provide clinicians with insights to better navigate these conversations through a patient-centered approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976295/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147438981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-03-04DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00208-y
Alexandra L Degraeve, Adele Cutignano, Fabiana Piscitelli, Rosaria Villano, Giulia De Simone, Roberta Verde, Morgane M Thibaut, Laure B Bindels, Vincenzo Di Marzo
{"title":"Changes in levels of endocannabinoidome mediators in mice with cancer cachexia: links with steatosis and gut microbial dysbiosis.","authors":"Alexandra L Degraeve, Adele Cutignano, Fabiana Piscitelli, Rosaria Villano, Giulia De Simone, Roberta Verde, Morgane M Thibaut, Laure B Bindels, Vincenzo Di Marzo","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00208-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00208-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cachexia is a debilitating syndrome associated with involuntary weight loss, often occurring in cancer patients. In both humans and animal models, alterations in endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling occur in association with both metabolic disorders and several types of tumors. The wider signaling system, including the two eCBs, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), their congeners and other long chain fatty acid amides, as well as their metabolic enzymes and receptors, is known as endocannabinoidome (eCBome). The eCBome is involved, among others, in the control of energy balance and cancer and interacts with the gut microbiome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using mass spectrometry-based targeted lipidomics, we measured the hepatic and intestinal concentrations of eCBome mediators in mice injected with colon carcinoma 26 (C26) cells, a model of cancer cachexia characterized, among others, by weight loss, hepatic dyslipidemia, and gut microbiome dysbiosis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We report that, 10 days after C26 cell injection, concomitant with >10% weight loss, eCBome lipids levels, namely 2-AG, AEA, and some of its N-acyl-ethanolamine congeners, as well as N-oleoyl-glycine, N-acyl-serotonins, and N-acyl-taurines (NATs), are altered in intestinal sections and the liver of C26 mice (e.g., hepatic 2-AG -30%, jejunal 2-AG + 30%, jejunal AEA -55%, hepatic N-oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA) + 223%, hepatic NATs +144%, +141%, +216%). Gut dysbiosis was evident in these mice (PERMANOVA at the family level: R² = 69%, p < 0.001), with altered levels in 3 phyla (mainly the Proteobacteria, +1484%), 12 families, and 12 genera (all with adjusted p < 0.05). Additionally, 2-AG, AEA, OEA, N-arachidonoyl-serotonin, and NAT levels in the liver positively correlated with hepatic total lipids, triglycerides, and cholesterol, whereas N-docosahexaenoyl-ethanolamine and N-docosahexaenoyl-serotonin showed negative correlations. Jejunal AEA negatively, and hepatic OEA and NATs positively, correlated with weight loss. Intestinal eCBome mediators correlated with several cecal microbial taxa, including genera known to include strains beneficial in metabolic disorders, such as Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Dysosmobacter, and Prevotella.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These observations pinpoint eCBome mediators as new multi-functional players in the hepatic complications and gut dysbiosis accompanying cancer cachexia.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12960972/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147358329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-03-04DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00203-3
Craig D L Smith, Alex D McMahon, Gareth J Inman, David I Conway, Catriona M Douglas, Claire Paterson
{"title":"The COVID-19 pandemic has not influenced survival outcomes of head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinomas in the West of Scotland: a retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Craig D L Smith, Alex D McMahon, Gareth J Inman, David I Conway, Catriona M Douglas, Claire Paterson","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00203-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00203-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant disruptions to healthcare worldwide. This study aimed to assess if the COVID-19 pandemic affected short-term survival outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the west of Scotland.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using regional centre data. Patients diagnosed with HNSCC during pre-pandemic (June-October 2019), intra-pandemic (June-October 2020) and post(peak)-pandemic (June-October 2022) were compared. Demographic, behavioural, clinical, and survival data were analysed using Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox-regression, and logistic-regression for stage at diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 707 patients were included. While the 2020 cohort exhibited an increase in advanced-stage disease (67.5% p = 0.01), no statistically significant difference in overall survival was observed across the study period (p = 0.22). Cox-regression showed no associations between year of diagnosis and mortality, even after multivariable adjustment for confounders. Survival was strongly associated with age, performance status, stage, and HPV status among oropharynx cancers. Socioeconomic inequalities persisted, with the poorest survival among those from the most socioeconomically deprived areas (p = 0.02).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While an increase in advanced-stage HNSCC diagnoses was observed in the West of Scotland during 2020, short-term survival outcomes remained comparable to pre- and post-pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12960927/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147358313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-02-20DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00207-z
Victoria Sopik, Jan Lubiński, Jacek Gronwald, Tomasz Huzarski, Cezary Cybulski, Laufey Tryggvadóttir, Kazem Zendehdel, Azin Nahvijou, Shama Virani, Imjai Chitapanarux, Patumrat Sripan, Patravoot Vatanasapt, Donsuk Pongnikorn, Hutcha Sriplung, Ophira Ginsburg, Ping Sun, Mohammad Akbari, Steven Narod
{"title":"An international cohort study of breast cancer survival in young women.","authors":"Victoria Sopik, Jan Lubiński, Jacek Gronwald, Tomasz Huzarski, Cezary Cybulski, Laufey Tryggvadóttir, Kazem Zendehdel, Azin Nahvijou, Shama Virani, Imjai Chitapanarux, Patumrat Sripan, Patravoot Vatanasapt, Donsuk Pongnikorn, Hutcha Sriplung, Ophira Ginsburg, Ping Sun, Mohammad Akbari, Steven Narod","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00207-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00207-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is large variation in case-fatality rates of breast cancer in young women across the world. The objective of this study was to estimate the ten-year overall survival of women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40 in six countries, by clinical presentation and by treatments received.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were supplied by seven centers in six countries, including the USA, Canada, Poland, Iceland, Iran and Thailand, totaling 36,861 women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40, from 1977 to 2020. American patients from the SEER registry were sub-divided into (Non-Hispanic) White and Black. The following factors were compared across countries: year of diagnosis, tumor size, lymph node status, estrogen receptor (ER) status, use of chemotherapy, use of tamoxifen and use of radiotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate ten-year overall survival for patients in each center. Cross-center comparisons are provided. The Cox Proportional Hazards model was used to estimate the impacts of the various factors on death for each center separately and for all centers combined, for all patients and for patients with stage I breast cancer. For these comparisons, SEER white women were considered the reference group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of diagnosis was 35.4 years. The percentage of patients with node-positive breast cancer ranged from 48.5% in Poland to 53.4% in Iceland. Mean tumor size ranged from 2.1 cm in Poland to 3.5 cm in Iran. The percent of patients with ER-negative breast cancer ranged from 34.0% in USA White women to 47.4% in Canada. The use of chemotherapy ranged from 65.4% in Thailand to 78.8% in Poland. Ten-year survival rates ranged from 52.5% (95%CI: 50.4%-54.7%) in Thailand to 77.9% (95%CI: 75.5%-80.3%) in Poland. A two-fold variation in case-fatality across centers persisted after adjusting for year of diagnosis, stage, tumor features and treatment. The difference in case-fatality across countries was greatest for patients with stage I breast cancer (four-fold variation).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is a wide disparity around the world in the long-term survival of women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40, which cannot be accounted for by differences in screening, tumor stage at presentation or other tumor features. It is possible that differences in survival are due to inherent ethnic differences and/or differences in cancer management, but more research is required.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12923670/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-02-16DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00206-0
Ksenija Strojnik, Ana Blatnik, Mateja Krajc, Aleksander Novaković, Marija Ignjatović, Janja Ocvirk, Vida Stegel, Petra Škerl, Gašper Klančar, Srdjan Novaković, Vita Šetrajčič Dragoš
{"title":"Cosegregation analysis following an excellent response to olaparib in a pancreatic cancer patient carrier of BRCA2:c.7892 T > C variant enables its reclassification from VUS to pathogenic.","authors":"Ksenija Strojnik, Ana Blatnik, Mateja Krajc, Aleksander Novaković, Marija Ignjatović, Janja Ocvirk, Vida Stegel, Petra Škerl, Gašper Klančar, Srdjan Novaković, Vita Šetrajčič Dragoš","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00206-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00206-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Identification of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) presents a great challenge in oncogenetics, especially in the era of personalised cancer treatment. We present a metastatic pancreatic cancer patient, referred for predictive genetic testing for treatment with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, in whom a rare missense BRCA2:c.7892 T > C p.(Leu2631Pro), located in the DNA-binding domain, was identified. Extensive family history of cancers as well as data on other carriers, identified in our laboratory database of tested individuals, suggested hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome. However, the variant could only be formally classified as a VUS at the time. In this exceptional case, an ad hoc board of experts was formed and proposed the patient be offered PARP inhibitors before time-consuming cosegregation analysis and formal reclassification of the VUS to pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) were completed. After a partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy, the patient consented to maintenance with olaparib and a 48-months long complete response was observed. Herein, we also present a formal reclassification of the variant BRCA2:c.7892 T > C from VUS to pathogenic after the completion of extensive cosegregation analysis in 71 members of a single large family originating from a specific northeastern region of Slovenia.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12909916/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146208284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1038/s44276-026-00205-1
Arpit Aggarwal, Morgann Madill, Mayukhmala Jana, Tilak Pathak, Timothy K Starr, Boris Winterhoff, Katelyn M Tessier, Britt K Erickson, Andrew C Nelson, Emil Lou, Anant Madabhushi, Martina Bazzaro
{"title":"STAR (stroma-tumor AI risk) assessment: association of AI-derived tumor-stroma proportion with patient survival provides added prognostic value beyond KELIM in epithelial ovarian cancer.","authors":"Arpit Aggarwal, Morgann Madill, Mayukhmala Jana, Tilak Pathak, Timothy K Starr, Boris Winterhoff, Katelyn M Tessier, Britt K Erickson, Andrew C Nelson, Emil Lou, Anant Madabhushi, Martina Bazzaro","doi":"10.1038/s44276-026-00205-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-026-00205-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There remains a critical need for prognostic biomarkers of treatment response in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The KELIM score, derived from the rate of CA-125 elimination during the first 100 days of treatment, is a clinically available biomarker of treatment response to platinum-based chemotherapy, its utility is limited by the need for post-treatment data. Tumor-stroma proportion (TSP) has emerged as a prognostic biomarker across several malignancies. Studies from our group have shown that high TSP (≥50% stroma content assessed by pathologist evaluation, TSP<sub>manual</sub>) is associated with platinum resistance and poor survival in EOC at diagnosis and before treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We compared the prognostic value of TSP and KELIM by analyzing manual pathologist (TSP<sub>manual</sub>) and artificial intelligence-derived assessments (TSP<sub>auto</sub>) on digitized images from a cohort of EOC specimens.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this cohort, we showed the prognostic significance of TSP<sub>manual</sub>, confirming prior findings. Furthermore, TSP<sub>auto</sub> and TSP<sub>manual</sub> assessments were highly concordant (94% agreement, Cohen's Kappa 0.89, p<0.001), providing a highly reproducible, automated approach. Unlike KELIM, which was only associated with platinum resistance, high TSP<sub>auto</sub> was significantly associated with poor survival (HR 1.99, p = 0.02).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings support AI-derived TSP as a pre-treatment prognostic biomarker for EOC that complements KELIM.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12881467/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146133878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s44276-025-00202-w
Eduard Pérez-Ballestero, Sagal Ahmed Shire, Mateja Krajc, Arvīds Irmejs, Lenka Foretová, Sophie Frank, Tiina Kahre, Thomas van Overeem Hansen, Linetta Koppert, Anna Lena Burgemeister, Marc Tischkowitz, Judith Balmaña, Svetlana Bajalica-Lagercrantz
{"title":"Implementing mainstream germline genetic testing in breast cancer across Europe.","authors":"Eduard Pérez-Ballestero, Sagal Ahmed Shire, Mateja Krajc, Arvīds Irmejs, Lenka Foretová, Sophie Frank, Tiina Kahre, Thomas van Overeem Hansen, Linetta Koppert, Anna Lena Burgemeister, Marc Tischkowitz, Judith Balmaña, Svetlana Bajalica-Lagercrantz","doi":"10.1038/s44276-025-00202-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-025-00202-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The implementation of mainstream germline genetic testing in breast cancer patients has both benefits and challenges. Multiple aspects need to be considered for the outline of gene panels and the amount of pre-test genetic counselling. Mainstream genetic testing is mainly performed to stratify patients for targeted treatment. In addition, identification of germline pathogenic variants in cancer risk genes may have surgical implications, consequences for surveillance of other organs at risk of cancer, as well as family implications among relatives at risk. To ensure that patients are well informed, the introduction of mainstream genetic testing performed by non-genetic health care specialists requires an adapted pre-test counselling visit. Here, we review the literature and propose a web-based educational session and pocket guide to support implementation of mainstream testing in oncology practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12867965/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s44276-025-00201-x
Visalini Nair-Shalliker, Albert Bang, Rani Radhika-Chand, Karen Chiam, Manish I Patel, Anthony M Joshua, Jerry R Greenfield, Michael David, David P Smith
{"title":"Obesity, metformin prescription and risk of advanced prostate cancer in non-diabetic men.","authors":"Visalini Nair-Shalliker, Albert Bang, Rani Radhika-Chand, Karen Chiam, Manish I Patel, Anthony M Joshua, Jerry R Greenfield, Michael David, David P Smith","doi":"10.1038/s44276-025-00201-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-025-00201-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The aim is to determine the effects of obesity and metformin-use in predicting prostate cancer (PC) risk.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used male participants from the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study (Australia), recruited between 2005-2009. Participants completed a questionnaire at recruitment which included information on self-reported body mass index (BMI; kg/m<sup>2</sup>). Participants' baseline data were linked by the Centre for Health Record Linkage to the NSW Cancer Registry and to Services Australia to identify index prescription claims for diabetic medications between January 2012 and December 2019. Multivariable Joint Cox regression analyses were used to examine associations between BMI, diabetic medications, and PC risk by cancer spread.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 94,674 eligible participants, there were 5265 incident PC cases (localised n = 2638, regional n = 925, metastatic n = 1514 and unknown; n = 1514) diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2019. BMI ≥ 30 kg/m<sup>2</sup> was associated with increased risk of metastatic PC (versus <30 kg/m<sup>2</sup>; HR<sub>adjusted</sub> = 1.67;95%CI:1.10-2.54); metformin-use was associated with reduced risk of localised PC (versus non-users; HR<sub>-metformin-only</sub> = 0.65;95%CI:0.50-0.84; HR<sub>metformin-combination</sub> = 0.51;95%CI:0.34-0.77). Reduced risk of localised PC diagnosis in metformin-users (versus non-users) was evident across all BMI categories.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Metformin-use in obese men is associated with reduced PC risk, if detected early. Further research could inform the repurposing of metformin for PC control.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":"2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12867996/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1038/s44276-025-00198-3
Busani Ndlela, Ruth Swann, Georgios Lyratzopoulos, Sally Vernon, Brian Rous, Sean McPhail, Greg Rubin
{"title":"Characterisation of adult patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms and their journey to diagnosis.","authors":"Busani Ndlela, Ruth Swann, Georgios Lyratzopoulos, Sally Vernon, Brian Rous, Sean McPhail, Greg Rubin","doi":"10.1038/s44276-025-00198-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-025-00198-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are rare and often present with non-specific symptoms. Diagnostic delays of 4 years or more have been reported in patient surveys, primarily attributed to low recognition of symptoms and multiple primary care consultations. However, population-based evidence is sparse. We characterised diagnostic pathways to guide improvement efforts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used National Cancer Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) 2018 data for all adults diagnosed with NEN of eleven cancer sites. Primary care-led investigations were grouped into blood, urinary, imaging, endoscopy, and other. The number of pre-referral consultations, the primary care interval (PCI), and the diagnostic interval (DI) were measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were available on 919 adult patients. Case-mix by cancer site was comparable to national cancer registry data. 45% were referred as an Urgent Suspected Cancer; 18% as an emergency. The median PCI and DI were 7 and 54 days, respectively (2 and 36 among NCDA cases overall). Of 633 patients (69%) with at least one recorded GP consultation, 25% (161/633) had three or more pre-referral consultations. 30% of patients underwent diagnostic imaging.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Comparatively, median PCI and DI were longer (and use of diagnostic tests greater) for NEN than other cancers in the NCDA, but substantially shorter than previously reported.</p>","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"4 1","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12800212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145968152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJC reportsPub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1038/s44276-025-00200-y
Dirk Hofmeister
{"title":"Insomnia in early-stage breast cancer: time to listen, time to act.","authors":"Dirk Hofmeister","doi":"10.1038/s44276-025-00200-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44276-025-00200-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":519964,"journal":{"name":"BJC reports","volume":"3 1","pages":"85"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12717031/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145795948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}