Surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma after radiotherapy (SMART): final results from a single-centre, phase 2 trial

The SMART protocol consists of a short accelerated course of radiotherapy followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy. Patients received 25 Gy in five daily fractions over 1 week to the entire ipsilateral hemithorax. 47% of patients had 30-day perioperative grade 3–4 events

Global demand for cancer surgery and an estimate of the optimal surgical and anaesthesia workforce between 2018 and 2040: a population-based modelling study

In-depth analyses of the global demand for cancer surgery and optimal workforce requirements are needed to plan service providers. The number of cancer cases globally with an indication for surgery will increase by 52% between 2018 and 2040. The greatest relative increase in surgical demand will occur in 34 low-income countries.

Intermediate clinical endpoints for surrogacy in localised prostate cancer: an aggregate meta-analysis

Intermediate Clinical Endpoints in Cancer of the Prostate working group has established metastasis-free survival as a surrogate for overall survival in localized prostate cancer. We sought to assess the aggregate trial-level performance of commonly reported intermediate clinical endpoints.

Short-term outcomes of complete mesocolic excision versus D2 dissection in patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy for right colon cancer (RELARC): a randomised, controlled, phase 3, superiority trial

This randomized, controlled, phase 3, superiority, trial was done at 17 hospitals in nine provinces of China. Eligible patients were aged 18–75 years with histologically confirmed primary adenocarcinoma. Central lymph nodes were dissected in the CME procedure but not in the D2 procedure. No deaths occurred in either group.

Endoscopic surgery compared with intensity-modulated radiotherapy in resectable locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial

This multicentre, open-label, randomized, controlled, phase 3 trial was done in three hospitals in China. The primary endpoint was overall survival, compared between the groups at 3 years. Endoscopic surgery significantly improved overall survival compared with IMRT in patients with resectable locally recurrent NPC.

Circulating tumour DNA in patients with advanced melanoma treated with dabrafenib or dabrafenib plus trametinib: a clinical validation study

Melanoma lacks validated blood-based biomarkers for monitoring and predicting treatment efficacy. Cell-free circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker. In COMBI-d, undetectable tDNA at week 4 was significantly associated with extended progression-free survival.

Comparison of breast cancer and cervical cancer stage distributions in ten newly independent states of the former Soviet Union: a population-based study

More than 50% of breast cancer cases across the region were at stages I–II. The proportion of stage I cases was highest in the screening age group of 50–69 years. Countries in the region have the highest cervical cancer incidence. For cervical cancer, the proportions of cancers diagnosed at a late stage were high, particularly in Moldova and Armenia. A radical shift in national policies away from opportunistic screening is needed.

Pyrotinib plus capecitabine versus lapatinib plus capecitabine for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (PHOEBE): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial

This is an open-label, randomized, controlled, phase 3 trial done at 29 hospitals in China. Patients had pathologically confirmed HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. They were given pyrotinib (an irreversible pan-HER inhibitor) plus capecitabine. Pyrotininib can be considered an alternative treatment option for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.