Prior studies of participants with breast and other obesity-associated cancers in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) showed worse mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes for individuals with a higher number of cardiometabolic risk factors at study entry. The purpose of this analysis is to compare the relationship between cardiometabolic abnormalities and mortality among women with and without cancer in the WHI.
Women with one of five early-stage obesity-associated cancers (breast, colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and controls without any new or prior history of cancer were selected from the WHI-Life and Longevity after Cancer ancillary study. Cardiometabolic abnormalities included high waist circumference (≥88 cm), hypertension (>130/85 mm Hg), and self-reported history of diabetes and/or elevated cholesterol. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models (all-cause mortality) and Fine-Gray models (CVD and non-CVD mortality) were used to evaluate the association between cardiometabolic risk factors and survival outcomes for the cancer and noncancer cohorts.
A total of 7491 and 35,508 women were studied in the cancer and noncancer cohorts, respectively. Adjusted analyses showed that increased number of cardiometabolic abnormalities was associated with increased short-term risk of all-cause mortality, with the association being stronger among the noncancer “controls” compared to the cancer cohort (interaction p value = .02). Associations were similar between cancer cases and controls in competing risk models for CVD and non-CVD mortality.
Preexisting cardiovascular abnormalities are an important predictor of adverse health outcomes among women with and without cancer in the WHI.
Oral microbes detected in feces have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) in cross-sectional studies. This study investigated the prospective associations between the oral microbiome and incident CRC in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS), National Institutes of Health–AARP (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study, and Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.
Individuals with oral samples collected before incident CRC diagnoses were identified in the AHS (N = 331), NIH-AARP (N = 249), and PLCO (N = 446) and compared with referent subcohorts (N = 3431). The V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was sequenced from oral wash DNA, and the data were processed with QIIME2. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall CRC and by anatomic subsite (i.e., proximal colon, distal colon, and rectum) were estimated with Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounders by cohort and then meta-analyzed.
Overall, no associations were found between microbial characteristics and CRC risk. However, associations were observed with alpha and beta diversity indices and individual genera in analyses stratified by anatomic subsite. For instance, the presence of Olsenella was strongly positively associated with distal colon cancer risk (HR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.59–2.95), whereas the presence of Prevotella 2 was positively associated with rectal cancer risk (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.14–2.46).
This large study of the prospective association between the oral microbiome and CRC risk showed numerous site-specific associations, including multiple associations with distal colon and rectal cancer risk.
This article highlights the gender data gaps in clinical trial inclusion and funding, with a particular focus on gynecologic oncology. Female patients have historically been excluded from clinical trials across all medical domains. Despite recent improvements, female patients remain underrepresented in key diseases, including several cancer types, despite experiencing increased burden of disease. Lack of representation is particularly stark for patients in racial, ethnic, and gender minoritized populations, including in gynecologic cancer trials. Furthermore, female health conditions receive disproportionately small amounts of funding relative to their disease burden. Despite their high lethality, gynecologic cancers, including ovarian, cervical, and uterine malignancies, rank among the lowest funded cancer sites from the National Cancer Institute. Likewise, there is significant bias against female investigators with regard to funding, publication, and academic advancement, which affects the prioritization of women’s health. In combination, gender disparities at multiple steps along the research pathway from investigator and disease funding to trial inclusion to publication and dissemination of research perpetuate a significant data gap in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases affecting female patients, including gynecologic cancers. Strategies to improve this gender gap and prioritize women’s health funding include increasing female representation in clinical trials with a specific focus on inclusion of patients from historically marginalized backgrounds, considering disease burden–based funding policies, and prioritizing female academic leadership opportunities.
Obesity is a well-known risk factor for various cancers, yet emerging research demonstrates its association with improved survival outcomes in cancer treatment, labeled as “the obesity paradox.” Studies investigating the clinical benefits of obesity across various cancer types after immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) are limited.
Data were queried from the TriNetX database to identify patients with solid tumor malignancies of various organ systems (pulmonary/intrathoracic, cutaneous, head and neck, gastrointestinal, breast, genitourinary) who received ICI between 2012 and 2024. Propensity score matching was used to match cohorts for demographics, medical comorbidities, and oncologic staging. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS) up to 5 years and compared between obese body mass index (BMI; >30) and normal BMI (20–24.9) cohorts.
After propensity score matching, there were a total of 18,434 patients, with 9217 patients in the obese BMI cohort and 9217 patients in the normal BMI cohort for all solid tumor malignancies. In the overall pan-cancer analysis, obese BMI was associated with significantly improved OS up to 5 years compared to the normal BMI cohort (hazard ratio [HR], 0.69 [0.66–0.72]). Subgroup analysis likewise demonstrated that obese BMI was associated with significantly improved OS up to 5 years for respiratory/intrathoracic (HR, 0.77 [0.72–0.83]), cutaneous (HR, 0.62 [0.63–0.78]), head and neck (HR, 0.67 [0.58–0.78]), gastrointestinal (HR, 0.67 [0.58–0.78]), breast (HR, 0.66 [0.55–0.79]), and genitourinary (HR, 0.57 [0.34–0.93]) malignancies (though not renal cell carcinoma specifically.)
Obesity was associated with improved 5-year OS after treatment with ICI across various solid tumor malignancies in this electronic health record–based big data study. Further investigation is warranted to understand the mechanism of this association.
Glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Modifiable risk factors remain unidentified. New advances in exposure assessment, genomic analyses, and statistical techniques permit more accurate evaluation of glioma risk associated with exogenous occupational or environmental exposures.
By using whole-exome sequencing data from matched germline and glioma tumor samples, the authors compared tumor mutational signatures for 17 persons with glioma and a documented occupational history of firefighting with those of 18 persons with glioma without an occupational history of firefighting. All 35 individuals were participants in the University of California, San Francisco Adult Glioma Study.
There was a positive correlation among firefighters between the median number of sample variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42, a single-base substitution mutational signature associated with haloalkane exposure (from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutational Signatures in Cancer) and firefighting years (p = .04; R2 = 0.29). Among nonfirefighters, the individuals with the highest number of median variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42 also had occupations that possibly exposed them to haloalkanes, such as painting and being a mechanic.
In summary, the authors identified gliomas that had mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure that were enriched in firefighters and other occupations.
Kim M, Kim YJ, Suh KJ, et al. Phase 2 trial of avelumab in combination with gemcitabine in advanced leiomyosarcoma as a second-line treatment (EAGLES, Korean Cancer Study Group UN18-06). Cancer. 2025;131(1):e35609. doi:10.1002/cncr.35609
In the original title of the article, the Korean Cancer Study Group clinical trial number was incorrectly listed as “UN18-09.” The correct clinical trial number is “UN1806.”
The authors apologize for this error.
This erratum corrects the following:
Luskin MR, Yin J, Lozanski G, et al. Incorporation of alemtuzumab into frontline therapy of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results of Cancer and Leukemia Group B 10102 (Alliance), a phase 1/2 study. Cancer. 2025;131(4):e35750. doi:10.1002/cncr.35750
The article ’s title was originally published in truncated fashion (“Results of Cancer and Leukemia Group B 10102 (Alliance), a Phase 1/2 Study”). The revised full title appears below and should read: “Incorporation of Alemtuzumab into Frontline Therapy of Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results of Cancer and Leukemia Group B 10102 (Alliance), a Phase 1/2 Study.” The full title as listed above is correct.
We apologize for this error.
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