Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, and almost 300,000 individuals are diagnosed with it each year in the U.S. To develop a consistent method of estimating prostate cancer size, which can help clinicians more accurately make informed treatment decisions, Mass General Brigham researchers trained and validated an AI model based on MRI scans from more than 700 prostate cancer patients. The model was able to identify and demarcate the edges of 85% of the most radiologically aggressive prostate lesions. Tumors with a larger volume, as estimated by the AI model, were associated with a higher risk of treatment failure and metastasis, independent of other factors that are normally used to estimate this risk. Furthermore, for patients who received radiation therapy, the tumor volume performed better than traditional risk stratification for predicting metastasis. Researchers believe the tool could be used to help clinicians understand a tumor’s aggressiveness, to inform more personalized treatment plans, and to guide radiation therapy. The study is published in the journal Radiology. 

Albumin is a major prognostic factor for patients with advanced liver disease, dependent on its concentration and biological activity. This study aimed to improve the method of active albumin detection and elucidate its predictive validity of albumin activity across hepatic disease progression and etiology.

Blood tests for colorectal cancer are options for patients who would otherwise not be screened, but they are not as effective as colonoscopies or stool tests, a Stanford Medicine-led study found.

The gene plays an important quality control role during the specialized cell division process that makes eggs and sperm, researchers have now found. When BRCA1 is mutated and can’t perform this role, developing eggs and sperm end up with many genetic errors that can lead to infertility.  

In October, we think pink, and for a good reason—one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and each year, 2 million women are given this frightening diagnosis. Biotechnology startup MicroQuin leveraged the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to grow 3D breast and prostate cancer cell cultures to learn more about how these cancers develop and grow. However, the research team found something incredible that could lead to a way to treat not just breast and prostate cancers but all cancers.