Every week, the editors of Cancer Today magazine bring you the top news for cancer patients from around the internet. Stay up to date with the latest in cancer research and care by subscribing to our e-newsletter.

Most Young Adults With Advanced Cancer Do Not Receive Palliative Care

Cancer treatment guidelines recommend that all people with metastatic disease be referred to palliative care, services that can reduce pain and improve quality of life during cancer treatment. However, less than 20% of young adults with advanced cancer receive these services, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed national cancer registry data for 67,706 people ages 18 to 39 who were diagnosed with stage IV solid-tumor cancer or high-risk brain tumors between 2010 and 2023 and lived at least a month beyond their diagnosis. The percentage of people who received palliative care increased from 9.3% in 2010 to 18.3% in 2023. People with kidney, lung or stomach cancer were the most likely to receive palliative care, while people with lymphoma or brain tumors had the lowest palliative care usage. “Palliative care should be integrated earlier and more consistently as part of routine cancer care for young adults with advanced disease,” Kewei S. Shi, the study’s lead author and a health services researcher at the American Cancer Society, told Healio. “Palliative care is not limited to end-of-life care and should be provided alongside cancer-directed treatment.”

Public Awareness Lacking About Link Between Fallopian Tubes, Ovarian Cancer

Most ovarian cancers actually start as microscopic cells in the fallopian tubes before spreading to the ovaries and growing. Removing the fallopian tubes can reduce the risk of developing the disease by nearly 80%, so guidelines encourage doctors to offer the procedure to women who are undergoing certain abdominal or pelvic surgeries. However, the public is largely unaware of the connection between the fallopian tubes and ovarian cancer, and few people are offered the procedure to remove the fallopian tubes during other surgeries, the New York Times reported. The American Cancer Society plans to launch an awareness campaign next year and has teamed up with the nonprofit Break Through Cancer to conduct a study at three cancer centers. Women scheduled to have abdominal surgery will watch a video that outlines the potential benefits of having their fallopian tubes removed. Some oncologists wish this push for better awareness had started sooner. Kara Long, a gynecologic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, reviewed the records of her patients with ovarian cancer to see if any had abdominal surgery in the past but were not given the chance to have their fallopian tubes removed, which might have prevented their cancer. “Over a quarter had a missed opportunity,” Long told the Times. “Oh my gosh, it’s hundreds of patients.”

Cancer Today’s editor-in-chief, William G. Nelson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, explored the role of the fallopian tubes in ovarian cancer in the Fall 2025 issue of Cancer Today.

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FDA Approves Second Blood Test to Screen for Colorectal Cancer

People 45 and older now have an additional option for screening for colorectal cancer. On July 27, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved SimpleScreen CRC, a blood-based screening test for people 45 and older at average risk of colorectal cancer. The approval was based on results from a clinical trial that compared SimpleScreen CRC with colonoscopy, which is considered the most sensitive test for detecting colorectal cancer and precancerous growths. In the study, nearly 49,000 people ages 45 to 85 at average risk for the disease underwent both the SimpleScreen CRC test and a colonoscopy. Among 27,010 people with results that could be evaluated, the blood test accurately identified 81.1% of colorectal cancers and 13.7% of advanced precancerous lesions that were detected with colonoscopy. SimpleScreen CRC is the second FDA-approved blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer, following Shield’s approval in July 2024, MedPage Today reported. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends colorectal cancer screening for people ages 45 to 75 and notes several acceptable methods, such as a colonoscopy every 10 years, a CT colonography or a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years, or a stool-based test every one to three years. Still, many people do not get screened, and those people may find a blood test to be an appealing alternative, OncLive reported. The USPSTF currently does not recommend any blood-based tests for colorectal cancer screening. “The most effective screening test is the one a person will actually complete,” Aasma Shaukat, a co-lead investigator of the trial and a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said in a press release. “Many people who should be screened for colorectal cancer simply aren’t. A blood-based test provides another way to reach unscreened patients, and bringing more people into the screening fold leads to earlier detection and better outcomes.”