Cancer Advisor

Cancer staging tells us where the tumor is.  Insulin resistance tells us what kind of body the tumor is growing in. Modern oncology places enormous faith in staging systems. TNM categories, AJCC groupings, and increasingly granular molecular subtypes are used to estimate prognosis, guide treatment, and reassure patients. Yet clinicians and patients alike encounter a persistent paradox: Two patients. Same cancer. Same stage. Same treatment. Radically different outcomes. Staging explains part of the story — but not nearly enough. A growing body of evidence suggests that host metabolic health, particularly insulin resistance, often predicts outcomes more reliably than tumor stage alone. This is not an argument against staging. It is an argument that staging is incomplete. What Cancer Staging Measures — and What It Ignores Cancer staging excels at describing tumor geography : Tumor size Lymph node involvement Distant spread What it largely ignores: Insulin and glucose dynamics Inflamma...

Evidence Summary Overall Evidence Grade: A (Strong Clinical Evidence) Multiple randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and international oncology guidelines show that exercise, nutrition optimization, vitamin D sufficiency, sleep support, and stress reduction improve cancer-related outcomes when used alongside standard cancer treatments . These interventions are associated with: Improved treatment tolerance Reduced cancer-related fatigue Better quality of life Improved survival in several cancer types These approaches are adjunctive, not curative, and must not replace evidence-based oncology care. What Does the Evidence Say About Lifestyle and Cancer Outcomes? Cancer outcomes are influenced not only by tumor genetics, but also by the biological environment of the patient . Across cancer types, worse outcomes are consistently linked to: Insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction Chronic systemic inflammation Immune suppression Neuroendocrine dysregulation (stress hormones) Muscl...

Introduction: A New Era in Cancer Care Cancer treatment is evolving faster than ever. From cutting-edge immunotherapies to AI-driven diagnostics, the discoveries of 2025–2026 are reshaping how clinicians detect, monitor, and treat malignancies. These breakthroughs offer hope for longer survival, improved quality of life, and personalized therapies tailored to each patient. Credit:  Statista 1. Immunotherapy: Expanding Beyond Checkpoints Immune checkpoint inhibitors (like pembrolizumab and nivolumab) remain foundational, while CAR‑T therapies, bispecific antibodies, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) expand treatment options for previously resistant solid tumors. Key Highlights: CAR‑T therapy demonstrates survival benefits in advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers — a first for solid tumors. Bispecific and dual checkpoint agents provide deeper, more durable responses in early trials. Note: These therapies carry potential risks, including cytokine release syn...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest human malignancies, with a five-year survival rate stubbornly below 15% despite decades of advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and molecular oncology. Most discussions focus on late diagnosis, aggressive genetics, or therapeutic resistance. Far less attention is paid to a quieter but increasingly evident factor: insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction . Emerging evidence suggests that pancreatic cancer is not merely influenced by metabolic disease—it may be deeply intertwined with it . Insulin resistance often precedes diagnosis, worsens prognosis, and biologically fuels tumor growth. Yet it remains largely absent from staging systems, risk stratification, and treatment frameworks. A 2023 study from researchers at University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine reveals a direct link between high insulin levels, common among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and pancreatic cancer. The study, published...

Abstract Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail) and its water-soluble extracts — especially Polysaccharide-K (PSK, also known as Krestin) and Polysaccharide-Peptide (PSP) — have been studied as adjuvant biological response modifiers in oncology for decades, particularly in East Asia. This review synthesizes clinical, mechanistic, and systematic evidence assessing PSK/PSP in cancer care, focusing on survival outcomes, immune modulation, and safety. While not curative or approved in most Western jurisdictions, Turkey Tail derivatives show modest evidence of benefit as adjuncts to conventional therapies across several cancers. 1. Overview of Turkey Tail and Bioactive Constituents Turkey Tail is a saprophytic bracket fungus with a long history in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Modern interest centers on PSK and PSP , high-molecular-weight polysaccharide complexes extracted from the mycelium. PSK has regulatory approval in Japan as an adjunct in cancer treatment, particularly in g...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers worldwide. With a 5-year survival rate of only 13% (American Cancer Society, 2026 data) and dropping to 3% for metastatic disease, PDAC has seen little improvement in outcomes over the past decades. Late diagnosis, dense tumor stroma, and near-universal KRAS mutations (90-95% of cases) drive rapid resistance to standard chemotherapy. A new triple drug therapy for pancreatic cancer, detailed in a December 2025/January 2026 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers at Spain’s National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has delivered unprecedented preclinical results: complete tumor eradication in multiple rigorous mouse models with no detectable recurrence for over 200 days. Understanding Pancreatic Cancer and the Role of KRAS Mutations PDAC originates in the pancreatic ducts and spreads aggressively. KRAS mutations lock cells into uncontrolled growth signa...