Alana Hippensteele, MA

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of persistent environmental pollutants, was linked to significant shifts in infant T helper cell development, raising concerns about long-term effects on vaccine response, immune regulation, and disease susceptibility.

A meta-analysis showed that control group outcomes in psilocybin trials for depression were significantly weaker than those in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and esketamine trials, suggesting that psilocybin’s large observed treatment effects may be inflated by methodological factors such as functional unblinding and expectancy bias.

A nationwide Danish cohort study demonstrated no increased risk of serious adverse events following vaccination with JN.1-updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, reinforcing their safety profile and supporting continued use in high-risk populations amid ongoing viral evolution.

The Commonwealth Fund’s updated July 2025 brief on maternal mortality highlights how systemic disparities, Medicaid coverage gaps, and behavioral health challenges continue to drive poor maternal and infant outcomes across the United States.

Key legal, ethical, and compliance considerations for managed care professionals navigating the evolving landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapy include regulatory risks, data privacy challenges, reimbursement limitations, and the need for culturally informed care models.

At ESMO Congress 2024, Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, MS, explained that the rising incidence of young-onset cancer may be due to generational risk factors such as lifestyle, diet, and environmental changes, emphasizing the need for long-term research and follow up to understand early-life influences on cancer development.

Clinical research presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024 highlights the significant survival benefits of perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapy with nivolumab and nivolumab plus ipilimumab, while emphasizing the role of biomarkers, such as circulating tumor DNA and KRAS mutations, in guiding treatment decisions.

Disparities continue in younger patients, raising the need for novel interventions to mitigate challenges associated with younger age at diagnosis.

High circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) tumor fraction after induction chemotherapy identifies a population with an unmet need who has low chances to benefit from immune checkpoint blockades for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to research discussed during a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

These study results are the first to demonstrate randomized evidence that a personalized neoantigen approach could be beneficial for patients with cancer.

Biosimilars may not be perfect, but they are, at the very minimum, helping to make cancer therapies a little bit more accessible, said Andre D. Harvin, PharmD, MS, executive director of pharmacy, oncology, Cone Health.

Selected coverage from the Quality Cancer Care Alliance (QCCA) Summer 2022 National Leadership Summit, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Fall Policy Summit, and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.