As China's cancer burden continues to rise and treatment becomes increasingly complex, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are crucial to standardising cancer care and supporting clinical decision-making. Over the past decades, China has made substantial progress in developing oncology CPGs, transitioning from expert consensus and international adaptation toward domestically led guideline production.This Policy Forum presents an analysis of the optimisation and implementation of oncology CPGs in China. We argue that the core challenge facing oncology CPGs in China is not a lack of guidelines, but the absence of an integrated governance and implementation ecosystem, and insufficient alignment with local evidence.By situating China's oncology sector within a macro-health-system perspective, this Policy Forum provides a conceptual blueprint for other transition economies experiencing a mismatch between rapid clinical technology scaling and fragmented regulatory governance.We propose a four-part strategic framework: (1) Establishing a national joint clearinghouse and registration system; (2) integrating resource-stratified pathways with locally relevant evidence; (3) expanding free, diversified dissemination channels; and (4) embedding implementation science alongside healthcare financing alignment.Addressing these systemic gaps offers scalable lessons for global health systems aiming to transition from the quantity-driven expansion of clinical guidelines to equity-oriented, system-integrated quality enhancement.

Up to 12% of childhood cancer survivors have an underlying cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS). As a result, these childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for developing and succumbing to subsequent malignant neoplasms. Identifying childhood cancer survivors with CPS is essential to improving overall outcomes by informing tailored approaches to cancer screening, treatment, and, for some, risk-reducing interventions. Despite these potential benefits, it is often unclear which childhood cancer survivors warrant referral for genetic counselling and germline genetic testing. Using an evidence-based approach, a standardised guideline for referral for cancer genetics evaluation of childhood cancer survivors at high risk of having a CPS was developed and incorporated into the Children's Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers. This Policy Review details the importance, development, and anticipated impact of this new guideline. Raising awareness of this guideline is crucial to enhancing the integration of genetics into survivorship care and improving health outcomes for childhood cancer survivors with CPS.

Screening for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is a pivotal strategy for the prevention of invasive cervical cancer, particularly in resource-constrained settings. In this study, we developed a CRISPR-based compact automated real-time detection system, termed Ccard, for rapid testing of HPV16, HPV18, and the internal reference gene GAPDH through a streamlined workflow. A simple room-temperature treatment efficiently releases nucleic acids directly from swab samples, bypassing the need for extraction. The mixture was driven through the channels and loaded into the reaction chambers on the microfluidic chip by a vacuum pump. The lyophilized reagents in the reaction zone of the microfluidic chip were redissolved. The system subsequently performs a single-step RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a reaction, with real-time detection enabled by an Internet of Things device. The assay achieved detection within 30 min, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5 copies/µL for both HPV16 and HPV18. Validation with clinical samples demonstrated high sensitivity (96.8% for HPV16 and 100% for HPV18) and 100% specificity. These results highlight the reliability, precision, and strong potential of the Ccard system for rapid testing of HR-HPVs.

Population-based lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is expanding across Europe, including a publicly funded Polish programme starting in October 2026. Because screening-eligible individuals share substantial tobacco-related cardiovascular risk, LDCT also offers cardiovascular risk assessment without additional radiation. We conducted a narrative review of the PubMed literature published up to September 2026, prioritising guidelines, lung cancer screening cohorts and systematic reviews. We summarise the cardiovascular findings on non-contrast, non-electrocardiography (ECG)-gated LDCT: coronary artery, aortic valve, mitral annular and thoracic aortic calcification, ascending aortic dilatation, pericardial effusion, and pulmonary artery enlargement, as well as investigational cardiac volumetry, epicardial adipose tissue and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted quantification. We grade each finding by reportability, defined downstream action and supporting evidence, and align reporting thresholds with the European Respiratory Society/European Society of Thoracic Imaging (ERS/ESTI) statement on incidental findings. LDCT cannot replace dedicated cardiac imaging or establish haemodynamic diagnoses. The prognostic value of coronary and aortic valve calcification and of ascending aortic dilatation is established, whereas the evidence for mitral annular calcification and pulmonary artery enlargement is more limited; observational data indicate that reporting these markers changes preventive management, but whether this improves cardiovascular outcomes has not yet been demonstrated. Standardised reporting, proportionate thresholds, and coordinated pathways linking radiology, pulmonology, primary care and cardiology are needed to translate incidental cardiovascular findings into scalable prevention and should be evaluated in implementation studies.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) features dense desmoplastic stroma that impedes drug penetration and immune infiltration, and promotes therapeutic resistance. As a central driver of stromal fibrosis and immunosuppression, TGF-β represents an attractive target for overcoming these barriers. Herein, we report novel Pt(IV) prodrugs conjugated with TGF-β inhibitors (hydronidone/4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), which simultaneously achieve chemotherapy and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Biological screening identified HP-12C and AP as lead compounds with tumor-selective cytotoxicity and substantial activity in patient-derived organoids. In vitro, these prodrugs suppressed tumor-cell-derived TGF-β-associated profibrotic signaling, attenuated cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) activation, improved platinum penetration across a fibrotic barrier model; and partially relieved tumor-mediated immunosuppression in PBMC co-culture assays. In vivo, HP-12C showed superior tumor accumulation and antitumor efficacy, reduced fibrosis, favorable tolerability relative to conventional platinum drugs, and increased CD8+ T-cell infiltration. Collectively, these findings identify TGF-β-modulated Pt(IV) prodrugs as a promising chemotherapy strategy to overcome fibrosis and immunosuppressive barriers in PDAC.

The discovery of Helicobacter pylori has revolutionized the prevention and treatment of gastritis, peptic ulcers, and, most important, gastric cancer. In the past 40 years, enormous progress has been achieved in the clinical and basic research on H. pylori infection. However, challenges in preventing and treating H. pylori infection exist owing to the lack of an H. pylori vaccine and the ever-increasing resistance to antibiotics worldwide. This review summarizes the history of and key milestones in H. pylori research, provides an update on the understanding of the pathogenesis and global burden of H. pylori infection and the screening strategy for the primary prevention of gastric cancer, and focuses on the emerging trends in the management of H. pylori infection.

IntroductionHealth literacy is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of cancer prevention, treatment adherence, and survivorship outcomes. In colorectal cancer (CRC), disparities in health literacy, particularly among ethnic minority and underserved populations, may contribute to reduced screening uptake, suboptimal treatment decisions, and poorer quality of life. Although numerous studies have examined the relationship between health literacy and CRC-related outcomes, the evidence remains fragmented across the CRC care continuum, including screening, treatment, survivorship, communication, and digital health. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review to comprehensively characterize the current evidence regarding health literacy and CRC outcomes in vulnerable populations.MethodsWe conducted a scoping literature review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. PubMed was searched between January and March 2025 to identify peer-reviewed studies evaluating the influence of health literacy on CRC-related outcomes. Studies were included if they focused on CRC and assessed measurable associations between health literacy and outcomes related to screening, treatment adherence, survivorship, communication, financial toxicity, or patient-reported outcomes.ResultsThirty-nine studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Across diverse geographic and clinical settings, limited health literacy was consistently associated with lower CRC screening rates, reduced knowledge of screening guidelines, increased fatalistic beliefs, and greater perceived barriers to screening. Among CRC patients, low health literacy was linked to poorer treatment adherence, lower chemotherapy uptake, reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and higher mortality risk, particularly among vulnerable populations.ConclusionsThis scoping review reinforces that health literacy is a significant and modifiable determinant of CRC outcomes and contributes to persistent disparities across the CRC care continuum. Standardized, culturally and linguistically responsive interventions targeting literacy gaps should be prioritized to improve equitable CRC prevention, treatment, and survivorship care.