Mike Hennessy Jr.

A significant development in the treatment of advanced melanoma has recently emerged: © stock.adobe.com.

A significant development in the treatment of advanced melanoma has recently emerged: tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, a novel approach harnessing the power of a patient’s own immune system. In 2024, a first-of-its-kind drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients whose cancer has progressed after other treatments.

In this issue of *CURE*, we highlight the details of this groundbreaking treatment, explaining how it differs from traditional immunotherapy and targeted therapies. You’ll learn about the steps involved, from tumor removal and T-cell manufacturing to the infusion process and the role of high-dose interleukin-2 in boosting the immune response, as well as crucial postinfusion care.

While TIL therapy presents a promising new avenue, it’s important for patients to understand both its potential benefits and its challenges. A key advantage is that it’s designed as a one-time treatment, potentially offering a lasting response without the need for continuous therapy. However, the treatment is rigorous, requires a substantial time commitment and is currently available only at a limited number of medical centers. Additionally, the cost of TIL therapy is significant, although financial assistance programs are being explored.

You’ll hear from experts who dive into this exciting advancement, as it offers a personalized and potentially impactful approach for patients who have limited options. Further, as research continues, this innovative strategy may hold promise for other cancers as well, expanding the arsenal of tools available in cancer care.

Also in this issue, we recognize our 2025 Extraordinary Healer® award winner, Kaifan Zhao, AGACNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, for his dedication to making a difference in the lives of patients and their loved ones. The event, held during the 50th Annual Oncology Nursing Society Congress, also featured a keynote lecture from journalist, podcaster and author Amy Robach. “You are walking with \[patients with cancer] during the scariest time of their lives,” she said. “They are afraid for their lives. They are afraid to think about tomorrow. They’re fighting for tomorrow, and you are there as their backbone, as their support, as their light,” she said.

If you are inspired by the testaments shared by our Extraordinary Healer finalists, essay nominations for the 2026 award ceremony are now open on curetoday.com. It is with your nominations that we can recognize the amazing feats of our oncology nursing community.

Staying informed is a powerful tool in your cancer journey. For the very latest updates in oncology, including breaking news on FDA approvals and expert perspectives on key cancer information, turn to curetoday.com.

We are dedicated to ensuring you have the information you need to navigate your cancer experience with clarity. Within these pages and on our website, you’ll find both personal narratives that resonate and expert opinions that provide context. We hope this information serves you well and offers encouragement. Thank you for your continued readership.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education,

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Articles

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy represents a significant advancement in advanced melanoma treatment, utilizing a patient's immune system. The FDA approved a pioneering drug in 2024 for patients with treatment-resistant cancer. TIL therapy, distinct from traditional immunotherapy, involves tumor removal, T-cell manufacturing, and infusion, with high-dose interleukin-2 enhancing immune response. Despite its promise, TIL therapy is rigorous, costly, and limited in availability. The approach offers a personalized treatment option, with potential applications in other cancers. The issue also highlights the 2025 Extraordinary Healer® award and encourages essay nominations.

A significant development in the treatment of advanced melanoma has recently emerged: tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.

A New Frontier in Melanoma Treatment

A powerful new ally is emerging in cancer care: artificial intelligence: © stock.adobe.com.

A powerful new ally is emerging in cancer care: artificial intelligence (AI). In the ever-evolving landscape of prostate cancer care, experts believe AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of the prostate cancer journey, offering innovative solutions from diagnosis to treatment planning.

This issue of CURE offers an insightful look into AI’s exciting potential, as explained by leading experts in the field. From the initial stages of detection to the complexities of treatment planning and beyond, AI is showing remarkable promise in augmenting clinicians’ capabilities.

“AI is definitely being folded into different levels of the entire journey for patients,” Dr. Soroush Rais-Bahrami, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, says in our cover story.

For example, a UCLA-led study demonstrated AI’s ability to accurately predict seminal vesicle invasion, which is a crucial factor in determining the aggressiveness of a patient’s disease, guiding treatment decisions. Further, AI is making inroads into the realm of treatment itself, from enhancing the precision of robotic surgery to guiding targeted therapies like transurethral ultrasound ablation.
Although challenges around data privacy and the integration of AI into clinical workflows remain, our experts appear optimistic that AI will usher in a new era of personalized and effective prostate cancer care.

“Understanding each clinical case and personalizing treatment algorithms, decision-making [and] patient counseling is going to be key, and that’s where the nuances of AI will most likely normalize some of the personalization that was largely based on clinician and provider expertise,” Rais-Bahrami adds.

Also in this issue, we highlight results from a trial designed to evaluate personalized therapeutic vaccines among patients with kidney cancer, of which nine had successful anticancer immune responses and were cancer free approximately three years later. As part of CURE's “Speaking Out” video series, Dr. David Braun, from Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, spoke of the trial, its findings and where the field is headed next.

In addition, we offer insight from Dr. Chandler Park, of Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In particular, he highlights the use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, as well as what patients should discuss with their providers in the perioperative setting.

For the very latest news in cancer care, be sure to visit us at curetoday.com. We’re committed to bringing you timely updates, including breaking news on FDA approvals, clear explanations of significant cancer developments and much more.

Our mission is to equip you with the knowledge you need to confidently navigate your cancer journey. Within these pages, you’ll discover personal experiences alongside expert perspectives. As always, we hope you find this information both empowering and inspiring. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a crucial component in prostate cancer care, enhancing capabilities from diagnosis to treatment planning. AI's potential is demonstrated in studies like UCLA's, which showed AI's accuracy in predicting seminal vesicle invasion, influencing treatment decisions. Despite challenges in data privacy and clinical integration, experts are optimistic about AI's role in personalized cancer care. Additionally, the issue covers a trial on personalized therapeutic vaccines for kidney cancer and FDA approval insights for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, emphasizing the importance of personalized treatment and patient-provider discussions.

A powerful new ally is emerging in cancer care: artificial intelligence.

The Dawn of AI in Prostate Cancer Care

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation: © stock.adobe.com.

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation: the remarkable difference that exceptional nurses and advanced practice providers make in the lives of those facing cancer. In the challenging and often emotionally charged environment of oncology, these individuals are more than just caregivers; they are beacons of hope, sources of strength and unwavering pillars of support.

We recognized that their contributions often extend far beyond the realm of clinical expertise. They provide comfort during moments of fear, offer guidance during times of uncertainty and celebrate every victory, no matter how small. They are the ones who hold a patient’s hand during difficult treatments, who listen with empathy to the concerns of worried families and who tirelessly advocate for the best possible care.

 have hosted the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing, which gives people — patients, caregivers, families, colleagues and doctors, to name a few — the opportunity to recognize and honor the oncology nurses who have made a significant impact on their life.

Oncology nurses have an innate ability to see a patient beyond their diagnosis and to help them physically and emotionally.

“[Her] compassion is unmatched, and she always goes above and beyond, a nominator wrote about her colleague. “It is not just about the cancer or the patient’s treatment; it is about the person and seeing their smiles through often-sad times.”

The passion that oncology nurses give to caring for their patients is often done as a selfless act.

“She does not look for credit or brag about her work, nor does she just sit back and enjoy her success,” a colleague described in their nominating essay. “[She] lives in the struggle that is oncology nursing and bears the weight of responsibility for patients on her shoulders. As a mentor, she is a true example of what it means to coordinate patient care.”

Even when patients are facing a cancer diagnosis, nurses step up to help them even when all of the information they are receiving is a lot to process.

“This patient ... was understandably overwhelmed by his diagnosis and uncertain about his future,” a nominator wrote about their colleague. “[She] spent hours with him, carefully explaining his diagnosis, offering emotional support and answering his questions. She went above and beyond by connecting him with other patients with pancreatic cancer who shared their experiences. ... Through these conversations and her guidance, [she] helped him to realize that he wasn’t just another statistic. She helped him find hope and a plan.”

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Extraordinary Healers whose stories are shared here, and to all the nurses and advanced practice providers who dedicate themselves to providing exceptional oncology care.

The Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing was established to honor the profound impact of exceptional oncology nurses and advanced practice providers. These professionals go beyond clinical duties, offering emotional support, guidance, and advocacy for patients and their families. Celebrating its 19th year, the award allows patients, caregivers, and colleagues to recognize nurses who significantly impact lives. Oncology nurses are praised for their compassion, selflessness, and dedication, often providing hope and personalized care to patients overwhelmed by their cancer diagnoses.

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation.

Illuminating Compassion in Cancer Care

New cancer treatments are minimizing the need for radical surgeries by introducing organ-sparing therapies and improving survivorship care and patient support.

For countless patients over the years, a cancer journey has involved surgery. Radical surgeries to remove the affected organ were the standard of care for many cancers, from rectal and bladder to certain types of stomach and uterine cancers. Although these surgeries offered a chance for a cure, they often came at a significant cost. Patients faced life-altering side effects, including issues with digestion, sexual function, fertility and overall quality of life.

However, a new era in cancer treatment is dawning, as we detail in this seasonal issue of CURE. Advancements in research and technology are allowing doctors to offer patients more options than ever. We explore the growing field of organ-sparing therapies, which use systemic treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies to shrink tumors or control the disease, potentially eliminating the need for surgery.

In this issue, you will find insight from Joanna Fawzy Doran, CEO of the nonprofit organization Triage Cancer and a CURE advisory board member, about what patients can do if they face the common issue of insurance denials during their cancer journey.

Additionally, we examine real-world data on the use of Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and spotlight treatment advancements for triple-negative breast cancer as part of our “Speaking Out” discussion series.

Furthermore, we speak with a pair of experts about what the “new normal” may be like for someone entering cancer survivorship.

“Often it’s kind of a series of physical adjustments,” Dr. Kevin Billingsley of Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, told us. “It takes weeks to months to recover from the physical rigors, often of a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. Even young, healthy people ... need to rebuild themselves, often with a program involving exercise under the guidance of a trainer or physical therapist, as well as some nutritional consultation.

“It can take longer than people expect. There [are] also the emotional adjustments of getting back into the normal flow of life and dealing with the uncertainty that [accompanies] a cancer diagnosis. … This is because even when treatments are highly successful, people live with the uncertainty that cancer may return at some point, which can be quite stressful.”

Patients in remission enter a “survivorship care period,” as Frank J. Penedo of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami told us. “The [National Cancer Institute] defines a cancer survivor as somebody from the day of diagnosis through the balance of their life,” said Penedo, who leads teams in cancer survivorship, translational behavioral sciences, and supportive care, and the psychophysical mechanisms and health out-comes lab, at Sylvester. “Survivorship care is the care that a person is receiving in addition to their medical treatment post completion of their primary treatments. In that survivorship care, it’s really critical that the patient remains very involved with their care team for a variety of reasons.”

For all the up-to-the-minute oncology updates, stay tuned to curetoday.com. There, you will find everything from breaking news on the latest Food and Drug Administration approvals to expert context on major cancer news and much more.

Our goal is to empower our readers with knowledge and provide patients with the information they need to make informed decisions about their cancer care. Throughout these pages, you will find personal stories and expert insights. As always, we hope you find them inspirational and informative. Thank you for reading.

Advancements in cancer treatment are shifting from radical surgeries to organ-sparing therapies, utilizing systemic treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This approach aims to reduce life-altering side effects and improve quality of life. Insights from experts highlight the challenges of insurance denials, the evolving landscape of cancer survivorship, and the importance of survivorship care. Real-world data on Carvykti for multiple myeloma and advancements in triple-negative breast cancer treatment are also discussed. The focus remains on empowering patients with knowledge for informed decision-making in their cancer care journey.

New advancements in cancer treatment are reducing the need for radical surgeries, offering organ-sparing therapies and enhancing survivorship care and support for patients.

Mike Hennessy Jr.

A New Frontier in Melanoma Treatment

The Dawn of AI in Prostate Cancer Care

Illuminating Compassion in Cancer Care

The Dawn of a New Era in Cancer Treatment

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