Integrating Lifestyle, Mechanistic Therapeutics, and Computational Approaches in Cancer: Highlights from the Irish Association for Cancer Research Annual Conference 2025.

The Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025, held in Belfast, showcased cutting-edge developments across the cancer research landscape. This report summarizes key presentations, highlighting innovations in drug delivery, exercise interventions, artificial intelligence and computational biology, cancer stem cell plasticity, and translational research approaches. The meeting emphasised mechanistically informed strategies, multi-modal therapies, and the integration of patient-relevant models …

Read more

Changes in Symptom Networks During Inpatient Cancer Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Model Analysis of Real-World Patient-Reported Outcomes.

Cancer survivors admitted to inpatient rehabilitation suffer from a complex burden of interrelated physical and psychological symptoms. While mean-level improvements during rehabilitation are well-documented, it remains unknown whether rehabilitation modifies the underlying structure of symptom interconnections-the symptom network-beyond reducing individual symptom scores. This study aimed to characterize symptom network structure at admission and discharge of a 21-day inpatient cancer rehabilitation …

Read more

Systems approach to integrative oncology in breast cancer care: service design, delivery and patient experiences from a UK center.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer affects 2.3 million women annually worldwide, with survivors experiencing substantial unmet supportive care needs around symptom management, lifestyle support, psychological wellbeing, sexual health and survivorship. Integrative oncology (IO) is a patient-centered, evidence-informed approach combining lifestyle and mind-body interventions, natural products and complementary therapies alongside standard cancer treatment, supported by Society for Integrative Oncology and American Society of …

Read more

Individualized Physiotherapy Improves Quality of Life and Symptom Burden in Advanced Cancer: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with advanced cancer frequently experience high symptom burden and reduced quality of life. Physiotherapy may represent an important nonpharmacological component of palliative care; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness in hospitalized patients remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of individualized physiotherapy on quality of life and symptom burden in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative …

Read more

Patient stratification in exercise oncology: matching exercise modalities to immune phenotypes to optimize immunotherapy response.

Despite advances in oncology, the clinical response to treatments, particularly immunotherapy, remains highly variable due to the complex tumor immune microenvironment. While regular exercise is recognized as a supportive intervention to improve patient outcomes, its mechanistic integration into personalized cancer care is limited by a generalized approach to physical activity. In this review, we argue that the heterogeneity of exercise …

Read more

The correlation between pain and function in cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Function is critically important to cancer survivors, who are at risk of losing independence and mobility. But relatively, little is known about how pain, a widely prevalent symptom, contributes to functional decline. Understanding this may lead to earlier intervention and improved clinical outcomes. METHODS: Four hundred eighty-eight participants across five cancer centers with rehabilitation clinics completed the PROMIS Cancer …

Read more

Exercise-responsive microRNA networks and extracellular vesicle-mediated microRNA signaling in breast cancer: linking tumor signaling, systemic crosstalk, and clinical relevance.

Breast cancer is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease shaped by dynamic interactions between tumor-intrinsic signaling and host physiology. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as post-transcriptional regulators, extend beyond canonical gene silencing to coordinate oncogenic pathways, tumor microenvironment remodeling, and inter-organ communication. In parallel, exercise has emerged as a systemic modulator capable of influencing immune, metabolic, and circulatory processes relevant to tumor progression. …

Read more

Efficacy of an exercise oncology program on sleep quality and circadian rhythm in head and neck cancer patients undergoing chemo-radiation therapy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer (HNC) presents a significant challenge in oncology. It has high prevalence rates, especially in India, where 30-40% of cancer cases are attributed to HNC. While chemotherapy and radiation therapy are essential components of treatment, they often lead to significant sleep disturbances that negatively impact patients’ quality of life and the effectiveness of their treatment. These …

Read more

Effectiveness of a Home-Based and Group-Based Tele-Exercise Program for Breast Cancer Survivors: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer among women globally. Adjuvant therapies can cause adverse effects that compromise physical and mental health. Exercise may mitigate these effects; however, many breast cancer survivors remain insufficiently active. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aimed to test the effectiveness of a 7-week theory-informed tele-exercise intervention for breast cancer survivors in Hong Kong. METHODS: We …

Read more

Telerehabilitation for Pain, Function, and Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer rehabilitation improves function, quality of life, and symptom control, yet access to specialized programs is limited by geographic, financial, and systemic barriers. Telerehabilitation has emerged as a scalable alternative; however, its effectiveness across cancer types and intervention modalities remains heterogeneous. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized comparative studies evaluating telerehabilitation in …

Read more