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Schlossberg's essay – published on the anniversary of her grandfather's assassination – recalls the struggles of coping with the illness, expressing how her parents and siblings "have been raising my children and sitting in my various hospital rooms almost every day," while her doctor "has scoured every inch of the earth for more treatments for me. He knows I don't want to die, and he is trying to stop it." She reflected, "For my whole life, I have tried to be good… Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family's life, and there's nothing I can do to stop it," The New York Times reported.​

She went through chemotherapy, a bone-marrow transplant with stem cells from her sister Rose, and joined an immunotherapy trial led by her medical team. Schlossberg credited her husband, George Moran, for his support, saying, "He is perfect, and I feel so cheated and so sad that I don't get to keep living the wonderful life I had with this kind, funny, handsome genius I managed to find," according to The New York Times.​

She criticized her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, calling him "an embarrassment" and expressing worry that his anti-vaccine stance and budget cuts to health research "could leave me to spend the rest of my life immunocompromised." Schlossberg wrote, "Suddenly, the health care system on which I relied felt strained, shaky," as reported by The New York Times.​

Despite these frustrations, she wrote of her love for her two young children and the pain of possibly not seeing them grow up. "I remind my son often that I am a writer, so that he will know that I was not just a sick person." She described a moment with her son: "He hugged me, patted me on the back, and said, 'I hear you, buddy, I hear you,'" she wrote.​

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We joined European Union Ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev during his visit to the Weizmann Institute of Science, among the hardest-hit locations from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, as part of a tour of strike sites nationwide. Two missiles rendered five buildings unusable, affecting research conducted by at least 52 research groups. The cancer research center suffered the worst damage, with laboratories now entombed beneath mountains of debris.

"We truly experienced the five stages of grief,"  Dr. Leeat Yankielowicz-Keren, who heads a team investigating connections between the immune system and cancer. Her laboratory housed cutting-edge, exclusive equipment essential to her Weizmann research team's work – all completely destroyed. "We obtained special permission to enter the building today, and several people wept. The devastation is beyond belief. One of my students, a reserve combat soldier who served in Gaza, insisted he would rappel through windows to salvage what he could, though we told him 'nothing's left.' He was really in denial."

Another laboratory that became unusable as a result of the blast belongs to Dr. Ranit Kedmi, who studies the immune system. "I only opened my laboratory two years ago," she shared." Both research teams share a crucial commonality – they were enabled by European Research Council (ERC) grants, financed through the European Commission. The destruction of these laboratories means Iranian strikes directly impact European interests.

Dr. Yankielowicz-Keren stresses the consequences reach even further internationally. "During the first week [after the attack], I had to spend at least an hour every day replying to emails from all over the world – people offering to help, people offering to send students, people showing compassion," she said. "After October 7th, I didn't feel the same kind of solidarity. I think that this time the scientific community and particularly the cancer community experienced this as their own loss. It's not a Weizmann-specific research – it's our understanding of cancer that got pushed back years because of this, on a global level."

The Weizmann Institute ranks among the world's top research facilities. Though based in Israel, its research teams include students from across the globe. "Scientists excel at problem-solving," Dr. Kedmi observed, describing how a South Korean student in her team chose to remain in Israel and help rebuild the damaged laboratory despite the wartime reality in Israel. Meanwhile, a colleague from Heidelberg, Germany, offered his laboratory facilities to one of Yankelvitz-Keren's students to continue crucial research.

While the determination shown by these research teams and their female leaders inspires admiration, the growing global recognition of Weizmann's damage cannot be overlooked. Worldwide discourse often reduces to either supporting or opposing Israel, missing the global ripple effects created when the Weizmann Institute becomes a target, impacting the European Research Council, scientists across the world, and potentially life-saving medical advances.

The tour naturally included Soroka Hospital, the Negev region's sole medical facility. We were granted special access to examine the damage in the northern surgical building, which sustained a direct upper-floor hit. Exceptional preparation and threat assessment by Soroka personnel enabled patient evacuation one day before the strike that completely destroyed that floor and caused the floor below to collapse.

The strike's severity and the ballistic missile's warhead power became evident through the extensive ground-floor damage. Shattered ceilings and walls, demolished elevator shafts, displaced door frames, and patient rooms reduced to rubble fragments intensified as we ascended through the building's floors. Medical staff that was inside the building during the attack followed proper defensive protocols and escaped injury.

"Anywhere else worldwide, we would transfer all patients to alternative hospitals and spend a year recovering," Soroka Hospital Director Dr. Shlomi Kodesh told Ambassador Tzantchev. Remarkably, the hospital resumed 80% of operations surrounded by destruction and blast damage, in extremely difficult conditions for both patients and medical personnel alike. "We need tens of millions of dollars," Dr. Kodesh emphasized, highlighting the critical importance of maintaining Soroka's operations as southern Israel's only hospital. "The Negev deserves better," he concluded.

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A pioneering study conducted at Beilinson Hospital in Israel has revealed a potential breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment that could significantly reduce the number of radiation sessions required for effective treatment.

The research comes as the Israel Cancer Association projects that 2,800 men will receive prostate cancer diagnoses in 2024, with approximately 530 fatalities expected. The disease remains the most prevalent cancer among Israeli men and ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality.

The groundbreaking research, led by Dr. Elisha Freedman, director of urinary system cancers and clinical radiation research at the Davidoff Center's radiotherapy institute at Beilinson Hospital, focuses on reducing radiation treatments to just two sessions for early-stage patients.

In the initial phase, researchers studied 20 patients who underwent the abbreviated two-session treatment protocol. The results showed no unusual side effects, with treatment outcomes matching those of the traditional five-session approach. Significantly, no cancer recurrence was observed during the 18-month follow-up period.

"This transition to two radiation sessions represents a significant advancement in patient care," Dr. Freedman explained. "We're seeing fewer side effects, reduced hospital visits, and increased treatment capacity. This could revolutionize treatment globally. Given the psychological impact of treatment, reducing radiation sessions appears highly promising, which helped secure approval for expanded research."

The treatment particularly benefits intermediate-risk patients not requiring hormonal therapy, who comprise the majority of prostate cancer cases. The findings, published in the prestigious International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, have led to an expanded third phase involving 502 patients, comparing outcomes between two-session and five-session treatment groups.

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A revolutionary blood test capable of detecting some of the most common and lethal cancers before symptoms develop is set to receive government funding in the United Kingdom, according to reporting by The Mirror. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, himself a cancer survivor, believes this "universal" blood screening could transform cancer treatment within the National Health Service (NHS) in the next five years.

The test, developed by scientists at Southampton University, utilizes clinical information from 20,000 cancer patients and is reported to be 99% accurate in detecting cancer at any stage, even before symptoms manifest. Early trials indicate it can identify 50 different types of cancer before producing a false positive result.

Professor Paul Skipp of Southampton University told The Mirror: "A test like this could save many lives, catching cancers much earlier. We hope to have an NHS test in five to seven years." Streeting, who lost a kidney during his cancer treatment, emphasized the importance of early detection: "Having survived, it is my mission as Health Secretary that it is caught earlier and more are saved."

The miONCO test, which costs £120 ($157), screens for lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, colorectal, ovarian, liver, brain, esophageal, bladder, bone and soft tissue sarcoma, and gastric cancers. It requires only a few drops of blood and could potentially eliminate months-long waits for tests and scans.

The UK government plans to invest £2.5 million ($3.3 million) through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to refine the test, making it faster and more cost-effective. Researchers have established a startup company, Xgenera, to facilitate the test's rollout, citing its "potential to save millions of lives" globally.

The next development phase will involve perfecting the artificial intelligence used to analyze test samples and biomarkers by inputting 8,000 blood samples from individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Currently, the NHS only offers screening tests for breast, bowel, cervical, and lung cancers, which often involve invasive procedures or scans and have high false-positive rates. Prof Skipp noted: "The UK spends £800 million ($1 billion) a year screening for these four cancers, and an additional £91 million ($119 million) is spent on false positive follow-ups."

The government's investment in this technology aligns with its broader strategy to leverage Britain's scientific expertise to improve cancer care within the NHS. Streeting and Science Secretary Peter Kyle are backing efforts to combine cutting-edge research with the NHS's potential to benefit patients nationwide.

Streeting added: "The investment we are launching on Sunday will help partner our universities, health service, and pharmaceutical giants to produce new cutting-edge treatments – catching cancer earlier at the same time as boosting the UK's economic growth."

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Penile cancer cases are predicted to increase by up to 77% by 2050, driven by aging populations and risk factors like poor genital hygiene, smoking, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Developing countries currently have the highest rates for penis cancer, but cases are increasing in most European countries.

Over 90% of penis cancers are carcinomas caused by squamous cells in the skin, and HPV, particularly HPV 16, is present in about half of these cases, triggering malignant changes in the skin.

Major risk factors for penis cancer include being over 50, having a narrowed foreskin, poor genital hygiene, smoking tobacco, and HPV infection. It is rare in circumcised individuals.

Penile cancer can be mistaken for a sexually transmitted infection (STI), with symptoms like non-healing sores, bleeding, rashes, foreskin trouble, and color changes. Delayed diagnosis is common due to shame, embarrassment, or misclassification of lesions by doctors.

HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection that spreads through skin contact, can cause pre-malignant and malignant changes on the penis and other body parts. HPV 16, a high-risk type, is particularly concerning as persistent infections can lead to pre-malignant changes in the skin of the penis.

HPV infections are common among sexually active adults, often asymptomatic, can persist and cause pre-malignant changes, and previous infection does not protect against future infection.

Treatment options for penis cancer include surgical removal of cancerous tissue with laser or micro-surgery, possibly combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and in severe cases, amputation may be necessary, while new treatments like engineered T cells and immunotherapies show promise in fighting HPV-infected cells and improving immune responses to tumors.

HPV vaccination is seen as a crucial preventive measure for both individual and public health, and it is most effective when given at ages 11-12 but can also be beneficial at older ages.

Sources: The Sun, The Conversation, RaillyNews, ScienceAlert, ZME Science, Metro, EconoTimes, HeadTopics, Medical Xpress.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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A new study has uncovered a potential environmental and health hazard lurking in many households: melamine sponges, commonly known as "magic" sponges. These cleaning tools, praised for their effectiveness, may release trillions of microplastic particles into the environment each month, according to research published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal.

Researchers from Nanjing University in China found that these sponges, made of a network of hard plastic strands formed into a lightweight foam, break down during use, releasing tiny plastic particles called microplastics. These particles can potentially enter the water supply and food chain, raising concerns about their impact on human health and the environment.

The study revealed that on average, a single sponge releases approximately 6.5 million fibers per gram of worn-out material. Using sales data from a major online retailer and assuming a 10% wear rate, the researchers estimated that roughly 1.55 trillion microplastic fibers could be released from these sponges every month.

"[Our results] suggest a global overall emission of 4.9 trillion microplastic fibers due to sponge consumption," the researchers write. They note that this figure likely underestimates the true scale of the problem, as it only accounts for one online retailer.

While the full extent of microplastics' impact on human health is still being studied, there are concerns about their potential effects. These particles may contain chemicals that disrupt the body's hormone release, potentially increasing the risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. Additionally, they may carry toxic compounds such as heavy metals on their surface.

The density of the sponge material plays a crucial role in the release of microplastics. The study found that denser foam sponges wore down more slowly and produced fewer microplastic fibers compared to less dense varieties.

In light of these findings, the researchers recommend that manufacturers focus on creating denser, more durable sponges to minimize microplastic emissions. They also suggest that consumers consider switching to natural cleaning products that are not based on plastics.

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Asma Assad, the wife of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has been diagnosed with leukemia, the presidency said on Tuesday, almost five years after she announced she had fully recovered from breast cancer.

The statement said Asma, 48, would undergo a special treatment protocol that would require her to isolate, and that she would step away from public engagements as a result. In August 2019, Asma said she had fully recovered from breast cancer that she said had been discovered early. Since Syria plunged into war in 2011, the British-born former investment banker has taken on the public role of leading charity efforts and meeting families of killed soldiers, but has also become hated by the opposition.

Bashar Assad, 57, has ruled Syria with an iron fist since taking over from his late father Hafez in 2000. The British-trained eye doctor initially inspired hopes for reform, but instead brutally crushed dissent after protests erupted in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring uprisings sweeping the region.

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A cornerstone laying ceremony was held at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov Hospital on Sunday for the Adelson National Center for Advanced Cancer Therapy.

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Dr. Miriam Adelson took part in the moving ceremony, as did CEO of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Prof. Ronni Gamzu. At the construction site where an older structure once stood and the new building will be built, Adelson said, "This is where I began my residency as a physician at Ichilov."

In January, on the one-year anniversary of business Sheldon Adelson's death, the family of the businessman and philanthropist announced a substantial donation to the Israeli health system. Prior to his death, Adelson ordered the donation of $40 million for the establishment of a cancer treatment center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

At 43,000 square feet and 20 stories tall, the Adelson National Center for Advanced Cancer Therapy will be constructed in two stages over a period of five years in the medical center's southwest wing, situated on the intersection between Tel Aviv's Weizmann and Dafna streets. The tower will also be directly connected to a light-rail tunnel currently under construction in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area that will serve the thousands of daily visitors to the medical complex each day.

At the national proton therapy institute, advanced proton radiation will be used for the treatment of cancer. Similar to other advanced radiotherapy technologies, proton therapy works through the precise transfer of high-energy radiation to a tumor, damaging cancer cells' DNA and resulting in the cells' destruction, without damaging surrounding tissue and with reduced side effects.

The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom.

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Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science are blazing the trail in cancer treatment through a previously unused immune system weapon: naturally produced antibodies. 

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A new study published this week in Cell scientific journal said that while immunotherapies for cancer rely on the patient's immune system, they still "fall short of tapping into the entire arsenal of the body's natural defenses."

Professors Ziv Shulman and Irit Sagi, the scientists behind the study, discovered naturally-produced antibodies which target an enzyme known as MMP14 (MT1-MMP) in tumors. While outside of a tumor, the enzyme normally assists the body with repairing tissue, when found in a cancerous environment, MMP14 helps the malignancy spread.

"We've now shown that the immune systems of cancer patients can produce antibodies against tumors," Shulman said. 

The team expressed hope that their discovery will lead to new developments in the field and lay the groundwork for a new immunotherapy-driven approach to fighting cancer with antibodies.

Sagi said, "These natural antibodies appear to have unrealized therapeutic potential. More research is needed in order apply them in future therapies or as diagnostic reagents."

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Israel, according to the Health Ministry. In 2012, the condition accounted for over a fourth of all deaths recorded in the country.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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An extensive study by the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center into how pancreatic cancer cells choose to metastasize – spread to other parts of the body – might be the key to treating this type of tumor and increasing patients' life expectancy.

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The research included 17,000 pancreatic cancer patients from around the world whose information was added to a database of the world's largest cancer genetics company.

Professor Ido Wolf and Tami Rubinek, who led the research, found that the mutation that causes the disappearance of the so-called p15 and p16 proteins is found more in liver metastases than in other kinds.

The scientists were also able to prove that when these proteins disappear, the cancer cell changes its properties and metabolic activity in a way that makes it easier for it to grow in the unique environment of the liver.

"It is a vital discovery in the study of pancreatic cancer. We know that pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types and most patients die from metastases," Wolf said. "Until now, the assumption was that all pancreatic cancers are similar, with no subgroups. This is because the studies that have been conducted until now had very few examples, at most a hundred [patients], while our study is based on the largest pool ever tested.

"The study helps understand the process of metastasis formation and reveals the Achilles heel of the cancer cell. Now, the goal is to find appropriate treatments based on the findings of the study.

"While this discovery will not cure the patient, it will prolong his life because what kills pancreatic patients are the fatal metastases in the rest of the organs. Future treatments could prevent the formation of metastases in the liver and prolong the patient's life."

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