Medical Research & Technology

Munich – November 09, 2026 -- People with cancer and their relatives in Germany can call a free, confidential expert hotline on 0800 2030040, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The service, called "Halt bei Krebs," is run by GSK and staffed by medical professionals.

Medical staff explain diagnoses, therapies and side effects

The hotline is aimed in particular at people with multiple myeloma, myelofibrosis, ovarian cancer or uterine cancer, and at their families. Staff explain the disease, its treatment, symptoms and side effects, and help callers relate that information to their own situation.

The aim is to help patients understand their illness, prepare for doctor appointments and make informed decisions together with their treatment team. On request, the team also points callers to self-help groups and associations. Email support and the service's website supplement the hotline.

Kawanishi, Japan – November 06, 2026 -- A water-based nail polish with nail-repairing keratin, paired with a remover made from 100% natural ingredients, was displayed at a Cancer Survivor Fashion Show at Kansai Rosai Hospital in Japan. Japanese GreenTech startup Green Science Alliance developed both products for people whose nails change during chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy drugs can darken, thin and weaken nails

Chemotherapy can change the nails. The source attributes this to inhibited basal cell division and proliferation in the skin, activated melanin-producing cells, and impaired nail growth. Drugs that may cause nail disorders include fluorouracil (5-FU), TS-1, capecitabine (Xeloda), docetaxel (Taxotere), paclitaxel (Taxol), cytarabine (Cylocide) and some molecular targeted drugs. Reported effects are darkening, ingrown nails, thinning and brittleness.

BALTIMORE – November 06, 2026 -- Cancer patients whose treatment keeps them from attending a Baltimore Ravens game got a tailgate of their own at the second annual Ravens Crucial Catch Tailgate Experience, held inside a MedStar Health hospital for patients, their families and their care teams.

A marching band leads the hospital's largest event of the year

The Ravens Marching Band, new to the event this year, played through the parking lots and hospital lobby to draw people in. The gathering has become the largest hospital event of the year for the Ravens and MedStar Health. Ravens alumni Qadry Ismail (Super Bowl XXXV) and Jameel McClain (Super Bowl XLVII) posed for photos with fans. Poe and members of the cheer squad also joined in.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy have early data on SGT-003, an investigational gene therapy from Solid Biosciences: 90 days after dosing, three boys showed average microdystrophin expression of 110%.

Three boys show muscle health improvements at 90 days

The Phase 1/2 INSPIRE DUCHENNE study reported initial data from its first three patients: two 5-year-old boys and one 7-year-old boy. Beyond microdystrophin expression, the company observed reductions in the muscle injury markers CK, AST, ALT, Titin, LDH and eMHC. It describes this as potential stabilization of muscle health.

The company also reports promising signs of muscle function preservation and encouraging early findings in potential cardiac benefit. Heart health is critically important in Duchenne. The company calls its outlook one of cautious optimism.

San Diego – October 30, 2026 -- U.S. service members and veterans with a cancer diagnosis can now get comprehensive genomic profiling and biomarker interpretation at no cost, through a nationwide program called Cancer Hunt from the nonprofit SOTERIA Precision Medicine Foundation.

SOTERIA, a California-based 501(c)(3), is currently accepting both patient referral partners and military and veteran patients with a cancer diagnosis. The program also aims to reduce the administrative burden on treating oncologists and medical institutions.

A multidisciplinary team supports each patient's care team

Cancer Hunt deploys oncology nurse navigators, PhD-level scientists, oncology specialists and logistics coordinators. Their job is to give treating clinical teams actionable molecular data specific to each patient's disease.

Somerset, N.J. – October 29, 2026 -- Women diagnosed with breast cancer, and the people supporting them, can ask whether proton therapy is an option if radiation is recommended, says ProCure Proton Therapy Center in New Jersey. For some patients, it may reduce radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue, including the heart and lungs.

A study found fewer lung changes and skin reactions with protons

Research published earlier this year in Breast Cancer Research examined 8,189 breast cancer patients who received radiation after surgery. Of those, 501 were treated with proton therapy.

Lung changes visible on imaging occurred in 5.8% of the proton group, compared with 10.0% of the conventional radiation group. Skin reactions were also less frequent with protons, at 13.4% versus 20.9%.

Beaver, Pa. – October 29, 2026 -- Cancer patients at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center are treated by a radiation oncologist whom The Inner Circle has named a Pinnacle Lifetime Member: Dr. Michael M. Pennock, MD, MBiot, DABR.

Pennock treats adults with lung, breast, prostate and other cancers

Dr. Pennock is a board-certified radiation oncologist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). His adult patients include those with lung, breast, head and neck, gastrointestinal, prostate, brain, and spine cancers. The recognition highlights his attention to detail and his ability to offer both clinical expertise and emotional reassurance during treatment.

United States – October 29, 2026 -- Solid Biosciences has dosed 33 children aged 1 to 10 with its investigational gene therapy SGT-003 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and a Phase 3 trial has enrolled its first patient.

Safety data show no liver, kidney or heart-inflammation cases

The figures come from INSPIRE DUCHENNE, a Phase 1/2, open-label, multi-center study, with data cut off on January 9, 2026. SGT-003 has been generally well tolerated using prophylactic steroids alone for immune suppression. The company reports no cases of drug-induced liver injury, thrombotic microangiopathy, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome or myocarditis.

Cardiac monitoring has shown consistent reductions in markers of cardiac injury, with early signals of normalization. The company also reports microdystrophin expression and improvements across multiple biomarkers of muscle health.

Leipzig – October 29, 2026 -- Expectant parents can now have placental tissue frozen for possible future medical use: since summer 2026, Vita 34 has offered private storage of placental tissue alongside its existing umbilical cord blood and cord tissue services.

Vita 34 deep-freezes the complete placental tissue after birth

After delivery, the tissue is processed and frozen at very low temperatures, a method called cryopreservation. The goal is to preserve the cell populations in the tissue and their biological potential over the long term. Whether the stored cells can ever be used, and for which conditions, depends on future scientific progress and on therapies that are approved later.

Vita 34 says it stores the full placental tissue, so that different cell types are retained for possible future applications.

Boston – October 28, 2026 -- People living with Friedreich's ataxia (FA) have a new gene therapy candidate heading toward human testing: Solid Biosciences says the FDA has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for SGT-212, with a Phase 1b trial planned for the second half of 2025.

SGT-212 attacks FA through two delivery routes

The company describes SGT-212 as the first gene therapy in the industry to use a dual route of administration. It delivers full-length frataxin protein in two ways: