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Procedure Reduces Sexual Side Effects From Prostate Cancer Surgery

A surgical approach could spare people with localized prostate cancer from experiencing sexual side effects, according to study results presented at the 2025 European Association of Urology Congress in Madrid and simultaneously published in the Lancet Oncology. In surgery to remove the prostate, surgeons excise enough tissue to ensure no cancer cells remain. However, if certain nerves connected to an outer layer of the prostate are removed, the patient can experience erectile problems and other side effects. The NeuroSAFE procedure allows surgeons to examine the excised prostate tissue for cancer cells during the surgery, giving them a better idea of when all the disease has been removed and allowing them to preserve the connected nerves more often, the Guardian reported. The phase III clinical trial enrolled 344 men with localized prostate cancer and no prior history of erectile dysfunction who underwent standard robot-assisted surgery to remove the prostate and surrounding tissue. In half these patients, surgeons used NeuroSAFE. After one year, 56% of the men who had standard surgery reported severe erectile dysfunction, compared with 38% in the NeuroSAFE group. “This procedure gives surgeons feedback during the surgery to give them the certainty they need to spare as many nerves as possible and give men increased hope of recovering their sexual potency after their cancer is surgically removed,” Greg Shaw, the trial’s lead investigator and a urological surgeon at University College London Hospitals, told the Guardian.

Clinical Trial Finds Active Surveillance a Viable Option in Esophageal Cancer

Active surveillance may be an option for select people with esophageal cancer who have a complete response to treatment, according to a study published in the Lancet Oncology. For people with locally advanced esophageal cancer, standard care calls for chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery. However, researchers wondered if patients whose cancer responds to initial treatment could avoid or delay surgery. The phase III clinical trial enrolled 309 people with locally advanced esophageal cancer who had experienced a complete response following chemotherapy and radiation, MedPage Today reported. One hundred fifty-three participants immediately had surgery, while 156 were assigned to active surveillance and waited for signs of cancer recurrence before having surgery. After two years, 74% of the active surveillance group and 71% of the initial surgery group were alive. While longer follow-up is needed to determine if this is a feasible approach, experts said the results could make it a viable choice for certain people. “It is not prime time yet to offer active surveillance to every individual with operable esophageal cancer, but it could be offered to selected patients who are borderline fit for surgery, as a surgery-sparing approach in individuals who are considered at high risk of relapse despite surgery, and to those who are keen to avoid surgery and willing to accept the risks,” Somnath Mukherjee, an oncologist at Oxford University Hospital in England, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

Blood Test May Not Catch Ovarian Cancer in Black and Native American Patients

A blood test commonly used to identify people who may have ovarian cancer may miss the disease in some Black and Native American patients, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. When someone has a mass that doctors suspect could be ovarian cancer, they often order a blood test that measures levels of CA-125, a protein that can be elevated in people with ovarian cancer, the Associated Press reported. If a patient has elevated protein levels, their doctor refers them to an oncologist for further testing for ovarian cancer. However, the currently used protein threshold is based on results primarily from white patients, leaving researchers to wonder if the test is effective for people of other races and ethnicities. In the study, researchers looked at data for 212,477 people who were given the CA-125 test and diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2004 and 2020. Researchers found 88.2% had elevated protein levels at diagnosis, but Black and Native American patients were 23% less likely to have protein levels above the threshold than white patients. Compared with white women, Native American women have higher ovarian cancer rates and Black women have lower survival rates, so researchers said the test could be exacerbating these disparities. “If we have worse performance in certain groups, then we may be further contributing to disparities in referral, disparities in treatment, and ultimately we may be contributing to the lower survival in Black women with ovarian cancer,” Anna Jo Smith, the study’s lead author and a gynecologic oncologist and health services researcher at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told the Associated Press.