In January 2024, Cancer Statistics, 2024 was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. This report estimated cancer cases and deaths in 2024 and described the secular trends of major cancers over recent decades. We summarized the report and integrated the latest data on the cancer burden in China to compare the prevalence cancer between two countries. We also comprehensively interpreted the underlying reasons for these trends to provide insights for cancer prevention and control strategies in China.

According to the global cancer statistics in 2022 updated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there were nearly 20 million new cases of cancer and 9.7 million deaths. Lung cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer, accounting for nearly 2.5 million new cases (12.4% of all global cancers), followed by female breast cancer (11.6%), colorectal cancer (9.6%), prostate cancer (7.3%), and stomach cancer (4.9%). Lung cancer was also the leading cause of cancer deaths, with an estimated 1.8 million deaths (18.7%), followed by colorectal cancer (9.3%), liver cancer (7.8%), female breast cancer (6.9%), and stomach cancer (6.8%). Population-based projections suggest that the number of new cancer cases will reach 35 million by 2050. Increasing the investment in prevention and control measures targeting key cancer risk factors, including smoking, obesity, and infections, could save many lives globally and bring significant economic and social returns to countries in the coming decades.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare mesenchymal tumor that clinically presents as nodular-type or diffuse-type (D-TGCT). D-TGCT is more aggressive, has a higher surgical recurrence rate, and can potentially lead to severe joint destruction. The traditional treatment is primarily through surgical intervention. Recent advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms of the disease and the development of new drugs have significantly changed TGCT treatment strategies. Drug therapy and active surveillance have become important treatment options for unresectable or high-recurrence-risk TGCT. Imaging examinations and patient-reported outcome tools play a crucial role in evaluating efficacy and guiding treatment decisions. Comprehensive management by a multidisciplinary team and utilizing individualized treatment plans can significantly improve the quality of life and treatment outcomes of patients. Future research should explore the molecular mechanisms of TGCT, enhance multidisciplinary collaboration, and emphasize long-term management to improve treatment efficacy and patient prognosis.

Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, and although synergistic and comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made some promising achievements in recent years, the prevention and treatment situation remains considerably serious. For optimizing the role of Chinese medicine in the clinic to fight against cancer, inheriting and innovating at the same time are necessary. The author, inspired by clinical and classical theories, innovatively put forward the theory of “cancer state” and proposed that the root of cancer treatment is to change the “cancer state”. In this study, I reflect on the current situation of TCM synergistic treatment of malignant tumors and analyze “cancer state theory”, with the hope of enriching the theoretical base of TCM evidence-based treatment of malignant tumors and providing new ideas and references for the individualized use of medicines in the clinical TCM evidence-based treatment of malignant tumors.

Immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor vaccine therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, and adoptive cell therapy, has made remarkably breakthroughs in the field of oncology. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which block programmed death receptor 1 or programmed death ligand 1, have been included in the first-line clinical treatment for advanced solid tumors, such as non-small cell lung cancer and malignant melanoma. However, primary or secondary drug resistance in tumors severely limits the survival benefits for patients. Immune-related adverse reactions, such as pneumonia, hypothyroidism, hypophysitis, and myocarditis, also greatly affect the quality of life of patients. Fuzheng Jiedu Huayu is an important concept guiding the prevention and treatment of tumors with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is also a curative principle and therapeutic TCM method to reduce the toxicity and enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. This article summarizes the research progress of immunotherapy and discusses how TCM reduces the toxicity and enhances the efficacy of immunotherapy, hoping to provide a reference for the integrated treatment of tumors with TCM and immunotherapy.

With the development of neuroscience and oncology, the direct regulation effect of central nervous system circuits on tumors has been gradually revealed. Evidence indicates that the therapy targeting emotion-related encephalic regions may have great potential in blocking the promotion of breast cancer progression by depression. The underlying complex mechanisms involve the generation of depression and the regulation of tumors by central nervous system circuits. However, a systematic summary is lacking in this field. This article reviews the latest research progress of the central nervous system circuits and the generation of depression, the neural connection between the central nervous system and peripheral tumor, and the regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment by the sympathetic nervous system. It also systematically investigates the potential mechanism of the central nervous system circuit in the promotion of breast cancer progression by depression to establish new solutions for the comprehensive treatment of breast cancer.