Cancers can be detected through the presence, in the tumours or bodily fluids, of so-called molecular biomarkers – in other words, of biological molecules (proteins, genes, etc.) found in blood or tissues that are a sign that a person has cancer. One well-known cancer biomarker is the PSA protein, whose rapid rise in the blood may indicate the presence of prostate cancer. 

For every argument that construes AI as essential, promising and transforming across nearly all industries, there are voiced concerns about this technology. Many people do not trust AI, claiming that intelligent machines will one day dominate humankind. But while this is a remote possibility, the harm that can be done to people (albeit mostly unintentionally) by deep learning algorithms is very tangible – and has already been known to occur in the real world.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and a master's degree in Health Sciences from the University of Minho, which introduced her to the field of immunology, Cardoso embarked upon a PhD in the laboratory of Henrique Veiga-Fernandes at the Champalimaud Foundation to study the role of neuro-immune interactions in metabolism.

Everything around a malignant tumour and its metastases, from its so-called microenvironment to the patients themselves as individuals, influences cancerous growth, and ultimately the outcome of the disease. This is the take-away message from CRSy2022 – the three-day international scientific symposium that took place at the Champalimaud Foundation, in Lisbon, from 19 to 21 October.

All cancers are genetic in nature, in the sense that they all arise from genetic mutations inside cells. But the origin of those mutations can vary: they can be due to environmental factors (for example exposure to carcinogenic substances such as tobacco smoke or asbestos particles), but also to spurious DNA replication errors during the cellular division of any cell type in the body. Such random, unpredictable DNA errors account for nearly two-thirds of the mutations responsible for cancer.

Helena Gouveia, oncologist at the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) tells us about two important examples of collaborative endeavours between this Unit and CF’s research labs. Scientists and clinicians join efforts to do translational research/medicine – that is, to take recent scientific advances “to the patients’ bedside” as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible.

In this short video, Marcio Debiasi, oncologist at the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Foundation, presents a study dubbed KeyPARTNER, which is being carried out in this Unit with support from industrial funders. The study’s aim is to optimize the use of chemotherapy together with immunotherapy for the treatment of so-called “triple negative” breast cancers, which are considered to be the most aggressive breast tumours.

Accessing the so-called “metaverse” through augmented reality headsets connected to the internet can help breast cancer surgeons to locate a patient’s tumour, during surgery, by virtually superposing the patient’s medical images onto her physical body lying on the operating room table, explains Pedro Gouveia, surgeon at the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Foundation. With this in view, the Unit is already building a digital surgery lab, where artificial intelligence and computer vision will combine to give rise to the breast cancer surgery of the future.

Axillary lymph node dissection is a procedure to remove all lymph nodes in the armpit so as to avoid breast cancer recurrence. But, explains David Pinto, a surgeon at the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Foundation, it causes complications – and, in 40% of the cases, it is unnecessary. Since comparative studies on alternative procedures are scant, the Unit is also participating in the European clinical trial AXSANA, which will provide results within two years.