Women's Health

TOPLINE:

In a population-based study, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in England was associated with a 100% reduction in mortality due to cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024 among women aged 20-24 years who were mostly vaccinated at the age of 12-13 years.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a population-based study using cervical cancer mortality data of women aged 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 years from the National Disease Registration Service and Office for National Statistics in England from 2000 to 2024.
• The analysis included women from the first eligible birth cohort (born from September 1990 to August 1991) who were targeted by England's school-based HPV vaccination programme introduced in September 2008 for girls aged 12-13 years, with a catch-up programme for girls aged 14-18 years implemented in 2008-2010.
• HPV vaccination coverage by birth cohort was obtained from annual reports of the UK Health Security Agency and used to estimate the proportion of women vaccinated for each age group and calendar year.
• The relative risk reduction (RRR) in mortality among vaccinated women compared with expected rates in the absence of vaccination, assuming no herd immunity, was evaluated.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among women aged 20-24 years between 2020 and 2024 with approximately 88%-91% vaccination coverage, no deaths occurred compared with 23.1 expected deaths on the basis of the observed average rate from 2000 to 2014, corresponding to a reduction in mortality of 100% (95% CI, 84%-100%).
• Among vaccinated women, the RRR in mortality due to cervical cancer was estimated at 100% (P = .0008) in those aged 20-24 years, 100% (P < .0001) in those aged 25-29 years, and 63% (P = .094) in those aged 30-34 years.
• Mortality reductions of 80% (95% CI, 51%-94%) were observed in women aged 20-24 years during 2015-2019 and 69% (95% CI, 55%-79%) were observed in those aged 25-29 years during 2020-2024.
• Up until the end of 2024, the HPV vaccination programme in England was associated with a reduction of approximately 199.6 deaths due to cervical cancer (95% CI, 125.0-274.2) among cohorts offered vaccination.

IN PRACTICE:

The authors concluded that "we found a substantial reduction in cervical cancer mortality in women aged 20-29 years that was associated with high uptake of HPV vaccination." "This observation further supports the benefit of HPV vaccination in reducing not only the incidence of but also the mortality from a cancer that is globally still the second most common cause of cancer death in women younger than 65 years," they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Peter Sasieni, PhD, Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, England. It was published online on June 17, 2026, in The Lancet.

LIMITATIONS:

The analysis relied on population-level vaccination coverage data instead of individual-level status; the researchers had access to mortality data in 5-year age groups only rather than single-year cohorts, and the study assumed no herd protection among unvaccinated women within birth cohorts.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Cancer Research UK. One author reported serving as a lead investigator of a trial examining the HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 that was partially supported by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme. Additional disclosures are listed in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

In a population-based study, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in England was associated with a 100% reduction in mortality due to cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024 among women aged 20-24 years who were mostly vaccinated at the age of 12-13 years.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a population-based study using cervical cancer mortality data of women aged 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 years from the National Disease Registration Service and Office for National Statistics in England from 2000 to 2024.
• The analysis included women from the first eligible birth cohort (born from September 1990 to August 1991) who were targeted by England's school-based HPV vaccination programme introduced in September 2008 for girls aged 12-13 years, with a catch-up programme for girls aged 14-18 years implemented in 2008-2010.
• HPV vaccination coverage by birth cohort was obtained from annual reports of the UK Health Security Agency and used to estimate the proportion of women vaccinated for each age group and calendar year.
• The relative risk reduction (RRR) in mortality among vaccinated women compared with expected rates in the absence of vaccination, assuming no herd immunity, was evaluated.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among women aged 20-24 years between 2020 and 2024 with approximately 88%-91% vaccination coverage, no deaths occurred compared with 23.1 expected deaths on the basis of the observed average rate from 2000 to 2014, corresponding to a reduction in mortality of 100% (95% CI, 84%-100%).
• Among vaccinated women, the RRR in mortality due to cervical cancer was estimated at 100% (P = .0008) in those aged 20-24 years, 100% (P < .0001) in those aged 25-29 years, and 63% (P = .094) in those aged 30-34 years.
• Mortality reductions of 80% (95% CI, 51%-94%) were observed in women aged 20-24 years during 2015-2019 and 69% (95% CI, 55%-79%) were observed in those aged 25-29 years during 2020-2024.
• Up until the end of 2024, the HPV vaccination programme in England was associated with a reduction of approximately 199.6 deaths due to cervical cancer (95% CI, 125.0-274.2) among cohorts offered vaccination.

IN PRACTICE:

The authors concluded that "we found a substantial reduction in cervical cancer mortality in women aged 20-29 years that was associated with high uptake of HPV vaccination." "This observation further supports the benefit of HPV vaccination in reducing not only the incidence of but also the mortality from a cancer that is globally still the second most common cause of cancer death in women younger than 65 years," they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Peter Sasieni, PhD, Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, England. It was published online on June 17, 2026, in The Lancet.

LIMITATIONS:

The analysis relied on population-level vaccination coverage data instead of individual-level status; the researchers had access to mortality data in 5-year age groups only rather than single-year cohorts, and the study assumed no herd protection among unvaccinated women within birth cohorts.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Cancer Research UK. One author reported serving as a lead investigator of a trial examining the HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 that was partially supported by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme. Additional disclosures are listed in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

In a population-based study, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in England was associated with a 100% reduction in mortality due to cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024 among women aged 20-24 years who were mostly vaccinated at the age of 12-13 years.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a population-based study using cervical cancer mortality data of women aged 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 years from the National Disease Registration Service and Office for National Statistics in England from 2000 to 2024.
• The analysis included women from the first eligible birth cohort (born from September 1990 to August 1991) who were targeted by England's school-based HPV vaccination programme introduced in September 2008 for girls aged 12-13 years, with a catch-up programme for girls aged 14-18 years implemented in 2008-2010.
• HPV vaccination coverage by birth cohort was obtained from annual reports of the UK Health Security Agency and used to estimate the proportion of women vaccinated for each age group and calendar year.
• The relative risk reduction (RRR) in mortality among vaccinated women compared with expected rates in the absence of vaccination, assuming no herd immunity, was evaluated.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among women aged 20-24 years between 2020 and 2024 with approximately 88%-91% vaccination coverage, no deaths occurred compared with 23.1 expected deaths on the basis of the observed average rate from 2000 to 2014, corresponding to a reduction in mortality of 100% (95% CI, 84%-100%).
• Among vaccinated women, the RRR in mortality due to cervical cancer was estimated at 100% (P = .0008) in those aged 20-24 years, 100% (P < .0001) in those aged 25-29 years, and 63% (P = .094) in those aged 30-34 years.
• Mortality reductions of 80% (95% CI, 51%-94%) were observed in women aged 20-24 years during 2015-2019 and 69% (95% CI, 55%-79%) were observed in those aged 25-29 years during 2020-2024.
• Up until the end of 2024, the HPV vaccination programme in England was associated with a reduction of approximately 199.6 deaths due to cervical cancer (95% CI, 125.0-274.2) among cohorts offered vaccination.

IN PRACTICE:

The authors concluded that "we found a substantial reduction in cervical cancer mortality in women aged 20-29 years that was associated with high uptake of HPV vaccination." "This observation further supports the benefit of HPV vaccination in reducing not only the incidence of but also the mortality from a cancer that is globally still the second most common cause of cancer death in women younger than 65 years," they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Peter Sasieni, PhD, Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, England. It was published online on June 17, 2026, in The Lancet.

LIMITATIONS:

The analysis relied on population-level vaccination coverage data instead of individual-level status; the researchers had access to mortality data in 5-year age groups only rather than single-year cohorts, and the study assumed no herd protection among unvaccinated women within birth cohorts.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Cancer Research UK. One author reported serving as a lead investigator of a trial examining the HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 that was partially supported by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme. Additional disclosures are listed in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

A few days of fasting around chemotherapy sessions may improve treatment response and outcomes for some patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a small phase 2 trial suggests.

The study, of 36 patients with stage III or IV high-grade ovarian cancer, found that those randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before chemotherapy and 24 hours afterward had stronger pathologic responses to chemotherapy and longer progression-free survival than patients who ate normally during treatment.

The findings, reported at a press briefing ahead the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026, hint at a straightforward measure to potentially improve patients’ outcomes.

The working theory is that short-term fasting boosts chemotherapy response by lowering insulin and IGF-1 levels, both of which are implicated in tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance, said study presenter Claudia Marchetti, MD, of Agostino Gemelli University in Rome, Italy.

Speaking at the briefing, ASCO President Eric Small, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, called the study “a great example of a very simple intervention that has benefit and can be undertaken and implemented anywhere in the world.”

“It’s not an expensive new drug,” he said, “and yet it has the potential to really have an impact on this cancer.”

Ovarian cancer affects more than 324,000 women worldwide each year and causes more than 206,000 deaths annually. Around 80% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and up to 60% receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy to reduce tumor size and facilitate surgery.

Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, patients with advanced disease still face poor outcomes. There is, Marchetti said, “an urgent need for safe, low-cost, and easily implementable strategies that can enhance treatment efficacy and improve patient prognosis.”

Given evidence on the role of insulin in tumor growth and chemotherapy response, her team hypothesized that short bouts of fasting around the time of treatment might have benefits.

To test that idea, the researchers recruited 36 patients with newly diagnosed stage III or IV high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma who were not candidates for primary cytoreduction. All were in good general health, with a mean age of 62 years.

All patients received 3 rounds of carboplatin and paclitaxel before surgery. Prior to starting chemotherapy, half were randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before and 24 hours after chemotherapy, whereas the other half ate normally throughout treatment.

Patients in the fasting group consumed no more than 350 calories per day during the fasting window. They were allowed to have unrestricted water, herbal tea, limited vegetable juice, and small amounts of light vegetable broth. (A ketogenic diet group had initially been planned but was closed early because of poor patient compliance.)

The study met its primary endpoint of change in insulin levels during chemotherapy, Marchetti reported. Baseline insulin levels were comparable between the 2 groups, but after 3 rounds of chemotherapy, they’d dipped by an average of 1.12 µIU/mL in the fasting group and increased by 9.76 µIU/mL in the control group (P = .01).

Fasting also improved clinical outcomes. Specifically, Marchetti said, 59% of fasting patients achieved a chemotherapy response score of 3 — indicating complete or near-complete tumor response before surgery — compared with 17% of patients in the control group.

Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the fasting group, at 38 vs 24 months.

Importantly, Marchetti said, the fasting protocol was feasible, well tolerated, and safe: All patients assigned to the fasting group completed treatment, and rates of chemotherapy-related toxicities were similar between the 2 groups.

Additional analyses shed more light on the possible mechanisms underlying the fasting group’s improved outcomes: The researchers found that those patients tended to have lower levels of circulating suppressor granulocyte and monocyte populations that have been linked to tumor immune escape, which suggests, Marchetti said, fasting may have set the stage for a “more favorable immune environment” during chemotherapy.

However, she cautioned that much more research is needed. Her team is planning a larger multicenter trial to validate the current findings, and longer-term follow-up is necessary to see whether fasting ultimately impacts patients’ survival, Marchetti said.

In a statement, Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, an ASCO expert in gynecologic cancers, said these early findings are “encouraging, support earlier data, and highlight a promising area of cancer research.”

But she, too, emphasized the need for larger clinical trials to build on the results.

The study had no commercial funding. Marchetti disclosed having relationships with Arquer Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, and other companies. Small disclosed having relationships with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, and others. Teplinsky had no disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

A few days of fasting around chemotherapy sessions may improve treatment response and outcomes for some patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a small phase 2 trial suggests.

The study, of 36 patients with stage III or IV high-grade ovarian cancer, found that those randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before chemotherapy and 24 hours afterward had stronger pathologic responses to chemotherapy and longer progression-free survival than patients who ate normally during treatment.

The findings, reported at a press briefing ahead the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026, hint at a straightforward measure to potentially improve patients’ outcomes.

The working theory is that short-term fasting boosts chemotherapy response by lowering insulin and IGF-1 levels, both of which are implicated in tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance, said study presenter Claudia Marchetti, MD, of Agostino Gemelli University in Rome, Italy.

Speaking at the briefing, ASCO President Eric Small, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, called the study “a great example of a very simple intervention that has benefit and can be undertaken and implemented anywhere in the world.”

“It’s not an expensive new drug,” he said, “and yet it has the potential to really have an impact on this cancer.”

Ovarian cancer affects more than 324,000 women worldwide each year and causes more than 206,000 deaths annually. Around 80% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and up to 60% receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy to reduce tumor size and facilitate surgery.

Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, patients with advanced disease still face poor outcomes. There is, Marchetti said, “an urgent need for safe, low-cost, and easily implementable strategies that can enhance treatment efficacy and improve patient prognosis.”

Given evidence on the role of insulin in tumor growth and chemotherapy response, her team hypothesized that short bouts of fasting around the time of treatment might have benefits.

To test that idea, the researchers recruited 36 patients with newly diagnosed stage III or IV high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma who were not candidates for primary cytoreduction. All were in good general health, with a mean age of 62 years.

All patients received 3 rounds of carboplatin and paclitaxel before surgery. Prior to starting chemotherapy, half were randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before and 24 hours after chemotherapy, whereas the other half ate normally throughout treatment.

Patients in the fasting group consumed no more than 350 calories per day during the fasting window. They were allowed to have unrestricted water, herbal tea, limited vegetable juice, and small amounts of light vegetable broth. (A ketogenic diet group had initially been planned but was closed early because of poor patient compliance.)

The study met its primary endpoint of change in insulin levels during chemotherapy, Marchetti reported. Baseline insulin levels were comparable between the 2 groups, but after 3 rounds of chemotherapy, they’d dipped by an average of 1.12 µIU/mL in the fasting group and increased by 9.76 µIU/mL in the control group (P = .01).

Fasting also improved clinical outcomes. Specifically, Marchetti said, 59% of fasting patients achieved a chemotherapy response score of 3 — indicating complete or near-complete tumor response before surgery — compared with 17% of patients in the control group.

Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the fasting group, at 38 vs 24 months.

Importantly, Marchetti said, the fasting protocol was feasible, well tolerated, and safe: All patients assigned to the fasting group completed treatment, and rates of chemotherapy-related toxicities were similar between the 2 groups.

Additional analyses shed more light on the possible mechanisms underlying the fasting group’s improved outcomes: The researchers found that those patients tended to have lower levels of circulating suppressor granulocyte and monocyte populations that have been linked to tumor immune escape, which suggests, Marchetti said, fasting may have set the stage for a “more favorable immune environment” during chemotherapy.

However, she cautioned that much more research is needed. Her team is planning a larger multicenter trial to validate the current findings, and longer-term follow-up is necessary to see whether fasting ultimately impacts patients’ survival, Marchetti said.

In a statement, Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, an ASCO expert in gynecologic cancers, said these early findings are “encouraging, support earlier data, and highlight a promising area of cancer research.”

But she, too, emphasized the need for larger clinical trials to build on the results.

The study had no commercial funding. Marchetti disclosed having relationships with Arquer Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, and other companies. Small disclosed having relationships with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, and others. Teplinsky had no disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

A few days of fasting around chemotherapy sessions may improve treatment response and outcomes for some patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a small phase 2 trial suggests.

The study, of 36 patients with stage III or IV high-grade ovarian cancer, found that those randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before chemotherapy and 24 hours afterward had stronger pathologic responses to chemotherapy and longer progression-free survival than patients who ate normally during treatment.

The findings, reported at a press briefing ahead the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026, hint at a straightforward measure to potentially improve patients’ outcomes.

The working theory is that short-term fasting boosts chemotherapy response by lowering insulin and IGF-1 levels, both of which are implicated in tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance, said study presenter Claudia Marchetti, MD, of Agostino Gemelli University in Rome, Italy.

Speaking at the briefing, ASCO President Eric Small, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, called the study “a great example of a very simple intervention that has benefit and can be undertaken and implemented anywhere in the world.”

“It’s not an expensive new drug,” he said, “and yet it has the potential to really have an impact on this cancer.”

Ovarian cancer affects more than 324,000 women worldwide each year and causes more than 206,000 deaths annually. Around 80% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and up to 60% receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy to reduce tumor size and facilitate surgery.

Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, patients with advanced disease still face poor outcomes. There is, Marchetti said, “an urgent need for safe, low-cost, and easily implementable strategies that can enhance treatment efficacy and improve patient prognosis.”

Given evidence on the role of insulin in tumor growth and chemotherapy response, her team hypothesized that short bouts of fasting around the time of treatment might have benefits.

To test that idea, the researchers recruited 36 patients with newly diagnosed stage III or IV high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma who were not candidates for primary cytoreduction. All were in good general health, with a mean age of 62 years.

All patients received 3 rounds of carboplatin and paclitaxel before surgery. Prior to starting chemotherapy, half were randomly assigned to fast for 36 hours before and 24 hours after chemotherapy, whereas the other half ate normally throughout treatment.

Patients in the fasting group consumed no more than 350 calories per day during the fasting window. They were allowed to have unrestricted water, herbal tea, limited vegetable juice, and small amounts of light vegetable broth. (A ketogenic diet group had initially been planned but was closed early because of poor patient compliance.)

The study met its primary endpoint of change in insulin levels during chemotherapy, Marchetti reported. Baseline insulin levels were comparable between the 2 groups, but after 3 rounds of chemotherapy, they’d dipped by an average of 1.12 µIU/mL in the fasting group and increased by 9.76 µIU/mL in the control group (P = .01).

Fasting also improved clinical outcomes. Specifically, Marchetti said, 59% of fasting patients achieved a chemotherapy response score of 3 — indicating complete or near-complete tumor response before surgery — compared with 17% of patients in the control group.

Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the fasting group, at 38 vs 24 months.

Importantly, Marchetti said, the fasting protocol was feasible, well tolerated, and safe: All patients assigned to the fasting group completed treatment, and rates of chemotherapy-related toxicities were similar between the 2 groups.

Additional analyses shed more light on the possible mechanisms underlying the fasting group’s improved outcomes: The researchers found that those patients tended to have lower levels of circulating suppressor granulocyte and monocyte populations that have been linked to tumor immune escape, which suggests, Marchetti said, fasting may have set the stage for a “more favorable immune environment” during chemotherapy.

However, she cautioned that much more research is needed. Her team is planning a larger multicenter trial to validate the current findings, and longer-term follow-up is necessary to see whether fasting ultimately impacts patients’ survival, Marchetti said.

In a statement, Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, an ASCO expert in gynecologic cancers, said these early findings are “encouraging, support earlier data, and highlight a promising area of cancer research.”

But she, too, emphasized the need for larger clinical trials to build on the results.

The study had no commercial funding. Marchetti disclosed having relationships with Arquer Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, and other companies. Small disclosed having relationships with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, and others. Teplinsky had no disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Telephone outreach by a nurse practitioner (NP) providing counseling and care coordination reduced the gaps in breast and cervical cancer screenings among women veterans in rural areas, according to a retrospective study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 55 women veterans who received interventions related to breast or cervical cancer screening at a rural Veterans Health Administration health care system.
• A Boost team, including an NP, a medical director, a program coordinator, and a program evaluation team, was established to provide care coordination and counseling for these participants.
• The NP conducted outreach by telephone to these participants receiving care at five community-based outpatient clinics located in rural counties and helped coordinate access to screening appointments through the Office of Community Care.
• Outcomes included the number of veterans due for breast or cervical cancer screening at the time of outreach and the number of mammograms and Pap smears completed in the 12-month period following the intervention.

TAKEAWAY:

• Of the 55 veterans who received Boost interventions related to cancer screening, 35 (64%) were due for breast cancer screening and 27 (49%) were due for cervical cancer screening before the intervention.
• Following the Boost intervention, the number of veterans due for breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings decreased to 18 (32%) and 16 (29%), respectively.
• Among veterans due for breast cancer screening, 29 (83%) received counseling regarding screening and 17 (59%) of counseled participants completed mammography; however, among those due for cervical cancer screening, 22 (81%) received counseling and 11 (50%) completed screening.
• None of the veterans who were due for screening but did not receive counseling completed their screening, demonstrating the critical role of clinician-provided education and counseling.

IN PRACTICE:

“We hope to expand Boost outreach from one NP working part-time across two health systems to a national partnership of licensed independent providers conducting clinician-initiated outreach to a broader and geographically more diverse group of veterans,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Lina Vadlamani, MD, MBA, San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of California, San Francisco. It was published online on April 24, 2026, in Military Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was a secondary analysis in which participants were not randomly assigned, limiting causal inferences. Veterans who answered the phone and engaged with the NP were likely easier to reach and potentially more proactive about their health than those who did not engage, and this selection bias may have limited the generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, and Office of Rural Health. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Telephone outreach by a nurse practitioner (NP) providing counseling and care coordination reduced the gaps in breast and cervical cancer screenings among women veterans in rural areas, according to a retrospective study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 55 women veterans who received interventions related to breast or cervical cancer screening at a rural Veterans Health Administration health care system.
• A Boost team, including an NP, a medical director, a program coordinator, and a program evaluation team, was established to provide care coordination and counseling for these participants.
• The NP conducted outreach by telephone to these participants receiving care at five community-based outpatient clinics located in rural counties and helped coordinate access to screening appointments through the Office of Community Care.
• Outcomes included the number of veterans due for breast or cervical cancer screening at the time of outreach and the number of mammograms and Pap smears completed in the 12-month period following the intervention.

TAKEAWAY:

• Of the 55 veterans who received Boost interventions related to cancer screening, 35 (64%) were due for breast cancer screening and 27 (49%) were due for cervical cancer screening before the intervention.
• Following the Boost intervention, the number of veterans due for breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings decreased to 18 (32%) and 16 (29%), respectively.
• Among veterans due for breast cancer screening, 29 (83%) received counseling regarding screening and 17 (59%) of counseled participants completed mammography; however, among those due for cervical cancer screening, 22 (81%) received counseling and 11 (50%) completed screening.
• None of the veterans who were due for screening but did not receive counseling completed their screening, demonstrating the critical role of clinician-provided education and counseling.

IN PRACTICE:

“We hope to expand Boost outreach from one NP working part-time across two health systems to a national partnership of licensed independent providers conducting clinician-initiated outreach to a broader and geographically more diverse group of veterans,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Lina Vadlamani, MD, MBA, San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of California, San Francisco. It was published online on April 24, 2026, in Military Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was a secondary analysis in which participants were not randomly assigned, limiting causal inferences. Veterans who answered the phone and engaged with the NP were likely easier to reach and potentially more proactive about their health than those who did not engage, and this selection bias may have limited the generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, and Office of Rural Health. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Telephone outreach by a nurse practitioner (NP) providing counseling and care coordination reduced the gaps in breast and cervical cancer screenings among women veterans in rural areas, according to a retrospective study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 55 women veterans who received interventions related to breast or cervical cancer screening at a rural Veterans Health Administration health care system.
• A Boost team, including an NP, a medical director, a program coordinator, and a program evaluation team, was established to provide care coordination and counseling for these participants.
• The NP conducted outreach by telephone to these participants receiving care at five community-based outpatient clinics located in rural counties and helped coordinate access to screening appointments through the Office of Community Care.
• Outcomes included the number of veterans due for breast or cervical cancer screening at the time of outreach and the number of mammograms and Pap smears completed in the 12-month period following the intervention.

TAKEAWAY:

• Of the 55 veterans who received Boost interventions related to cancer screening, 35 (64%) were due for breast cancer screening and 27 (49%) were due for cervical cancer screening before the intervention.
• Following the Boost intervention, the number of veterans due for breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings decreased to 18 (32%) and 16 (29%), respectively.
• Among veterans due for breast cancer screening, 29 (83%) received counseling regarding screening and 17 (59%) of counseled participants completed mammography; however, among those due for cervical cancer screening, 22 (81%) received counseling and 11 (50%) completed screening.
• None of the veterans who were due for screening but did not receive counseling completed their screening, demonstrating the critical role of clinician-provided education and counseling.

IN PRACTICE:

“We hope to expand Boost outreach from one NP working part-time across two health systems to a national partnership of licensed independent providers conducting clinician-initiated outreach to a broader and geographically more diverse group of veterans,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Lina Vadlamani, MD, MBA, San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of California, San Francisco. It was published online on April 24, 2026, in Military Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was a secondary analysis in which participants were not randomly assigned, limiting causal inferences. Veterans who answered the phone and engaged with the NP were likely easier to reach and potentially more proactive about their health than those who did not engage, and this selection bias may have limited the generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, and Office of Rural Health. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

While the incidence of lung cancer is decreasing in men, it continues to rise in women. With more than 19,000 new cases in France each year, lung cancer is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. This trend is also seen in other European countries but appears to be region-specific because other continents report a decline in incidence among women. Moreover, although overall prognosis remains better in the female population, the trend is worrying: Mortality associated with the disease is increasing in women, unlike in men with lung cancer. A session at the French-Language Pneumology Congress held from January 30 to February 1, 2026, in Lille, France, provided an opportunity to review the situation.

Efficacy and Toxicity

Lung tumors in women have a distinct tumor profile: Women have a higher proportion of adenocarcinomas than men and a higher frequency of somatic mutations (EGFR, BRAF, or HER2), including in nonsmokers. In addition, 65% of lung cancers in women are associated with smoking compared with 87% of those in men.

The role of estrogens is central because they interact directly with tumor growth signaling pathways. Moreover, “sex is the second leading factor of variability in drug pharmacokinetics after weight and accounts for 28% of anticancer drug kinetics,” emphasized Julien Mazières, pulmonologist, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France. Also involved in this equation are a higher body fat percentage, lower gastric acidity, and, above all, reduced renal and hepatic clearance.

As a result, exposure to drugs — represented by the area under the curve — is often greater in women and translates into not only improved progression-free survival with targeted therapies and chemotherapy but also increased toxicity. Carboplatin and paclitaxel are among the drugs whose kinetics are most affected by clearance. There are differences in clearance of more than 20% for these drugs in women vs men, though dosages are not systematically adjusted except for weight-based dosing. This vulnerability to adverse effects is particularly pronounced with targeted therapies, with more neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders. Data on the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer by sex are contradictory. However, endocrine-related adverse effects and pneumonitis are more frequent in women, especially before menopause.

Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and sex-specific analyses of results are too rarely performed, which limits understanding of mechanisms and prevents tailoring management recommendations according to sex.

Impaired Quality of Life

Lung cancer most severely impairs physical functioning in women. “In the absence of sex-stratified studies, psycho-oncologists’ experience suggests that women have more cognitive disorders, anxiety, and depression associated with this disease. Its impact on quality of life is major, with deterioration of social relationships and reduced treatment adherence,” summarized Céline Mascaux, MD, PhD, pulmonologist, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France. Women also face social and family pressure — a mental burden that pushes them to “hold on” for their loved ones. Regarding sexual health, women with lung cancer who are sexually active often report dissatisfaction with the quality of their sexual relations because of fatigue, lack of energy, sadness, and shortness of breath, not to mention treatment-related sexual dysfunction. These problems are often not given sufficient attention by physicians.

Finally, fertility requires greater attention from the medical community: According to the VICAN study conducted by France’s National Health Insurance Fund, a discussion about fertility preservation did not take place at the time of cancer diagnosis for 60% of men and 67% of women of childbearing age. “In lung cancer specifically, the desire for children nevertheless exists in nearly 40% of patients of childbearing age,” regretted Jacques Cadranel, pulmonologist, Tenon Hospital, Paris, France. This desire does not appear to have influenced therapeutic strategy, and fertility preservation was ultimately proposed in only a third of cases and was carried out in only 3% of women compared with21% of men.

This story has been translated from Univadis France, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

A version of this story first appeared on Medscape.com

While the incidence of lung cancer is decreasing in men, it continues to rise in women. With more than 19,000 new cases in France each year, lung cancer is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. This trend is also seen in other European countries but appears to be region-specific because other continents report a decline in incidence among women. Moreover, although overall prognosis remains better in the female population, the trend is worrying: Mortality associated with the disease is increasing in women, unlike in men with lung cancer. A session at the French-Language Pneumology Congress held from January 30 to February 1, 2026, in Lille, France, provided an opportunity to review the situation.

Efficacy and Toxicity

Lung tumors in women have a distinct tumor profile: Women have a higher proportion of adenocarcinomas than men and a higher frequency of somatic mutations (EGFR, BRAF, or HER2), including in nonsmokers. In addition, 65% of lung cancers in women are associated with smoking compared with 87% of those in men.

The role of estrogens is central because they interact directly with tumor growth signaling pathways. Moreover, “sex is the second leading factor of variability in drug pharmacokinetics after weight and accounts for 28% of anticancer drug kinetics,” emphasized Julien Mazières, pulmonologist, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France. Also involved in this equation are a higher body fat percentage, lower gastric acidity, and, above all, reduced renal and hepatic clearance.

As a result, exposure to drugs — represented by the area under the curve — is often greater in women and translates into not only improved progression-free survival with targeted therapies and chemotherapy but also increased toxicity. Carboplatin and paclitaxel are among the drugs whose kinetics are most affected by clearance. There are differences in clearance of more than 20% for these drugs in women vs men, though dosages are not systematically adjusted except for weight-based dosing. This vulnerability to adverse effects is particularly pronounced with targeted therapies, with more neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders. Data on the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer by sex are contradictory. However, endocrine-related adverse effects and pneumonitis are more frequent in women, especially before menopause.

Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and sex-specific analyses of results are too rarely performed, which limits understanding of mechanisms and prevents tailoring management recommendations according to sex.

Impaired Quality of Life

Lung cancer most severely impairs physical functioning in women. “In the absence of sex-stratified studies, psycho-oncologists’ experience suggests that women have more cognitive disorders, anxiety, and depression associated with this disease. Its impact on quality of life is major, with deterioration of social relationships and reduced treatment adherence,” summarized Céline Mascaux, MD, PhD, pulmonologist, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France. Women also face social and family pressure — a mental burden that pushes them to “hold on” for their loved ones. Regarding sexual health, women with lung cancer who are sexually active often report dissatisfaction with the quality of their sexual relations because of fatigue, lack of energy, sadness, and shortness of breath, not to mention treatment-related sexual dysfunction. These problems are often not given sufficient attention by physicians.

Finally, fertility requires greater attention from the medical community: According to the VICAN study conducted by France’s National Health Insurance Fund, a discussion about fertility preservation did not take place at the time of cancer diagnosis for 60% of men and 67% of women of childbearing age. “In lung cancer specifically, the desire for children nevertheless exists in nearly 40% of patients of childbearing age,” regretted Jacques Cadranel, pulmonologist, Tenon Hospital, Paris, France. This desire does not appear to have influenced therapeutic strategy, and fertility preservation was ultimately proposed in only a third of cases and was carried out in only 3% of women compared with21% of men.

This story has been translated from Univadis France, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

A version of this story first appeared on Medscape.com

While the incidence of lung cancer is decreasing in men, it continues to rise in women. With more than 19,000 new cases in France each year, lung cancer is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. This trend is also seen in other European countries but appears to be region-specific because other continents report a decline in incidence among women. Moreover, although overall prognosis remains better in the female population, the trend is worrying: Mortality associated with the disease is increasing in women, unlike in men with lung cancer. A session at the French-Language Pneumology Congress held from January 30 to February 1, 2026, in Lille, France, provided an opportunity to review the situation.

Efficacy and Toxicity

Lung tumors in women have a distinct tumor profile: Women have a higher proportion of adenocarcinomas than men and a higher frequency of somatic mutations (EGFR, BRAF, or HER2), including in nonsmokers. In addition, 65% of lung cancers in women are associated with smoking compared with 87% of those in men.

The role of estrogens is central because they interact directly with tumor growth signaling pathways. Moreover, “sex is the second leading factor of variability in drug pharmacokinetics after weight and accounts for 28% of anticancer drug kinetics,” emphasized Julien Mazières, pulmonologist, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France. Also involved in this equation are a higher body fat percentage, lower gastric acidity, and, above all, reduced renal and hepatic clearance.

As a result, exposure to drugs — represented by the area under the curve — is often greater in women and translates into not only improved progression-free survival with targeted therapies and chemotherapy but also increased toxicity. Carboplatin and paclitaxel are among the drugs whose kinetics are most affected by clearance. There are differences in clearance of more than 20% for these drugs in women vs men, though dosages are not systematically adjusted except for weight-based dosing. This vulnerability to adverse effects is particularly pronounced with targeted therapies, with more neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders. Data on the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer by sex are contradictory. However, endocrine-related adverse effects and pneumonitis are more frequent in women, especially before menopause.

Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and sex-specific analyses of results are too rarely performed, which limits understanding of mechanisms and prevents tailoring management recommendations according to sex.

Impaired Quality of Life

Lung cancer most severely impairs physical functioning in women. “In the absence of sex-stratified studies, psycho-oncologists’ experience suggests that women have more cognitive disorders, anxiety, and depression associated with this disease. Its impact on quality of life is major, with deterioration of social relationships and reduced treatment adherence,” summarized Céline Mascaux, MD, PhD, pulmonologist, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France. Women also face social and family pressure — a mental burden that pushes them to “hold on” for their loved ones. Regarding sexual health, women with lung cancer who are sexually active often report dissatisfaction with the quality of their sexual relations because of fatigue, lack of energy, sadness, and shortness of breath, not to mention treatment-related sexual dysfunction. These problems are often not given sufficient attention by physicians.

Finally, fertility requires greater attention from the medical community: According to the VICAN study conducted by France’s National Health Insurance Fund, a discussion about fertility preservation did not take place at the time of cancer diagnosis for 60% of men and 67% of women of childbearing age. “In lung cancer specifically, the desire for children nevertheless exists in nearly 40% of patients of childbearing age,” regretted Jacques Cadranel, pulmonologist, Tenon Hospital, Paris, France. This desire does not appear to have influenced therapeutic strategy, and fertility preservation was ultimately proposed in only a third of cases and was carried out in only 3% of women compared with21% of men.

This story has been translated from Univadis France, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

A version of this story first appeared on Medscape.com

Background

Rural women veterans often confront unique healthcare barriers—geographic isolation, gender-related stigma, and limited provider cultural sensitivity that undermine trust and engagement. In response, we co-designed an interprofessional communication curriculum to promote relational, patient-centered care grounded in psychological need support.

Innovation

Anchored in Self Determination Theory (SDT), this curriculum equips nurses and social workers with need-supportive communication strategies that nurture autonomy, competence, and relatedness, integrating two transformative learning methods for enhancing respectful and inclusive listening:

• Cultural humility reflections for veteran-centered care—personal narratives, storytelling, and power-awareness discussions to build lifelong reflective practices.
• Medical improv simulations—adaptive improvisational role plays for healthcare environments fostering presence, adaptability, empathy, trust-building, and real-time responsiveness.

Delivered via a multiday health professions learning lab, the training combines asynchronous workshops with in-person facilitated interactions. Core modules cover SDT foundations, need supportive dialogue, veteran-centered cultural humility, and shared decision-making practices that uplift rural women veterans’ voices. Using Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Model, we assess impact at multiple tiers:

1. Reaction: Participant satisfaction and perceived training relevance.
2. Learning: Pre/post assessments track SDT knowledge and communication skills gains.
3. Behavior: Observe simulations and self-reported changes in communication practices.
4. Results: Qualitative satisfaction metrics and care engagement trends among rural women veterans.

Results

A pilot cohort (N = 20) across two rural sites is pending implementation. pre/post surveys will assess any improved confidence in applying need supportive communication and the most effective component in building empathetic presence. Feedback measures will also indicate the significance of combined uses of medical improv and cultural humility on deepened relational capacity and trust.

Discussion

This program operationalizes SDT within healthcare communications, integrating cultural humility and improvisation learning modalities to enhance care quality for rural women veterans, ultimately strengthening provider-patient connections. Using health professions learning lab environments can foster sustained behavioral impacts. Future iterations will expand to additional rural VA sites, co-designing with the voices of women veterans through focus groups.

Background

Rural women veterans often confront unique healthcare barriers—geographic isolation, gender-related stigma, and limited provider cultural sensitivity that undermine trust and engagement. In response, we co-designed an interprofessional communication curriculum to promote relational, patient-centered care grounded in psychological need support.

Innovation

Anchored in Self Determination Theory (SDT), this curriculum equips nurses and social workers with need-supportive communication strategies that nurture autonomy, competence, and relatedness, integrating two transformative learning methods for enhancing respectful and inclusive listening:

• Cultural humility reflections for veteran-centered care—personal narratives, storytelling, and power-awareness discussions to build lifelong reflective practices.
• Medical improv simulations—adaptive improvisational role plays for healthcare environments fostering presence, adaptability, empathy, trust-building, and real-time responsiveness.

Delivered via a multiday health professions learning lab, the training combines asynchronous workshops with in-person facilitated interactions. Core modules cover SDT foundations, need supportive dialogue, veteran-centered cultural humility, and shared decision-making practices that uplift rural women veterans’ voices. Using Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Model, we assess impact at multiple tiers:

1. Reaction: Participant satisfaction and perceived training relevance.
2. Learning: Pre/post assessments track SDT knowledge and communication skills gains.
3. Behavior: Observe simulations and self-reported changes in communication practices.
4. Results: Qualitative satisfaction metrics and care engagement trends among rural women veterans.

Results

A pilot cohort (N = 20) across two rural sites is pending implementation. pre/post surveys will assess any improved confidence in applying need supportive communication and the most effective component in building empathetic presence. Feedback measures will also indicate the significance of combined uses of medical improv and cultural humility on deepened relational capacity and trust.

Discussion

This program operationalizes SDT within healthcare communications, integrating cultural humility and improvisation learning modalities to enhance care quality for rural women veterans, ultimately strengthening provider-patient connections. Using health professions learning lab environments can foster sustained behavioral impacts. Future iterations will expand to additional rural VA sites, co-designing with the voices of women veterans through focus groups.

Background

Rural women veterans often confront unique healthcare barriers—geographic isolation, gender-related stigma, and limited provider cultural sensitivity that undermine trust and engagement. In response, we co-designed an interprofessional communication curriculum to promote relational, patient-centered care grounded in psychological need support.

Innovation

Anchored in Self Determination Theory (SDT), this curriculum equips nurses and social workers with need-supportive communication strategies that nurture autonomy, competence, and relatedness, integrating two transformative learning methods for enhancing respectful and inclusive listening:

• Cultural humility reflections for veteran-centered care—personal narratives, storytelling, and power-awareness discussions to build lifelong reflective practices.
• Medical improv simulations—adaptive improvisational role plays for healthcare environments fostering presence, adaptability, empathy, trust-building, and real-time responsiveness.

Delivered via a multiday health professions learning lab, the training combines asynchronous workshops with in-person facilitated interactions. Core modules cover SDT foundations, need supportive dialogue, veteran-centered cultural humility, and shared decision-making practices that uplift rural women veterans’ voices. Using Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Model, we assess impact at multiple tiers:

1. Reaction: Participant satisfaction and perceived training relevance.
2. Learning: Pre/post assessments track SDT knowledge and communication skills gains.
3. Behavior: Observe simulations and self-reported changes in communication practices.
4. Results: Qualitative satisfaction metrics and care engagement trends among rural women veterans.

Results

A pilot cohort (N = 20) across two rural sites is pending implementation. pre/post surveys will assess any improved confidence in applying need supportive communication and the most effective component in building empathetic presence. Feedback measures will also indicate the significance of combined uses of medical improv and cultural humility on deepened relational capacity and trust.

Discussion

This program operationalizes SDT within healthcare communications, integrating cultural humility and improvisation learning modalities to enhance care quality for rural women veterans, ultimately strengthening provider-patient connections. Using health professions learning lab environments can foster sustained behavioral impacts. Future iterations will expand to additional rural VA sites, co-designing with the voices of women veterans through focus groups.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved tisotumab vedotin (Genmab AS) for adults with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

The decision, made via the International Recognition Procedure, applies to patients whose disease has progressed after prior systemic therapy. It provides a new treatment option for a high-risk group with limited alternatives.

How the Treatment Works

Tisotumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines a tissue factor-directed human monoclonal antibody with monomethyl auristatin E, a microtubule-disrupting agent. The therapy targets tissue factor, which is overexpressed in a several solid tumours, including recurrent cervical cancer.

It is administered as a 30-minute intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks.

What Trials Showed

The approval is based on evidence from multiple clinical studies demonstrating tisotumab vedotin's efficacy in previously treated patients.

In the phase 2 innovaTV 204 study, 102 patients were enrolled and 101 received at least 1 dose of tisotumab vedotin. The confirmed objective response rate was 24%, including seven complete responses and 17 partial responses, demonstrating clinically meaningful activity in a heavily pretreated population.

Further evidence came from the phase 3 innovaTV-301 trial, which randomly assigned 502 patients to receive either tisotumab vedotin or investigator's-choice chemotherapy.

Median overall survival was 11.5 months with the new therapy compared with 9.5 months in the chemotherapy arm, translating to roughly a 30% reduction in the risk for death. The confirmed objective response rate was also significantly higher with tisotumab vedotin—17.8% vs 5.2%—underscoring its advantage over standard treatment options.

Safety and Tolerability

Ocular toxicity and peripheral neuropathy were the most notable adverse reactions.

Common treatment-related events in the phase 2 study included alopecia (38%), epistaxis (30%), nausea, conjunctivitis (26%), and fatigue (26%).

Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in about 28% of patients. Clinicians should be alert to conjunctivitis and keratitis as well as sensory neuropathic symptoms (numbness, tingling, or a burning sensation in the hands and feet).

Julian Beach, interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, said that patient safety is the agency's "top priority." "We will continue to monitor its safety closely as it becomes more widely used," he added.

The Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflets will be published on the MHRA website within 7 days of approval.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved tisotumab vedotin (Genmab AS) for adults with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

The decision, made via the International Recognition Procedure, applies to patients whose disease has progressed after prior systemic therapy. It provides a new treatment option for a high-risk group with limited alternatives.

How the Treatment Works

Tisotumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines a tissue factor-directed human monoclonal antibody with monomethyl auristatin E, a microtubule-disrupting agent. The therapy targets tissue factor, which is overexpressed in a several solid tumours, including recurrent cervical cancer.

It is administered as a 30-minute intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks.

What Trials Showed

The approval is based on evidence from multiple clinical studies demonstrating tisotumab vedotin's efficacy in previously treated patients.

In the phase 2 innovaTV 204 study, 102 patients were enrolled and 101 received at least 1 dose of tisotumab vedotin. The confirmed objective response rate was 24%, including seven complete responses and 17 partial responses, demonstrating clinically meaningful activity in a heavily pretreated population.

Further evidence came from the phase 3 innovaTV-301 trial, which randomly assigned 502 patients to receive either tisotumab vedotin or investigator's-choice chemotherapy.

Median overall survival was 11.5 months with the new therapy compared with 9.5 months in the chemotherapy arm, translating to roughly a 30% reduction in the risk for death. The confirmed objective response rate was also significantly higher with tisotumab vedotin—17.8% vs 5.2%—underscoring its advantage over standard treatment options.

Safety and Tolerability

Ocular toxicity and peripheral neuropathy were the most notable adverse reactions.

Common treatment-related events in the phase 2 study included alopecia (38%), epistaxis (30%), nausea, conjunctivitis (26%), and fatigue (26%).

Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in about 28% of patients. Clinicians should be alert to conjunctivitis and keratitis as well as sensory neuropathic symptoms (numbness, tingling, or a burning sensation in the hands and feet).

Julian Beach, interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, said that patient safety is the agency's "top priority." "We will continue to monitor its safety closely as it becomes more widely used," he added.

The Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflets will be published on the MHRA website within 7 days of approval.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved tisotumab vedotin (Genmab AS) for adults with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

The decision, made via the International Recognition Procedure, applies to patients whose disease has progressed after prior systemic therapy. It provides a new treatment option for a high-risk group with limited alternatives.

How the Treatment Works

Tisotumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines a tissue factor-directed human monoclonal antibody with monomethyl auristatin E, a microtubule-disrupting agent. The therapy targets tissue factor, which is overexpressed in a several solid tumours, including recurrent cervical cancer.

It is administered as a 30-minute intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks.

What Trials Showed

The approval is based on evidence from multiple clinical studies demonstrating tisotumab vedotin's efficacy in previously treated patients.

In the phase 2 innovaTV 204 study, 102 patients were enrolled and 101 received at least 1 dose of tisotumab vedotin. The confirmed objective response rate was 24%, including seven complete responses and 17 partial responses, demonstrating clinically meaningful activity in a heavily pretreated population.

Further evidence came from the phase 3 innovaTV-301 trial, which randomly assigned 502 patients to receive either tisotumab vedotin or investigator's-choice chemotherapy.

Median overall survival was 11.5 months with the new therapy compared with 9.5 months in the chemotherapy arm, translating to roughly a 30% reduction in the risk for death. The confirmed objective response rate was also significantly higher with tisotumab vedotin—17.8% vs 5.2%—underscoring its advantage over standard treatment options.

Safety and Tolerability

Ocular toxicity and peripheral neuropathy were the most notable adverse reactions.

Common treatment-related events in the phase 2 study included alopecia (38%), epistaxis (30%), nausea, conjunctivitis (26%), and fatigue (26%).

Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in about 28% of patients. Clinicians should be alert to conjunctivitis and keratitis as well as sensory neuropathic symptoms (numbness, tingling, or a burning sensation in the hands and feet).

Julian Beach, interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, said that patient safety is the agency's "top priority." "We will continue to monitor its safety closely as it becomes more widely used," he added.

The Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflets will be published on the MHRA website within 7 days of approval.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

The more than 2 million women US veterans are the fastest-growing military population. While research into women veterans has traditionally lagged, more recently studies have begun to focus on their needs impacts of combat and service on women. These studies have found that women veterans preferred tailored solutions focused on women veterans.

A November 2025 study is one of the first to examine the impact of combat on women veterans. It found that those in combat roles had higher levels of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation, and overall poorer health compared with civilians and noncombat women military personnel. Previous research had found that women veterans had higher rates of lifetime and past-year PTSD (13.4%) compared with female civilians (8.0%), male veterans (7.7%), and male civilians (3.4%). A 2020 US Department of Veterans (VA) study of 4,928,638 men and 448,455 women similarly found that women had nearly twice the rates of depression and anxiety compared with men.

For many veterans, mental health issues may develop or be exacerbated in their return to civilian life. That transition can be especially confusing and isolating for women veterans, according to a 2024 study: “They neither fit in the military due to gendered relations centered on masculinity, or civilian life where they are largely misunderstood as ‘veterans.’ This ‘no woman’s land’ is poorly understood.” Few programs for transitioning veterans have been found effective for women veterans because they’ve been developed for a largely male veteran population. That includes mental health support programs.

Some women may prefer women-only groups, and even that choice may be dependent on their background, service history, socioeconomic level, and other factors. They may feel more comfortable in women-only groups if they’ve experienced MST. Others who have served in combat may choose mixed-gender programs. One study found that some women benefited from being in a mixed-gender group because it enabled them to work on difficulties with men in a safe environment. Other research has found that women veterans with substance use disorders are reluctant to seek help alongside men in the same facilities. 

Accessing care may be especially challenging for rural women veterans. However, separate facilities and women-only groups are not always available, particularly in rural areas where there may be very few women veterans. And even if they are available, rural women are often up against barriers that urban women do not face, such as having to travel long distances to get care. Clinicians also may be hard to find in rural areas. Some participants in a 2025 study were hampered not only by a lack of female practitioners, but practitioners who were well trained to understand and treat the unique needs of female veterans: “[It’s] incredibly difficult to find a mental health practitioner that understands a veteran’s unique experience as a woman,” a participant said.

The more than 2 million women US veterans are the fastest-growing military population. While research into women veterans has traditionally lagged, more recently studies have begun to focus on their needs impacts of combat and service on women. These studies have found that women veterans preferred tailored solutions focused on women veterans.

A November 2025 study is one of the first to examine the impact of combat on women veterans. It found that those in combat roles had higher levels of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation, and overall poorer health compared with civilians and noncombat women military personnel. Previous research had found that women veterans had higher rates of lifetime and past-year PTSD (13.4%) compared with female civilians (8.0%), male veterans (7.7%), and male civilians (3.4%). A 2020 US Department of Veterans (VA) study of 4,928,638 men and 448,455 women similarly found that women had nearly twice the rates of depression and anxiety compared with men.

For many veterans, mental health issues may develop or be exacerbated in their return to civilian life. That transition can be especially confusing and isolating for women veterans, according to a 2024 study: “They neither fit in the military due to gendered relations centered on masculinity, or civilian life where they are largely misunderstood as ‘veterans.’ This ‘no woman’s land’ is poorly understood.” Few programs for transitioning veterans have been found effective for women veterans because they’ve been developed for a largely male veteran population. That includes mental health support programs.

Some women may prefer women-only groups, and even that choice may be dependent on their background, service history, socioeconomic level, and other factors. They may feel more comfortable in women-only groups if they’ve experienced MST. Others who have served in combat may choose mixed-gender programs. One study found that some women benefited from being in a mixed-gender group because it enabled them to work on difficulties with men in a safe environment. Other research has found that women veterans with substance use disorders are reluctant to seek help alongside men in the same facilities. 

Accessing care may be especially challenging for rural women veterans. However, separate facilities and women-only groups are not always available, particularly in rural areas where there may be very few women veterans. And even if they are available, rural women are often up against barriers that urban women do not face, such as having to travel long distances to get care. Clinicians also may be hard to find in rural areas. Some participants in a 2025 study were hampered not only by a lack of female practitioners, but practitioners who were well trained to understand and treat the unique needs of female veterans: “[It’s] incredibly difficult to find a mental health practitioner that understands a veteran’s unique experience as a woman,” a participant said.

The more than 2 million women US veterans are the fastest-growing military population. While research into women veterans has traditionally lagged, more recently studies have begun to focus on their needs impacts of combat and service on women. These studies have found that women veterans preferred tailored solutions focused on women veterans.

A November 2025 study is one of the first to examine the impact of combat on women veterans. It found that those in combat roles had higher levels of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation, and overall poorer health compared with civilians and noncombat women military personnel. Previous research had found that women veterans had higher rates of lifetime and past-year PTSD (13.4%) compared with female civilians (8.0%), male veterans (7.7%), and male civilians (3.4%). A 2020 US Department of Veterans (VA) study of 4,928,638 men and 448,455 women similarly found that women had nearly twice the rates of depression and anxiety compared with men.

For many veterans, mental health issues may develop or be exacerbated in their return to civilian life. That transition can be especially confusing and isolating for women veterans, according to a 2024 study: “They neither fit in the military due to gendered relations centered on masculinity, or civilian life where they are largely misunderstood as ‘veterans.’ This ‘no woman’s land’ is poorly understood.” Few programs for transitioning veterans have been found effective for women veterans because they’ve been developed for a largely male veteran population. That includes mental health support programs.

Some women may prefer women-only groups, and even that choice may be dependent on their background, service history, socioeconomic level, and other factors. They may feel more comfortable in women-only groups if they’ve experienced MST. Others who have served in combat may choose mixed-gender programs. One study found that some women benefited from being in a mixed-gender group because it enabled them to work on difficulties with men in a safe environment. Other research has found that women veterans with substance use disorders are reluctant to seek help alongside men in the same facilities. 

Accessing care may be especially challenging for rural women veterans. However, separate facilities and women-only groups are not always available, particularly in rural areas where there may be very few women veterans. And even if they are available, rural women are often up against barriers that urban women do not face, such as having to travel long distances to get care. Clinicians also may be hard to find in rural areas. Some participants in a 2025 study were hampered not only by a lack of female practitioners, but practitioners who were well trained to understand and treat the unique needs of female veterans: “[It’s] incredibly difficult to find a mental health practitioner that understands a veteran’s unique experience as a woman,” a participant said.

TOPLINE: Psychiatric disorders affect 37.8% of veteran vs 37.3% of nonveteran in a study of > 42,000 women aged ≥ 65 years. Most differences between veterans and nonveterans were statistically insignificant after removing confounders.

METHODOLOGY: 

• Researchers analyzed 42,031 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants aged > 65 years at enrollment (1993-1998), including 1,512 veterans and 40,519 non-veterans, through linked WHI-Medicare databases with approximately 15 years of follow-up.

• Analysis included multivariable logistic and Cox regression models to evaluate characteristics associated with prevalent and incident psychiatric disorders, respectively.

• Participants were followed from WHI enrollment until first psychiatric diagnosis, with censoring at death, end of follow-up, or December 31, 2013.

• Investigators examined relationships between individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status indicators with psychiatric disorders before and after stratification by veteran status.

TAKEAWAY:

• The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 37.3%, with an incidence rate of 25.5 per 1,000 person-years, showing no significant differences between veterans and non-veterans (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.06).

• There was a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders for women veterans with technical, sales, or administrative occupations (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.72; 95 % CI, 1.02, 2.89) and those with “other” occupations (aOR, 2.09; 95 % CI, 1.13, 3.88) when compared with women veterans with managerial or professional occupations.

• Mood and anxiety disorders emerged as the leading types of psychiatric conditions among both veteran and nonveteran women.

IN PRACTICE: "Although interaction effects by veteran status were nonsignificant,” the authors of the study explained, “lower education, household income, and neighborhood socioeconomic status were associated with higher frequencies of psychiatric disorders only among women non-veterans.”

SOURCE: The study was led by Jack Tsai and the US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in Washington, DC. It was published online in Journal of Affective Disorders.

LIMITATIONS: The study faced several limitations including potential selection and survival biases, as findings correspond only to Women's Health Initiative participants who survived until age 65 or later. Information bias likely occurred due to self-reported measures and sole reliance on International Classification of Disease, 9th revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes from Medicare claims. Additionally, socioeconomic status indicators assessed at enrollment may not reflect early life or midlife exposures that could influence psychiatric diagnoses.

 DISCLOSURES: The Women’s Health Initiative program received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through grants 75N92021D00001, 75N92021D00002, 75N92021D00003, 75N92021D00004, and 75N92021D00005.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

TOPLINE: Psychiatric disorders affect 37.8% of veteran vs 37.3% of nonveteran in a study of > 42,000 women aged ≥ 65 years. Most differences between veterans and nonveterans were statistically insignificant after removing confounders.

METHODOLOGY: 

• Researchers analyzed 42,031 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants aged > 65 years at enrollment (1993-1998), including 1,512 veterans and 40,519 non-veterans, through linked WHI-Medicare databases with approximately 15 years of follow-up.

• Analysis included multivariable logistic and Cox regression models to evaluate characteristics associated with prevalent and incident psychiatric disorders, respectively.

• Participants were followed from WHI enrollment until first psychiatric diagnosis, with censoring at death, end of follow-up, or December 31, 2013.

• Investigators examined relationships between individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status indicators with psychiatric disorders before and after stratification by veteran status.

TAKEAWAY:

• The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 37.3%, with an incidence rate of 25.5 per 1,000 person-years, showing no significant differences between veterans and non-veterans (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.06).

• There was a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders for women veterans with technical, sales, or administrative occupations (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.72; 95 % CI, 1.02, 2.89) and those with “other” occupations (aOR, 2.09; 95 % CI, 1.13, 3.88) when compared with women veterans with managerial or professional occupations.

• Mood and anxiety disorders emerged as the leading types of psychiatric conditions among both veteran and nonveteran women.

IN PRACTICE: "Although interaction effects by veteran status were nonsignificant,” the authors of the study explained, “lower education, household income, and neighborhood socioeconomic status were associated with higher frequencies of psychiatric disorders only among women non-veterans.”

SOURCE: The study was led by Jack Tsai and the US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in Washington, DC. It was published online in Journal of Affective Disorders.

LIMITATIONS: The study faced several limitations including potential selection and survival biases, as findings correspond only to Women's Health Initiative participants who survived until age 65 or later. Information bias likely occurred due to self-reported measures and sole reliance on International Classification of Disease, 9th revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes from Medicare claims. Additionally, socioeconomic status indicators assessed at enrollment may not reflect early life or midlife exposures that could influence psychiatric diagnoses.

 DISCLOSURES: The Women’s Health Initiative program received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through grants 75N92021D00001, 75N92021D00002, 75N92021D00003, 75N92021D00004, and 75N92021D00005.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

TOPLINE: Psychiatric disorders affect 37.8% of veteran vs 37.3% of nonveteran in a study of > 42,000 women aged ≥ 65 years. Most differences between veterans and nonveterans were statistically insignificant after removing confounders.

METHODOLOGY: 

• Researchers analyzed 42,031 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants aged > 65 years at enrollment (1993-1998), including 1,512 veterans and 40,519 non-veterans, through linked WHI-Medicare databases with approximately 15 years of follow-up.

• Analysis included multivariable logistic and Cox regression models to evaluate characteristics associated with prevalent and incident psychiatric disorders, respectively.

• Participants were followed from WHI enrollment until first psychiatric diagnosis, with censoring at death, end of follow-up, or December 31, 2013.

• Investigators examined relationships between individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status indicators with psychiatric disorders before and after stratification by veteran status.

TAKEAWAY:

• The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 37.3%, with an incidence rate of 25.5 per 1,000 person-years, showing no significant differences between veterans and non-veterans (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.06).

• There was a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders for women veterans with technical, sales, or administrative occupations (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.72; 95 % CI, 1.02, 2.89) and those with “other” occupations (aOR, 2.09; 95 % CI, 1.13, 3.88) when compared with women veterans with managerial or professional occupations.

• Mood and anxiety disorders emerged as the leading types of psychiatric conditions among both veteran and nonveteran women.

IN PRACTICE: "Although interaction effects by veteran status were nonsignificant,” the authors of the study explained, “lower education, household income, and neighborhood socioeconomic status were associated with higher frequencies of psychiatric disorders only among women non-veterans.”

SOURCE: The study was led by Jack Tsai and the US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in Washington, DC. It was published online in Journal of Affective Disorders.

LIMITATIONS: The study faced several limitations including potential selection and survival biases, as findings correspond only to Women's Health Initiative participants who survived until age 65 or later. Information bias likely occurred due to self-reported measures and sole reliance on International Classification of Disease, 9th revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes from Medicare claims. Additionally, socioeconomic status indicators assessed at enrollment may not reflect early life or midlife exposures that could influence psychiatric diagnoses.

 DISCLOSURES: The Women’s Health Initiative program received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through grants 75N92021D00001, 75N92021D00002, 75N92021D00003, 75N92021D00004, and 75N92021D00005.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.