Dear Reader,
Precision oncology (PO) has revolutionised the landscape of cancer treatments, which has shifted away from non-specific cytotoxic treatment to a more individualised manner. Facilitated by the advancement in diagnostic technologies, particularly next-generation sequencing (NGS), PO optimises cancer treatment outcomes by improving the matching between patients and therapies. However, there are practical obstacles, such as accuracy, policy, and cost, hindering the clinical applications of PO approach. Fortunately, emerging techniques, including artificial intelligence (AI), have been implemented to enhance the clinical performance of PO. The technical basis, clinical performance, and future development of PO approach in cancer management will be discussed in the Feature Story.
In the Focus section, clinical issues concerning influenza in children will be discussed. Remarkably, children are at high risk of influenza infection due to immature immune system, whereas approximately 10% of seasonal influenza infections occur in children under the age of 5, with around 870,000 annual hospitalisations. While vaccination is recommended in most countries, some reports reflected that some parents perceived that their child was not at risk for influenza or severe illness from influenza. This was the most common reason for not vaccinating children.
In addition to the thematic topics, updates on pharmacologic management of viral hepatitis, relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), and epilepsy are featured in the Industry Updates. Interestingly, the relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and dark chocolate consumption will be explored in the Epoch section.
Hope you enjoy this issue!
Dr. Roy Yuen-chi Lau
PhD, DBA, MPH, MMedSc, MA, BSc,
FRSPH, MIET, MRSC, MSB, CBiol, CSci, MRACI CChem
Editor-in-Chief
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