Every scientist, at some point in their life, has experienced the awkward situation of having to explain their research work at a family gathering. The first time I underwent this rite of passage, a common question came up: “Are you working on cancer?” I wasn’t—but I could hardly blame them for the assumption. Given the severity of outcomes, high incidence rates, and mainstream media coverage associated with this disease, cancer research awareness was widespread at the time. That interest has not waned.
While keeping a tab on science advances (out of both professional requirement and personal interest) I see daily updates—sometimes incremental, sometimes monumental—in the fight against cancer. Researchers have been chipping away at this mountain with a no-task-too-large approach, and we have come a long way over the years. With effective cancer diagnostics that aid early detection and next-generation therapies that improve prognosis, it is no surprise that cancer mortality rates have dropped by 33 percent from 1991 to 2021. Now, with artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches in the pipelines, researchers hope to add personalized medicine, where patients’ genomes dictate what treatment they get to ensure the best response, to their arsenal.
Despite advancing cancer therapies and diagnostics, by intentional or unintentional exposure to increased risk factors, we may be adding to the mountain that we intend to demolish.
—Meenakshi Prabhune, The Scientist
Although there is a lot to celebrate, researchers have observed a concerning trend: Early-onset cases of certain types of cancers are on the rise. For instance, incidence rates of colorectal cancer in patients under the age of 50 have increased by two percent per year since 2011. Of the several potential reasons that could drive such an increase, researchers point to external factors such as lifestyle, diet, and exposure to pollutants as the most likely. A timely example is the recent red dye debacle in the US. In January 2025, in response to a public petition, the FDA banned a red dye that is commonly used in foods such as candies, cough syrup, flavored milk, to name a few. The controversial aspect was that the ban came decades after the dye had been linked with increased cancer risks in rats. Although the FDA update stated, “The way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans. Relevant exposure levels to FD&C Red No. 3 for humans are typically much lower than those that cause the effects shown in male rats,” the case certainly serves as an example of the potential risks people may be exposed to for decades. In a feature article in this issue, we dive deep into the topic of early-onset colorectal cancers to uncover the probable causes behind this trend and potential areas of research to better mitigate the risks that the younger generations face today.
So, despite advancing cancer therapies and diagnostics, by intentional or unintentional exposure to increased risk factors, we may be adding to the mountain that we intend to demolish.
On a brighter note, there is no dearth of, at times quirky, approaches that researchers try when it comes to cancer. A particularly interesting one involves studying a phenomenon called Peto’s Paradox: a concept that cancer occurrence does not scale with animal size. For instance, despite having millions of more cells and a longer lifespan, blue whales are not at a higher risk of cancer relative to tiny mice. We cover the fascinating cancer-protective mechanisms in large animals and how researchers are looking into possibly leveraging those in humans to shield from cancer in a feature story in this issue.
Although the fight against cancer feels like a never-ending battle when new problems pop up, awareness about these issues helps researchers tackle these head on to find solutions. In science, ignorance is not bliss.
