The constantly escalating population of cancer survivors worldwide has prompted a focused exploration of their unique needs and experiences within the context of healthcare medicine. This review initiates its analysis inspired by Dr. Lidia Schapira’s insightful keynote conference on the Survivorship 1.0 and Survivorship 2.0 Programs, shedding light on their implementation challenges and setting the stage for a comprehensive analysis of cancer survivorship initiatives. Within the transformed landscape of cancer care, patient-centric strategies embedded in cancer survivorship programs comprising vital elements such as connection, support, and education are presented. While placing cancer recurrence surveillance at the forefront, the review underlines concern regarding the potential oversight of the enduring impact on mental and physical health. Dr. Schapira’s insights further extend into the exploration of mental health challenges faced by survivors, promoting an examination of diverse strategies to address these concerns. Furthermore, the discussion continues toward promising areas of research, notably Precision Medicine’s role in de-escalating cancer therapies, and advocates for measures such as early cancer awareness and timely referrals to supportive services. Highlighting the significance of education, the role of online resources in enhancing the knowledge of healthcare practitioners and future generations in cancer care is then explored. The paper concludes by presenting some of the most prominent global current survivorship programs, identifying critical knowledge gaps in cancer care and projecting future developments aimed at delivering accurate and holistic care, improving the quality of life for survivors, and enhancing both mental and physical well-being. Drawing upon the insights from Dr. Schapira, this review lays the groundwork for a nuanced exploration of cancer survivorship and its multifaceted implications.

The field of lifestyle medicine in cancer care and survivorship is undergoing significant transformation, presenting both challenges and opportunities. This collection of insights and reflections by an esteemed speaker aims to address critical facets of this evolving landscape and the intersection of healthcare, lifestyle, and cancer. With a focus on optimizing the health of cancer survivors, the speaker emphasizes the correlation between general population health and strategies for mitigating cancer risk. Evidence-based resources have a key role in their comprehensive insights into lifestyle changes’ role in cancer prevention and survivorship. Lifestyle interventions also have a promising role in mitigating the late effects in the pediatric context. Therefore, encouraging the early adoption of healthy practices in childhood cancer survivors emerges as a pivotal strategy. Furthermore, challenges in enhancing education and access to lifestyle medicine are addressed. This highlights the importance of patient-centered communication, motivational interviewing, and personalized guidance in facilitating lifestyle changes with patients. Finally, the role of nutritionists in advising breast cancer patients to consider calorie restriction to lower IGF-1 levels is explored. This collection underscores the multifaceted nature of lifestyle medicine in cancer care, highlighting challenges, opportunities, and the transformative power of passion and curiosity in shaping healthcare careers.

This perspective delves into the evolving landscape of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) treatment. MDS presents a significant clinical challenge, often progressing to acute myeloid leukemia. For low-risk MDS, the emphasis is on personalized care through comprehensive risk assessment, clinical monitoring, and tailored interventions, including promising agents like erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, lenalidomide, and luspatercept, with the anticipation of an expanding therapeutic arsenal and early intervention for improved outcomes. In contrast, high-risk MDS treatment is evolving towards upfront doublet or triplet therapies with a focus on minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. A holistic approach integrates various modalities, including stem cell transplant and post-transplant maintenance, all guided by individual patient circumstances. Risk-adapted strategies are crucial for enhancing patient outcomes. Precision medicine for MDS treatment is budding, largely driven by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). NGS aids in early diagnosis, prognostication, and the targeting of specific mutations, with molecular data increasingly informing treatment responses and allowing for tailored interventions. Clinical trials within homogeneous patient groups with similar molecular profiles are becoming more common, enhancing treatment precision. In conclusion, the future of MDS treatment is moving towards personalized medicine, leveraging advanced technologies like NGS and molecular insights to improve outcomes in the realm of hematological malignancies.

From the 2026 National Summit on Hematologic Cancers

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) exhibit profound immune dysregulation, predisposing them to severe outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Current evidence highlights shared immunopathological mechanisms linking MM and COVID-19, with particular emphasis on the interleukin-6 (IL-6) axis as a shared amplifier of inflammation rather than the sole driver of disease. MM is characterized by a baseline pro-inflammatory milieu, in part mediated by IL-6, which is further amplified during SARS-CoV-2 infection, resulting in cytokine escalation, complement activation, coagulopathy, and multi-organ injury. This amplification operates within a broader, redundant network that also includes T-cell exhaustion, NK-cell dysfunction, checkpoint signaling, complement and endothelial injury, and treatment-induced immune defects. This overlap provides a mechanistic basis for the disproportionately high morbidity and mortality observed in this population. Even with advancements in vaccination, antiviral therapy, and clinical practice, patients with MM who exhibit impaired vaccine responses, active disease, or treatment-related immune dysfunction continue to experience considerable vulnerability to COVID-19. In addition, MM patients demonstrate suboptimal vaccine-induced immune responses, contributing to persistent vulnerability to severe and breakthrough infections. Modern MM therapies, including anti-CD38 antibodies, BCMA-directed agents, and bispecific T-cell redirecting antibodies, further reshape antiviral immunity by reducing NK cells, inducing plasma cell aplasia, causing hypogammaglobulinemia, and impairing T-cell function. Emerging treatment approaches targeting this shared pathway have been explored, with a focus on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs exhibit multimodal properties, including suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, restoration of immune homeostasis, inhibition of viral entry, and promotion of tissue repair and regeneration. Early clinical experience in severe COVID-19 populations suggests a favorable short-term safety profile; reported efficacy, however, derives from small, largely uncontrolled or early-phase studies, and the single randomized trial reporting a mortality benefit did so only in an exploratory post hoc subgroup, with its pre-specified primary endpoint not met. Overall, EVs constitute a biologically plausible but as yet unproven adjunctive strategy that warrants further investigation. Critically, no MM patient has ever been enrolled in an EV trial; current rationale for EV use in MM is therefore extrapolated entirely from non-MM populations, and no MM-specific data exist. Difficulties such as EV heterogeneity, manufacturing variability, uncertain pharmacokinetics, limited targeting efficiency, and potential prothrombotic effects must be resolved before their application in MM-specific clinical settings.

From the 2026 National Summit on Hematologic Cancers