Several studies showing favorable results with PARP inhibitors have been reported at this year’s ESMO Congress. In particular, the results of the PAOLA study can be considered a major breakthrough. The addition of olaparib to bevacizumab maintenance therapy in patients with ovarian cancer after first-line chemotherapy resulted in improved progression-free survival, not only in patients whose tumors were BRCA-mutant, but also in those with BRCA wildtype.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that progresses after androgen-receptor(AR)–targeted therapy (i.e., enzalutamide or abiraterone) and taxane-based chemotherapy is associated with a poor prognosis [1]. Only few treatment options are available for these patients.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have been established as an important drug class for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer (OC), which is a leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Olaparib and niraparib have been widely approved for maintenance treatment of OC patients who responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Bacteria are of eminent importance for health and the functioning of the human body that contains more bacterial than human cells, at a ratio of 1.3 to 1. More than 10,000 different microbe species have been identified in the body. Ten to 100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells are harbored by each individual, primarily in the gut.

Adenocarcinoma of the stomach and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) ranks fifth among the most common malignancies worldwide and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in both sexes. Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the asymptomatic early feature of the disease.

With “memo inOncology” Springer has created a medical education platform that is globally accessible and offers value to health care professionals in oncology (www.memoinoncology.com). Over the last four years, we have reported from major conferences such as ASCO, ESMO, WCLC, ELCC or ESMO Asia on recent highlights in the field of lung cancer.