The evolution of cinematic language in portraying cancer

Editorial

Drawing inspiration from the sitcom Ho Preso un Granchio created by the young patients of the Youth Project at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, this paper discusses how the depiction of cancer in film and television has changed over the years: specifically, how in 50 years society has gone from being unable to even pronounce the word “cancer” to being able to laugh about it, much like they did, telling their own stories with self-irony and even black humor.

Ethics in the evaluation of the quality of scientific research: An AIOM-TJ roundtable

Editorial

The current scientific ecosystem is characterized by a systemic crisis driven by the Publish or Perish culture and an exponential growth in publication volumes that outpaces the number of active researchers. Here, we highlight the limitations of traditional bibliometric indicators, such as the Impact Factor and H-index, which have become targets for manipulation and enable inflationary business models, including the proliferation of special issues.

Ten tips to reduce gaps in daily oncology practice

Editorial

The daily practice of oncology in Italy is increasingly strained, with bureaucratic rigidity making routine clinical work progressively more difficult. A panel of clinical oncologists, reunited in the DonnaRosa Group, an emerging model of community-based collaboration, where clinicians share real-world challenges and develop actionable strategies, debate the points with the aim of producing some tips to close the gap in clinical practice.

Two years after the reform of Italian Ethics Committees: Time for reflection

Editorial

The recent reform of Italian Ethics Committees (ECs), formalized between 2022 and 2023, aimed to streamline ethical oversight in clinical research by transitioning from a fragmented local system to a coordinated national framework. The new structure includes 40 Territorial Ethics Committees (CETs) and three National Committees (CENs), under the supervision of the National Coordination Centre (CCNCE). While the reform aligned Italy with European Regulation (EU) No 536/2014, significant implementation gaps remain.

Melanoma in children and adolescents: Distinct biology, evolving therapies, and unmet needs

Editorial

The incidence of melanoma is increasing worldwide, also among pediatric patients. According to the recent EUROCARE-6 report, cutaneous melanoma accounts for approximately 6% of all tumors in children, and about 10% among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) (i.e., patients aged 15-39 years).1 The reported incidence rate among patients aged <19 years is 0.43/100,000, rising to 6.9/100,000 among AYAs. As such, according to the definition adopted by European pediatric cooperative groups for rare childhood tumors (i.e., tumors with an annual incidence of <2 cases per million population), cutaneous melanoma can be considered a rare tumor in children, but not in AYAs.2

From walls to wonder: Talking about spaces tailored for adolescents and young adults with cancer

Editorial

If, as widely recognized in the scientific community, adolescent and young adult cancer patients are in many ways unique, then the spaces where they receive care should be equally special. The design of hospital environments that cater to the specific needs of young patients is a crucial factor in defining the essential features that care centers should ideally include to provide the best possible support for adolescent and young adult patients.