Cancer Today’s Fall 2025 Issue: Early Palliative Care for Blood Cancer, Accommodating Deaf Patients, and More

October 9, 2025 by

Nancy Delia, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2017, had always exuded positive energy. But after spending years in and out of the hospital and receiving intensive chemotherapy, she felt exhausted and stopped participating in activities she once enjoyed. Her doctors referred her to palliative care—a medical specialty that focuses on alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life for people with serious illnesses and their caregivers. After just one visit with a specialist, Delia felt better. “Palliative care became—for me—a safe place to share the emotional and physical challenges that you want to get better,” Delia said.

Palliative care can offer cancer patients and survivors critical support as they face the challenges associated with their diagnosis. However, some research suggests people with blood cancer are less likely to receive palliative care than those with solid tumors. The latest issue of Cancer Today, a magazine and online resource for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers published by the American Association for Cancer Research, explores how early integration of palliative care can help people with blood-related cancers manage their symptoms.

Aurora Lucas, a survivor of lung cancer, now uses social media to help educate other young adult cancer survivors.

Another article in Cancer Today’s fall issue describes the communication barriers that exist for people who are deaf or have hearing problems and who are diagnosed with cancer. Accommodations, including the use of American Sign Language interpreters and video remote interpreting, can help alleviate the stress of seeking cancer care. “One of the things I find with cancer is there is often a sense of [feeling overwhelmed], and that can really impact our access to the part of the brain where we problem solve, create, memorize,” Alison Aubrecht, a multiple myeloma survivor who is deaf, told Cancer Today through an online text chat. “I struggle to self-advocate within that context. It requires more energy—mentally and emotionally—to do that. And I find myself avoiding the whole thing altogether, even at the expense of my health.”

In another story, Cancer Today details how the effectiveness of the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) in people with advanced breast cancer has broadened the classification of HER2 in breast cancer. In the past, breast cancer tumors were classified as either HER2-positive or HER2-negative. However, tumors deemed HER2-negative still express some HER2 proteins and can be treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan. “We’ve realized HER2 is a spectrum rather than a binary value,” said Arya Roy, MD, a medical oncologist at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. (If it helps, think of HER2 as a light dimmer rather than a light switch, as described in this blog post.)

Highlighting the unique needs of young adult cancer survivors, Cancer Today shares how Aurora Lucas found her voice after receiving a stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis at age 28 in 2021. In the years since her diagnosis, Lucas has used her growing social media presence to share her journey and educate others diagnosed with lung cancer. She focuses on issues that impact young adult cancer survivors, such as financial toxicity and struggles with fertility. “It’s the time we’re supposed to be on top of our careers and our dreams, and then cancer just kind of has to put a pause on that,” Lucas told Cancer Today.

In its efforts to educate people with cancer about the impact of research, Cancer Today’s latest issue also translates recent research findings. One article describes a study that shows patients who develop blood clots during treatment can progress to a lower-dose blood thinner after six months on the full dose. Articles also offer advice on topics ranging from how to deal with treatment-related skin rashes to finding a sense of calm amid the chaos of treatment. Plus, William G. Nelson, MD, PhD, Cancer Today’s editor-in-chief and director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, provides commentary about how removing the fallopian tubes could help prevent ovarian cancer.

The American Association for Cancer Research offers Cancer Today free of charge to those affected by cancer. To view content from the fall issue, visit Cancer Today’s website or read the digital edition.  

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