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New research is showing just how much alcohol has impacted cancer mortality rates in the past three decades. In the analysis, released Thursday ahead of being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2025 conference in Chicago, researchers found alcohol-associated cancer deaths in the United States doubled from 1990 to 2021, rising from 11,896 to 23,207. The authors also found mortality rates were significantly higher in males and those above age 55. On a state level, the analysis found Washington, D.C., had the highest alcohol-related mortality rate across both sexes, while Utah had the lowest. (Moniuszko, 5/22)

“Forever chemicals,” or PFAS—the group of more than 9,000 potentially hazardous synthetic compounds linked to cancer and other health problems—have been found lurking in everything from non-stick pans and candy to butter and processed meats. Oh—and in about half of tap water systems nationwide. So why should your favorite brewski be immune? After testing beers brewed in different areas of the country, researchers with the American Chemical Society have discovered the highest levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in those from regions with known PFAS-contaminated water sources. (Greenfield, 5/22)

A recent study links taurine, an amino acid made by the body and an ingredient found in several types of food, to the growth of blood and bone marrow cancers like leukemia. The research team, headed by Jeevisha Bajaj at the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, discovered that taurine is made by certain normal cells in the bone marrow, which is where myeloid cancers start and grow. Because leukemia cells cannot produce taurine on their own, they depend on other genes to obtain it and transport it to the cancer cells. (Battaglia, 5/22)

In patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with a lower risk of obesity-related cancers and death from any cause, a target trial emulation study found. (Ingram, 5/22)

Merus said Thursday that a combination of its experimental drug petosemtamab with the checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda has kept 79% of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic head and cancer alive for at least one year, according to a new analysis of a mid-stage clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 5/22)

Former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis of an aggressive, stage-4 prostate cancer has reignited a long-simmering medical debate: When should men get screened for prostate cancer? For decades, doctors have wrestled with how often to screen men for the disease and when to start and stop. Some medical groups disagree in their recommendations, and guidelines have gone back and forth on whether men should be screened at all. (Abbott, 5/22)

When I learned that former President Joe Biden had not undergone prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening since 2014—and was later diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer—I knew there would be renewed interest and debate about prostate cancer screening guidelines. As a urologist, I regularly discuss the complexities surrounding PSA testing with my patients. The PSA test remains valuable for early detection, but it continues to generate controversy due to its limitations. (Brahmbhatt, 5/22)

Finding a way to fight pancreatic cancer is personal for Kirsten Bryant. She was studying cell biology at Cornell University and considering cancer research during the last year of getting her doctorate in 2013 when her father died from pancreatic cancer. (Fernandez, 5/23)