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Dr. Keith Jerome explained how dormant herpes infections can emerge “from this hiding place in the nerves... reactivate themselves and come back out, transmit to a new person or they can cause visible or sometimes painful lesions.”

Dr. Anne McTiernan discussed the impact alcohol can have on cancer risk and why warning labels are helpful. She said, “If you get information out to people, then they can make their own choices about what might be healthier for them.”

Dr. Joe Unger led a study on complications after prostate cancer treatment. He said: “It’s really important for men not just to understand how commonly these complications can occur, but how far out in time they are still meaningful.”

Dr. Rahul Banerjee described his research studies of a commonly used steroid: “We encourage future trials to investigate lowered-dose dexamethasone strategies prospectively, either at treatment onset or within a few cycles of treatment initiation." 

Dr. Paul Buckley spoke about Bridgette Hempstead, a Fred Hutch patient, research collaborator and advocate. He spoke about how Bridgette fought for “and everyone who was underserved. That was her issue. That was her purpose. That was her commitment.”

Dr. Megan Shen explained how her research has shown how people at the end of life appreciate simple pleasures. She said, “They finally figured out that the magic is trying to enjoy, right now while you have it, regardless of what that looks like.”

In a story focused on reader questions about cancer, Dr. Kevin Cheung talked about metastasis. He said, “Much about how tumors metastasize — spread and take up residence in faraway sites – still remains a mystery.”

Dr. Joe Unger reflected on how changes to clinical trials during the COVID pandemic “forced the sudden adoption of all of these procedures and, in my view, I think that their adoption is going to have a net positive impact on the entire system.”