Newswise — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic researchers developed an experimental nanotherapy that delivers two cancer drugs directly to brain tumors, according to a study published in Nature Communications Medicine. The strategy extended survival in preclinical models of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

The nanotechnology-based approach packages two existing cancer drugs into tiny particles engineered to cross the brain’s protective blood-brain barrier and target tumor cells. In preclinical models using patient-derived tissue, combining the treatment with radiation more than doubled survival compared with untreated controls.

Glioblastoma is notoriously difficult to treat. Patients typically survive for about 15 months after diagnosis, even with the latest therapies such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. One major challenge is that many drugs cannot effectively reach tumors in the brain, and those that do often lose effectiveness as tumors develop resistance.

The new approach uses small lipid-based particles, known as liposomes, to carry and deliver a combination of drugs — everolimus or rapamycin and vinorelbine — directly to cancer cells, using a new tumor-targeting strategy. By ensuring both drugs reach the same cells at the same time, researchers aim to improve tumor-killing effects while reducing the toxic side effects associated with higher drug doses.

“Glioblastoma remains extremely difficult to treat due to drug resistance and limited drug delivery to the brain,” says Debabrata (Dev) Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. Mukhopadhyay, a nanotechnologist, is a senior author of the study. “Our approach is designed to improve both by targeting the tumor directly and combining therapies in a way that enhances their impact.”

The drug combination includes agents that interfere with tumor growth pathways and disrupt the cancer’s ability to repair DNA damage, making tumors more sensitive to radiation.

“This represents a promising direction for treating patients with glioblastoma and advancing new technologies and therapies, so we can one day improve the survival of patients with brain cancer by delivering novel cancer therapies to the brain,” says Alfredo Quinones-Hiñojosa, M.D., dean of research emeritus and chair emeritus of the Department of Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida and a senior author on the study. “Further research will be needed to determine whether these results translate to patients.”

Researchers are conducting additional safety and dosing studies required before clinical trials can begin. If successful, the approach could eventually be an oral or intravenous medication used alongside standard treatments or as an option for patients whose tumors do not respond to existing therapies.

“While this work is still in development, it represents an important step toward developing more precise cancer treatments that are both more effective and less toxic, potentially improving quality of life for patients,” says Dr. Mukhopadhyay.

This study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01NS129671. Read the study for a full list of authors, disclosures and funding.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world’s most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.

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This campaign wants you to lighten your load.

FCancer, a nonprofit focused on cancer prevention and early detection, has declared its mission to “beat cancer off, literally” — imploring men to ejaculate more for their health.

At least 21 times a month, to be exact.

Dr. Lorelei Mucci, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a co-author of emerging research on prostate cancer and ejaculation, told The Post that her team has come across some interesting patterns. 

Data from a long-term health and lifestyle study assessing more than 50,000 men since 1986 suggests that those who ejaculate 21 or more times per month had a 19-22% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who came less, she said.

“The ’21 or more’ isn’t a strict biological magic number, but rather a finding that emerged from our robust statistical analysis,” Mucci explained, adding that her team has even observed small reductions in risk for men who ejaculated only eight times per month. 

“While 21 is the benchmark we identified,” she continued, “the broader implication is that more frequent ejaculation may offer a greater potential benefit.”

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in US men, after skin cancer, as roughly 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. 

It’s also the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in men, behind lung cancer.

And while the “precise biological mechanisms” at play are still being studied, prevailing theories suggest that “frequent ejaculation may help ‘flush out’ potential carcinogens, reduce inflammation within the prostate or even influence gene expression in the normal prostate tissue,” Mucci said. 

“It’s a fascinating area to explore, and these observational findings have been reinforced by other large studies.”

Yael Cohen, co-founder of FCancer, told The Post that the nonprofit’s campaign was ultimately designed with education in mind.

“We use humor because it sticks. But once the joke lands, it’s about what comes next: getting screened, talking to your doctor and understanding your risk. Your hands don’t replace your doctor; they get you to them,” she explained.

Ultimately, she added, “what matters is men knowing that something they likely already do could actually benefit their health” — something most men aren’t aware has anti-cancer benefits.

Cohen knows that cancer prevention isn’t typically so light-hearted — but this new research presented a unique opportunity. 

“This might be the only prevention tip that’s genuinely fun,” she said. “Usually, prevention is all about what you ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t do. This is one ‘should’ most people won’t mind adding.”

Though the campaign spotlights masturbation, Mucci said the research “focused on ejaculation frequency, regardless of the specific activity that leads to it.”

Mucci believes a campaign like this could encourage more and earlier prostate cancer screenings, putting patients in a better position to advocate for their health.

“I strongly support this campaign because it takes robust scientific findings and turns them into a conversation men can actually have, breaking down barriers and encouraging them to engage with their prostate health, understand their personal risk and seek appropriate screening and advice from their physician,” she said.

At the end of the day, coming is only half the battle — the other half is going … to the doctor.

“It’s about making sure you’re getting the appropriate screening, understanding your risk factors and actually talking to your physician,” Cohen said. 

“No one else will do that for you, so take control, both in the fun way and the critical way. At the end of the day, it’s about putting your health in your own hands and then passing the ball to your doctor for the next play.”

One province and one territory are taking steps to lower the screening age for colorectal cancer, with more probing a similar change.

Earlier this week, Prince Edward Island announced it’s lowering the age to 45, with Nunavut confirming to Global News on Tuesday its plans to make the same change.

BC Cancer said in an email to Global News it is also investigating such an adjustment.

“While younger adults have a lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to older adults, emerging evidence has prompted BC to investigate lowering the starting age for screening,” said Dr. Fabio Feldman with BC Cancer. “Data collection and modelling work is now ongoing.”

Those actions has cancer survivor Barry Stein, who serves as CEO of Colorectal Cancer Canada, pleased because it could prevent more families from a “costly and traumatic” experience his family went through.

“So this program (screening) wouldn’t have helped me at that time, but it would have sensitized a lot more people about the disease,” he said.

Stein was diagnosed at the age of 41 in 1995. He said he ignored the symptoms he had and, by the time he was diagnosed, the cancer had metastasized to other parts of his body.

He ended up having to get four liver surgeries in New York. He also participated in chemotherapy treatments in Canada and an experimental vaccine trial in California.

That experience led Stein to become not only an advocate for himself, but for others and resulted in the founding of what was originally called the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. It later became Colorectal Cancer Canada.

The organization has since launched a ‘screen at 45 campaign,’ urging provinces and territories to lower their screening age.

5:01
What Albertans need to know about colorectal cancer and the screenings available

“We really want to save lives and that is the purpose of doing it,” Stein said. “We don’t want people to have to go through what I went through, which was a very traumatic, costly and traumatic experience to myself and my family.”

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta and Saskatchewan told Global News they are each reviewing recommendations, with Saskatchewan’s ColonCheck assessing evidence and the timeline to decrease the eligibility age.

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Manitoba, Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador said they are continuing to review evidence, though no changes are coming at this time.

A spokesperson for the Ontario government said on background it’s reviewing ways to strengthen care, but “at this time, it would be too early to confirm any changes.”

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, people under 50 are now two- to two-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer than they were in previous generations.

Dr. Enrique Sanz Garcia, a clinical investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, said those numbers are in line with what he’s seeing.

“This is something that we are seeing more often in our clinic at this point,” Sanz Garcia said.

5:25
Lowering the screening age for colorectal cancer

He went on to tell Global News that while there aren’t confirmed causes explaining why colorectal cancer is presenting earlier in people, there are still factors linked to the disease itself.

Among them is a diet filled with high amounts of ultra-processed fats and a sedentary lifestyle.

“But the truth is that we are seeing many people who don’t have any of these risk factors and they still have cancer and colorectal cancer,” he said.

Guidelines in Canada currently recommend asymptomatic people with average risk between 50 and 75 to be screened using a fecal occult blood test. One of the most common is known as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), an at-home screening tool that can detect blood in the stool, which may indicate colorectal cancer.

Sanz Garcia stresses if the FIT test does detect blood, it does not immediately mean you have cancer but people should then get a colonoscopy.

If you’re concerned about colorectal cancer even without family history or higher risk, he said people can look for some common symptoms, including bleeding, an alternation between constipation and diarrhea, abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss.

Yet he noted another reason for early screening is because many people can be asymptomatic.

“The reality is that most of the people that we are seeing in the clinic, they are caught by a screening,” Sanz Garcia said. “They are caught asymptomatic, they are caught because they go for the screening for colorectal cancer.”

— With files from The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) player Jacob Winterton, the older brother of Seattle Kraken center Ryan Winterton, has died after his battle with cancer, the league confirmed in a statement Wednesday. He was 25. 

“The OHL is saddened by news of the passing of former Flint Firebirds and Oshawa Generals forward Jacob Winterton, taken far too soon following a battle with cancer at the age of 25,” the OHL’s statement said. 

Jacob Winterton of the Oshawa Generals skates against the Mississauga Steelheads during a game at Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 25, 2019. (Graig Abel/Getty Images)

“The OHL sends thoughts and condolences to the Winterton family, as well as Jacob’s friends during this difficult time.”

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Winterton, who celebrated a birthday in January, played two seasons in the OHL, including time with the Firebirds during the 2018-19 season and with the Generals during the 2019-20 season. He registered 18 goals, 19 assists and 37 points in 125 games before moving on to play four seasons at the University of Guelph.

“The Oshawa Generals are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former General Jacob Winterton. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and the greater hockey community,” the team said in a statement posted on X. 

“Jacob and his family are in our thoughts today. Condolences from the Firebirds as we lose one of our own far too young,” the team said in a separate post. 

Jacob Winterton of the Oshawa Generals skates with the puck during an OHL game against the Guelph Storm at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ontario, Dec. 15, 2019. (Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)

WILD GM BILL GUERIN CALLS WRITER JESSI PIERCE A ‘RAY OF SUNSHINE’ AFTER HEARTBREAKING DEATH INVOLVING HER KIDS

Ryan Winterton, who followed his brother into the OHL before making his NHL appearance, took a temporary leave of absence to “attend to a family matter,” the team announced Monday.

On Tuesday, Ryan Winterton shared a heartbreaking farewell message to his older brother. 

“Today I lost my best friend. You weren’t just someone I loved, you were someone I looked up to, someone who guided me, believed in me, and helped shape the person I am today. Watching you fight so hard and still having to say goodbye is a pain that never really fades.

Ryan Winterton of the Seattle Kraken skates during warmups before a game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Jan. 14, 2026. (Rich Graessle/NHLI/Getty Images)

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“I’ll miss your voice, your advice, and the way you made everything feel a little less heavy. Some days will be harder than others, but I’ll hold on to the love, the lessons, and the memories you left me with. You’ll always be a part of me, in everything I do. Forever loved, forever missed. Until we meet again Cobs.” 

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While you may have heard old wives’ tales about masturbation being bad for your health, according to science it’s actually the exact opposite.

Research shows that ejaculating as much as once every day can really limit the chances, while another study suggests a staggering 21 orgasms a month reduces a man’s likelihood of prostate cancer by 20%.

This comes as scientists recently revealed global deaths from the disease are likely to double in the next 20 years.

Orgasming 21 times a month yields impressive results for disease prevention, compared to men who come just four to seven times a month, who have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer.

The study, published in European Urology followed 32,000 men for 18 years and found that the more they came, the lower the risk of cancer.

Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women Hospital scientists also found men reap the benefits from ‘me time’ or wet dreams, with daily ejaculation proving an effective form of masturbation or intercourse.

We wish we could tell you why this is the case but the experts aren’t exactly sure. They have theorised though, and Dr. Anne Calvaresi, the chair of the Urology Care Foundation’s Prostate Health Committee, suggests ejaculation may protect the prostate by flushing out harmful chemicals that build up in semen.

She also explains it is possible men who ejaculate more may have healthier lifestyle habits that decrease their odds of being diagnosed with the disease.

So, if you’re looking to up your orgasm quota, we’ve enlisted the help of Dr Gigi Engle, certified sexologist and sex expert at sextoys.co.uk, to give you some interesting ways to spice up your solo masturbation.

First step first, Gigi says to get the prostate involved and it’s something you can do solo or with your other half.

‘Men can have prostate orgasms without stimulation to the penis. The orgasm from your prostate is a full body orgasm, and you feel a tingly sensation all over,’ Gigi tells Metro.

‘To reach it, you insert a finger or toy into the rectum, hooking up towards the belly button. The prostate feels like a rough-textured gland. The receiving partner may enjoy a variety of different types of prostate stimulation – varying from circular motions, to in-and-out penetration. It’s highly subjective and different people enjoy different things.’

An exercise research program for cancer patients has been life-changing for an eighty-year-old Nova Scotian woman.

After being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, Roberta Whiting says she lacked motivation to do much of anything, and had to rely on her wheelchair to get around.

That was until her doctor recommended the Activating Cancer Communities through Exercise Strategy for Survivors (ACCESS) program through Dalhousie University at the QEII hospital in Halifax.

“When you first start, it’s like, oh, I’m so tired,” says Whiting. “But as you keep going, your body says, you’re doing good, keep it up, keep going. And when you walk out of here, you feel good. You’re achy, but you feel good.”

Since starting the 12-week program back in December, she no longer needs her wheelchair and has gone up from lifting five-pound weights to now lifting 10. She has also been able to return to doing what she loves, which is baking.

“I like baking, and I used to make bread, that was out, but since I’ve been here I’ve made one batch of bread, I made one bunch of tea biscuits and I also made a lemon pie,” she adds.

Aidan Nolan, the exercise physiologist and kinesiologist who runs the program twice a week, says he’s proud of the hard work Whiting is doing and how far she’s come since starting the program.

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“She’s always pushing herself. She’s always asking me for more things to do, even when she comes early and I can’t maybe work with her in that moment. She’s just over in the chair doing her warmup exercises, tells me exercises that she’s doing at home between classes,” he says.

He adds that her one goal coming into the program was to be able to bake bread again, and she’s already met that goal. Ultimately, he says, his goal for participants in the program is to provide them with the skills and confidence to continue exercising after the twelve weeks is up.

“It sounds bad, but your goal as an exercise professional is people don’t need you anymore. They feel confident that they can exercise by themselves. They’re not afraid of hurting themselves. They feel strong and capable.”

Since 2018, the ACCESS program has partnered the Nova Scotia Cancer Care Program and has seen over 500 participants come through the program. The program’s goal is to show the benefits exercise can have for people recovering from or seeking treatment for various kinds of cancers.

“The ultimate goal is to give everyone access to this form of treatment that they can use to treat long-term side effects or the long term effects of their cancer or to help them as they’re going through treatment or to even get ready for their treatment,” says Dr. Scott Grandy, one of the co-directors of the Physical Activity and Cancer Lab.

Dr. Melanie Keats, one of the other co-directors for the program and an affiliate scientist with medical oncology, says becoming and staying physically active is important for cancer patients, especially when it comes to survivability, as well as improving physical and mental health.

“For some, it’s potentially a cure. But again, it’s about… the empowerment and the hope and feeling as though that you’re doing everything that you can to care for yourself,” she says, adding the goal is to have exercise included in the standard of care for cancer patients across the board.

“I think one of the biggest things for me is empowerment for a lot of patients,” she continues. “Where this can be very empowering, it can give you an ability to be part of your care, not just a recipient of your care. ”

Currently there are 30 participants in the ACCESS program.

As Whiting comes to the end of her 12 weeks in the program, she wants everyone to know about the program and the benefits it provides.

“I’m 80 years old, and I think it’s good for no matter what age you are, if you can get into it. And I’m glad I was referred to it.”

5:27
First in Canada: Nova Scotia site opens global study to prevent breast cancer recurrence

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Paula Heister taught medicine at Downing College, University of Cambridge

A Cambridge man whose wife died of a brain tumour has described her as “a force of nature”. Chris Jones, 39, lost his wife Paula Heister to glioblastoma on April 26, 2025, when she was 40 – just eight weeks after going to hospital with headaches and numbness on her left side.

A year on from his wife’s death, Chris is taking on the London Marathon to raise money for Brain Tumour Research in her honour. Chris, an academic, said: “Last July, we emigrated from Cambridge to Vienna. We had six months in which we were making our home there, but about two weeks after the final touches to our new flat, Paula’s first physical symptoms presented.

“I watched Paula become weaker and less mobile every day. After her diagnosis, she went from being able to walk outside to the patients’ garden at the hospital to being virtually paralysed, all within the space of a few weeks. Despite Paula’s incredible bravery, the speed of it all was profoundly difficult. A year later, running the London Marathon gives me a positive focus on the anniversary of her death.”

In February 2025, Paula was suffering with strong headaches and experienced numbness in her left hand and through her arm. Blood tests didn’t detect anything, but the numbness began spreading.

Chris said: “When the numb sensation spread to her leg, we rushed back to the hospital. An MRI scan revealed four tumours in the right hemisphere of Paula’s brain. The largest was nearly three centimetres in diameter and was pressing against a region of the brain responsible for motor function.

“The tumours were growing at an alarming rate, and there was no option of either surgery or radiotherapy. Paula spent the next five weeks in hospital, and the final three weeks of her life back at home, cared for by friends and family.

He continued: “Paula was a force of nature. She was incredibly vibrant, analytic, creative, phenomenally generous, and passionate about all that she did. She was teaching at Cambridge, but waiting to resume work as a clinician, in Austria.

“Paula was also a professional illustrator, and was producing her first works for young readers. Just a few weeks before her diagnosis, she had been awarded a visiting fellowship at Harvard University.

“Being told that neither surgery nor radiotherapy were possible was hard to take. Paula was given the chance to have a type of chemotherapy, known as Temozolomide (TMZ), but in many cases this is not effective. Paula celebrated her first chemotherapy pill with a big smile and a sense of triumph, even though she knew this drug was unlikely to make a difference.“

Paula died at home in Vienna on April 26, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer, yet just one percent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since 2002.

Paula had a glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing tumour that is challenging to treat. It’s the most common type of primary high-grade brain tumour in adults, with around 3,200 people diagnosed with it each year in the UK. Glioblastoma patients will almost always see their tumour recur, and when it does, treatment options are limited.

Chris is now in training for the London Marathon. He said: “When I saw the marathon was taking place on the one-year anniversary of Paula’s death and learnt that Brain Tumour Research offered the opportunity to run, I knew I had to go for it. Running suspends my mind from wandering, and it’s helping me deal with the physical effects of grief.

“Running has helped me to keep going, and raising money through the marathon gives me a positive target for that day. Brain Tumour Research supports vital research into brain cancer, and the work of young researchers who dedicate themselves to finding new treatments – Paula would approve.”

The Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London, a university where Paula was once a researcher, is working on developing personalised treatments for glioblastomas in adults. The are discovering gentler, more specific, and effective therapies for childhood brain tumours too including medulloblastoma, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and ependymoma.

Carol Robertson, national events manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Chris’s determination to take on the London Marathon after everything he has been through is truly inspiring. Brain tumours are indiscriminate and devastating, and stories like Paula’s highlight why greater investment in research is so urgently needed.

“We are incredibly grateful to Chris for turning his experience into action and helping us raise vital funds and awareness as we work towards finding a cure.”

You can support Chris’ fundraising campaign here.