CancerFax
Cancer Knowledge Hub β€” Expert-reviewed insights

Cancer insights that inform better decisions

Step-by-step guides, research summaries, and treatment overviews β€” reviewed by oncology navigators and written clearly for patients, families, and caregivers.

From newly diagnosed to relapsed and refractory β€” we publish what patients actually need to understand their options.

Browse all insights
Talk to a navigatorWhatsApp
Reviewed by oncology navigators Updated regularly 50+ countries reached Clinically grounded

What are you looking for today?

CAR-T therapyClinical trial eligibilityBiomarkersSecond opinionProton therapy
What you'll find here

Insights built for complex decisions

CancerFax Insights exists because cancer patients face decisions that are genuinely hard β€” not because of lack of will, but because the information landscape is fragmented, fast-moving, and often written for clinicians, not families.

Every insight published here is reviewed by our oncology navigation team before it goes live. We focus on the questions patients actually ask us: What is this treatment? Who qualifies? What should I prepare? What should I ask my doctor?

Use the search and filters below to find what's most relevant to your situation.

Featured insight

This week's editor's pick

Treatment guide

A practical walk-through for patients and families evaluating CAR-T, TIL, and other advanced cell therapies.

Step-by-step patient guide

CAR-T therapy: what families need to ask their oncologist

Before agreeing to CAR-T therapy, families need to understand eligibility criteria, the manufacturing timeline, expected side effects, and what happens if the therapy fails. This guide walks through every question your team should be able to answer.

Reviewed by oncology team8 min read
Read insight
What we cover

Six insight categories

Browse by the topic most relevant to where you are in your cancer journey right now.

01

Treatment guides

Compare options, evaluate trade-offs, understand what questions to ask before agreeing to a specific protocol.

CAR-TImmunotherapyGene therapy
Browse treatment insights 02

Clinical trial insights

How trial matching works, eligibility logic explained, document checklists, and what to expect during screening.

EligibilityMutation matchPhase II
Read trial insights 03

Precision oncology

NGS testing, biomarker-based treatment matching, liquid biopsy, tumour mutation burden, and targeted therapy guides.

NGSLiquid biopsyBiomarkers
Open precision insights 04

International care

Cross-border treatment pathways, China and India access, visa planning, cost estimates, and logistics walk-throughs.

China accessIndiaCost planning
Explore international care 05

Caregiver & family

Practical guides for families, partners, and adult children walking alongside someone in cancer treatment.

CaregivingRecordsCommunication
Find caregiver guides 06

Second opinions

How to prepare records, frame clinical questions, compare opinions, and navigate specialist review across borders.

Records prepCross-borderQuestions
Plan a second opinion
Cancer insights library

Browse the full library

Search, filter, and explore all published insights β€” by cancer type, treatment category, clinical trial readiness, or stage of your journey.

Search across cancer types, treatments, mutations, drugs, and trials

Topic

9 of 14 insights

insight

insight

Colorectal Cancer Treatment Guide

Colorectal cancer treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, local treatment for liver or lung metastases, or clinical trials. Early-stage colon cancer is often treated mainly with surgery, while rectal cancer may need radiation or chemotherapy before surgery. Advanced disease requires biomarker testing because MSI-H/dMMR tumors may respond to immunotherapy, while RAS, BRAF, HER2, or NTRK results can guide targeted treatment. CancerFax helps patients organize reports, check suitability, obta

5 minMay 15Reviewed
Precision Oncology

Precision Oncology

Genes Commonly Tested in Cancer

The most clinically significant cancer genes vary by tumour type. In NSCLC: EGFR (10-15%), ALK (3-5%), KRAS G12C (13%), RET (1-2%), MET exon 14 (3-4%). In breast cancer: HER2 (15-20%), PIK3CA (40% of HR+), BRCA1/2 (5-10%). In colorectal: RAS (50%), BRAF V600E (8-10%), MSI-H (5% metastatic). Having a working map of which genes are actionable transforms an NGS report from an intimidating document into something navigable.

9 minApr 16Reviewed
Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer immunotherapy eligibility comes down to one molecular feature: mismatch repair (MMR) status. Patients with dMMR/MSI-H tumors β€” about 5% of metastatic CRC β€” have pembrolizumab approved as first-line therapy. For the majority with pMMR/MSS tumors, checkpoint inhibitors have not demonstrated benefit in standard practice. MMR/MSI testing at diagnosis is recommended for all colorectal cancer patients.

7 minApr 16Reviewed
Pediatric Cancer Advanced Therapy

Pediatric Cancer Advanced Therapy

Immunotherapy for Pediatric Cancer

Dinutuximab (anti-GD2) for high-risk neuroblastoma: proven survival benefit. Checkpoint inhibitors for Hodgkin lymphoma. Blinatumomab (bispecific T-cell engager) for B-ALL. Tumour-agnostic pembrolizumab for MSI-H/TMB-high. Most pediatric tumours are cold β€” adult checkpoint results dont translate uniformly.

10 minApr 16Reviewed
Rare Cancer Treatments

Rare Cancer Treatments

Immunotherapy for Rare Cancers

MSI-H/TMB-high rare cancers: strongest checkpoint response (pembrolizumab approved tumour-agnostically). Mesothelioma: nivolumab+ipilimumab first-line standard (CheckMate 743). Merkel cell carcinoma: high checkpoint response. ASPS: ~25% ORR despite low PD-L1. Chinese PD-1 inhibitors (camrelizumab, sintilimab, tislelizumab) at substantially lower co

11 minApr 16Reviewed
Stage 4 Cancer

Stage 4 Cancer

Immunotherapy for Stage 4 Cancer

Immunotherapy is not a universal stage 4 cancer treatment -- it is a precisely applicable one. Pembrolizumab is approved for MSI-H/dMMR tumours of any cancer type, TMB-high solid tumours, and multiple specific cancer types. PD-L1 expression, MSI status, and TMB together determine immunotherapy eligibility. Durable complete responses documented in melanoma have been maintained for 5+ years after stopping treatment.

9 minApr 16Reviewed
Precision Oncology

Precision Oncology

MSI Testing Explained

MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high) is the molecular feature with the most far-reaching clinical consequence per positive result. Any solid tumour with MSI-H status qualifies for pembrolizumab under the first-ever tumour-agnostic drug approval (2017). For MSI-H metastatic colorectal cancer, pembrolizumab is now preferred first-line over chemotherapy. MSI testing is recommended universally at colorectal cancer diagnosis.

8 minApr 16Reviewed
Precision Oncology

Precision Oncology

NGS Testing for Rare Cancers

Rare cancer patients who have been told that limited options exist should know: the question precision oncology asks is not whether your cancer type has a matched drug, but whether your tumour carries a molecular feature that has a matched drug regardless of cancer type. Tumour-agnostic approvals (MSI-H, NTRK fusions, TMB-high, RET fusions) apply to any solid tumour carrying the feature.

8 minApr 16Reviewed
Stage 4 Cancer

Stage 4 Cancer

Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Stage 4 colorectal cancer treatment is built on molecular testing results that determine which treatments are appropriate and which are not. RAS mutation status excludes anti-EGFR antibodies. MSI-H status (5% of metastatic CRC) opens pembrolizumab as first-line therapy. BRAF V600E requires the encorafenib plus cetuximab combination. Oligometastatic liver disease in selected patients can achieve long-term control or cure.

10 minApr 16Reviewed
By stage of journey

Find insights for your situation

Where are you in your cancer journey? Find insights matched to your current situation.

Newly diagnosed

Understand your diagnosis, staging, reports, and first-line options before making major decisions.

Read newly-diagnosed insights

Treatment not working

Explore second opinions, molecular testing, clinical trials, and international advanced options.

Explore next-step insights

Looking for clinical trials

Learn how trial matching, eligibility review, and mutation-based screening actually work.

View clinical trial insights

Comparing countries

Understand how destination, treatment availability, cost, and expertise shape cross-border decisions.

Compare destinations
Deep dives

Advanced insight groups

Curated reading lists for patients going deep into a specific treatment category or clinical question.

Cell & gene therapy

Living medicines, re-engineered

Precision oncology

Treatment matched to biology

Advanced radiation & local therapies

Targeted at the tumour, not the body

Treatment categories

Browse by treatment type

Explore insights and guides organised by the treatment modality most relevant to your case.

CAR T-cell therapyTIL therapyCancer immunotherapyTargeted therapyProton therapyBNCTGene therapyCAR-NK therapyOncolytic virus therapyRadioligand therapyHIFUTACETAREHIPECBone marrow transplantRobotic cancer surgery
By cancer type

Insights by cancer type

Find content specific to your diagnosis β€” from treatment overviews to clinical trial access and second opinion guidance.

Lung cancerBreast cancerLiver cancerGastric cancerColorectal cancerPancreatic cancerProstate cancerOvarian cancerCervical cancerLeukemiaLymphomaMultiple myelomaNeuroblastomaSarcomaBrain tumours

Clinical trial access

Access to trials unavailable at home

CancerFax connects patients with clinical trials in China, India, and leading global centres β€” including phase I and II trials closed to international enrolment through standard channels.

Browse clinical trials Talk to a navigator

500+

active clinical trials across China, India, and leading global centres

40+

cancer types with current advanced therapy access pathways

12+

years of patient navigation experience in cross-border oncology

Curated reading

Editor's picks

Insights our navigation team recommends most often to patients starting their research.

01

CAR-T therapy: what families need to ask their oncologist

Treatment guide Β· 8 min

02

International second opinion: a step-by-step preparation checklist

Second opinion Β· 6 min

03

Understanding NGS reports: a patient-friendly guide

Precision oncology Β· 10 min

04

When standard treatment stops working: what to do next

Clinical trials Β· 7 min

05

China clinical trials: eligibility and how to apply

Clinical trials Β· 9 min

06

Liquid biopsy explained: how it guides treatment decisions

Precision oncology Β· 5 min

A note from the CancerFax team

Why we publish independently

CancerFax Insights is editorially independent of the hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and treatment centres we work with. Our navigation team writes what patients need to hear β€” not what any institution wants them to read.

That means we tell patients when a treatment is likely out of reach, when a clinical trial has closed, and when the evidence for a new therapy is still thin. We believe informed patients make better decisions and have better outcomes β€” even when the honest answer is harder to hear.

β€” CancerFax oncology navigation team

Questions

About CancerFax Insights

How our content is produced, reviewed, and how to use it effectively.

What kind of insights does CancerFax publish?
CancerFax publishes expert-reviewed, patient-facing content covering advanced cancer treatments, clinical trials, precision oncology, international care pathways, and caregiver guidance. Every insight is reviewed by our oncology navigation team before publication.
Are these insights written for patients or medical professionals?
Our insights are written primarily for patients, families, and caregivers β€” but are clinically grounded enough to be a useful reference for healthcare professionals. We aim for clarity without oversimplification.
How often is content updated?
Insights are reviewed and updated regularly, especially when new clinical data or trial results change the standard of care. The last review date is shown on each article.
Can I use these insights to make treatment decisions?
Our insights are educational β€” they help you understand options, ask better questions, and prepare for medical consultations. They do not replace the advice of your treating oncologist. If you need structured guidance for your specific case, our navigation team can help.
How do I find insights relevant to my cancer type?
Use the search bar above to filter by cancer type, treatment name, mutation, or stage. You can also browse by topic category using the filter pills, or use the cancer type tags in the sidebar.
Ready to go further?

Get personalised guidance for your case

Our oncology navigators review your medical records, explain your options in plain language, and help you access the right specialists, trials, and treatment centres β€” wherever you are in the world.

Talk to a navigator Browse clinical trials

Every navigation request is reviewed by a qualified oncology professional. We do not recommend treatments without reviewing your medical records.