Highlights

1. The evolution of renal cell carcinoma classification: Transitioning from morphology to molecular precision medicine This authoritative review outlines the major paradigm shift in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) classification, moving from traditional morphology-based assessment to modern molecularly informed frameworks aligned with the latest World Health Organization (WHO) standards. It traces the historical evolution of RCC taxonomy and integrates key histopathological, immunohistochemical, and genomic advances into a clear, clinically relevant narrative. Major RCC subtypes are systematically defined, with emphasis on their distinguishing pathological and molecular features and their direct implications for diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic decision-making. Written with clarity and strong clinical orientation, the review serves as a valuable reference for pathologists, urologists, oncologists, and trainees, underscoring the central role of accurate classification in guiding personalized management of renal tumors in the era of molecular diagnostics.1 2. Advancing treatment for recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer: Clinical outcomes of compassionate boron neutron capture therapy This retrospective study evaluates compassionate-use boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer who had exhausted standard treatments. Recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) after definitive radiotherapy is notoriously difficult to manage, with few effective salvage options and high toxicity risks. The study provides real‑world data on treatment parameters, clinical outcomes, and safety profiles of BNCT in this challenging setting. Despite the small cohort, BNCT achieved meaningful tumor responses with acceptable toxicity and no catastrophic complications such as carotid blowout syndrome. The presence of a long-term survivor further supports its potential as a salvage therapy. This work highlights Taiwan’s leadership in advanced particle therapy and offers valuable insights for future BNCT protocol development and clinical trials.2 3. Optimizing adjuvant therapy for gastric cancer: The differential impact of chemoradiotherapy following R0 and non-R0 resection This real‑world study clarifies the clinical role of adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for stage III gastric cancer after D2 lymphadenectomy by stratifying patients according to resection margin status. Using a large institutional cohort and robust propensity score matching, the authors demonstrate that CCRT provides a meaningful overall survival benefit for patients with non‑R0 resection, whereas those who achieve R0 resection gain no additional advantage compared with chemotherapy alone. These findings support a more individualized, risk‑adapted approach and argue against the routine use of radiotherapy in all surgically treated patients. Methodologically rigorous and clinically relevant, the study reinforces current guideline recommendations and offers valuable Asian real‑world evidence to inform multidisciplinary decision‑making and future treatment planning in gastric cancer.3 4. Deciphering the malignant progression of anaplastic thyroid cancer: A single-cell omics study on Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS)-overexpressing fibroblasts This study uses single-cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing to uncover a distinct subpopulation of KRAS viral oncogene homolog‑overexpressing cancer‑associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), a highly aggressive malignancy. These KRAS‑positive CAFs, enriched in ATC but absent in papillary thyroid carcinoma, were shown through integrated functional experiments to promote tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via activation of the RAS/RAF/MAPK signaling pathway. The inhibitory effect of a KRAS blocker further supports their mechanistic role and therapeutic relevance. By revealing a previously unrecognized stromal driver of ATC progression, this work highlights how single‑cell technologies can identify actionable microenvironmental targets and provides important insights for developing future stromal‑directed interventions in precision oncology.4 5. Deep learning-based detection of bucket-handle meniscal tears: A comparative study with orthopedic surgeons This study demonstrates the strong performance of a deep learning model for detecting bucket‑handle meniscal tears using composite knee radiographs, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.844 and performing comparably to, and in some metrics surpassing, experienced orthopedic surgeons. By training convolutional neural networks on curated radiographic datasets and directly benchmarking them against surgeon interpretations, the authors provide a rigorous evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI)‑assisted musculoskeletal imaging. The model’s ability to identify subtle radiographic cues challenges the assumption that soft‑tissue injuries cannot be reliably detected on radiographs. These findings have important implications for emergency and resource‑limited settings where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) access is constrained, highlighting the potential of AI to enhance triage, accelerate decision‑making, and support practical, deployable diagnostic workflows in orthopedic care.5 6. Cholecystokinin as a potential driver of sarcopenia: Mechanistic insights from clinical data and myoblast models This study links elevated circulating cholecystokinin (CCK) levels with sarcopenia in older adults and integrates clinical findings with mechanistic in vitro experiments to clarify CCK’s role in muscle degeneration. Clinically, older adults with sarcopenia exhibited higher CCK levels, while cellular assays showed that CCK impairs myogenesis by inhibiting myotube fusion and reducing the expression of essential muscle proteins. Although CCK did not remain an independent predictor after multivariable adjustment, the convergent clinical and experimental evidence supports a biologically meaningful role of age-related muscle loss. By highlighting an underexplored gut–muscle axis, the study broadens current understanding beyond nutritional and inflammatory pathways and opens new avenues for biomarker development and therapeutic strategies targeting hormonal regulation of muscle health in an aging population.6 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Dr. Jong-Ling Fuh, an editorial board member at the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, had no role in the peer review process or decision to publish this article.