In May, eight new articles entered our top ten most read list. The Top 10 is compiled based on full text views, including downloads of the full article PDFs.
Assessment of the impact of multi-cancer early detection test screening intervals on late-stage cancer at diagnosis and mortality using a state-transition model
Our most read new entry examined the diagnostic and prognostic potential of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test screening. Expanding on the current model (MCED and usual care for persons aged 50-79 years), Rous et al., modelled time to cancer diagnosis and patient mortality with MCED screening undertaken using different screening schedules. Using published MCED performance measures and population cancer data from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results programme, the findings indicate that annual and biennial screening with an MCED test have the potential to intercept 31–49% of cancers at stage I-II that would otherwise present at stage III-IV and improve patient outcomes (17-21% fewer deaths within 5 years than usual care). The authors conclude that although annual screening provided more overall benefit than biennial screening, the optimal choice of screening interval will depend on assessments of real-world cancer survival and the costs of post-MCED confirmatory testing.
Association between herpes simplex virus type 1 and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a retrospective case-control study
At number two in our Top 10, Lie et al. investigated the association between herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In a retrospective matched case–control study using data from the US IQVIA PharMetrics Plus claims database, the authors found that patients over 75 years of age had the highest risk of Alzheimer’s disease associated with symptomatic HSV-1, and of those diagnosed with HSV-1, treatment with antiherpetics was associated with a reduced risk. The authors report that, although this study likely captured only a small proportion of the total population with HSV-1 infection, the results highlight the importance of HSV prevention and the need for further work to determine the role of such neurotropic viruses in the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease.
A phase I, open-label, multicentre, first-in-human study to evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of AMG 404, a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumours
At number five in our Top 10, the results of a first-in-human phase I study of AMG 404, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), in patients with advanced solid tumours are reported. In this study involving 168 patients, Price et al. report that AMG 404 monotherapy at doses of 240 mg, 480 mg and 1050 mg administered every four weeks showed no dose-limiting toxicities and was generally well tolerated. Although the study was not powered to compare tumour types and the sample sizes for some of the treatment groups were small, the observed adverse events, pharmacokinetic profiles, and biomarker trends of AMG 404 were in line with prior studies of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
***
Below are the top ten most-read papers in BMJ Open during May 2025:
*Most read figures are based on pdf downloads and full text views. Abstract views are excluded.