Latest news with #MarkLewis
Wales Online
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Emergency services descend on Welsh beach as witness hears screams for help
Emergency services descend on Welsh beach as witness hears screams for help One eyewitness said she heard screams for help coming from people in the water off Ogmore on Saturday night There was a heavy emergency services presence at Ogmore beach on Saturday night (Image: Mark Lewis ) A heavy emergency services presence descended on a beach in south Wales on Saturday evening. Eyewitnesses reported South Wales Police officers, the Welsh Ambulance Service, the coastguard and the RNLI were all in attendance at Ogmore beach in the Vale of Glamorgan. Footage seen by WalesOnline showed a helicopter circling the coast at Ogmore above emergency vehicles at the beach which had flashing lights on. Eyewitnesses reported people had been washed out to sea sparking the heavy emergency services presence. One eyewitness said she heard someone who she believed had come off a vehicle in the sea shouting for help. It later emerged that two swimmers had got into difficulty in the water and are now ashore. Lifeboats have since headed back to station having also had to attend two paddleboarders in similar difficulty off Newton. It comes two days after Porthcawl's RNLI volunteer crew had to launch lifeboats to five separate incidents during the afternoon and evening of Thursday, July 10. Four of the launches were to people using stand up paddleboards (SUP's). Launch authority Mike Cinderby said: "Nearly all of the launches on Thursday were to paddleboarders. At least three of those launches were to paddleboarders who were struggling in strong tidal currents and were taken to safety onboard our lifeboats. Article continues below "If you're visiting the coast check conditions and tide times before you go using a trusted online source, such as the Met Office. The Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world. "We are currently experiencing spring tides which increases the speed the tide comes in and causes fast moving tidal currents. This puts the public at great risk of being cut off or getting into difficulty in fast moving tidal currents." On Saturday, which at 33.1C in places was the hottest day in Wales on record since July 2022, the RNLI issued advice to people getting in the water. Article continues below They reminded swimmers of the "float to live" technique which saves lives and which involves the following: Tilt your head back with your ears submerged Relax, breathe normally, and use gentle movements with your hands and legs to stay afloat Don't worry if your legs sink, we all float differently Once you've calmed your breathing and are stable, call for help or swim to safety if you can If you see someone else in trouble in the water, remember: Call, Tell, Throw Call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard Tell them to float on their back Throw them something that floats, such as a life ring or inflatable
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Cosmeston Lakes Aqua Park staff 'intimidated' and 'harassed' by opponents of controversial scheme
Cosmeston Lakes Aqua Park staff 'intimidated' and 'harassed' by opponents of controversial scheme 'All the hard work done by the group and the members of the community so far cannot be discredited by this behaviour and it does not align with any of our values' - the group in charge of organising opposition to the park has said The plans have sparked a backlash (Image: Mark Lewis ) People have been warned not to harass and intimidate staff at the controversial Cosmeston Lakes Aqua Park. Plans to move the Cardiff Bay Aqua Park to the eastern lake at the park near Penarth were unveiled in May with an opening date set for July 5. A trial of the inflatable water course is set to last eight weeks over the summer months. But the plans have sparked fierce backlash from local residents, environmentalists and conservation groups who argue it poses a threat to both public safety and sensitive wildlife habitats. Cosmeston Country Park spans over 100 acres and is home to a range of rare species, including the critically endangered water vole. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Since the plans were announced, a number of peaceful protests have been organised by opponents, including on June 14 when hundreds gathered to form a "human chain" around the lake. Protesters gathered around the lake against the proposals (Image: Mark Lewis ) Then, on June 25, just 10 days before the scheduled opening, a demonstration was planned outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. Article continues below However, the group involved in organising peaceful action against the aqua park has condemned members of the public who "intimidate", "embarrass" or "insult" staff who have been on site setting up the attraction. Save Cosmeston and the Vale shared a statement on Facebook implying that young workers were among those targeted, adding: "We do not condone this." The statement reads: "Just a reminder here that we are not here to intimidate staff of the aqua park or embarrass them, they are not the issue in this battle. "They are merely people trying to earn a living and should not be made uncomfortable in any sort of way. "Especially young people who are just expanding their skill set. We do not condone any harassment / insults / embarrassment to any of the aqua park staff. "Any members of the public that have been known to, or will in the future engage in actions that do this, should know that we do not condone this and will not be associated with the group further. "All the hard work done by the group and the members of the community so far cannot be discredited by this behaviour and it does not align with any of our values or the messages we have put out at any protest. "We believe in legal, respectful and viable methods of opposing the aqua park. Thank you." Article continues below WalesOnline has contacted Aqua Park Group for comment but received no response.
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Wales Airshow 2025 full display run times including Red Arrow flypast
Wales Airshow 2025 full display run times including Red Arrow flypast There are 16 different displays in the line-up this year People come in hundreds of thousands to witness daring displays of aerial prowess (Image: Mark Lewis ) One of Swansea's biggest events each year is the Wales Airshow, and it is set to return this weekend. The airshow attracts over 200,000 locals and visitors from across Wales and beyond that come to see spectacular aerial displays. People also come in to enjoy other festivities on the ground including live music performances, trade stalls and other activities for people across ages. To be held over the course of two days, the event will take place on July 5 and July 6. The site for the airshow will open at 10am until 6pm on both days. The Red Arrows have dazzled audiences in the past (Image: Mark Lewis ) Like previous editions of the Wales Airshow, the famed Red Arrows, known for their aerial prowess, will once again be making an appearance as the headliner along with other popular groups. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here The organisers have now released the schedule of the Air Show, announcing who will be performing, and when: Article continues below Saturday, July 5 The Starlings: 1.25pm Rolls Royce Spitfire: 1:43pm Firebirds: 1.54pm Fairey Swordfish & Wildcat: 2.11pm Fairey Swordfish: 2.18pm Wildcat: 2.29pm Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers: 2.40pm RAF Tutor Display Team: 2.58pm Battle of Britain Memorial Flight: 3.10pm Break: 3.28pm Melanie Astles 300: 3.58pm Team Raven e Gazelle Squadron: 4.10pm Gazelle Squadron: 4.15pm Team Raven: 4.25pm RAF Typhoon: 4.42pm RAF Red Arrows: 5pm Sunday, July 6 RAF Red Arrows: 12pm Melanie Astles 300: 12.32pm Battle of Britain Memorial Flight: 12.45pm Firebirds: 1.06pm Fairey Swordfish & Wildcat: 1.23pm Fairey Swordfish: 1.31pm Wildcat: 1.41pm Break: 1.50pm Rolls Royce Spitfire: 2.35pm The Starlings: 2.46pm RAF Tutor Display Team: 3.04pm Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers: 3.16pm Team Raven e Gazelle Squadron: 3.34 Pm Gazelle Squadron: 3.39 pm Article continues below Team Raven: 3.49pm RAF Typhoon: 4.06pm
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
When you can see the Red Arrows in Wales this weekend
When you can see the Red Arrows in Wales this weekend The daring team is returning to Swansea for the Wales Airshow Red Arrows planes during the last year's display (Image: Mark Lewis ) Swansea's biggest annual event is back and people from across Wales and the UK will soon been flocking to the Swansea Bay to catch a glimpse of the daring aerial displays adorning the city's skies. The Red Arrows who have been a crowd favourite ever since the Wales Airshow's inception will be making appearance once again this year. The team consisting pilots, engineers and essential support staff with frontline, operational experience will be headlining the event. The Wales Airshow attracts over 200,000 people each year with stunning performances being delivered by several air crews, alongwith other entertainment on ground including trade stalls, food and drink, live music performances, and fun activities for all ages. People flock to the Swansea Beach each year to try and catch a glimpse of Red Arrows' display (Image: Mark Lewis ) This year's Wales Airshow, is set to include 16 aerial displays including the famed Red Arrows. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here When will I be able to see Red Arrows? The Wales Airshow is being held over the weekend on Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6 and the performances will be spread throughout the day. Article continues below Audiences will be able to see the daring displays of Red Arrows on the both the days, though at different times. On Saturday, the performances will start at 1.25pm with The Starlings, but the RAF Red Arrows will be the last to perform at 5pm. However, on Sunday the performances will begin at 12pm with the RAF Red Arrows and will finish with the RAF Typhoon at 4.06pm. What ground displays will be there? One of the Royal Navy's two fleet squadron area diving groups will be present on the ground to give a wave through the new Dive Tank ground display for this year. Their day-to-day roles, which combine bomb disposal and underwater diving, make the mine clearance divers of the squadrons some of the most highly skilled and fearless personnel in the Royal Navy. Their work showcases the Royal Navy's ongoing commitment to public safety and maritime traffic. Other showcases from the Armed Services will include: Band of the Prince of Wales Large combat vehicles Information trailers A Swansea Covenant marquee with representatives of service veterans, charities and support groups You can also get inside and explore the replica Red Arrow Hawk The Cadets will also return to Wales Airshow with lots of interactive displays showcasing the many fun activities they get to do as cadets of the services. You can find out more about the event through our comprehensive guide here . Article continues below
Medscape
01-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Emerging Themes in GI Oncology from ASCO 2025
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Hello. I'm Dr Mark Lewis, director of gastrointestinal (GI) oncology at Intermountain Health in Utah. I'm speaking from the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, where we've seen some interesting new data in GI cancers. I always enjoy doing this kind of on-the-ground reporting, and the real reason I love coming to these meetings is, while it's wonderful to network with colleagues, there is true progress in our field that we can take back almost immediately to our clinics to help our patients. There are three themes in GI oncology that I've seen emerge at this meeting. One is the utility or not of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in affecting treatment decisions. The second is the role of immunotherapy in GI oncology, and the third is, I think, a real triumph for targeted therapy in oncology. Addressing the first, and to be honest, most controversial point: Where are we with ctDNA in GI oncology, and most importantly, where are we with these assays in terms of how we counsel our patients? Sometimes what's most important about ASCO is trials that are arguably negative in their findings. This year, it really caught my attention that DYNAMIC-III sort of turned over the apple carton terms of ctDNA-informed approaches to colon cancer. The design of this study was looking at patients with stage III colon cancer and using a ctDNA-informed approach in a randomized fashion to see if we should be escalating chemotherapy in patients who have a positive ctDNA signal. The randomization was against the standard of care. For years, I think there has been a false binary between using modern ctDNA technology and our traditional clinicopathologic criteria. After all, the whole way we classify stage III colon cancer is based on TNM staging, so that remains the foundation. What we are trying to discern together, and especially together with our patients, is when it is appropriate for this technology to be layered on top of traditional clinicopathologic criteria and thus affect treatment decision-making. The takeaway from this trial for me, especially since recurrence-free survival was worse for the ctDNA-informed cohort vs the standard of care, was that this is a prognostic assay, but not necessarily predictive. Patients who have a ctDNA signal that is positive who had escalation of their adjuvant therapy did not seem to benefit from the addition of, say, irinotecan to a traditional fluoropyrimidine and platinum doublet. Interestingly, also, I think this study validated that roughly one third — maybe no more than 30% — of stage III colon cancer patients have a positive ctDNA signal. My takeaway, again, is we're sort of going back to the future. It was the MOSAIC trial that was published in June 2004 that established the current standard of care for how we approach adjuvant therapy in stage III colon cancer. Now, slightly over two decades later, we really have not made vast improvements in the field, and ctDNA is wonderful, but it is not entirely supplanting the understanding we've had since MOSAIC and since IDEA. Without getting too into the weeds, I'll also point out that I think the statistical design here was ambitious. The hazard ratio in this particular trial, DYNAMIC-III, was frankly suggestive of the fact the study might have been underpowered, enrolling just over 200 patients, whereas MOSAIC had over 2000 to reach its practice-changing conclusions. Watch out for upcoming studies such as CIRCULATE-US and NRG-GI008, which will again use ctDNA negativity to look at de-escalation and ctDNA positivity to look at escalation. Until that trial matures, I don't think this assay is actually going to change the standard-of-care approach to stage III colon cancer in the United States. The second point I'd like to make is about immunotherapy. I love the fact that when patients come to me, and I've been described before our first visit as a chemotherapy doctor, I can tell them that there's more to medical oncology than indiscriminate cytotoxicity. We are truly in the era where immunotherapy has a role to play in a variety of GI cancers. We heard at the ASCO plenary session that immunotherapy has a major role to play now in adjuvant therapy for stage III colon cancer with mismatch repair deficiency. The ATOMIC trial showed a significant 3-year disease-free survival benefit using atezolizumab along with traditional FOLFOX chemotherapy to help patients in the adjuvant setting. The MATTERHORN study showed the advantage of using durvalumab atop FLOT in the perioperative setting in gastric cancer. So two different GI histologies, but a huge role now for immunotherapy in this space. Finally, dealing with metastatic colorectal cancer, the maturation of CheckMate-8HW shows that the ipilimumab-nivolumab (ipi-nivo) doublet definitely has a role to play in the metastatic setting. This has been interesting because when I think about immunotherapy trials that have changed my practice, the one I keep coming back to is KEYNOTE-177. It was such a triumph at the time of its publication and remains so. What's sobering to realize, though, is that as more time has elapsed since KEYNOTE-177 matured, the 5-year survival rate of the pembrolizumab arm remains about 60%. Also, you might remember that the initial survival curve dipped below the chemotherapy arm before it plateaued and improved for immunotherapy. There are certainly some patients who need an earlier, more aggressive response. Enter ipi-nivo. What I like about this trial is that the ipilimumab dosing seems quite conservative, at 1 mg/kg, with four exposures to that agent before nivolumab continues by itself. That's appealing to those of us who have always had some reservations about using an anti-CTLA-4 approach. The very first time I ever used immunotherapy in any setting was during fellowship. It was 2011, and it was ipilimumab in the setting of metastatic melanoma. I watched in amazement as this patient's disease melted away, but at a dose then of 10 mg/kg, the endocrinopathy was significant. I also watched as my patient suffered from pan-hypopituitarism. For medical oncologists who are understandably tentative about anti-CTLA-4 as a mechanism, the question is always, is the juice worth the squeeze? Here, you do get a higher response rate from ipi-nivo than you would with nivolumab alone for patients who, say, might be on the verge of visceral crisis and need a faster initial response. Finally, I want to talk about targeted therapy. I think what was incredible about ASCO this year is realizing just how much progress we're making with BRAF -mutant colon cancer. We have known for a very long time that this mutation confers a worse prognosis, and we've often wondered whether it's appropriate to treat these patients sequentially or should we take the BREAKWATER-informed approach of giving them encorafenib, cetuximab, a fluoropyrimidine, and a platinum upfront — arguably a quadruplet. I think the answer from this meeting is a resounding yes— a doubling of median overall survival from 15 to 30 months by essentially frontloading all of the effective treatment and not trying to do it in sequential lines of therapy. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Really, what this means is we have to know as soon as possible that we're dealing with a BRAF mutation. There are certain clinical phenotypes that we look for — more aggressive disease, carcinoembryonic antigen rising in the right colon — but this is proof, once again, that the oncologist without the pathologist is blind. I cannot take proper care of my patients without a fully biomarker informed approach, and I can't wait for these test results to come back. This study allowed for at least early exposure to FOLFOX alone while BRAF mutation results were maturing, but we really need to partner with a pathologist and understand metastatic disease in GI the same way we would understand it in metastatic breast cancer. There is not a single breast cancer oncologist I know who would try treating their patients without knowing estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status. I think we are absolutely at the point in GI oncology where it should be unacceptable to treat our patients without knowing KRAS , NRAS , BRAF , and arguably HER2 status, and certainly mismatch repair or microsatellite instability status. The final targeted therapy triumph at this ASCO looked at DESTINY-Gastric04. DESTINY has been an interesting suite of trials looking at the role of trastuzumab deruxtecan in a variety of HER2-positive cancers. I vividly remember the plenary session several years ago where the data for DESTINY-Breast04 earned a standing ovation. I was one of those people who stood up as a GI oncologist because I could see how this was going to help patients with HER2-positive disease across various primary sites. What we learned at this meeting with the maturation of DESTINY-Gastric04 is this drug particularly seems to outperform traditional second-line therapies such as ramucirumab-paclitaxel. There are downsides. This drug famously (or infamously) causes interstitial lung disease in about 1 in 7 patients. It's also absolutely vital to re-biopsy at time of progression to ensure that the HER2 target for this antibody-drug conjugate is still there. HER2 heterogeneity remains something we haven't fully grappled with, but I find that my patients, when I explain the role of a targeted therapy, are generally willing to undergo another liver biopsy —if they understand the lock and key hypothesis between the HER2 mutation and a drug such as trastuzumab deruxtecan. To sum up, from ASCO 2025 for GI oncology, the three main areas I see of progress, at least in our understanding, are number one, circulating tumor DNA remaining prognostic, but likely not predictive at this point; number two, immunotherapy having a major role to play now in the adjuvant colon cancer setting as well as in perioperative gastric cancer management; and number three, targeted therapy with BREAKWATER really becoming, I think, the standard of care in the first line for BRAF V600E-mutant colon cancer and trastuzumab deruxtecan making a strong play for second-line therapy in HER2-positive gastric cancer. This has been Mark Lewis, the director of medical oncology for gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Healthcare, reporting for Medscape from ASCO 2025. Thank you.
