Latest News

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VCU Health radiologist Jinxing Yu, M.D., uses magnetic resonance technology to diagnose with more than 90 percent success rate.

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A phase 1 clinical trial testing a novel combination therapy developed by scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center slowed the growth of cancer in the majority of trial participants, which were patients with advanced solid tumors.

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Researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center have uncovered a novel function of the gene PLK1 (polo-like kinase 1) that helps prostate cancer cells metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body. This mechanism highlights new potential targets for cancer therapies and challenges the previous understanding of PLK1’s role in cancer growth and progression.

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VCU Massey Cancer Center researcher David Gewirtz, Ph.D., authored the most highly cited Cancer Research review article published in 2014.

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Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University have developed computer models that can simulate the recovery of the immune system in patients undergoing stem cell transplants.

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Neuroblastoma accounts for the most pediatric deaths for any tumor outside of the brain. The most lethal form of this tumor is often associated with amplification of the gene MYCN, and now VCU scientists may have developed a combination therapy that uses this gene to kill the cancer, instead of making it grow.

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When Michael Hess, M.D., started VCU Massey Cancer Center's Cardio-Oncology Program three years ago, it was the first in the state and one of only a handful in the country. Since then, the program has grown exponentially and is still the only one in Richmond dedicated to protecting the hearts of patients undergoing cancer treatment.

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In response to low national vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV), VCU Massey Cancer Center has joined with the other 68 of the nation’s top cancer centers – National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers – in issuing a statement urging for increased HPV vaccination for the prevention of cancer.

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The gene p53 has been described as the “guardian of the genome” due to its prominent role in preventing genetic mutations. More than half of all cancers are thought to originate from p53 mutations or loss of function, and now a recent study by VCU Massey Cancer Center scientist Richard Moran, Ph.D., explains why.

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Gilda Cardenosa, M.D., is the director of breast imaging at Massey This month, the American Cancer Society (ACS) issued new recommendations regarding breast cancer screening.

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Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers at the VCU Center for the Study of Tobacco Products (CSTP) have developed the first ever, evidence-based model that can predict with up to 90 percent accuracy the amount of nicotine emitted by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette).

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Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers recently conducted a study that found low-income and uninsured women in states that are not expanding their Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid coverage are less likely to receive breast and cervical cancer screenings compared to states that are implementing expansions.

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VCU Massey Cancer Center physician-researcher Charles E. Geyer, Jr., M.D., was the National Protocol Officer for one component of a large national study involving two National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported clinical trials that demonstrated that trastuzumab significantly improves the long-term survival of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients.

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VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers have developed the first and only tool that can quickly and accurately measure cancer health literacy. This tool has the potential to improve communication and understanding between physicians and patients, which, in turn, could lead to better clinical outcomes.

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VCU Massey Cancer Center has taken precision medicine in Virginia to the next level with the introduction of advanced genomic sequencing for the treatment of cancer.

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In preclinical animal models of metastatic prostate cancer, scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions have developed a new molecular imaging approach that could revolutionize doctors’ ability to see tumors that have metastasized to other sites in the body, including the bones.

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While many scientists are trying to prevent the onset of a cancer defense mechanism known as autophagy, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center are leveraging it in a new therapy that causes the process to culminate in cell death rather than survival.

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VCU Massey Cancer Center was awarded a $4.4 million, 5-year, renewable grant from the National Cancer Institute to support a statewide network for cancer clinical research in Virginia that brings state-of-the-art clinical trials to patients in their own communities and emphasizes the inclusion of minorities in clinical trials and a focus on research that addresses cancer disparities.

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Retinoic acid is a form of vitamin A that is used to treat and help prevent the recurrence of a variety of cancers, but for some patients the drug is not effective. The reason for this resistance was unclear until this week when researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center demonstrated that a protein known as AEG-1 blocks the effects of retinoic acid in leukemia and liver cancer. Because AEG-1 is overexpressed in nearly every cancer, these findings could impact the care of countless cancer patients.

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Charles Geyer, M.D., associate director for clinical research and medical oncologist at VCU Massey Cancer Center, can discuss the new standard of care for young women with hormone-receptive breast cancer following practice-changing, international research called SOFT/TEXT that he co-led. Geyer oversaw the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project’s (NSABP) involvement in SOFT when he served as its director of medical affairs from 2004 to 2011.