Focus: Cancer Center Featured Story 2

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Colon cancer patients who have a healthy body weight, exercise regularly and eat a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables have a significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence or death, according to a research team led by UC San Francisco investigators. This finding represents an analysis of data collected on patients participating in a national study for people with stage III colon cancer.

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Younger women may face higher costs for breast cancer care than older patients at least in part because they're diagnosed when tumors are more advanced and require more aggressive treatment, a recent U.S. study suggests.

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African Americans and other minorities are at a higher risk for certain types of cancer, yet they continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials for drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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A new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found that surgeons’ use of a new imaging test is influenced by the practice style of their peers.

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FDA approves brigatinib as a second-line therapy for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer

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A University of Colorado Cancer Center clinical trial is now recruiting prostate cancer patients who would otherwise be on a watch-and-wait protocol to test the ability of grape seed extract to slow the rise of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common marker of prostate cancer progression.

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An interim analysis of a phase I clinical trial examining a surgical procedure to remove the prostate and prostate cancer in men whose disease has spread (metastatic) shows the operation is safe and feasible in carefully selected patients.

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Patients with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) usually have a poor prognosis. In part, this is due to the cancer’s ability to resist anti-androgen therapy. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today [May 3] in Oncotarget shows that combining a CPT1A inhibitors with anti-androgen therapy increases the cancer’s sensitivity to the anti-androgen drug enzalutamide.

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The loss of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN has been linked to tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance in the almost invariably lethal brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Now, Ludwig researchers have shown that one way to override the growth-promoting effects of PTEN deletion is, surprisingly, to inhibit a separate tumor suppressor gene.

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As published in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a Gundersen Health System study found that most patients look for guidance on physical activity during cancer care, but oncologists do not feel equipped to give recommendations.

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Seattle Cancer Care Alliance experts are available to discuss new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines related to thyroid cancer screening for adults, risk factors and treatment options.

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Mothers infected with malaria during pregnancy can pass more of their own cells to their baby and change the infant’s risk of later infection, a new study shows.

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The free Art of the Scarf workshop to teaches women how to tie, wrap or twist scarves for headwear. The workshop at The UNM Cancer Center is open to all patients, survivors with long-term hair loss, and caregivers. It is offered free of charge but reservations are required.

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Blavatnik fund to speed discoveries to patients

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Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) has reached a major milestone in bringing personalized treatments to more cancer patients. Michael Berger, PhD, Ahmet Zehir, PhD, and colleagues have reported an in-depth analysis of the first 10,336 patients whose tumors were submitted for clinical genomic sequencing by MSK-IMPACT™, a powerful diagnostic test developed at MSK to provide detailed genetic information about a patient’s cancer.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center named eight innovative researchers to the second annual class of Andrew Sabin Family Fellows at a luncheon today attended by Andrew Sabin, of East Hampton, New York, and representatives of the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation. The Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship Program provides $100,000 in funding per fellow over two years through a $30 million endowed gift to encourage research creativity, independent thinking and high-impact cancer research.

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The eighth annual “Polly’s Run” raises awareness for pancreatic cancer, honors pancreatic cancer survivors and all those who face the disease, and raises money for pancreatic cancer research. Albuquerque Pet Memorial Services sponsors the event. All proceeds benefit The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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A new meta-analysis by a team from Roswell Park Cancer Institute demonstrates that Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs are effective in patients requiring many abdominal and pelvic operations, not just those undergoing colorectal surgeries.

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A targeted drug whose clinical testing was led by Richard Stone, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has become the first new treatment for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in more than 25 years.

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Machine learning (or coding) could help reduce false positives from mammography screening, according to an article study published online in the May 4, 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Oncology. The national coding competition known as the DREAM Challenge, launched during the inauguration of Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Challenge, may help mitigate this harm associated with routine screening.

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The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has approved funding of a new research grant totaling $792,000 to a researcher at Yale University.

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SBP researcher Ranjan Perera uncovered the M.O. of a mysterious lncRNA molecule called SPRIGHTLY that acts as a hub for cancer-related genes in the nucleus. The study identified “major” RNA binding partners – genes already implicated in a variety of cancers. In a mouse model of melanoma, tumors with reduced SPRIGHTLY grew more slowly, indicating use as a therapeutic target or biomarker. Science Advances.

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On Monday, the Yale School of Medicine, partnering with Yale New Haven Hospital, took the next step toward personalized medicine, cutting the ribbon on its Center for Genome Analysis on Yale’s West Campus.

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Some types of sarcomas elicit a greater immune response than others, which sheds light on how immunotherapy could be used for this connective-tissue cancer, according to a new study in Cancer. Photos, video available: http://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/media-relations/bios-photos/pollack-seth.html

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Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is thrilled to welcome Dr. Theresa M. McDonnell as the Alliance’s new Chief Nurse Executive, Vice President of Clinical Operations. She will be responsible for overseeing all nursing staff, guiding patient care delivery, ensuring staff accountability for providing a patient-centered clinical practice environment, and overseeing general clinical quality and patient safety.

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A shorter course of radiation therapy given to breast cancer patients following mastectomy is safe and effective and cuts treatment time in half. That is according to data from a phase II clinical trial conducted by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigators and other colleagues who examined a hypofractionated regimen given over three weeks versus the traditional six week course of treatment.

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This week at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress, experts from The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins present results of a patient safety initiative to administer vincristine via IV mini-bag, rather than syringe, echoing NCCN’s Just Bag It Campaign.

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Navigating a treatment path for cancer can be challenging for many patients, especially coordination of appointments between multiple practitioners. Combine that with a wealth of information about the disease which may not be easy to understand and there exists the potential for poor health outcomes. Nurses at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey explored both topics in order to further enhance the patient experience. Their findings are being presented as part of a poster session at the Oncology Nursing Society’s Annual Congress being held this week.

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The American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR, announced that Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s Dr. Nancy Davidson, an internationally acclaimed breast cancer oncologist, is among its newly elected class of Fellows of the AACR Academy.

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Radiotherapy alone is often used to treat early-stage glottic cancer (ESGC), a cancer of the vocal chords, however, the optimal radiation treatment schedule remains unknown, until now.

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Patients who expressed the tumor antigen NY-ESO-1 had more aggressive cancers and were more likely to die early from their disease, according to a large study conducted by Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers and published online ahead of print in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital joins Houston restaurants and businesses to host its second annual Prom Party Palooza, a prom for teen cancer patients and their families. The glamorous night takes place at MD Anderson on Saturday, April 29 from 6 to 9 p.m.

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A biopolymer structure enriched with nutrients shows how immunotherapy could be adapted for solid tumors, according to study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Second cancers in children and adolescents and young adults (AYA) are far deadlier than they are in older adults and may partially account for the relatively poor outcomes of cancer patients ages 15-39 overall, a new study by UC Davis researchers has found."Second Primary Malignant Neoplasms and Survival in Adolescent and Adult Cancer Survivors" is published today in JAMA Oncology.

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An early round of clinical testing shows that users of Opdivo, a drug sanctioned for treatment of small-cell lung cancer, more than tripled their five-year survival rate beyond the statistical average.

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After studying viruses for 15 years, Dr. Anthony van den Pol believes he has found one that can safely and effectively kill chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.

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The NCCN Radiation Therapy Compendium™, launched in March 2017, provides a single access point for radiation therapy recommendations within 33 NCCN Guidelines®.

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Select breast cancer patients who achieved pathologic complete response (pCR) after chemotherapy may be able to avoid follow-up breast and lymph node, or axillary, surgery, according to new findings from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study, published today in JAMA Surgery, identifies the exceptional responders who are at lowest risk for local metastases and thereby are candidates for less invasive treatment options.

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Small trial uses chloroquine to nix the process of "autophagy" that some cancer cells use to resist treatment, resensitzing glioblastoma to targeted therapy

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Oncology community professionals are concerned about the ability of their patients to access cancer screening and treatment under the proposed American Health Care Act, according to a survey conducted March 23–25, 2017 at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 22nd Annual Conference: Improving the Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency of Cancer Care™ at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Lion Biotechnologies, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel cancer immunotherapies based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) technology, today announced a multi-year strategic alliance agreement involving multi-arm clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TIL therapy in ovarian, various sarcomas, and pancreatic cancers.

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Karen Burns White, Deputy Associate Director of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s (DF/HCC) Initiative to Eliminate Cancer Disparities (IECD) since 2001, has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2017 recipient of the society’s Reducing Health Disparities Award. The honor recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to reducing health disparities due to race, socioeconomic status, age, education, or sexual orientation.

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Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has been recognized as a “Top 100 Great Hospital in America” by Becker's Hospital Review.

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The Global Health Catalyst Cancer Summit is an annual event that provides a forum for global health stakeholders to network, share knowledge and strengthen high-impact international collaborations that save lives while reducing global health disparities. Participants at the GHC Summit come from all across North America, Europe, Africa, and other impacted nations. Participants include leaders from the World Health Organization, World Bank Group, policy makers, Diaspora organizations, community leaders, U.S. congressional representatives, internationally recognized physicians and researchers, industry, professional sports celebrities and other cancer advocates.

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For the fifth time in five years, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has been recognized as a leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equity by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. The distinction is achieved through evaluation by the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), an annual survey that measures inclusive policies and practices related to LGBT patients, visitors, and staff at nearly 600 medical facilities nationwide.

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During this National Minority Health Month, there is a focus on bridging health equity in our communities including ensuring minority populations have access to high quality cancer screenings and treatments, adequate insurance coverage and other services. Health disparities researcher Jennifer Tsui, PhD of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey shares some insight.

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Luis A. Diaz, MD, has been named the Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). An accomplished physician, pioneering researcher, and leader in the field of clinical oncology, Dr. Diaz most recently served as an associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.