Focus: Cancer Center Featured Story 2

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The NCCN 2023 Annual Conference took place in-person in Orlando and virtually, with a particular focus on human connection. That connection was underscored with more than 2,000 registrants from across the continuum of cancer care, including approximately 1,000 who returned in-person for the first time since 2019. Educational sessions highlighted the importance of ensuring care meets the latest standards while also rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach.

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In the Nature Cancer study, researchers led by Dana-Farber's Himisha Beltran, MD, and Martin Bakht, PhD, found that PSMA expression is lower in liver metastases than in other parts of the body, regardless of expression of the androgen receptor. They also found that some tumors that test negative for the AR do express PSMA and that some AR-positive tumors don't – which led them to look for a control mechanism that doesn't involve the AR. Their search revealed that the HOXB13 protein as a key regulator of PSMA.

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Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) physicians and scientists are presenting research studies at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, April 14 to 19th.

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New research from the UC Davis School of Medicine shows high blood pressure in early adulthood is associated with worse brain health in late life — especially for men. The results suggest that treating hypertension in young and middle-aged adults may help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will present their latest findings on targets in RIT1-driven cancers, ROR1 CAR T-cell immunotherapy, interplay of the microbiome and genetics in colorectal cancer and more at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, to be held April 14-19 in Orlando, Florida.

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is pleased to announce three faculty are among the 23 international scientific leaders elected today to the prestigious Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy class of 2023.

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New research in the April 2023 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds that specially trained oncology infusion room nurses can improve advance care planning (ACP) for patients with advanced cancer. As compared to patients who received standard care, those who participated in targeted and specialized intervention had a dramatically increased rate of creating advance directives and taking part in conversation about end-of-life issues.

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The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announces the addition of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center as the newest Member Institution to join the not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers.

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Each person has about 4 million sequence differences in their genome relative to the reference human genome. These differences are known as variants. A central goal in precision medicine is understanding which of these variants contribute to disease in a particular patient.

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In this study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, interim results of the combination of cabozantinib, a VEGF TKI, plus belzutifan, a HIF-2α inhibitor, show promising anti-tumor activity in this pre-treated patient group. The results suggest that the combination might fill and unmet need and provides a rationale for further study of combining a VEGF TKI and a HIF-2 inhibitor.

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To understand the molecular processes that influence how cancer cells pass through the blood-brain barrier, researchers used two microfluidic chips that mapped cancer cell migration to the brain and looked at what was happening in the blood-brain niche.

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Two independent Ludwig Cancer Research studies published in the current issue of the journal Cell show that immune cells known as neutrophils, whose abundance in the microenvironment of tumors has traditionally been associated with poor patient prognosis, can play an important role in the success of cancer immunotherapies.

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The second TransAtlantic Exchanges program between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA, USA) and Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France) will be held on May 5th in Paris and will focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and data science in oncology.

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A novel approach to administer intrathecal (IT) immunotherapy (directly into the spinal fluid) and intravenous (IV) immunotherapy was safe and improved survival in a subset of patients with leptomeningeal disease (LMD) from metastatic melanoma, according to interim analyses of a Phase I/Ib trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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With the aid of a near $3.2 million National Cancer Institute grant (R01CA277599) recently awarded, investigators from the state’s leading cancer program, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey,  and Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, both NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, will work to close racial disparity gaps in cancer care delivery by examining a novel approach to genetic testing and care based on community identified needs.

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A study from the UC Davis School of Medicine has identified a gene-enzyme interaction that appears to play a key role in how the brain forms memories. The findings provide insights into how PDE inhibitor medications may help diseases like Alzheimer’s. The research was published in Science Signaling.

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This study looks at what happens before the emergence of colorectal cancer mutations and finds not only evidence of fetal reprogramming that can initiate cancer, but also a protein, Sox9, that fuels that reprogramming.

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A new study, the first collaboration of its kind by all five University of California health systems, shows UC Quits helps patients stop smoking.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention.

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Moffitt Cancer Center and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth — University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, are teaming up to increase cancer screening and prevention education throughout the state. The two institutions will be funding community implementation grants for members of the Florida Regional Cancer Control Collaborative.

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Issam El Naqa, Ph.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Machine Learning Department, has being inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.

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Nearly double the number of young adults under 55 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer than a decade ago. This most recent significant increase in CRC among the younger population, Dr. Xavier Llor says, is more associated with a patient’s environment, including all sorts of exposures, and diet.

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Immunotherapies have greatly improved the outcomes of many patients with melanoma. But there is still a need for new approaches for the subset of patients who do not respond well to this type of therapy. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are looking at new targets to help inhibit tumor development and promote antitumor immunity, one being the STING signaling pathway. In a new article published in Nature Communications, a team of Moffitt and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine investigators demonstrate that targeting the STING pathway with a combination strategy results in improved antitumor activity.

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced that LaKisha Mack, MSHA, will join the institution as the inaugural Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). In her role at MSK, Mack will direct the evolution and improvement of all business processes.

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A new collaboration between UC Davis Health and Propeller Health will offer personalized treatment for high-risk patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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Avinash Sahu, PhD, and his team leveraged artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data to create a novel way to discover multi-function drugs. The approach used cancer research data, biological data, and transfer learning to not only find drugs with specific properties but also to predict patient responses to them.

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The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), as the AACR President-Elect for 2023-2024. Dr. LoRusso will become President-Elect on Monday, April 17, during the AACR’s Annual Business Meeting of Members at the AACR Annual Meeting 2023 in Orlando, Florida. She will assume the Presidency in April 2024 at the AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

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Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause several cancers in both men and women, including 91% of cervical cancers, 91% of anal cancers and 75% of vaginal cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of these cancers are caused by just a handful of HPV virus types.

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A co-location model for cancer diagnostic services designed by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has reported a reduction in the time it takes to diagnose cancer in a community health center in Boston, MA, that cares for a historically underserved populations.

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In 2012, Michael Cruz exercised a lot. Four years into a 15-year prison sentence, this was one of the only things he had, he says, until he noticed a numb, tingling sensation in one of his toes while working out. At first, he dismissed the feeling. But it persisted, and over time, spread up his ankle. Then, he began experiencing little sharp pains in his back, which he attributed to muscle spasms from his workouts.

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Custom-made to attack cancer cells, CAR T-cell therapies have opened a new era in the treatment of human cancers, particularly, in hematologic malignancies. All too often, however, they display a frustrating trait inherited from the body's own immune system cells: a drastic loss of cancer-fighting fervor known as "exhaustion”.

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More and more students are graduating with their bachelor's degrees and taking a gap year, a period of time before jumping into a postgraduate program. A new grant from the American Cancer Society will help the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center introduce these students to scientific research.

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Today, Yale Medicine physicians use a new form of technology called “robotic bronchoscopy,” which allows them to better reach smaller parts of the lungs. During a robotic bronchoscopy, the doctor uses a controller at a console to operate a robotic arm, which then guides the bronchoscope’s thin, flexible tube through the airways.

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In a new paper published in Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers outline the complexities of young-onset colorectal cancer and the research needed to map out a path toward understanding it.

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In a Phase II trial led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy, resulted in a major pathologic response (MPR) in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

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In a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers report that a new smoking cessation intervention increased the number of patients who quit smoking compared to standard cessation approaches.

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Lance Kawaguchi, an internationally recognized executive leader and board member with over 25 years of global finance and banking experience, will be undertaking a monumental Trek to the South Pole in December 2023 to raise funds for several charities, including the Cancer Research Institute (CRI). Serving as a strategic advisor, he has pledged to lead a global effort to raise awareness and funds for CRI.

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MD Anderson announced Kerin Adelson, M.D., as the institution’s chief quality and value officer. Adelson is an accomplished clinician and researcher with extensive leadership experience in delivering high-quality and value-based cancer care.

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Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that inhibiting menin with revumenib, previously known as SNDX-5613, yielded encouraging responses for advanced acute leukemias with KMT2A rearrangements or mutant NPM1. Findings from the Phase I AUGMENT-101 trial were published today in Nature.

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for its commitment to providing optimal surgical care for children and adolescents.

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In a new study published in Nature Medicine, Moffitt Cancer Center physician-scientists, in collaboration with four cancer centers in the United States and Germany, reveal how microorganisms in the gut influence non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient outcomes to a type of cellular immunotherapy called chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T.

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With the arrival of March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, faculty and staff in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Digestive Diseases are redoubling their efforts to spread the word about the importance of screening, especially in younger individuals and those with a family history of the disease. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States.

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The constant evolution of new COVID-19 variants makes it critical for clinicians to have multiple therapies in their arsenal for treating drug-resistant infections. Researchers have now discovered that a new class of oral drugs that acts directly on human cells can inhibit a diverse range of pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 strains. In their newly published study, the team found a novel mechanism through which the gene that expresses angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2)—the cellular receptor to which SARS-CoV-2 binds so that it can enter and infect the cell—is turned on.

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A first-of-its-kind study in the March 2023 issue of JNCCN highlights how the lack of genomic research for people with African ancestry, particularly those from the Sub-Saharan region, is hampering efforts to reduce disparities for people with advanced prostate cancer.

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To assess the impact of hospitalist co-management, researchers compared real-time outcomes from both the co-management model and the traditional, oncologist-led inpatient services. They tracked patient volume, length of stay, early discharges, discharge time, and the rate of readmission within 30 days of discharge over a six-month span at Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Conn.

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Dr. Marcus Bosenberg, an accomplished clinician, teacher, and researcher who studies the factors that regulate anti-cancer immune responses, was recently appointed the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, and Immunobiology, effective immediately.Bosenberg received his Ph.D. and M.D. at Cornell University Medical College.