Focus: Cancer Center Featured Story 2

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Jennifer Wargo, M.D., professor of Surgical Oncology and Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has received a 2023 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) for her contributions to the understanding of how the gut microbiome influences responses to immunotherapy and other cancer treatments.

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Louisiana State University-Louisiana Children’s Medical Center (LSU-LCMC) Health Cancer Center is the 108th member of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI).

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A paper posted online by JCO Precision Oncology reports that a molecular tumor board program has largely fulfilled expectations, providing expert treatment guidance for more than 500 patients over the six-month evaluation period and identifying clinical trials appropriate for the majority of them. Overall, the team has reviewed test results for more than 2,700 patients to date. The findings suggest that the program can be a model for other cancer centers.

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Physician experts from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health will be presenting the latest innovations in the study, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers at the ASCO GI Cancers Symposium from January 19-21.

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A team of researchers led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a novel delivery system for messenger RNA (mRNA) using extracellular vesicles (EVs). The new technique has the potential to overcome many of the delivery hurdles faced by other promising mRNA therapies.

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New research in JNCCN finds that immunotherapy from immune checkpoint (PD-1) inhibitors prior to surgery was strikingly effective for patients with localized mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC).

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts.

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UC Davis Health researchers assessed the carbon footprint and potential savings in lives, costs and time of telehealth visits during the pandemic’s first two years. They found that video visits in five UC health systems resulted in substantial savings in patient costs and carbon emissions.

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Findings from a UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center study prompt researchers to question current cervical cancer screening guidelines for older women.

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Afamitresgene autoleucel (afami-cel; formerly ADP-A2M4), an adoptive T cell receptor (TCR) therapy targeting the MAGE-A4 cancer antigen, achieved clinically significant results for patients with multiple solid tumor types in a Phase I clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news. Interested in news you may have missed in 2022 from Fred Hutch?

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Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that putting a three-day limit on opioid prescriptions to treat surgical pain after hospital discharge reduces the number of patients who become chronic opioid users without compromising pain relief or recovery. It also reduces the amount of opioids circulating in the community — a grave concern, given that opioids are implicated in 130 overdose deaths in the U.S. every day.

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A Ludwig Cancer Research study has discovered that the immune system’s surveillance of cancer can itself induce metabolic adaptations in the cells of early-stage tumors that simultaneously promote their growth and equip them to suppress lethal immune responses.

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Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s leading cancer program and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, together with RWJBarnabas Health, in collaboration with investigators from MD Anderson Cancer Center, discovered a novel triple immunotherapy combination, targeting checkpoints on both T cells and myeloid suppressor cells, that dramatically improved anti-tumor responses by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment in preclinical models of PDAC.

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Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a novel immunotherapy combination, targeting checkpoints in both T cells and myeloid suppressor cells, that successfully reprogrammed the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and significantly improved anti-tumor responses in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

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Cervical cancer is often stigmatized due to its association with human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, however, HPV is extremely common, affecting most adults. Some people may also feel uncomfortable asking their doctor about sexual health .James K. Aikins, Jr., MD, FACOG, FACS, chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, answers questions about HPV, cervical cancer and more.

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The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) is pleased to add Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, a part of University of Missouri (MU) Health Care, to its membership roster.

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Clinical scientists with UC Davis and University of Cincinnati perform first-of-its-kind analysis showing a clear difference in cost-effectiveness of medication types for life-threatening condition

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In the Phase I/II CodeBreaK 100 trial, the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib achieved meaningful anticancer activity with an acceptable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with KRAS G12C-mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. Current advances include a cell cycle checkpoint inhibitor with potential therapeutic effects in an ovarian cancer subtype, a telementoring program for French-speaking oncology providers in Africa, insights into the relationship between obesity and immunotherapy side effects, updates to the world’s largest cancer drug discovery knowledgebase, improvements to treatment response by blocking the EGFR pathway, and a novel noninvasive diagnostic test for immunotherapy-related kidney injury.

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NCCN is working on new NCCN Harmonized Guidelines™ for Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the African Cancer Coalition (ACC), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). The organizations are part of Allied Against Cancer, a global multi-sector effort to improve resource-stratified access to life-saving cancer care in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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A new study looks at cancer deaths in California due to tobacco, sounding the alarm regarding the tragic loss of life caused by tobacco addiction

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A new clinical tool developed by a team of researchers led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute pinpoints which clonal hematopoiesis patients are at highest risk for cancer progression.

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New research in JNCCN finds that only 30% of patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) say their top goal for treatment is living longer. Only 51.7% of patients perceived that they had the same treatment goals as their physician.

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Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are presenting compelling findings from three clinical trials at the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. These oral presentations highlight encouraging results to advance the use of targeted therapies and novel combinations in multiple types of leukemia, including high-risk and newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older and younger patients and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

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Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Tufts Medical Center Collaboration Published in Journal of Clinical Oncology

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This special edition features presentations by MD Anderson researchers at the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting on innovative targeted therapies, new combination approaches and novel targets to improve outcomes for patients with leukemias, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma and other hematologic cancers.

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Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a drug that potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 coronavirus, and is equally effective against the Omicron variant and every other tested variant. The drug is designed in such a way that natural selection to maintain infectiousness of the virus should also maintain the drug’s activity against future variants.

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Christopher Flowers, M.D., division head ad interim of Cancer Medicine and chair of Lymphoma & Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has received a 2022 ASH Mentor Award from the American Society of Hematology in acknowledgement of his career-long commitment to mentoring.

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Blood donations typically dwindle in the winter months, and are needed for cancer patients. Blood and Marrow Transplant Coordinator at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey shares what everyone should know about donating blood.

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Advise from Nina Debrot, MSW, LSW, social worker at Rutgers Cancer Institute, on how cancer patients and their families and caregivers can manage SAD.

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. This special edition features breast cancer presentations at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) focused on the combination of everolimus and hormone therapy, a new driver for brain metastases in inflammatory breast cancer, improving treatment for men with breast cancer, and a new understanding of the importance of HER2 expression for patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancers.

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SEATTLE — Dec. 1, 2022 — The 64th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) will take place virtually and in person Dec. 10-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Annual NCCN Patient Advocacy Summit explores stories and data highlighting barriers to high-quality care that LGBTQ+ people with cancer experience, examining persistent setbacks and promising developments.

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Laura Fejerman named new associate director for cancer center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement as Moon Chen heads new cancer screening program.

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UC Davis Health is the first multi-site health system in the nation to implement a low-pressure insufflation systemwide for laparoscopic surgeries.

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Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are working to develop smoking cessation tools and improve access for Spanish-speaking smokers. In a new article published in Annals of Family Medicine, Moffitt researchers report that proactively connecting Spanish-speaking patients with tobacco treatment delivered by state Quitlines leads to dramatic improvements in treatment enrollment and smoking cessation outcomes.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts.

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Research from Quing Zhu’s lab yields a novel method to use ultrasound to enhance machine learning's ability to accurately diagnose - or rule out - ovarian cancer.

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UC Davis Health infectious diseases expert George Thompson warns of the rising threat and apparent spread of disease-causing fungi outside their traditional hot spots. Fungal lung infections are commonly misdiagnosed, leading to delays in treatment and increase in antimicrobial resistance in the community.

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A Ludwig Cancer Research study has revealed a single protein expressed at high levels by cancer cells across a broad range of malignancies that erects a multifaceted barrier to anti-cancer immune responses in mouse models of cancer and so shields tumors from immune detection and destruction.

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Daniel Herranz Benito, PharmD, PhD, resident researcher at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has received a five-year, $600,000 award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) to support ongoing research efforts in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Names Lawrence Schwartz, MD, New Chair of the Department of Radiology

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced a $10 million gift to the James P. Allison Institute from the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation and Andrew “Andy” Sabin, a senior member of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors (BOV). The gift is the philanthropist’s second multimillion-dollar commitment to MD Anderson in less than 10 years.

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TEAMSPORT will create a standardized approach to ordering genomic tests and adapt it for use in community cancer centers, where most cancer patients receive testing and treatment.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. Current advances include a promising targeted therapy combination for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a link between the gut microbiome and therapy-related neutropenic fever, a novel therapeutic target for immunotherapy-related colitis, a telementoring model for training providers on cervical cancer prevention in limited-resource areas, a new understanding of the prognostic value of RUNX1 mutations in AML, and insights into the effects of opioid use on the pain sensitivity pathway.