Odunsi Receives Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance Award
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
One of Roswell Park’s most distinguished researchers has been recognized again for his contributions to advance the fight against ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance will award its Rosalind Franklin Prize for Excellence in Ovarian Cancer Research to Roswell Park Deputy Director
Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, during the 2019 Ovarian Cancer National Conference in Seattle.
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Lung Cancer Researcher Honored for Work
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Steven Dubinett, MD, a researcher in the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been honored by the American Lung Association for his work on the treatment of lung cancer. Dr. Dubinett was honored at the association’s Lung Force Gala for advancing partnerships designed to accelerate scientific and clinical breakthroughs to improve the health of people worldwide.
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Wilson Wins 2019 Clinical Scientist Development Award
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Yale Cancer Center’s
Frederick Wilson, MD, PhD, has won a 2019 Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Dr. Wilson’s research focuses on targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma and melanoma.
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Demark-Wahnefried Selected for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Award
O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama professor
Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD, has been selected to receive the 2018 Mary P. Huddleson Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is being honored for her article, "Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home Vegetable Gardening Intervention Among Older Cancer Survivors Shows Feasibility, Satisfaction, and Promise in Improving Vegetable and Fruit Consumption, Reassurance of Worth, and the Trajectory of Central Adipos."
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Hogan Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
Brigid L. M. Hogan, PhD, chair emeritus of Duke’s Department of Cell Biology, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Dr. Hogan was one of the first scientists to isolate members of the Hox gene complex in mammals and highlight their role in controlling anterior-posterior patterning in embryos across evolution.
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Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology Launched With $102 Million Investment
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
The OSUCCC – James has announced formation of the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, a comprehensive bench-to-bedside research initiative focused on harnessing the body’s immune system to fight cancer at all levels, from prevention to treatment and survivorship. Pelotonia, a grassroots cycling event that has raised more than $190 million for cancer research initiatives at the OSUCCC – James, has pledged more than $102 million over the next five years.
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$19.2 Million Trial Will Test Red Cell Exchange to Treat Advanced Sickle Cell Disease
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, supported by a $19.2 million National Institutes of Health grant, will lead the largest clinical trial of its kind to test a technique called red cell exchange transfusion in prolonging life and slowing or reversing organ damage.
Mark Gladwin, MD, is principal investigator.
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Winship Awarded Lung Cancer SPORE Grant
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has been awarded a five-year, $9.7 million Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute to study new approaches for lung cancer treatment. It's one of only four SPORE grants in the U.S. dedicated to lung cancer.
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Researchers Test Novel Gene Therapy for Glioblastoma
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
A novel gene therapy clinical trial at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is showing promising results. A $2.7 million grant to further the gene therapy study was awarded to
Andrew E. Sloan, MD, director of the Brain Tumor & Neuro-Oncology Center and the Center of Excellence for Translational Neuro-Oncology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and UH Seidman Cancer Center, and
Stanton Gerson, MD, director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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$2 Million in Grants Drives Exploration of Rare Blood Cancer
Rutgers Cancer Institute
More than $2 million in grants awarded to Rutgers Cancer Institute researcher
Daniel Herranz Benito, PhD, will support examination of potential treatment targets for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Expanding on previous research related to mutations in the NOTCH1 gene, Dr. Herranz is examining the role of a metabolic master regulator known as Sirt1 that affects a number of cellular processes.
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DOD Awards $1.6 Million to Study Health Disparity in Prostate Cancer
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
A group of researchers led by
Daniel George, MD, of Duke Cancer Institute, were recently awarded $1,609,691 from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program to study health disparity in metastatic prostate cancer. The project is called "Race-Related Germline Genetic Variation and Response to Secondary Hormonal Therapy in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer."
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Associate Director Named for Education and Training
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has named
Lawrence Boise, PhD, as its new associate director for education and training. Dr. Boise is professor and vice chair for basic research in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology. A multiple myeloma researcher, Dr. Boise serves as interim leader of Winship's Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Research Program.
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Shinde Appointed Inaugural Wistar Fellow
Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center of The Wistar Institute
The Wistar Institute announces the appointment of
Rahul Shinde, DVM, PhD, as the first Caspar Wistar Fellow. Dr. Shinde’s research focuses on the role of macrophages, specialized cells that act as a front-line defense system for our immune systems. He investigates how these cells alter the tumor microenvironment, which is a key determinant of whether cancer is able to develop, progress, and resist therapies.
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Sebti Named Associate Director for Basic Research
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
Drug discovery, design and development expert
Saïd M. Sebti, PhD, has been named associate director for basic research and the Lacy Family Chair in Cancer Research at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Dr. Sebti joins VCU from H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.
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Breast Cancer Researcher Takes Leadership Role at University of Pittsburgh
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Norman Wolmark, MD, FACS, has been recruited to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he will serve as director of National Cancer Institute cooperative group clinical trials. Dr. Wolmark has spent decades conducting groundbreaking research and early clinical trials in the treatment of breast and bowel cancers.
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Darr Named Associate Director of Administration
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
David B. Darr has been appointed associate director of administration of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He previously served as assistant director of research operations at UNC Lineberger since 2014, and he was the director of the cancer center’s Mouse Phase One Unit from 2009 to 2014.
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Hematologists Appointed to New Positions
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Larry Kwak, MD, PhD, has been appointed the deputy director of City of Hope’s Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute, and
Tanya Siddiqi, MD, has been appointed director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Program within the Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, one of the seven disease and modality centers within the Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute.
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New Biomarker-Guided Strategy Has Potential for Liver Cancer Treatment
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered a cellular pathway tied to cancer that may be beneficial in reducing side effects and extending duration of immunotherapy in some patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Researchers looked at a cellular pathway formed when a protein known as interleukin-6 (IL-6) activates an enzyme called Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), and the potential for anti-IL-6 antibodies and anti-T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (anti-Tim-3) in augmenting immunotherapy.
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Scientists Discover Autoimmune Disease Associated With Testicular Cancer
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic, and UC San Francisco, have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer. The results point the way to using a protein biomarker as a diagnostic test for men with testicular cancer-associated paraneoplastic encephalitis.
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Immunotherapy Prevents Relapse in Small Leukemia Trial
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
The statistics are grim: for patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), more than 60 percent will relapse within two years of a bone marrow transplant. The return of their cancer is the leading cause of death for these patients. But results from a small trial of genetically modified immune cells hint at a way of protecting these patients. Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center used engineered T cells to prevent relapse in 12 AML patients after a bone marrow transplant put their disease in remission. They all remain cancer-free after a median follow-up of more than three years.
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Research Finds That a New Culprit Can Cause Breast Cancer to Spread
Stanford Cancer Institute
For decades, breast cancer was believed to be a disease that was purely genetic in origin. However, recent science is upending this notion by showing that the surrounding microenvironment plays a major role in tumorigenesis. Now, researchers at Stanford University say they can explain why. In experiments, they introduced mammary cells into what they term "high-stiffness environments" and showed that even healthy cells begin to proliferate and to migrate when stiffness increases.
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Discovery Shows How Difficult-to-Treat Prostate Cancer Evades Immune System
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered how an aggressive form of prostate cancer called double-negative prostate cancer metastasizes by evading the immune system. The investigators also reported on the pre-clinical development of a new therapy, which, when given in combination with existing immunotherapies, appears to stop and even reverse metastasis in mouse models.
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Experimental Compound Unveiled to Block Therapeutic Target in Blood Cancer
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Researchers at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a hyperactive cell signal that contributes to tumor growth in an aggressive blood cancer. They also developed an experimental therapeutic to block the signal and slow tumor growth. The researchers reported they have identified a novel therapeutic target for primary effusion lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma caused by infection with the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, also known as human herpesvirus-8.
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Using Artificial Intelligence to Deliver Personalized Radiation Therapy
Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center
Results from a new study led by Cleveland Clinic show that an artificial intelligence framework can provide individualized radiation dose delivery based on data from patient computerized tomography scans and electronic health records. This AI framework is the first to use medical scans to inform radiation dose delivery, moving the field forward from using generic dose prescriptions to more personalized treatments.
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Determining Risk of Recurrence in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
A personalized prognosis for patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer was the goal of a new study by
Katherine Varley, PhD, a researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute. She worked closely on the study with
Rachel Stewart, DO, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Kentucky.
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Increased Understanding of Inflammation's Role in Cancer Should Shape Basic Discoveries, Clinical Trials, and Drug Development
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Inflammation plays an instrumental role in tumor development, affecting the tumor microenvironment, mediating immune responses, and influencing tumor growth and spread. However, with the current excitement around the growing field of cancer immunotherapy, the critical role of inflammation in cancer may be getting a bit lost, according to
Sergei Grivennikov, PhD.
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New Process for P53 Gene Regulation Sheds Light on How to Make Cancer Therapies More Effective
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
VCU Massey Cancer Center scientists have discovered that the loss of a protein called DBC1 in breast cancer cells leads to the dysregulation of normal anti-cancer functions, contributing to cancer cell growth and resistance to therapies. The study’s lead author is
Steven R. Grossman, MD, PhD, deputy director of VCU Massey Cancer Center.
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Researcher Investigates Role of BRCA1 in DNA Repair
GW Cancer Center
A research team led by
Yanfen Hu, PhD, a member of the GW Cancer Center, is studying the role of the tumor suppressor BRCA1 in the homologous recombination pathway of DNA double-strand break repair. BRCA1 facilitates recruitment of the nucleases required for end resection, a vital step in DNA double-strand break repair, yet it also has been shown to inhibit the nuclease activity in vitro. It is unknown how the recruiting and inhibiting activities of BRCA1 can be reconciled in homologous recombination repair, a type of "high-quality" repair machinery that faithfully repairs DNA double-strand breaks.
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Researchers Characterize Mechanism of Action of CAR T Cells
Moffitt Cancer Center
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell
(CAR T) therapy has shown pronounced activity in certain cancers, and two CAR T therapies, Kymriah® and Yescarta®, have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and large B-cell lymphoma. However, despite the progress being made, scientists have not been completely certain of how CAR T cells function mechanistically. A team of Moffitt Cancer Center researchers addressed this uncertainty in a new study and characterized the mechanism of action of these new agents.
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Biliary Microbiome Altered After Neoadjuvant Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
The biliary microbiome was altered in patients who received neoadjuvant therapy prior to undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center. Additionally, more bacteria in patients who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant therapy were resistant to cephalosporins, a form of broad spectrum antibiotics, compared with patients who were treated with surgery alone.
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Technique Using Urine Suggests Individualized Bladder Cancer Treatment Possible
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
A research team, led by investigators from Georgetown University Medical Center and Fudan University in China, has devised a promising non-invasive and individualized technique for detecting and treating bladder cancer. The method uses a "liquid biopsy"—a urine specimen—instead of the invasive tumor sampling needed today, and a method developed and patented by Georgetown to culture cancer cells that can reveal the molecular underpinnings of each patient’s unique bladder cancer.
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Worrisome Increase in Some Medical Scans During Pregnancy
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Use of medical imaging during pregnancy increased significantly in the United States, a new study has found, with nearly a four-fold rise over the last two decades in the number of women undergoing computed tomography CT scans, which expose mothers and fetuses to radiation. Pregnant women are warned to minimize radiation exposure. This is the first large, multi-center study to assess the amount of advanced imaging occurring during pregnancy.
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD, is senior author on the study.
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Discovery Leads to New Clinical Trial for Myelofibrosis Patients
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah discovered in laboratory studies that an experimental drug called selinexor may block a crucial survival pathway exploited by myelofibrosis cells. Based on their findings, they designed a clinical trial now open at HCI to examine this drug’s effectiveness in patients with myelofibrosis.
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Many Thyroid Cancer Patients Say They Had No Choice About Radioactive Iodine
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
After thyroid cancer surgery, many patients should be in the position of deciding with their doctors whether to pursue treatment with radioactive iodine to help ease long-term follow-up and offer reassurance that the cancer is gone. A new survey by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation suggests many patients are receiving the treatment when there’s no strong indication of benefit — and a majority may feel like they don’t really have a choice about it.
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Noninvasive Test Improves Detection of Aggressive Prostate Cancer
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
A team of researchers from UCLA and the University of Toronto have identified a new biomarker found in urine that can help detect aggressive prostate cancer, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of men each year from undergoing unnecessary surgeries and radiotherapy treatments.
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Sports Playbook Helps Doctors Predict Cancer Patient Outcomes
Stanford Cancer Institute
Statisticians refer to the technique of incorporating a variety of continuously generated information—who is on the bench, who was injured in the first half of the match, who polled well in Iowa yesterday—as calculating in-game win probability, and it’s been used for decades to predict the outcome of ongoing sports matches or elections. Now researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a page from this playbook to generate more accurate prognoses for cancer patients.
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Researchers Identify Health Conditions Likely to Cause Serious Harm When Misdiagnosed
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
A research team, led by a Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality expert, reports it has identified three major disease categories— vascular events, infections and cancers—that account for nearly three-fourths of all serious harms from diagnostic errors.
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Study Examines Disparities in Prostate Cancer Survival in Appalachian Kentucky
UK Markey Cancer Center
A new study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers shows a higher mortality rate for prostate cancer among men from Appalachian Kentucky compared to men from non-Appalachian Kentucky. Researchers used data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry to characterize the survival disparities of prostate cancer between Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky. The study showed a significant difference in survival that was not related to geographic location, but to the aggressiveness of the disease.
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Study Highlights Need for Tailored Skin Cancer Prevention Programs
GW Cancer Center
Sun safety practices for attendees at skin cancer screening events differ from the general public, according to findings published by researchers from the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center. Through a survey randomly administered at six locations in Washington, DC, and to attendees of a free skin cancer screening event at GW, a research team found that respondents from the screening group were significantly more likely to always wear sunscreen, always seek shade, and always or sometimes wear sun-protective clothing than the public group.
Adam Friedman, MD, was senior author on the study.
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New Study Probes How to Tell Elderly Patients Not to Bother With Cancer Screening
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins researchers have studied the perspectives of both clinicians and older adults on how to communicate about stopping cancer screening. In a separate study, other Johns Hopkins researchers also show that primary care doctors and specialists are equally likely to continue to order mammograms in women with less than 10 years’ life expectancy.
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AACI COI Task Force Invites Comments
In the July AACI Commentary, Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, and Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, shared the recommendations of AACI’s Conflict of Interest (COI) Task Force, which convened in response to mounting concerns about the complex relationships between academic medicine, private industry, and foreign entities. The COI Task Force reviewed polices at AACI cancer centers and established basic guidelines to ensure that all conflicts are fully disclosed, maintaining patients’ trust and allowing groundbreaking research to flourish at academic cancer centers.
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Female Physicians Report Skipping Scientific Conferences Because of Child Care
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
For oncologists in the beginning of their career, scientific conferences present an opportunity for them to network, share their research, gain new knowledge, and advance in their field. But many women find themselves skipping these conferences due to family obligations, a new study finds.
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New $750 Million State-of-the-Art, Freestanding Cancer Pavilion in New Jersey
Rutgers Cancer Institute
RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, in partnership with New Brunswick Development Corporation have announced the development of a new, state-of-the-art, freestanding cancer pavilion in New Brunswick. The initial estimated project cost is $750 million.
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Three Siblings Share Cancer Diagnosis Due to Rare Genetic Mutation
O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
At first glance, Kevin, Kiala, and Keaira Perkins may seem like typical 17-, 14-, and 11-year-old children. But all three have suffered from thyroid cancer. The siblings, from Madison, Alabama, all have a rare genetic condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN2A), which occurs in roughly one in 35,000 people in the United States. It is caused by a mutation in the RET gene, which provides instruction for producing a protein that is involved in cell signaling and is needed for the normal development of several kinds of nerve cells.
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