The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Cancer Disparities Research will present the 4th Annual Cancer Disparities Symposium on March 6, 2020. The symposium will feature keynote presentations by renowned disparities researchers and community leaders, a poster session highlighting academic research and community programs, a networking session, and an interactive panel discussion.
AACI Update | February 2020
Headlines
Lynch is New President, Director at Fred Hutch
Programs, Patient Voices Highlighted in 2019 Report
Register for the 2020 AACI/AACR Hill Day
JAMA Letter: Disclose and Manage Conflicts of Interest at Cancer Centers
Last month the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a letter to the editor authored by AACI President Roy A. Jensen, MD, and AACI Conflict of Interest (COI) Task Force Co-chairs Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, and Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, in response to a JAMA article published in August regarding industry payments to physician directors of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.
Abstract Submissions Now Open: 12th Annual CRI Meeting
PCLI Welcomes New Members to Steering Committee
Six new members have been selected to join AACI’s Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) Steering Committee: Steven R. Alberts, MD, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center; Julie Brahmer, MD, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University; Lisa Carey, MD, FASCO, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, FACP, University of Florida Health Cancer Center; Jessica Rhee, MD, MS, University of Hawai'i Cancer Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa; and John Sweetenham, MD, FRCP, FACP, FASCO, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Tobacco 21 Now Federal Law
Register Today for AACI's Next PCLI Webinar
News from the Centers
Plimack Elected to Board of American Society of Clinical Oncology
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Elizabeth Plimack, MD, MS, professor and chief of the Division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Oncology Board of Directors for a term of four years. She will begin her appointment in June 2020 and is eager to represent Fox Chase as she works to encourage collaboration and methods of sharing information in oncology.A Menu of Glioblastoma Treatments
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sara Piccirillo, PhD, has received the 2019 Gianni Bonadonna prize for new drug development, which she will use to fund her research on glioblastoma treatment. Dr. Piccirillo thinks the way to fight glioblastoma lies in its extreme heterogeneity. Her research will focus on creating a catalog of cellular alterations and then using that catalog to suggest a menu of treatments.Rathmell Receives Schonfeld Award
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
The Kidney Cancer Association is recognizing the research accomplishments and leadership achievements of W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, with its top honor, the Eugene P. Schonfeld Award. The Schonfeld Award recognizes highly respected health care professionals who have made significant contributions in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.$18 Million Gift to Expand Integrative Cancer Care
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
An $18 million commitment from the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, led by Dr. Victoria Mann Simms and Ronald Simms, will support UCLA’s expansion of integrative psychosocial care for people with cancer and their families throughout Southern California. The gift to UCLA Health will fund an endowment to sustain and grow the Simms/Mann–UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology.Grant Awarded to Study Links Between Tobacco Retailers and Smoke Exposure in Pregnant Women and Children
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH, and David Wheeler, MPH, PhD, received a $2.1 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute to examine the impact of tobacco retail outlets and neighborhoods on maternal smoking during pregnancy as well as secondhand smoke exposure among children.Grant Advances Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Efforts
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have received a three-year, $900,000 grant from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance to better understand why epithelial ovarian cancers take decades to develop as well as identify methods for early detection. Epithelial ovarian cancer accounts for about 90 percent of all ovarian cancer cases. Andrew Godwin, PhD, is principal investigator.Director Steps Down, Interim Leader Appointed
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Gustavo Leone, PhD, director of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, has announced that he has accepted a position as director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center. He will work with the interim director, Denis C. Guttridge, PhD, to ensure a smooth transition. Dr. Leone plans to leave the university on April 15.Eckert Named Deputy Director
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
Richard L. Eckert, PhD, has been named deputy director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Dr. Eckert, a preeminent scientist and investigator with continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, has served as the UMGCCC associate director for basic sciences since 2013.Milligan Named HCI Cancer Hospital Executive Director
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah (U of U) Health Hospitals and Clinics have announced that Don Milligan, MBA, will serve as the new executive director of the HCI Cancer Hospital. Milligan has more than 25 years of management experience in health care, 22 of which have been in leadership roles at U of U Health and HCI.
MSK Appoints Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has appointed Roxanne Taylor as chief marketing and communications officer, effective February 3. Taylor will be responsible for shaping and enhancing the MSK brand and will be accountable for building the long-term equity of the brand with all stakeholders.Khabele Named Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Siteman Cancer Center
Gynecologic oncologist Dineo Khabele, MD, noted for her expertise in ovarian cancer research and treatment, has been named head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center. Dr. Khabele, whose appointment becomes effective June 1, also will be installed as the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology.Cancer Population Sciences Associate Director Announced
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center welcomes Jennifer Cullen, PhD, MPH, as its new associate director for cancer population sciences, following an extensive search after the departure of Li Li, MD, PhD in January 2019. Dr. Cullen joins Case from the U.S. Department of Defense Center for Prostate Disease Research.Gergis to Lead BMT and Cell-Based Therapy Program
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health welcomes Usama Gergis, MD, MBA, as director of the Bone Marrow Transplant and Immune Cellular Therapy Program. His areas of expertise include high-risk myeloid malignancies, graft-versus-host disease, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients who lack matched donors (alternative donor transplantation).New Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement Announced
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center announces the appointment of Cheryl L. Knott, PhD, as associate director of community outreach and engagement. Dr. Knott has more than 20 years of experience in community-based cancer control research, with a strong focus on eliminating cancer disparities.
New Associate Directors Tapped for Data, Population Sciences
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has named two new associate directors. Bhramar Mukherjee, PhD, will be the associate director for quantitative data sciences, and Christopher Friese, PhD, RN, was named associate director for cancer control and population sciences.Director of Finance Named
Duke Cancer Institute
Steven Bender, MBA, FHFMA, formerly senior director of finance for Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine in Boca Raton, has been named director of finance of Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). Bender assumed his new role January 6. He serves as the architect of financial reports and models, which support DCI as a blended school of medicine and health system operation.CEO Named for Immunotherapy Contract Research Organization
Moffitt Cancer Center
Krystyna Kowalczyk has joined Moffitt Cancer Center as the chief executive officer of the institution’s new contract research organization with a focus on immunotherapy. The wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary, first announced in October 2019, will offer end-to-end services for pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking to advance their immuno-oncology product or device.FDA Approves New Drug for Advanced Bladder Cancer
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to the drug enfortumab vedotin (EV) to treat adult patients with advanced urothelial or bladder cancer. The approval is the direct result of a multi-institutional clinical trial led by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital researchers demonstrating EV as an effective treatment for this deadly disease.Findings Strengthen Link Between Vitamin E Acetate and Vaping-Associated Lung Injuries
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with OSUCCC – James, strengthens prior findings on the link between vitamin E acetate and EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury). Peter Shields, MD, led the study.Research Team Helps Explain How Chronic Stress Weakens Immunity Against Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
In 2013, a research team from Roswell Park, led by Elizabeth Repasky, PhD, reported that chronic stress can encourage the development and proliferation of tumor cells by suppressing natural immunity against cancer. In a new study, the same laboratory has revealed that chronic stress weakens immunity against cancer through its effect on a specific cell type known as the myeloid-derived suppressor cell.Nanoparticles Deliver 'Suicide Gene' Therapy to Pediatric Brain Tumors Growing in Mice
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins researchers report that a type of biodegradable, lab-engineered nanoparticle they fashioned can successfully deliver a "suicide gene" to pediatric brain tumor cells implanted in the brains of mice. The poly(beta-amino ester) nanoparticles, known as PBAEs, were part of a treatment that also used a drug to kill the cells and prolong the test animals’ survival.Proton Therapy as Effective as Standard Radiation With Fewer Side Effects
Siteman Cancer Center
Cancer patients who receive proton therapy experience similar cure rates and fewer serious side effects compared with those who undergo traditional X-ray radiation therapy, according to a study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.Researchers Identify Molecular Characteristics of Leptomeningeal Melanoma Metastases
Moffitt Cancer Center
Most patients with advanced melanoma who develop metastases in the leptomeninges only survive for 8-10 weeks after diagnosis. One reason for this poor prognosis is that very little is known about the molecular development of leptomeningeal melanoma metastases (LMM), making it difficult to develop effective therapies. Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center sought to change this by performing an extensive analysis of the molecular characteristics of the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with LMM.Body Temperature May Provide Early Warning for Graft-Versus-Host Disease
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
By continuously monitoring the body temperature of mice that had undergone bone-marrow transplants, researchers were able to detect early warning signs of graft-versus-host disease in a simple, non-invasive way. If similar temperature patterns can be detected in human patients, University of Michigan researchers are optimistic that wearable temperature monitors could offer a practical, low-cost method for quickly identifying patients who are developing the complication — and thus help to speed interventions and reduce mortality. Study senior author is Muneesh Tewari, MD, PhD.New Drug Prevents Liver Damage, Obesity, and Glucose Intolerance in Mice on High-Fat Diet
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mice given a new drug targeting a key gene involved in lipid and glucose metabolism could tolerate a high-fat diet regimen (composed of 60 percent fat from lard) without developing significant liver damage, becoming obese, or disrupting their body’s glucose balance. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, can evolve to inflammatory steatohepatitis, or NASH, which can lead to chronic inflammation, scarring of the liver, and cirrhosis, and eventually to hepatocellular carcinoma. There is no standard therapy for NASH, though many drugs are being evaluated in clinical trials.MEAL Study: Eating More Produce Will Not Cure, Stop Prostate Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
National guidelines recommend that men with prostate cancer eat a vegetable-rich diet, suggesting it might decrease cancer progression and death. But in a Phase III randomized clinical trial, patients with prostate cancer assigned to eat seven or more servings of vegetables and fruits daily saw no extra protection from the increased consumption of micronutrients. The Men’s Eating and Living (MEAL) study is led by investigators from UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Clinical Trial Offerings Expanded for Patients With High-Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
GW Cancer Center
The Cutaneous Oncology Program at GW Cancer Center was selected as the first global site for a clinical trial for patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The study, sponsored by Regeneron, will examine outcomes for patients treated with Libtayo® (cemiplimab)—an immunotherapy treatment—prior to surgery and radiation therapy. Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS, is principal investigator of the study.Protein Inhibitor is Potential Treatment for Common Mutations in Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated a potential new approach to treating two of the most common subtypes of lymphoma through manipulation of molecular programs controlled by the cAMP-response element binding protein (CREBBP). Mutations of CREBBP are frequently found in follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, and allow malignant cells to hide from the immune system.Aspirin Appears to Curb Colorectal Cancer Recurrence, Tumor Growth
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
The benefits of a daily aspirin may extend to colorectal cancer treatment, say City of Hope researchers who have found aspirin appears to reduce tumor growth and inhibit recurrence of the disease. The trick, they say, is to determine the right dosage of aspirin that can be used as a daily prophylactic without triggering dangerous side effects such as stomach and brain bleeds. Ajay Goel, PhD, is senior author of the study.Researchers Find 'Switch' That Lets Common, Cancer-Causing Virus Replicate
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Many viruses are master manipulators, hijacking cellular functions to propagate, spread and avoid elimination by their host's immune system. Now, University of Florida researcher Sumita Bhaduri-McIntosh, MD, PhD, has discovered how the common, cancer-causing Epstein-Barr virus does just that by using a complex of proteins to emerge from a dormant state and begin replicating.Study Reveals How a Blood-Clotting Protein and Blood Platelets Promote Immune Evasion, Cancer Progression
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
A study led by researchers at OSUCCC – James reveals how a clotting protein and blood platelets can promote cancer progression and suppress immune responses to cancer. The findings show how thrombin causes blood platelets to release transforming growth factor-beta 1, which is known for promoting disease progression in certain cancers, and for suppressing immune-system responses to cancer.Surgery May Add Months, Years of Survival for Adults With Rare Brain Cancers
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
For adult patients with brainstem high-grade gliomas, surgically removing the entire tumor may add months or even years of survival beyond that offered by radiation and chemotherapy, according to results of a medical records study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Debraj Mukherjee, MD, MPH, is study leader.B-Cell Enrichment Predictive of Immunotherapy Response in Melanoma, Sarcoma, Kidney Cancer
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The likelihood of a patient responding to immune checkpoint blockade may depend on B cells in the tumor, located within specialized immune-cell clusters known as tertiary lymphoid structures, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Can a Second Dose of CAR T Cells Succeed When the First Fails?
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Supercharged immune cells called CAR T cells have the potential to eradicate even the nastiest blood cancers. But CAR T-cell therapy is still new, with many unknowns. In adult patients, the cells sometimes don’t work to keep these aggressive cancers at bay. If they lose in round one, should doctors give these microscopic fighters another chance? And, if so, how can they improve their odds of success?Finding Familiar Pathways in Kidney Cancer
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
In order to understand whether the inactivation of the p53 pathway might contribute to kidney cancer development, Haifang Yang, PhD, a researcher with Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health is probing kidney cancer’s genes for interactions with p53. In a new paper Dr. Yang and colleagues examined whether PBRM1—the second most mutated gene in kidney cancer—can be a "reader," or translator, of the activated p53.Juul Delivers Substantially More Nicotine than Previous Generation E-Cigs, Cigarettes
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Juul delivers substantially more nicotine to the blood per puff than cigarettes or previous-generation e-cigarettes and impairs blood vessel function comparable to cigarette smoke, according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco. A caveat of this study is that it measured the impact of equal numbers of puffs of all products, whereas adult former cigarette smokers may stop their vaping session when they reach the level of nicotine they normally ingest, according to senior author Matthew Springer, PhD.Discovery Could Lead to New Breast Cancer Drugs
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Eric Prossnitz, PhD, hopes to help many of the 12 percent of American women who are projected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. He and his team have recently completed studies on a compound that they think could be made to attack breast cancer cells differently than current drugs.Gut Bacteria May Be One Culprit for Increase of Colorectal Cancer in Younger People
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
A bacterium typically linked to periodontal disease, Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nuc), could play an important role in the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 45. Another type, Moraxella osloensis, has been found in colorectal cancer tumors at a nearly four-fold higher rate in people over 75 than in those under 45 years of age, pointing out how differences in the bacteria that comprise what is known as the body’s microbiome could affect cancer outcomes to varying degrees.National Clinical Trial Provides Mastectomy Alternative for Recurrent Breast Cancer
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mastectomy has historically been the standard treatment for breast cancer patients experiencing recurrence after an initial lumpectomy and whole-breast radiation. Now, a Phase II clinical trial led by Douglas W. Arthur, MD, has demonstrated an effective alternative.In Childhood Cancer, Private Insurance Means Better Survival
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Children and young adults with pediatric cancer are less likely to be alive five and 10 years following diagnosis if their health insurance is covered by Medicaid or other government agencies, compared to those with private insurance, according to researchers at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Lena Winestone, MD, is senior author of the study.Study Finds Men Have Higher Mortality Rate After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Men with breast cancer are more likely to die than their female counterparts, across all stages of disease, with the disparity persisting even when clinical characteristics, such as cancer types, treatment, and access to care are considered, according to a study by Vanderbilt researchers.Cancer Research Booms, Cancer Mortality Declines, NCI Director Says
Stanford Cancer Institute
In a speech at Stanford University, National Cancer Institute Director Norman Sharpless, MD, reported promising cancer mortality trends and described an encouraging landscape for research funding and drug approval. Dr. Sharpless and Steven Artandi, MD, PhD, director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, are pictured.Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity Launched
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Yale Cancer Center (YCC) has launched the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity. Building on YCC’s longstanding commitment to high-quality, expert, and patient-centered cancer care, screening, and prevention across the state of Connecticut, the new center is dedicated to ensuring cancer health equity and improving outcomes with an emphasis on traditionally underserved neighborhoods.Junior Investigators Win Awards for Pilot Projects
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center has announced the results of its Pilot Project Competition for Junior Investigators, which was held last fall. The competition is funded through an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant.Cancer Center Jobs
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Meeting Announcements
4th Annual Cancer Disparities Symposium: Cultivating Science and Community Engagement to Address Cancer Health Disparities
March 6, 2020
Transdisciplinary Cancer Interception: Leveraging Biology to Improve Prevention and Detection
March 9, 2020
Presented by Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and Nature Reviews Cancer, this conference aims to examine mechanisms at the cellular level, as well as system-wide influences. This meeting will bring together experts, fosteringcross-disciplinary discussions on cutting-edge research. An important goal will be to discern pathways for translating scientific discoveries in these areas into the clinic and general population.
Webinar Series - Part 2: FDA Audit Readiness for Research Sites
March 10, 2020
The ASCO Research Community Forum is hosting a free 2-part webinar series on FDA audit readiness, which will take participants on a journey through the FDA inspection process.
The first webinar, on February 13, 2020, included reflections from FDA and a principal investigator. The second webinar, on March 10, 2020, will offer strategies for effective pre-audit preparation and post-audit follow-up.
This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and nursing continuing education credits.
The first webinar, on February 13, 2020, included reflections from FDA and a principal investigator. The second webinar, on March 10, 2020, will offer strategies for effective pre-audit preparation and post-audit follow-up.
This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and nursing continuing education credits.
Immunotherapy of Cancer: From CAR T Cells to Checkpoint Inhibitors
March 18, 2020
DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a two-and-a-half day symposium that addresses the immunologic basis for cellular immunotherapies and how to select and manage patients.
A pre-conference nursing workshop will be held at 5:00 pm Pacific on March 18, 2020. The general session will be held March 19-21.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a two-and-a-half day symposium that addresses the immunologic basis for cellular immunotherapies and how to select and manage patients.
A pre-conference nursing workshop will be held at 5:00 pm Pacific on March 18, 2020. The general session will be held March 19-21.