The 2025 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference will be held January 29-31, at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa in Coronado, CA.
AACI Update | November 2024
Headlines
Annual Meeting Inspires With Messages of Inclusion, Resilience
Representing 96 AACI member cancer centers, 520 cancer center directors and administrators, industry partners, and representatives of government agencies gathered in Chicago and virtually last month for the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting.
Clockwise from top left: Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, Loriana Hernández-Aldama, meeting participant, and Dr. Harold P. Freeman
Photo credit: Randy Belice
2025 Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop Registration Open
Registration is now open for AACI’s 2025 Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop, which will be held March 11-12 at Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel. The event will convene a diverse group of emerging leaders from AACI cancer centers with both didactic and experiential leadership development sessions. Each AACI cancer center director may select one emerging leader from their center to attend.
Support the 2025 CADEx Conference
The 2025 Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference will be held January 29-31 at the Coronado Resort & Spa in Coronado, CA. AACI encourages its member cancer centers and corporate partners to participate in the 2025 CADEx Conference by exhibiting, supporting a session or after-hours activity, placing an ad in the digital program book, or designing a custom support package.
CARDS Webinar: Exploring U.S. Neighborhood-Level Cancer Risk Factor Datasets
AACI will host a Catchment Area Research and Data Science (CARDS) webinar titled "Exploring U.S. Neighborhood-Level Cancer Risk Factor Datasets" at 1:00 pm eastern time on Wednesday, December 4. The webinar will be divided into three parts: PLACES: Local Data for Better Health; The Environmental Justice Index: Advancing Environmental Justice and Health Equity Through Data Visualization; and Health Atlas: Visualizing Place-Based Data Across the United States.
GR Forum Addresses Presidential Election, Key Issues
AACI held its annual Government Relations (GR) Forum on Monday, October 21 in conjunction with the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Chicago. The meeting was attended by more than 60 government relations representatives and AACI sustaining members, who discussed timely cancer-related public policy topics.
Photo: Ross Frommer, JD
Photo credit: Randy Belice
New Tool Designed to Streamline PI Engagement Across Cancer Centers
The CRI Education and Operations Subcommittee, a dedicated team comprised of representatives from 21 AACI cancer centers, designed a Principal Investigator (PI) template to help streamline the onboarding, training, and offboarding of PIs across academic cancer centers. The template provides a comprehensive checklist for PI training, equipping institutions with consistent and effective guidance throughout the PI lifecycle.
Paid Advertisment: Cognizant
Cognizant’s Head of Global Medical Affairs Lestter Cruz Serrano, MD, BCMAS, speaks with renowned oncologist Claudio Cerchione, MD, PhD, on the importance of clinical trials and how technology like SIP is helping sites streamline their processes in clinical research.
News from the Centers
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Named Center of Excellence by MDS Foundation
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the MDS Foundation, becoming part of the foundation’s referral network of top bone marrow disorder treatment centers in the world.
Lonial Receives Clinical Investigator Award for Contributions to Multiple Myeloma Research
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
The International Myeloma Society has awarded the 2024 Bart Barlogie Clinical Investigator Award to Sagar Lonial, MD, FACP, chief medical officer of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.
NCI Renews Comprehensive Cancer Center Designation
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed Comprehensive Cancer Center designation for the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, awarding it a five-year, $14.2 million grant. Kelvin Lee, MD, is the center's director, a member of AACI's Board of Directors, and chair of the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting Program Committee.
Route 66 SPORE Grant to Study Uterine Cancers
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of three cancer centers awarded an $11 million federal grant to study treatments and biomarkers for uterine cancers. Kimberly Leslie, MD, leads the UNM portion of the Route 66 Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant, the only one among the National Cancer Institute’s 65 SPORE grants to focus on uterine cancers.
Effort to Provide Prostate Cancer Treatment in the Community Gets $6 Million Boost
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UCLA urology department has been awarded $6 million from the California Department of Health Care Services to continue providing vital care and critical services to underinsured and uninsured Californians diagnosed with prostate cancer.
$3.3 Million Grant to Develop More Accurate, Comfortable Breast Cancer Screening Technology
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Researchers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute are using a $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to continue testing a novel imaging method for breast cancer detection that they hope will one day provide a superior alternative to the mammogram.
$2.3 Million Grant to Study Benefits of Combining Lung Cancer Screenings and Smoking Cessation in African Americans
LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health has been awarded a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The grant will be used to conduct research in conjunction with the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center to study benefits of combining lung cancer screenings and smoking cessation in African Americans.
Nagalo First at UAMS to Receive NIH New Innovator Award
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
A researcher at the Winthrop P Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Marius Nagalo, PhD, has received a $2.3 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health to support his research on pancreatic cancer.
Johanns Named Medical Director of The Brain Tumor Center
Siteman Cancer Center
Tanner Johanns, MD, PhD, has been named medical director of The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Babu to Lead New Office of Data Science
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS, has been named senior vice president, chief data scientist, and leader of the newly formed Office of Data Science at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Rolfo Appointed to Lead Medical Oncology Division
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Christian Rolfo, MD, PhD, has been appointed the director of the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – The James. He was previously associate director of Clinical Research for the Center of Excellence for Thoracic Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai.
New Clinical Research Leadership Team
Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine
The Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center of Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is pleased to announce a new cancer clinical research leadership team: Vered Stearns, MD, is associate director for clinical research; Paul Chapman, MD, is medical director for the Cancer Clinical Trials Office; and Anna Pavlick, DO, MBA, is medical director for the Oncology Service Line.
Patel Appointed Surgical Director of Pituitary Center
Siteman Cancer Center
Neurosurgeon Bhuvic Patel, MD, has been appointed surgical director of the Pituitary Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The center is part of The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center.
Uninterrupted Medicaid Coverage Improves Survival for Kids With Cancer
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A recently published paper finds that continuity of Medicaid coverage increases the survival rates of children and adolescents with cancer. Led by researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, the study provides critical insights into how gaps in Medicaid coverage can lead to significantly poorer survival for patients with pediatric cancer.
Clinical Cancer Research in U.S. Increasingly Dominated by Pharmaceutical Industry Sponsors
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center identified a substantial increase over the past decade in the proportion of patients with cancer in the U.S. who participate in pharmaceutical industry sponsored clinical trials compared to those conducted with federal government support.
MRI Can Save Rectal Cancer Patients From Surgery, Study Finds
University of Virginia Cancer Center
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can spare many patients with rectal cancer from invasive surgery that can carry lifelong side effects, new research indicates. The findings, from UVA Cancer Center’s Arun Krishnaraj, MD, MPH, and collaborators, indicate that MRI can predict patient outcomes and the risk of the tumor reccurring or spreading for patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation.
A Precision Medicine Initiative Aims to Improve Treatment for the Most Common Form of Leukemia in Adults
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. Unfortunately, the overall five-year survival rate for the disease is 30 percent. MyeloMATCH is looking to change that. A precision-medicine initiative sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, myeloMATCH (Myeloid Malignancies Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice) is an umbrella trial for people with AML or myelodysplastic syndrome.
Can Chatbots Help With Genetic Testing for Cancer Risk?
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
In a study from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, researchers found that a specialized chatbot can effectively assist patients in deciding whether to pursue genetic testing, offering an alternative to traditional genetic counseling.
Study Links 'Forever Chemical' PFOS With Colorectal Cancer
UK Markey Cancer Center
A recent UK Markey Cancer Center study sheds light on how the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) may affect our intestines and possibly increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
Unlocking the Potential of Patient-Derived Organoids for Personalized Sarcoma Treatment
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed the largest collection of sarcoma patient-derived organoids to date that can help improve the understanding of the disease and better identify therapies that are most likely to work for each individual patient.
Lymph Node-Like Structures May Trigger the Demise of Cancer Tumors
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
A newly described stage of a lymph node-like structure seen in liver tumors after presurgical immunotherapy may be vital to successfully treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
Breakthrough Clinical Trial Reveals Better Treatment for Advanced Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Updated results from a Phase III clinical trial are expected to change the way advanced stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is treated in newly diagnosed adolescents and adults. Data from the trial show that patients who received nivolumab experienced fewer side effects and had a 50 percent lower risk that the disease would progress after treatment, compared with patients who received the standard treatment, brentuximab vedotin.
In Beer Yeast, Scientists See Path to Starving Cancer
University of Virginia Cancer Center
The discovery of a surprising way yeast used to brew beer can survive starvation could open the door to new treatments for cancer. The finding reveals a never-before-seen adaptation that helps yeast cells go dormant when nutrients are scarce. This ability to hibernate during stress mirrors cancer’s ability to survive nutrient shortages that accompany the cancer cells’ unchecked growth.
An Early Blood Test Can Predict Survival in Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
A blood test, performed when metastatic prostate cancer is first diagnosed, can predict which patients are likely to respond to treatment and survive the longest. It can help providers decide which patients should receive standard treatment versus who might stand to benefit from riskier, more aggressive new drug trials. The research is part of a Phase III clinical trial funded in part by the National Cancer Institute.
New Treatment for Cancer-Related Wasting Disease
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
More than 25 percent of cancer-related deaths can be attributed to cachexia. It affects 80 percent of patients with pancreatic cancer, and half of patients with advanced lung cancer. For decades, researchers have been trying to figure out what causes cachexia and how to treat it. After pursuing many different pathways, significant progress is being made with a drug that targets the GDF-15/GFRAL pathway.
New Research Brings Hope for Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have made a promising breakthrough in the treatment of small cell lung cancer. Their study, titled "ATR Inhibition Activates Cancer Cell cGAS/STING-Interferon Signaling and Promotes Anti-Tumor Immunity in Small Cell Lung Cancer," presents an exciting new approach that offers hope to patients with this challenging disease.
Histotripsy Liver Tumor Trial Successful, Early Clinical Adoption Recommended
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The #HOPE4LIVER trials, testing the safety efficacy of histotripsy as a treatment for primary and metastatic liver tumors, met its goals for technical success and safety. The result supports early clinical adoption for the procedure.
Promising New Treatment Option Seen for Patients With Treatment-Resistant Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Clinical Leukemia Service at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center helped lead the first clinical trial of the experimental oral drug ziftomenib in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The results of the study show that the drug—part of a class of targeted therapies known as menin inhibitors—produced a partial or complete response in about a third of patients, all of whom had received two or more prior therapies.
Study Confirms Tissue Stiffening in Breast Cancer Can Drive Metastasis
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A new study confirmed that tissue stiffening in the most common types of breast cancer, HER2-negative, can directly cause disease progression and metastasis, leading to detrimental outcomes for patients. The work was a collaboration between researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and clinicians in Spain.
Liver Cancer Stem Cells Shown to Use Immune System as Shield to Spark Disease Recurrence
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford cancer researchers found that the interaction between residual liver cancer cells and nearby PD-L1 + M2-like macrophages causes liver cancer to reappear. Blocking this interaction in a mouse model increased the immune response, eliminated cancer cells in residual disease, and prevented cancer recurrence.
Cancer Diagnoses Still Lagging Due to COVID-19
UK Markey Cancer Center
A new UK Markey Cancer Center study reveals that cancer diagnosis rates in the U.S. remained below expected levels in 2021, adding to the backlog of undiagnosed cases from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Observed cancer incidence rates were 2.7 percent lower than expected in 2021, following a 9.4 percent reduction in 2020. This translates to nearly 150,000 potentially undiagnosed cancer cases over the two-year period.
Experimental Cancer Drug Eliminates Bone Metastases Caused by Breast Cancer in Lab Models
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
In a new study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the drug RK-33 has demonstrated promise in treating breast cancer that has spread to the bone. RK-33 was previously shown to help treat other types of cancer and viral illnesses.
Research Points to Potential New Treatment for Aggressive Prostate Cancer Subtype
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
When researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center first identified a new subtype of aggressive prostate cancer, they knew they needed to understand how this genetic alteration was driving cancer and how to target it with treatment. In two new papers they do both, describing the mechanisms of how alterations in the CDK12 gene drive prostate cancer development and reporting on a promising degrader that targets CDK12 and a related gene to destroy tumors.
The Breadth of Breast Cell Types
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Curtis Hines, PhD, has published the first comprehensive analysis of breast cell types. Using flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing, Dr. Hines collected, compiled, and catalogued data on the twelve types and many subtypes of cells in the human breast, creating an online resource to make the data available to other investigators.
Study Finds Opt-Out Treatment Helps Smokers Quit, Even Those With Low Motivation
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
People who smoke cigarettes and automatically receive help to quit are more likely to succeed, even if they aren’t fully motivated at first. A new study led by researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center found that an opt-out approach, where people who smoke are provided with tobacco cessation medications and counseling unless they decline, significantly increases quit rates.
AACI Listservs Offer Forums for Networking and Learning
Association of American Cancer Institutes
AACI offers several listservs for cancer center members to network with their peers and ask questions about specific topics or roles. Roundtable meetings, webinars, and other projects have been developed as a result of robust listserv discussions. Listservs are for AACI cancer center members only, and subscribers must have a cancer center email address to join. If you are interested in joining a listserv, please email [email protected].
Canine Cancer Case Highlights Precision Medicine
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A young French bulldog’s battle with an extremely rare and aggressive cancer has broken new ground in veterinary oncology at the University of Florida, and the beloved pet’s treatment could lead to better cancer care for dogs and children.
UCSF, NASA Explore Joint Ways to Benefit Cancer Patients
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Francisco reached into the cosmos at a special gathering with top research and clinical scientists from NASA to explore opportunities to jointly benefit patients with cancer and other diseases. NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle addressed patients, families, and faculty during a recent visit to UCSF.
Cancer AI Alliance Launched to Unlock Discoveries, Transform Care
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University have joined forces and secured funding from artificial intelligence (AI) technology leaders AWS, Deloitte, Microsoft and NVIDIA, to create the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA). Fred Hutch spearheaded the formation of CAIA and will serve as the alliance’s coordinating center.
Cedars-Sinai to Participate in Largest AAPI Cancer Initiative
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Cedars-Sinai Cancer is advancing its commitment to diversity in research by participating in the largest-ever national study of cancer risk factors in Asian Americans. Investigators are hoping to learn why Asian Americans have disproportionately high rates of many types of cancer.
Why Your Flu Shot Might Come With a Colon Cancer Test
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
For nearly two decades, UCSF Family Community Medicine Professor Michael Potter, MD, has worked with San Francisco community health clinics to pair colorectal cancer screening with flu shots. Community health centers in all 50 states are using Potter’s model, FluFIT, to save lives by offering take-home fecal immunochemical tests for colorectal cancer alongside flu shots.
Gilead Research Scholars Program Applications Due December 5
Gilead/Kite
Gilead’s Research Scholars Program in Oncology Solid Tumors focuses on breast, upper gastrointestinal, bladder, and lung cancers. The program provides a minimum of three awards, with each award funded up to $180,000. The current application submission cycle closes on Thursday, December 5. Gilead/Kite is a member of AACI's Corporate Roundtable.
Mobile Cancer Screening Vehicle Rolls Out
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
The University of Florida Health Cancer Center has launched a 40-foot-long mobile cancer screening bus that will expand access to lifesaving cancer screenings and essential health care services, including 3D mammograms and cervical, colon, and prostate cancer screenings.
Cancer Center Jobs
Vice Chair, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies (inaugural)
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Read moreChief Administrative Officer/Associate Director of Research Administration
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Read moreMeeting Announcements
2025 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference
January 29, 2025
2025 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop
March 11, 2025
Save the date for the 2025 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop, March 11-12, at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. More details and registration information are forthcoming.
2025 AACI/AACR Hill Day
May 22, 2025
Save the date for the 2025 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 22, in Washington, DC. More details and registration information are forthcoming.
17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 23, 2025
Save the date for the 17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting, June 23-25, 2025, at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 19, 2025
Save the date for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at Salamander Washington DC.