Cancer Research in 3D

In cancer research, seeing is believing. Before they can diagnose or treat cancer, researchers and doctors need to have a clear understanding of what’s happening at a microscopic level. While existing technology allows us to see things the naked eye can’t, a team of researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is working to standardize a process for staining and seeing cancer in a whole new perspective – in 3D (three dimensions).

LJI welcomes new faculty member Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D.

Cancer researcher Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D., has joined the faculty of La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) as an Assistant Professor to lead the Laboratory of Tissue Immune Networks. His laboratory at LJI aims to investigate the basis of CD8+ T cell tissue immunity to improve life-saving cancer immunotherapies.

Researchers uncover a potential genetic marker associated with better survival outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer

Researchers from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center show for the first time that a gene usually linked to giant axonal neuropathy, a rare and severe neurological condition, also plays a role in inhibiting aggressive tumor cell growth in head and neck cancers.

New treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer improves survival rates in breakthrough clinical trial

An innovative treatment significantly increases the survival of people with malignant mesothelioma, a rare but rapidly fatal type of cancer with few effective treatment options, according to results from a clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London.

Clues to early onset colorectal cancer found in microbiome of Hispanic patients

Nina Sanford, M.D., Chief of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology Service, UT Southwestern Medical Center Most people have a screening colonoscropy around age 50, however recent research has uncovered a rise in early onset colorectal cancer in patients younger than 50. What can…

Immunotherapy before surgery leads to promising long-term survival in sarcoma patients

Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma treated with neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, immunotherapy had very little residual tumor at the time of surgery and promising long-term survival, according to Phase II trial results published today in Nature Cancer by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Case Western Reserve University researcher awarded $2 million federal grant to further explore possible new effective treatments for colorectal and other cancers

With a new $2 million federal grant, a researcher with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine will lead a team to further explore preliminary findings of an effective treatment for colorectal and possibly other cancers.

Mount Sinai Researchers Receive $7 Million to Improve Outcomes for High-risk Blood Cancer Patients From the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

The Mount Sinai Health System has received a $7 million grant from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation for a three-year project that aims to fast-track novel translational concepts to improve outcomes for people with high risk myeloma, the second most common blood cancer in the United States.

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Awards $7.5 Million to Baylor Scott & White Research Institute

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute will establish the Texas site of the Connect for Cancer Prevention StudyTM (Connect), a project of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Nine healthcare systems plan to enroll 200,000 adults across the U.S.

Antibody-drug conjugate helps patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer live longer, delaying disease progression

Treatment with datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), a novel Trop-2 directed antibody-drug conjugate, was found to significantly improve progression-free survival in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, an improvement that was primarily driven by patients with non-squamous tumors.

Using recent diagnostic scans can substantially cut time to treatment for patients needing urgent palliation

Using previously taken diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans in place of CT simulation scans to plan simple palliative radiation treatments can substantially reduce the time some people spend waiting for urgent treatment, improving the patient experience, a new study suggests.

Precision medicine navigators increase genomic testing rates for Black patients with prostate cancer

The presence of a clinical navigator to act as a liaison between people with prostate cancer and the health care system greatly increases the likelihood that patients, especially Black patients, will receive advanced testing that can help predict the severity of their disease and guide treatment, a new study suggests.

Short-course radiation as effective as standard treatment for patients who opt for breast reconstruction after mastectomy

In a first-of-its-kind study, people with breast cancer who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction immediately following a mastectomy reported that getting fewer, higher doses of radiation was just as effective as standard radiation, did not increase side effects and saved them time and money.

High cure rate, low toxicity maintained with shortened radiation treatment for intermediate risk prostate cancer, study finds

People with intermediate risk, localized prostate cancer can be treated as effectively using fewer and higher doses of radiation therapy delivered over five treatment sessions as they can with lower doses delivered over several weeks, a new phase III randomized trial suggests.

Research Highlights for September 2023

Huntsman Cancer Institute shines the spotlight on new discoveries and cutting-edge cancer research. This month, researchers found that increasing access for Black people with prostate cancer may save lives. Also, the first patient in a new small cell lung cancer clinical trial has been enrolled, researchers are using an app to help adolescents and young adults manage cancer symptoms, and investigators are trying to reduce cognitive side-effects after chemotherapy.

UChicago Medicine breaks ground on $815M project to build state’s first freestanding cancer care and research pavilion

The University of Chicago Medicine broke ground Tuesday on its $815 million project to build the state’s first and only standalone structure dedicated to cancer care and research. The 575,000-square-foot, seven-story pavilion builds off UChicago’s decades of work and leadership in cancer research and its prestigious National Center Institute designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Radiation oncology research and clinical trial results to be featured at ASTRO’s Annual Meeting in San Diego

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced today the 10 studies to be highlighted in the 2023 ASTRO Annual Meeting press program. Researchers will discuss their findings in news briefings held October 2 and 3 at the San Diego Convention Center and via live webcast.

Study Unlocks New Insight about Breast Cancer Risk

A new study led by a researcher at New York Institute of Technology provides insight that could change how scientists and clinicians understand genetic predisposition to breast cancer, a condition that affects one in eight U.S. women in her lifetime.

July Research Highlights

Huntsman Cancer Institute investigators find a way to reduce infection after pancreatic surgery, discover the best treatment combination that’s cost effective for prostate cancer patients, and learn lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy have more emergency department visits. They also found a genetic mutation that makes anemia more likely after chemotherapy, and a non-invasive way to remove brain tumors.