New Combined Therapy Helps Extend Lives of Men With Prostate Cancer

Practice-changing research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer shows that a combination of androgen deprivation therapy—a commonly used hormone injection—plus pelvic lymph node radiation, kept nearly 90% of clinical trial patients’ prostate cancer at bay for five years. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

Cedars-Sinai’s Dean, Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, Honored for Contributions to Endocrine Research

Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, a world-renowned leader in pituitary medicine, was named the inaugural recipient of the Transatlantic Alliance Award by the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the Endocrine Society for his pioneering research in pituitary medicine and endocrine tumors.

Study: App More Accurate Than Patient Evaluation of Stool Samples

An innovative mobile phone application was found to be as good as expert gastroenterologists at characterizing stool specimens, according to a study by Cedars-Sinai. The artificial intelligence (AI) used in the smartphone app also outperformed reports by patients describing their stool specimens.

Cedars-Sinai Offers Program to Catch Older Adults Before They Fall

Falls and broken bones are common among older adults, but they’re not a natural part of aging. That’s why Cedars-Sinai geriatricians created a bone health and falls risk consultation program to catch at-risk people before they break a bone or help them avoid another fracture in the future.

Cedars-Sinai Experts to Present New Research and Discuss Advances in Care for Older Adults

Cedars-Sinai geriatrics experts will present their latest advances in research and care in person at the annual scientific meeting of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) in Orlando May 12-14, sharing innovations to improve both the quality of patient care and quality of life for older adults.

Supportive Care for Neurology Patients

In June of 2021, retired nurse Linda Leaming, 70, of LaVerne, was admitted to Cedars-Sinai after suffering a stroke. She was delirious and refusing to eat and drink, and her husband, Rich Leaming, struggled with decisions about her care. Neuropalliative specialist Jessica Besbris, MD, director of Neuropalliative Care and the Neurology Supportive Care Medicine Program at Cedars-Sinai, came to his aid.

April Research Highlights

This tipsheet highlights the latest medical discoveries and faculty news at Cedars-Sinai. Links to full news releases are included with each item.

Cardiologists, Cardiothoracic Surgeons Available for Expert Commentary Ahead of Upcoming Conferences

Cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are available to discuss the latest advances in research, clinical care, transcatheter procedures and cardiothoracic surgery throughout the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Scientific Sessions 2022 and Heart Rhythm 2022.

AI May Detect Earliest Signs of Pancreatic Cancer

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by Cedars-Sinai investigators accurately predicted who would develop pancreatic cancer based on what their CT scan images looked like years prior to being diagnosed with the disease. The findings, which may help prevent death through early detection of one of the most challenging cancers to treat, are published in the journal Cancer Biomarkers.

Smidt Heart Institute: Annual Report Highlights

The 2022 Annual Report from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai is available now, detailing the latest research and medical achievements by the expert team ranked No. 1 for cardiology and cardiac surgery in California by U.S. News & World Report.

Cedars-Sinai Gifted $10M to Create Memory and Aging Program

Cedars-Sinai announced today a $10 million gift to establish the Bernard and Maxine Platzer Lynn Family Memory and Healthy Aging Program in the Department of Neurology. The program will broaden the scope of age-related care at Cedars-Sinai—with a focus on healthy aging, patient independence, care coordination, and brain health.

A Patient Pioneer: Minimally Invasive Lung Transplantation

To anyone else, it’s just a walk around the block. But for Frank Coburn, 57, and his wife, it’s a miracle. A miracle that resulted from Coburn becoming the first Southern Californian—and possibly first in the U.S.—to receive a minimally invasive double lung transplant. The procedure was performed at the Smidt Heart Institute.

Even During Pandemic, Volunteers Bring Comfort

The Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai sees more than 85,000 patients each year. Among the first to greet those patients and their loved ones–even during the coronavirus pandemic–are Cedars-Sinai’s blue-coated volunteers, who are honored this week during National Volunteer Appreciation Week.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Mark Pimentel, MD

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder, affecting 10-15% of the world’s population. Approximately two-thirds of those who suffer from IBS are women. The disease can have mild forms or cause severe debilitation as diarrhea alternates with constipation. Severe cramping and bloating also are common. Because chronic IBS is so debilitating, it often disrupts the daily lives of people with this disorder.

Study: New Approach May Boost Prostate Cancer Immunotherapies

Researchers have discovered a new way to transform the tissues surrounding prostate tumors to help the body’s immune cells fight the cancer. The discovery, made in human and mouse cells and in laboratory mice, could lead to improvements in immunotherapy treatments for prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men in the U.S.

Cedars-Sinai Demo Day Goes Virtual

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented innovation on the part of healthcare providers everywhere who rose to meet the challenges of the past year.

And the next generation of healthcare innovations will be on display during the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Demo Day, on Wednesday, April 7, from 3:30-5 p.m. Click here to register to attend the virtual event.

#YearofCOVID: Patients Look Back

COVID-19 swept into Southern California a year ago, a silent and forbidding foe that randomly upended the lives of patients young and old, hearty and frail, ready or not. Some survivors can recall every detail of their illnesses, while others say that memories of days spent on a ventilator or in a fog of fever are irretrievable. Loneliness was their constant, and often only, companion.

#YearofCOVID Tip Sheet

One year has passed since stay-at-home orders went into effect across the U.S. and the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives in profound ways. During this dark year, we’ve witnessed overwhelming loss of life and livelihood, and separation from those we love. But we have also seen courageous patients and heroic healthcare workers battling the disease, as swift breakthroughs have brought us vaccines and hope.

National Science Foundation Honors Cedars-Sinai Neuroscientist

At 36, neuroscientist Tanuj Gulati, PhD, is still in the early phases of his career, but his contributions to the field of neurosciences have been nothing short of impactful. His research is so promising, in fact, that the National Science Foundation has awarded Gulati with the foundation’s top honor, the Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award.

COVID-19 Risk Factors for Healthcare Workers: Race, Ethnicity

Healthcare workers might not be so different from the general population in the factors that determine their risk of getting COVID-19. A new study led by Cedars-Sinai shows that healthcare workers are more likely to have antibodies to COVID-19 in their blood if they are African American or Latino or have hypertension.