Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s pediatric oncologist Leo Mascarenhas, MD, MS, has been reelected as Children’s Oncology Group (COG) voting body chair for a second five-year term.
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A Clinic for Ovarian Cancer ‘Previvors’
When Elisa Schoenfeld, a child development specialist, learned she had tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation, she knew it raised her risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She and her daughter, Amira, who received similar genetic test results, visited the BRCA Ovarian Previvor Clinic at Cedars-Sinai.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Welcomes Gynecologic Oncologist Margaret Liang, MD
Gynecologic oncologist Margaret Liang, MD, has joined the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Division of Gynecologic Oncology, providing care and clinical services for patients within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also joins as director for the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program.
Missing a Rare Cause of Hereditary Cancer
New research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators could warrant reconsideration of current screening guidelines to include a poorly recognized cause of Lynch syndrome, the most common cause of hereditary colorectal and endometrial cancers.
June Research Highlights
A roundup of the latest medical discoveries and faculty news at Cedars-Sinai for June 2023.
Loss of Y Chromosome in Men Enables Cancer to Grow
As men age, some of their cells lose the very thing that makes them biological males—the Y chromosome—and this loss hampers the body’s ability to fight cancer, according to new research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Experts Available to Discuss ASCO 2023 News
Cedars-Sinai Cancer physician-scientists with expertise in liver, skin, lung, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, brain, prostate and endometrial cancers will be attending the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting June 2-6 in Chicago and are available for in-person or virtual interviews to discuss the latest news and research.
New Bladder Cancer Classification Predicts Treatment Response
Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer, working in collaboration with colleagues in Colorado and the Netherlands, have identified a specific type of bladder cancer most likely to resist first-line treatment.
Study Reveals How Fatty Liver Promotes Colorectal Cancer Spread
Investigators at Cedars-Sinai Cancer found that fatty liver, a condition closely associated with obesity, promotes the spread of colorectal cancer to the liver. Their study, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Metabolism, details the process at the cellular level and could change the way doctors manage the disease in some patients.
Study: Vitamin D May Play a Role in Prostate Cancer Disparities
Vitamin D deficiency could be the reason African American men experience more aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age compared with European American men, new research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer suggests.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Collaborates on a New Type of Clinical Trial
Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer are collaborating on a streamlined clinical trial design in a study called Pragmatica-Lung.
Study Reveals New Understanding of How Androgen Therapy Affects Breast Tissue
New insights into the effects of a hormonal treatment for transgender men, discovered by Cedars-Sinai investigators, could have implications for the treatment of breast cancer.
Cedars-Sinai Welcomes Biomedical Data Science Expert
Nicholas Tatonetti, PhD, an expert in biomedical data science, has joined Cedars-Sinai as the vice chair of Computational Biomedicine and associate director for Computational Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
LAPD Sergeant Didn’t Walk Alone
Every day for six weeks, Neil Wank, a 26-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran who in December was diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma, was escorted down the long hallway leading to the Cedars-Sinai Cancer radiation therapy facility by his wife, Nikki, and 10 to 20 of his fellow officers.
Study Confirms Pancreatic Cancer Rates Rising Faster in Women Than Men
In a large-scale nationwide study, investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer have confirmed that rates of pancreatic cancer are rising—and are rising faster among younger women, particularly Black women, than among men of the same age. Their work was published today in the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.
Invention: A Blood Test to Unlock Prostate Cancer Mysteries
Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators have developed a new nanotechnology-based test that can detect and profile prostate cancers—even in microscopic amounts.
Hitting Stem Cell and CAR T Targets
The Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer was recently recognized with two important hallmarks of quality: official accreditation for CAR T-cell therapy, and a third year in a row ranking among the top adult bone marrow transplant programs in the U.S.
Cedars-Sinai Streamlines Lung Cancer Screening
Cedars-Sinai Cancer is taking on the country’s leading cause of cancer-related death with a new Lung Cancer Screening Program designed to reach more patients, simplify the screening process, and provide fast access to follow-up care.
A Leading-Edge Lymphoma Program
Less than three years after joining the Cedars-Sinai Cancer faculty, hematologist-oncologists Justin Darrah, MD, and Akil Merchant, MD, are pioneering new research and bringing a new, comprehensive set of treatment options to patients in the recently established Lymphoma Program.
Cedars-Sinai Surgeon to Lead Breast Program at Huntington Hospital
Jeannie Shen, MD, a fellowship-trained breast surgeon who is board-certified in general surgery, has been appointed medical director of the Breast Program at Huntington Hospital, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, and medical director of the International Health Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer at Huntington Hospital.
Supportive Care Oncologist Joins Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Medical oncologist Tiffany Shaw, MD, has joined Cedars-Sinai Cancer as regional medical director for Supportive Care Medicine at Huntington Cancer Center, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
Breast Cancer Awareness Is for Men, Too
Although breast cancer is more common in women, during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, experts from Cedars-Sinai Cancer are reminding men that they are at risk as well. One in every 100 breast cancers in the U.S. is diagnosed in a man, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Physician Scientist to Lead Breast Oncology Program
Yuan Yuan, MD, PhD, a breast medical oncologist and physician scientist who specializes in triple-negative breast cancer and breast cancer immunotherapy, has joined Cedars-Sinai Cancer as director of Breast Oncology. Yuan will treat patients at Cedars-Sinai and at Huntington Cancer Center, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Welcomes Nine Oncologists to Its Affiliate, Huntington Cancer Center
Cedars-Sinai Cancer is welcoming nine oncology specialists to its affiliate, Huntington Cancer Center. The cancer specialists will be based at Huntington’s Pasadena campus, making it easier for San Gabriel Valley residents to access Cedars-Sinai Cancer clinical trials and innovative treatment options.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Leaders Assume New Roles
Lali Medina-Kauwe, PhD, former co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program in Cedars-Sinai Cancer, has assumed a new role as associate director for Basic Research.
Cedars-Sinai Team Pioneers Liver Cancer Blood Test
Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators have created a blood test that uses a technology made commonly available during the COVID-19 pandemic to detect the most common form of liver cancer—at an early enough stage that cure is possible. Their work was published online in the peer-reviewed journal Hepatology.
How Tumors Make Immune Cells ‘Go Bad’
Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer have discovered that cancerous tumors called soft-tissue sarcomas produce a protein that switches immune cells from tumor-attacking to tumor-promoting. The study, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, could lead to improved treatments for soft-tissue sarcomas.
Radiation Oncology Expert Joins Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Marc Botnick, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist with more than 20 years of experience managing all cancer types, has been named regional medical director for Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. His primary clinical practice site will be at Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Radiation Oncology, but he will work closely with physicians throughout the enterprise.
Genetics May Predict Bladder Cancer Immunotherapy Response
Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer have identified genetic signatures that could predict whether tumors in patients with bladder and other cancers will respond to immunotherapy. Their results, published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Cancer Institute, could one day help guide clinicians to the most effective treatments for cancer patients.
Cedars-Sinai’s Howard Sandler, MD, Elected President of ASTRO
Howard Sandler, MD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, has been named president-elect of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Sandler will begin his term as president-elect in October, followed by single-year terms as president, chair and then immediate past chair of the ASTRO Board.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Experts Available to Comment on AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report
Experts from Cedars-Sinai Cancer are available to comment on the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022, which will be released Wednesday, June 8, in a virtual congressional briefing. The report highlights the need to increase diversity in clinical trials and the cancer workforce, and it provides policy recommendations for addressing cancer disparities—all areas Cedars-Sinai Cancer is working to address.
ASCO22: Lung Cancer Therapy Could Help Patients Live Longer
Results of a Phase II clinical trial led by Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators indicate that an immunotherapy drug combination could extend the lives of those diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, one of the most common forms of lung cancer. The research was presented today during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, with simultaneous publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Experts Present Breakthroughs at 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting
Experts from Cedars-Sinai Cancer, ranked among the top 10 in the nation for cancer care, will present novel research and clinical advances throughout the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), taking place in person and virtually June 3-7 in Chicago.
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 and USC to Jump-Start Young Scientists Seeking to Cure Cancer
Two internationally prominent cancer experts from Cedars-Sinai and USC will train a new generation of investigators to propel scientific advances in cancer through a novel grant from the U.S. Department of Defense.
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.
Prominent Gynecologic Oncologist to Direct Cedars-Sinai Women’s Cancer Program
Internationally prominent gynecologic oncologist Kenneth H. Kim, MD, recently was selected to direct the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. He also serves as chair of the cancer center’s Committee for Oversight of Training and Education.
EMBARGOED STUDY: Potential Cancer Therapy May Boost Immune Response
A new approach to cancer therapy shows potential to transform the commonly used chemotherapy drug gemcitabine into a drug that kills cancer cells in a specialized way, activating immune cells to fight the cancer, according to a study led by Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators.