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.

NCCN names UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center as 33rd member institution

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named as the newest member institution of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers. There are now 33 academic centers across the United States contributing multidisciplinary subject matter experts to 61 different panels determining the latest evidence-based expert consensus recommendations for risk assessment, prevention, evaluation and treatment, surveillance, supportive care, and survivorship throughout the cancer care continuum.

Newly identified personalized immunotherapy combination treats an aggressive form of advanced prostate cancer

A combination treatment that targets the immune system helps treat aggressive prostate cancers that don’t respond to conventional therapies.

UChicago Medicine earns high marks for stem cell transplant survival rates

New data show the University of Chicago Medicine’s David and Etta Jonas Center for Cellular Therapy has the highest one-year survival rate in Illinois for adults undergoing blood and bone marrow stem cell transplants. UChicago Medicine had an 80% one-year survival rate among adult stem cell patients, according to the latest statistics released in mid-December by the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR).

American Lung Association to Study New Treatment Approach for Lung Cancer

Sean P. Pitroda, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago, has received a Lung Cancer Discovery Award and been selected to join the American Lung Association Research Team for his work to improve treatment response in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC).

Comparing African and European populations leads to breast cancer risk discovery

By comparing genetic data from European and African population groups, scientists at UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified seven new regions of the human genome that are associated with increased breast cancer risk. The findings were published in Nature Communications.

Are childhood cancers different? Understanding the immune response to tumors in pediatric neuroblastoma

UChicago Medicine physician-scientists aimed to find out how the immune systems of children with a type of cancer called neuroblastoma respond to tumors. The answer to this question could help guide the treatment of pediatric patients.

Roswell Park and University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Centers Awarded Nearly $9M for Ovarian Cancer Research

Researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center are combining efforts after together securing a nearly $9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop new and better treatments for ovarian cancer.

Could neutrophils be the secret to cancer’s Achilles’ heel?

A study published in the June 10, 2021 issue of Cell describes a remarkable new mechanism by which the body’s own immune system can eliminate cancer cells without damaging host cells. The findings have the potential to develop first-in-class medicines that are designed to be selective for cancer cells and non-toxic to normal cells and tissues.

$10 million grant from AbbVie Foundation to support UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center

A $10 million grant from the AbbVie Foundation will support scientific and educational activities at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center under the leadership of a newly appointed Cancer Center Director Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD.

Adekunle Odunsi named new director of University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center

Adekunle “Kunle” Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, an expert in immunotherapy and vaccine therapy for cancer, has been appointed director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. He comes to Chicago from Buffalo, New York, where he served as deputy director at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

UChicago Medicine, in partnership with Solis Mammography, opens two new breast health centers

Solis Mammography, the nation’s largest independent provider of breast health and diagnostic services, is expanding access to 3D mammography and diagnostic breast health procedures through a partnership with University of Chicago Medicine.

Deep learning algorithm identifies tumor subtypes based on routine histological images

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, working with colleagues in Europe, created a deep learning algorithm that can infer molecular alterations directly from routine histology images across multiple common tumor types. The findings were published July 27 in Nature Cancer.

Pediatric sedation program helps ease patients’ anxiety – and improve hospital workflow

Pediatric sedation service at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital provides a critical bridge for children undergoing medical procedures. It’s one of only nine programs in the United States to be designated a Center of Excellence by the Society of Pediatric Sedation.