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UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Using a divide and conquer strategy, researchers from the University of California San Francisco have provided a roadmap for the development of a precision medicine approach to osteosarcoma, the most common bone cancer in children and young adults, for which treatment has remained unchanged for more than 30 years. E. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD, is lead author of the study.   Read More

Moffitt Cancer Center Manish Kohli, MD, has joined Moffitt Cancer Center as the vice chair of the Department of Genitourinary Oncology. He has an extensive research background, focusing on bringing individualized care to patients. Dr. Kohli joins Moffitt from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, where he conducted clinical trials in advanced stages of prostate, kidney, bladder, and testicular cancers. Read More

O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham John F. Kearney, PhD, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Kearney was elected in the Medical Sciences section of AAAS “for his distinguished contributions to immunology, particularly in understanding B cell development and the role of B cells in autoimmune diseases.”   Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center A team of University of Kentucky researchers led by Stuart Jarrett, PhD, and John D’Orazio, MD, PhD, have discovered specific protein interactions that may help cells resist ultraviolet damage and carcinogenesis. The study focused on the role of a cell receptor found in melanocytes known as the melanocortin 1 receptor.   Read More

2018 was a year of transitions for AACI—a new president and executive director, fresh initiatives, a redesigned website and newsletter, and an expanded staff to better serve AACI’s 98 cancer center members. These are just a few of the highlights covered in the 2018 AACI Report. In 2019, AACI will continue to develop programming that supports the interests of its members and provide peer-to-peer networking opportunities for cancer center leadership.   Read More

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center As part of their Idea Award program, the Department of Defense has awarded Sanjay Gupta, PhD, MS, a total of $962,000 over three years to investigate drug resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer. The program aims to improve quality of life by decreasing the impact of cancer on active duty service members and their communities.   Read More

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University The inaugural Rein Saral, MD Professorship in Cancer Medicine was awarded to Edmund K. Waller, MD, PhD, a distinguished Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University investigator and physician. The professorship recognizes Dr. Waller's outstanding contributions and expertise in the area of hematological malignancies and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation.   Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Umbilical cord blood stem cells that are cultured and expanded outside the body before being used for bone marrow transplant in adult blood cancer patients appear safe and restore blood count recovery faster than standard cord blood. The findings, led by Mitchell Horwitz, MD, are from a Phase I/II study of the biologic treatment, NiCord, at 11 clinical trial sites.    Read More

Siteman Cancer Center Washington University researchers at Siteman Cancer Center may have found a path toward improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy in people with breast or ovarian cancer that is caused by BRCA defects. They have identified a pair of genes that operate in parallel to BRCA. Knocking down the genes increases tumor cells’ susceptibility to a toxic chemical – and potentially to chemotherapy drugs as well.    Read More

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center A new study led by Susan McCann, PhD, RD, examines how women of different backgrounds metabolize lignans. What scientists learned may help explain why associations between diet and breast cancer risk have been difficult to demonstrate consistently.   Read More

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Caryn Lerman, PhD, as the center’s new director, effective March 15, 2019. She also will hold the position of professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Lerman will join USC Norris from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she serves as the John H. Glick Professor for Cancer Research and vice dean for strategic initiatives.   Read More

University of Virginia Cancer Center Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a defect in immune cells known as "killer T cells" that explains their inability to destroy cancer tumors. The researchers believe that repairing this defect could make the cells much better cancer killers. Further, they predict their discovery could be used within three to five years to help identify patients who will best respond to cancer therapies.   Read More

Jorge Cortes, MD, has been named director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. He will join the leadership of the Georgia Cancer Center and Medical College of Georgia September 1. Dr. Cortes is currently deputy department chair in the Department of Leukemia in the Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center.   Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have developed a first-of-its-kind organoid that mirrors the process of cancer spreading to the lung. Called a tumor-in-a-dish, the model gives researchers insight on what goes on inside a tumor and the drugs that may best kill it. Shrikant Anant, PhD, is lead author of the study.   Read More

NYU Langone Health’s Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The center received an overall “outstanding” rating on the competitive renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant, which will provide nearly $20 million in new funding—a 51 percent increase from its last grant—for research programs, infrastructure, and technology. Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, is Perlmutter's director.   Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health By diving deep into data about more than 1,300 past kidney cancer cases, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers, led by Robert G. Uzzo, MD, FACS, concluded that there is no compelling cancer-related reason to remove an entire kidney solely based on a tumor’s location in the hilum. Instead, other factors should provide more weight in risk-adapted decisions about whether to do a partial or a radical nephrectomy.   Read More

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Sagar Lonial, MD, chief medical officer for Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, was honored with the Anne and Bernard Gray Family Chair in Cancer. The endowment honors the life of Mrs. Gray's sister, Karen Ammons Howell, who died of breast cancer. Read More

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health Pancreaticoduodenectomy, or the Whipple operation, is one of the most complex abdominal surgeries, and is commonly prescribed as a first line of therapy for cancer located within the pancreatic head. Clinicians at Jefferson have now shown that providing patients intensive care after surgery can help reduce hospital stay and reduce time to eligibility for adjuvant chemotherapy.    Read More

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, director of the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program, has been named a co-winner of the 2019 Sjöberg Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Sweden’s Sjöberg Foundation. Honored for his groundbreaking research in targeted cancer therapies, Dr. Slamon shares the award with Brian Druker, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University.   Read More

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center How do you make cancer clinical trials available to more patients? A new study led by Joseph Unger, PhD, MS, at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center offers a tantalizing solution: loosen up the strict eligibility criteria. In a nutshell, the research found that physicians often don’t even discuss potential trial participation with patients who are ineligible due to having another disease.    Read More

Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone An anonymous $75 million gift to NYU Langone Health and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center will establish a Center for Blood Cancers housing a new, world-class program for multiple myeloma care and research. The new center will significantly expand the center’s capacity to study and treat blood cancers.    Read More

University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Maryland School of Medicine surgeons have identified a group of lymph nodes in the chest that appear highly significant in predicting the prognosis for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The researchers found that presence of cancer in these lymph nodes increased the risk of recurrence or death more than two-fold in patients undergoing mesothelioma surgery.   Read More

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Peter Huntsman, CEO of the Huntsman Foundation and chairman and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation (HCF), has announced a $30 million gift from the family’s foundation. This donation allows Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah to better plan for and address the future needs of cancer patients in the Mountain West. The gift is in addition to the $40 million already raised by HCF to support the construction of the Kathry…

Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center of The Wistar Institute Collaborative research by The Wistar Institute and Moffitt Cancer Center has demonstrated that BRAF-targeted therapies render resistant melanoma more sensitive to the attack of killer T cells. This result suggests that adoptive T cell therapy may benefit patients that have become resistant to BRAF inhibitors.   Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a highly sensitive urine test for diagnosing and monitoring bladder cancer. The test involves looking for fragments of cancer DNA in urine samples.   Read More

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Three members of the faculty at City of Hope received awards in recognition of their contributions to the field of oncology: Alexandra Levine, MD, MACP, received the Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award for Promotion of Women in Cancer Medicine and Cancer Science; Dan Raz, MD, MAS, received a Global Lung Cancer Coalition Journalism Award; and Binghui Shen, PhD, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Recent research led by scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute shows better overall survival rates among black men with metastatic disease who are treated with abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide. Megan Ann McNamara, MD, presented the research at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in February.   Read More

University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center's Jeffrey Arterburn, PhD, a medicinal chemist, and Eric Prossnitz, PhD, a molecular biologist, screened thousands of compounds to find two that interact with a receptor called GPER. A startup company, Linnaeus, has licensed one of those compounds to use in combination with an immunotherapy agent and will begin clinical trials in melanoma.   Read More

University of Virginia Cancer Center A new program will use telehealth to bring together a University of Virginia Health System team with primary care providers in the Appalachian region of Virginia. To enhance the ability of primary care providers to prevent, diagnose, and treat lung diseases, UVA pulmonary care experts will provide 10 education sessions through the UVA Center for Telehealth, with the topics determined through a survey of local primary care providers based on their need…

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a new laboratory tool, which is poised to improve the development and effectiveness of a burgeoning group of therapies that use patients' immune systems to fight cancer with genetically-engineered CAR T cells. The Topanga assay, named after Topanga Beach in Malibu, uses genes originally isolated from bioluminescent marine organisms.  Read More

University of Florida Health Cancer Center The University of Florida has received a $12 million gift from Orlando hotel magnate Harris Rosen and The Harris Rosen Foundation to advance brain tumor immunotherapy research and care at UF Health and to launch an unprecedented partnership for the development of novel brain tumor treatments. The gift is the cornerstone of a $100 million fundraising commitment to support the ReMission Alliance Against Brain Tumors, a collaborative initiative led…

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBS, director of Winship Cancer Institute's new Center for Cancer Immunology, has been honored as the inaugural holder of the Anise McDaniel Brock Chair. He was also named a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Cancer Innovation at a ceremony in February.   Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have published a groundbreaking study that describes for the first time the mechanisms of how the amount of amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) is controlled in blood. Accumulation of Phe can cause phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic condition that can result in permanent neurological damage as well as behavioral abnormalities if not properly managed.   Read More

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center A new UCLA-led study shows that men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer can safely undergo higher doses of radiation over a significantly shorter period of time and still have the same, successful outcomes as from a much longer course of treatment.   Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University The first study of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab as the initial treatment for patients with a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma reports better responses and longer survival than expected with conventional chemotherapy. The study is the longest observation to date of Merkel cell carcinoma patients treated with any anti-PD-1 immunotherapy drug used in the first line.   …

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, led by translational researcher Cyrus Ghajar, PhD, may have found a way to essentially smother cancer cells in their sleep, preventing them from ever waking up and forming deadly metastatic tumors.   Read More

Cedars-Sinai Cancer A major new study now underway aims to better incorporate patient feedback into clinical trials that help determine which new cancer treatments will be approved for use. The project, supported by a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, involves statisticians, clinicians, and patient advocates. The team is analyzing data from previous and ongoing clinical trials to design new statistical measurement criteria for assessing how well trial part…

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center In a new study, Roswell Park researchers led by Yuesheng Zhang, MD, PhD, report that a new HER2 inhibitor, PEPD-G278D, has the potential to overcome that drug resistance. It is a novel anticancer agent that operates on several different fronts.   Read More

The 11th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting, "Strategies to Maximize Innovation to Advance Cancer Clinical Research," will be held July 9-11, at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel. This year's meeting has been expanded to a three-day format and will start on Tuesday, July 9 at 1:00 pm central and end on Thursday, July 11 at noon central. The agenda is packed with networking sessions, extra poster sessions, and panel discussions with content experts.  Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute An antibody-based treatment can gently and effectively eliminate diseased blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow to prepare for the transplantation of healthy stem cells, according to a study in mice by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Judith Shizuru, MD, PhD, is senior author of the study.    Read More

AACI will host a briefing targeted toward new members of Congress and staff at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 27 in room 2043 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Moderated by AACI President, Roy A. Jensen, MD, "Breaking Down Barriers to a Cure" will examine financial and structural barriers to cancer research and treatment, focusing on cancer-related legislation and breakthroughs in CAR T-cell therapy.    Read More

The briefing will focus on the urgent importance of stable research funding and breakthroughs in the rapidly advancing field of CAR T-cell immunotherapy.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center MD Anderson researchers have found that malignant rhabdoid tumors, a rare pediatric cancer, may be sensitive to drugs that block the cancer cell's ability to dispose of misfolded proteins. The findings provide a therapeutic target for cancers caused by mutations in the SMARCB1 gene. Giannicola Genovese, MD, is the study's corresponding author.   Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center A University of Kentucky study shows a direct link between the adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion and the impact of colon cancer on Kentuckians. Researchers looked at statistics for screening, incidence, and outcomes of colon cancer from the Kentucky Hospital Discharge Database in the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Cancer Registry. Pre-ACA Medicaid expansion (2011-2013), where approximately 14 percent of …

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center City of Hope has received its third lymphoma Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of four current NCI-supported lymphoma SPORE grants. It covers a five-year period and totals $12.5 million. This interdisciplinary research is currently advanced in the Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, which is the foundation of City of Hope's Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Ins…

On February 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed National Coverage Analysis for CAR T-cell therapy. CMS has opened a 30-day comment period for the proposal, with comments due by Friday, March 15. Read More

Moffitt Cancer Center Moffitt Cancer Center has a new program leader of neuro-oncology and chief of neurosurgery. Michael Vogelbaum, MD, PhD, has stepped into the roles, working alongside Peter Forsyth, MD, Department of Neuro-Oncology chair. Dr. Vogelbaum was most recently the associate director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and the director of its Center for Translational Therapeutics.   Read More

Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center The immunotherapy that has revolutionized treatment of many cancers appears to offer similar benefit to cancer patients living with HIV, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Their study focused on whether a relatively new class of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors is both safe and effective in patients with advanced cancer who also live with HIV. Read More

Siteman Cancer Center A new study has identified a connection between prolonged time spent sitting while watching TV and increased risk of colorectal cancer for Americans under age 50. Young-onset colorectal cancer is increasing in the U.S. and globally, sharply contrasting with the dramatic decreases among older people, largely as a result of cancer screening initiatives. Yin Cao, ScD, MPH, is co-senior author of the study.   Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Results of two clinical studies have added to evidence that blood-based liquid biopsies can accurately track lung cancer treatment responses by measuring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) during immunotherapy and related treatments. The new studies, described in the December issues of the journal Cancer Research, showed that tracking responses to treatment by measuring ctDNA was a more accurate way of assessing tumor growt…

Registration is now open for an AACI Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) webinar on developing and implementing a telemedicine program. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at 12:00 pm eastern. Moderated by Andrew E. Chapman, DO, FACP, chief of cancer services at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health (SKCC) and member of the PCLI steering committee, the webinar will address a telemedicine approach to oncology. Dr. Chapman will be joined by his SKCC colleague…

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Blood cells could hold the key to aging, according to new research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. An international team of researchers led by Shigemi Matsuyama, DVM, PhD, found human blood cells have an intrinsic clock that remains steady even after transplant. The researchers say the clock could control human aging and may underlie blood cancers.   Read More

AACI and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will co-host the 2019 Hill Day in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 30. AACI is encouraging its U.S. members to send at least one representative to Washington to advocate on your center's behalf. All faculty and staff of AACI cancer centers are invited to attend and bring patient advocates, whose impactful stories are vital to demonstrating the importance of cancer research and care.   Read More

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health Novel advances in the treatment of lung cancer have emerged from a new preclinical study from researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health. The study presents compelling evidence that an investigational class of drugs termed SMACs (secondary mitochondrial-derived activators of caspases) can effectively synergize with radiation treatment to improve lung cancer treatment outcomes.    Read More

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah New research shows how early cancer screening and surveillance in patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) results in additional years of life, and is cost effective for third-party payers. People diagnosed with LFS have a one in two chance of developing cancer by 30, and a nearly 100 percent risk of developing cancer in their lifetime.   Read More

International HPV Awareness Day is Monday, March 4. Developed in 2018 by the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), the day is an annual opportunity to educate about HPV, its associated cancers, and prevention against the virus. Communications professionals from NCI-Designated Cancer Centers have compiled a toolkit of key messages, along with important facts and figures about HPV, for use by AACI members.  Read More

University of Colorado Cancer Center One of the largest-ever studies of work-related risks in young adult cancer survivors finds that of 872 survivors, 14.4 percent borrowed more than $10,000 and 1.5 percent said they or their family had filed for bankruptcy as a direct result of illness or treatment. It also showed that not all cancers and not all treatments have the same effects on young survivors’ financial outcomes.   Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have created a novel, cost-effective 3D lab-on-a-chip tool that can analyze tiny vesicles, like exosomes, secreted from tumor cells in just a few drops of blood to detect cancer. In a new study, the researchers demonstrated the chip’s potential using plasma samples from ovarian cancer patients.   Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center An experimental cancer vaccine in early-stage development at the University of California San Francisco has sparked hope in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The promising research was recognized by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which awarded Karin Gaensler, MD, and her team a $4.17 million translational grant last October.   Read More

University of Colorado Cancer Center A study by researchers at University of Colorado Cancer Center and Oregon Health & Science University shows that breast cancers diagnosed in young women within 10 years of giving birth are more likely to metastasize, and thus more likely to cause death, than breast cancers in young women who gave birth less recently or not at all.   Read More

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center A new study by Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute provides the strongest evidence to date to support recommendations that average risk patients can safely opt for an annual, easy-to-use, home stool test instead of a screening colonoscopy.   Read More

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Tia Turner, a Virginia Commonwealth University MD-PhD student, recently received a National Cancer Institute grant to fund her research, which is aimed at uncovering novel drug combinations to treat triple-negative breast cancer. For the past few years she has worked in the pathology laboratory of Chuck Harrell, PhD.   Read More

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center A group of Lerner Research Institute scientists, led by Xiaoxia Li, PhD, defined a new link between inflammation, wound healing, and tumor formation. Previous research has shown that uncontrolled tissue repair promotes tumorigenesis, but Dr. Li’s group describes for the first time the driving mechanisms behind the phenomenon and suggests that potential new drug targets are yet to be discovered.   Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center A common pain reliever improves survival for some patients with head and neck cancer, a new study led by UC San Francisco has found. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, improved the overall five-year survival rate from 25 percent to 78 percent for patients whose cancer contains the PIK3CA gene, researchers reported. Jennifer R. Grandis, MD, is senior author of the study.   Read More

National Cancer Institute Norman Sharpless, PhD, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after current FDA chief Scott Gottlieb steps down in early April. In an email to NCI colleagues, Dr. Sharpless said his move was announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on March 12, and that Douglas Lowy, PhD, will serve as acting NCI director.   Read More

WVU Cancer Institute Researchers at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute are evaluating a first-of-its-kind blood test for detecting colorectal cancer. Their findings may help propel the test toward inclusion in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. The blood test, which the Food and Drug Administration recently approved, looks for an abnormal gene called SEPT9 associated with colorectal cancer.   Read More

GW Cancer Center Researchers at GW Cancer Center found that the enzyme USP15 could potentially lead to new treatments for breast and pancreatic cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas indicates that USP15 enzyme deletions occur in 16 percent of breast cancers and in 5 percent of pancreatic cancers. Studies have shown that cancer-associated USP15 mutations increase poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor sensitivity in cancer cells. Read More

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center A $6.6 million award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the latest slew of grants awarded to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. These awards, totaling more than $28.2 million in new funding from federal agencies as well as nonprofit foundations and associations, will enable critical investigations to help explain why an aggressive form of breast cancer is more common in African-American women, learn how cancer metast…

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Dicker is senior VP and chair of Enterprise Radiation Oncology; director of the Jefferson Institute for Digital Health; and professor of Radiation Oncology, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health.  Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer, yet coverage of screenings for individuals at high risk for lung cancer varies across state Medicaid programs, according to a new report by the American Lung Association. To ensure those eligible can access lifesaving lung cancer screenings, the American Lung Association and MD Anderson Cancer Center have partnered on educational initiatives to improve coverage for recommended low-dose computed to…

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center More than a decade of research on the mda-7/IL-24 gene has shown that it helps to suppress a majority of cancer types, and now scientists are focusing on how the gene drives this process by influencing microRNAs. The study was led by Paul B. Fisher, MPh, PhD, FNAI. Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute Molecular data obtained from breast cancer cells can be used to predict which patients are at a high risk for recurrence even decades after their diagnosis, according to a new study jointly conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, as well as several other institutions. Christina Curtis, PhD, first defined the distinct subgroups of patients in a study published in 2012. Read Mo…

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Paul Visco has been promoted to the role of chief technology officer (CTO) at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. A new position at Roswell Park, Mr. Visco’s role as CTO involves developing and implementing new technologies that benefit the experiences of both patients and clinical teams.   Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Duke researchers led by H. Kim Lyerly, MD, have developed a vaccine that shows early promise in targeting the HER2 protein that fuels a deadly form of breast cancer. In a Phase I clinical trial that enrolled 22 women with recurrent cancers that overexpress the HER2 protein, the vaccine demonstrated an ability to halt tumor growth and improve survival for a subset of patients. Read More

UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute A study led by UAMS surgeon Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD, has shown the potential to alter neck dissection surgeries in about 21 percent of head and neck cancer patients. Dr. Stack served as co-investigator on an international study examining the effectiveness of PET/CT scans in determining whether a patient’s cancer has spread to their lymph nodes. Read More

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center The American Cancer Society has named Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, to its board of directors, effective January 1, 2019. Directors serve a two-year term on the all-volunteer board, which sets policy, establishes long-term goals, monitors general operations, and approves organizational outcomes and resource allocation.   Read More

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Michael Jung, PhD, a UCLA distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry and member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 American Association for Cancer Research Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research.    Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center MD Anderson Cancer Center has named Giulio Draetta, MD, PhD, as chief scientific officer, a new position that champions innovation, strengthens partnerships, and provides leadership on the clinical translation of research programs. His previous roles include director of MD Anderson's Institute for Applied Cancer Science and vice president of its Therapeutics Discovery Division.   Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center A team led by Andrew Godwin, PhD, deputy director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, has been awarded a five-year, $11.4 million National Institutes of Health Phase I Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence grant to establish the Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.  Read More

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center A new meta-analysis led by Joseph Unger, PhD, MS, has revealed that structural and clinical barriers prevent more than three out of four cancer patients from participating in clinical trials. The study is part of an ongoing effort to understand why patient participation is so low in cancer clinical trials. Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University In a study of 142 patients preparing for cancer surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have evidence that psychological or social risk factors such as depression, limited resilience, and lack of emergency resources, along with standard medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes, are linked with higher risks of surgical complications. Read More

Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved atezolizumab (Tecentriqâ) in combination with chemotherapy for the initial treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, marking the end of numerous failed attempts to improve survival for people with the deadly disease. The regimen of carboplatin, etoposide, and atezolizumab was first explored in an investigator-initiated trial at Georgetown Lombardi in 2016.   Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Tobacco conglomerates that used colors, flavors, and marketing techniques to entice children as future smokers transferred these same strategies to sweetened beverages when they bought food and drink companies starting in 1963, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco. The study, which draws from a cache of previously secret documents from the tobacco industry that is part of the UCSF Industry Documents Library, found th…

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health Children with the severe skin disease, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa—also known as "butterfly disease"—often develop an aggressive and fatal skin cancer by early adulthood. Now an international team of scientists have identified a potential drug treatment for the lethal complication. The discovery paves the way for a clinical trial set to begin this year.   Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Adhesion of lymphocytes to their cellular targets is critical to adaptive immunity. This process is controlled by a group of cell surface receptors called integrins through a cascade of molecular events known as inside-out signaling, regulated by RAP1, a small GTPase closely related to the RAS oncogene. Jinhua Wu, PhD, has found that the RAP1 function can be suppressed if its effector protein (RIAM) adopts an autoinhibitory configuration.   …

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a five-year grant of nearly $2.83 million to help a research team at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute conduct a clinical trial that will assess a potential new treatment for patients with glioblastoma. The grant was awarded to a team led by co-principal investi…

Cedars-Sinai Cancer The Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Health Equity is front and center in the growing trend of population health studies, which addresses environmental, cultural, and genetic factors to understand why certain populations have higher rates of cancer and other diseases than other groups. In Los Angeles County and across California, the Health Equity team is focusing on the high cancer mortality rate among Korean-Americans and the growing incidence of liver cancer in the…

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Scott Antonia, MD, PhD, who joined Duke in February, has been appointed director of the newly formed DCI Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, a DCI Strategic Plan priority that aims to enhance the institute’s ability to develop and test novel immunotherapeutic approaches.   Read More

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers from UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a possible new therapeutic strategy using two types of drug inhibitors at once to treat one of the world’s deadliest cancers. The combination approach uses one drug that inhibits the process—known as lysosome—that allows cancer cells to recycle essential nutrients to survive, and another drug that blocks the pathway used to repair DNA. Researchers found the approach to be …

University of Florida Health Cancer Center A new study by UF Health researchers, led by Ali Zarrinpar, MD, PhD, finds that Hispanics, the elderly, and people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing liver cancer. The study aimed to identify factors that put fatty liver disease patients at a greater risk of developing cancer by looking at the differences between alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as patient demographics. Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center A preclinical study led by researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center has identified a region of the human genome, called a super-enhancer, as a novel target for a pancreatic cancer subtype called “pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma". Animesh Dhar, PhD, is principal investigator.    Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health The average person could not identify many genetic similarities between an opossum and a mouse, however, new research from scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center has identified an aspect of these mammals’ immune systems—the immune gene ThPOK—that has remained similar for more than 165 million years.   Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have demonstrated a method of forecasting which breast cancer patients will suffer heart problems from a commonly used chemotherapy drug. The researchers also found that a class of medications already approved by the FDA may mitigate these side effects. Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, is senior author.   Read More

AACI welcomes its newest member this spring, with the addition of the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rohit Bhargava, PhD, is director of the center, which applies the university’s historic strengths in basic science and engineering to cancer. The mission of CCIL is to promote and translate engineering and scientific innovations to enable cancer-free lives.   Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Doubling the low amount of total body radiation delivered to patients undergoing bone marrow transplants with donor cells that are only “half-matched” increased the rate of engraftment from about 50 percent to nearly 100 percent, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers. The findings could offer a significantly higher chance of a cure for patients with severe and deadly inherited blood disorders, including…

GW Cancer Center Medical oncologist George Kim, MD, will direct the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center's Gastrointestinal Cancers Program. Dr. Kim, who specializes in colorectal, pancreatic, liver, and gastric esophageal cancers, most recently provided medical oncology services at 21st Century Oncology in Florida. He previously worked at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida; the National Cancer Institute; and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.   Read More

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Zihai Li, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist and immunologist, has been named founding director of the new Institute for Immuno-Oncology (IIO) at the OSUCCC – James. Dr. Li, whose appointment is effective April 1, was previously co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.   Read More

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center were awarded more than $1.1 million to investigate alternative treatment options for cancer patients with nerve damage, a debilitating side effect of chemotherapy. M. Imad Damaj, PhD, and David A. Gewirtz, PhD, received a four-year R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct research to inform novel therapies that can prevent or suppress nerve damage triggered by paclitaxel.   Read More