Perspectives from those who live it every day.
Bright and early at 6 am on April 16th, Harry J. Duffey Family Patient and Family Services staff members greeted patients clad in t-shirts encouraging them to learn about advance directives. The effort was part of the National Healthcare Decisions Day “Start a Conversation Project” and is aimed at helping people understand advance directives and(...)
Richard Humphrey, a multiple myeloma pioneer who was among our founding Cancer Center faculty members and former director of its diagnostic immunology laboratory, died on March 27, 2018. Dr. Humphrey reflected on the early years of the “Oncology Center” on its 25th anniversary: “Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow. Who would have predicted that such(...)
The team of cancer genetics experts that deciphered the genetic blueprints of cancer, have developed two new screening tests that have the promise to detect cancer in an early and curable stage. As the names of the tests indicate PapSEEK and UroSEEK, they seek out and find genetic evidence of cancer by detecting DNA released(...)
Prostate cancer is a leading health problem for men. As strategies for prostate cancer screening and active surveillance are refined, men may benefit from early detection and cure of life-threatening prostate cancer but avoid overtreatment of the non-life-threatening variety. Read Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson’s editorial in Cancer Today, a publication of the American(...)
The American Cancer Society forecasts that nearly 1.7 million new cancer cases (more than 4,600 each day) and nearly 596,000 cancer deaths will occur in the United States in one year. An emerging driver of the cancer epidemic is the aging of the population. Read Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson’s editorial in Cancer Today,(...)
All cancers are fundamentally disorders of acquired defects in genes. The genes serve as blueprints for all of the components of cells and tissues in the human body. In cancers, faulty blueprints lead to malfunctioning cells that grow uncontrollably, spread throughout the body and overwhelm normal organ functions to threaten life itself. Full realization of(...)
Many types of cancer are caused by gene mutations acquired during a person’s lifetime. Systematic cataloging of these acquired gene defects has led to improved screening, detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment. A more deliberate investment in discovery research could reveal more opportunities for developing cancer treatment by making better sense of the acquired gene defects(...)
Kimmel Cancer Center team is among inaugural recipients (Photo: from left: Christine Hann, Russell Hales, Marilyn Holman, Matt Holman, Hanika Reyes Rodavia) Despite being a scientist, Matt Holman was unsure of the best treatment plan and where to go to find it when his wife Marilyn was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 2016. He(...)
May make the most feared disease a little less scary Cancer is scary. Part of the reason—maybe even the main reason—cancer is so scary, is that it seems to come out of nowhere and changes lives in the blink of an eye. We’re feeling fine, but under the surface, hidden within the DNA of our(...)
Palliative care addresses symptoms and distress accompanying serious illnesses. The field is emerging as a vital medical specialty in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer. Better access to expert palliative care for all cancer patients must be a priority. Read Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson’s editorial in Cancer Today, a publication of the American Association(...)
