This blog is part 2 of 4 of our "Gene" Fridays series on cancer genetics. Pancreas cancer was one of the first cancer genomes Dr. Bert Vogelstein and team deciphered. For this study, the scientists examined 24 pancreas cancers and determined the sequence of all of the genes in these cancers. On average, they found just 50 […]
precision medicine
“Gene” Friday Series: Understanding Cancer Genetics
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | precision medicineThis blog is part 1 of 4 of our "Gene" Fridays series on cancer genetics. There is no one better suited to explain the intricacies of cancer genetics than Dr. Bert Vogelstein. He and his team completed the lion’s share of the work that proved that cancer is a genetic disease caused by an accumulation […]
Jul 5, 2013 2 comments
Gene Patents Get Supreme Decision
Posted by admin | precision medicineLast week's U.S. Supreme Court decision on Myriad's breast cancer gene patents sparked many comments from patients, the public and scientists. Here's what several Johns Hopkins experts had to say about the topic: "I am thrilled with the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to overturn gene patents. This was the only choice and will open up […]
Jun 21, 2013 No comments
Waiting Room Observations
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | precision medicineOver the last thirty years, about every decade I’ve found myself in a cancer center waiting room--first in 1984 with my husband, in 1999 with my father, and now this year with my mother. Last week, I accompanied my mother on her regular visit. It was a busy day in the clinic, and as I […]
Oct 9, 2012 1 comment
Lung Cancer: Still the Top Cancer Killer
Posted by admin | precision medicine, treatmentRecent news of the full results of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) published in the New England Journal of Medicine underscores the heavy toll that lung cancer takes on many lives. It's still the deadliest of all cancers. For Phyllis Curtis, who had enrolled in the trial at Johns Hopkins, the trial and screening […]
Jun 30, 2011 No comments
Avastin: Good Drug, Bad Decision?
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | precision medicine, treatmentRecent news that the FDA will not approve the use of the drug Avastin for breast cancer has many patients who have benefitted questioning why. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson believes it is a perfect example of why personalized cancer medicine—getting the right drugs to the right patients—is so important. “Often in trials, drugs […]
Jun 29, 2011 2 comments
The Top Ten of 10
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | precision medicine, ResearchThe Top Ten of 10 As we look ahead to a 2011 filled with new cancer discoveries, let’s take a moment to revisit the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s top advances of 2010: #1: Personalized Cancer Medicine Becomes a Reality World renowned investigator Bert Vogelstein, M.D., and team pioneered the science that has led to […]
Dec 28, 2010
Getting Personal About Personalized Cancer Medicine
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, precision medicineI got into this business 25 years ago, when my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. I was a newlywed, and at 22-years-old, I faced the prospect of being a widow. The evening we learned the shocking news, I remember leaving the hospital to return home. I was numb with fear. I went into our […]
Dec 17, 2010 2 comments