One evening several years ago, MiKaela Olsen, D.N.P., sat on her porch with a neighbor and spoke firmly and frankly to her as both a friend and a professional. Olsen, a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center clinical nurse specialist, was concerned. The neighbor, a mother of two young children, had breast cancer and was strongly […]
treatment
Leading the Gene Team
Posted by | precision medicine, Research, treatmentNew faculty member directs tumor board that matches drugs with patients’ genetic targets At its core, precision medicine’s focus on finding the right treatment for the right patient at the right time is about harnessing the power of each individual’s tumor genetic information. The unique anomalies buried in each patient’s tumor are particularly important in […]
Giving Patients Better Results With Fewer Treatments
Posted by | precision medicine, Research, Survivorship, treatmentAs our knowledge of breast cancer has grown, so have the number of therapy modalities and protocols used to treat this disease, from combinations of chemotherapy to targeted treatments that attack malignant cells carrying specific genetic variations. Overall, these developments have been positive, offering patients more and better options to fight their cancers, says breast […]
Helping Patients Stay on Hormone-Blockers? There’s an App for That
Posted by | precision medicine, Research, Survivorship, treatmentOf the more than 300,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S. every year, about two-thirds are hormone receptor-positive, meaning a patient’s cancer is fueled by estrogen. That’s made hormone-blocking drugs a powerful weapon against this disease. However, explains breast cancer expert Karen Smith, M.D., these drugs can have significant side effects—some so uncomfortable […]
A Model for Breast Cancer Care and Wellness
Posted by | precision medicine, Research, treatmentNew Clinical Director for Under Armour Breast Health Innovation Center is working to make care more efficient for patients Early in Mary Wilkinson’s training, she was drawn to medical oncology because of the special relationships doctors in this specialty have with patients. Instead of patients passing quickly through her care, she formed long-term relationships with […]
Pancreatic Cancer Matters: Right Treatment at the Right Time
Posted by | Issues & Perspectives, pancreatic cancer, precision medicine, Research, treatmentOur collaborative team of scientists, physicians and allied health workers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center specialize in translating science learned in the laboratory into exceptional clinical care. The Skip Viragh Center for Pancreas Cancer Clinical Research and Patient Care is a world leader in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer, leading all […]
The Future of Pancreatic Cancer Treatments
Posted by | Issues & Perspectives, pancreatic cancer, Prevention/Screening, Research, treatmentJust eight percent of people with pancreatic cancer live for five years after their diagnosis. Why is this cancer so deadly and where are advances in treatment headed? Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, describes explains in a 2018 interview on WYPR. http://www.wypr.org/post/why-pancreatic-cancer-so-deadly
Jaffee looks to the future of checkpoint immunotherapy for cancer treatment
Posted by | Issues & Perspectives, precision medicine, Prevention/Screening, treatmentCombinations strategies involving checkpoint immunotherapies were approved as first-line options in two cancer types and showed promise in clinical trials for several hard-to-treat cancers. Important advances were also made with respect to immune-related biomarkers, cellular immunotherapies, and personalized vaccines. Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, is focusing her research […]
Researchers Advance Role of Circulating Tumor DNA to Detect Early Melanoma Growth, Uncover Treatment Options
Posted by | Research, treatmentResearchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have added to evidence that measuring and monitoring tumor DNA that naturally circulates in the blood of melanoma patients can not only reliably help reveal the early stages of cancer growth and spread but also uncover new treatment options that tumor genetic analysis alone may […]
A Look Inside the Kimmel Cancer Center’s Cancer Medicine Cabinet
Posted by | Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, Prevention/Screening, Research, treatmentRead the latest issue of Promise & Progress featuring research advances in cancer drug discovery and development, promising new cancer drugs, patient stories and more. From scientific meetings to our own dinner tables, conversations about better treatments for cancer are among the most frequently discussed health care topics. Everyone wants them—the doctors and scientists who […]