Author: Tom Wilemon

Study identifies critical regulator of tumor-specific T cell differentiation

Jun. 18, 2019—A study published June 17 in Nature offers clues as to why blocking inhibitory receptors on tumor-infiltrating T cells may not always work

Cardiac toxicity risk factors identified with relapsed multiple myeloma therapy

Jun. 13, 2019—More than half of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma treated with carfilzomib experienced cardiac issues during treatment, according to a multi-institutional study published June 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Eng named to GI cancer leadership position at VICC

Jun. 13, 2019—Cathy Eng, MD, a national and international leader in gastrointestinal medical oncology, is joining Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC).

Treatment approved for patients with acute graft-versus-host disease

Jun. 13, 2019—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved ruxolitinib, the first drug for patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) who have an inadequate response to steroid treatment. VUMC's Madan Jagasia, MBBS, MS, MMHC, was a lead investigator of the REACH1 trial that was the basis for the FDA approval.

Immunotherapy helping 87-year-old man stay on the job

Jun. 6, 2019—Nine years after being diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, Roszell Mack Jr., 87, still goes into the office every day thanks to a durable response to the immunotherapy pembrolizumab.

Bioimpedance spectroscopy better than tape measure for identifying lymphedema risk

May. 3, 2019—Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is better than a tape measure for assessing a woman’s risk for developing lymphedema.

Cancer Center’s annual scientific retreat set for May 1

Apr. 22, 2019—The varying roles that signaling molecules play in progression of cancer is the focus of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center 20th Annual Scientific Retreat when some of the nation’s top experts will speak about “Signal Transduction in Cancer Initiation, Progression and Treatment.”

From left, Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, Jae Jeong Yang, PhD, Danxia Yu, PhD, and colleagues are studying smoking patterns and associated deaths in Asian countries.

Asian nations in early tobacco epidemic: study

Apr. 18, 2019—Asian countries are in the early stages of a tobacco smoking epidemic with habits mirroring those of the United States from past decades, setting the stage for a spike in future deaths from smoking-related diseases.

The Vanderbilt team studying histoplasmosis includes (front row, from left, Heidi Chen, PhD, Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH, (back row, from left) Stephen Deppen, PhD, Eric Grogan, MD, MPH, and Jeffrey Blume, PhD.

Team explores fungal infection quandary in lung cancer screenings

Apr. 18, 2019—Serving a region that lies within the tobacco belt, clinicians at Vanderbilt Health face challenges distinguishing lung cancer from histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that creates cancer-mimicking lesions in the lungs.

From left, Benjamin Brown, Christine Lovly, MD, PhD, Yun-Kai Zhang, PhD, Jens Meiler, PhD, and colleagues are exploring new ways to understand resistance to targeted cancer therapy drugs.

Study reframes approach to targeted therapy resistance

Apr. 11, 2019—When a tumor mutates and develops resistance to a targeted therapy, researchers often focus on the acquisition of new mutations within the drug target as they seek an alternative treatment, but a team of Vanderbilt scientists has shown this may not be sufficient.

Head and neck cancer screening event set for April 12

Apr. 4, 2019—Early diagnosis of head and neck cancer greatly increases odds of survival, but its symptoms can be subtle or mimic viral infections, so Vanderbilt Health offers a free screening annually.