Cancer Archive — Page 6 of 71

Collage featuring a smartphone displaying “My Health At Vanderbilt,” a large orange “BIOPSY!!” title, a red notification badge, walnuts, music notes, an “IMPORTANT!” note, and a photo of labeled specimen tubes.
October 31, 2025

My doctor told me I have cancer. Why did I feel so relieved? It’s weird, but I have my reasons. Hear me out.

My wife summed it up: “You’re the happiest person I ever heard of who just found out he has cancer.”

By Wayne Wood
Dentist Tyler Ames, wearing a white coat and dental loupes, stands beside patient Nick Schrock in a dental clinic treatment room.
October 27, 2025

Macon County father’s voice restored following oral cancer surgery

After surgical removal of a rare tumor left a sizable hole inside Nick Schrock’s mouth, he could only speak in a muffled, lispy whisper. Tyler Ames, a dentist at VUMC, fashioned a prosthetic device to close the hole and allow Schrock to speak more clearly.

By Jill Clendening
ConnectMyVariant logo featuring a stylized tree with multicolored leaves and a DNA helix forming its trunk, beside the text “ConnectMy VARIANT.”
October 23, 2025

New resources help people take action to prevent inherited diseases

To launch a connection search, someone with a specific gene variant signs up to meet others who share that variant, beginning a process of discovering new connections with unknown relatives and encouraging family members to get tested.

By Tom Wilemon
Medical illustration of a colonoscope inside the bowel, positioned beside a small polyp being removed with a wire loop.
October 15, 2025

New NCI-funded project targets polyp recurrence to prevent colon cancer

The researchers anticipate that their findings will inform personalized colorectal polyp surveillance, guide therapeutic prevention strategies, and ultimately reduce the burden of colorectal cancer nationwide.

By Leigh MacMillan
Mark Kelley, MD, MMHC
October 13, 2025

Mark Kelley retires, having ‘profoundly shaped surgical oncology’ at VUMC

Kelley is lauded by his colleagues and surgical leaders for his contributions both at VUMC and nationally.

By Jill Clendening
Vanderbilt nurse Allison Young, MS, BSN, RN, outside the “wind phone” booth at her home. (photo by Donn Jones)
October 7, 2025

Nurse’s wind phone project provides solace from grief 

Since she erected the “wind phone ” booth two years ago, it has become a sanctuary of solace.

By Tom Wilemon