Justin Balko Archives
Study details rare heart risk of certain cancer therapies
Nov. 3, 2016—Combination therapy using two approved immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment may cause rare and sometimes fatal cardiac side effects linked to an unexpected immune response. In a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) investigators and published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers describe two cases of...
Precision medicine already changing cancer treatment strategies
May. 26, 2016—The ability to test patients’ cancers for individual differences, mainly at the genetic level, and to make treatment decisions based on those differences is the hallmark of precision medicine, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is among the leaders of this new approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Study explores how some breast cancers resist treatment
Apr. 21, 2016—A targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive form of breast cancer, has shown potential promise in a recently published study. TNBC is the only type of breast cancer for which there are no currently approved targeted therapies.
Melanoma response to immune therapy
Mar. 3, 2016—Melanoma-specific expression of a certain protein identifies tumors that are more responsive to an immune therapy.
VICC’s Balko named a Susan G. Komen ‘Pink Tie Guy’
Dec. 10, 2015—Justin Balko, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, has been named a member of the 2016 class of Pink Tie Guys by the Greater Nashville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breast cancer research and patient support.
Gene mutation linked to breast cancer therapy resistance
Nov. 20, 2014—A group of Vanderbilt-led investigators has identified a new gene mutation that may explain why some breast cancer patients do not respond to anti-hormone therapy.
VICC investigators earn breast cancer grants
Oct. 23, 2014—The grants, which total $830,000, are part of the non-profit organization’s commitment to young scientists, as well as established investigators who are searching for more effective breast cancer therapies.
VICC investigators land Komen breast cancer research grants
Jul. 31, 2014—Two Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have received multi-year breast cancer research grants from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation.
Vanderbilt study finds diverse genetic alterations in triple-negative breast cancers
Dec. 7, 2012—Most triple-negative breast cancer patients who were treated with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor prior to surgery still had multiple genetic mutations in their tumor cells, according to a study by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) investigators.
Vanderbilt identifies genes linked to breast cancer chemo resistance
Jun. 11, 2012—A study led by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators has identified a gene expression pattern that may explain why chemotherapy prior to surgery isn’t effective against some tumors and suggests new therapy options for patients with specific subtypes of breast cancer.
