July 2023 Tip Sheet From Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Newswise — Sylvester Researchers Develop Oral Chemotherapy Drug for Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have developed a first-of-its-kind, orally administered drug to deliver the chemotherapy agent cisplatin directly into treatment-resistant prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published recently in ACS Central Science, an American Chemical Society journal, showed that the drug, Platin-L, was effective in destroying prostate-cancer cells. Shanta Dhar, Ph.D., the study’s senior author, believes this discovery could provide another treatment option for aggressive prostate cancer.

Researchers Show Remnants of Ancient Retrovirus May Drive Aggressive Brain Tumors

A new study by Sylvester researchers suggests reactivation of an ancient retrovirus may explain why some glioblastomas are more aggressive and resistant to treatment than other brain tumors. “Our lab found that an evolutionary dormant retrovirus from 6 million years ago contributes to brain tumor formation. We demonstrated for the first time that this virus, when reactivated, plays a role in defining the stem-cell state of high-grade gliomas, promoting an aggressive form of cancer,” explained Ashish H. Shah, M.D., neurosurgeon and first author. The paper appeared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

New Research from Sylvester Cancer Shows Unmet Support Needs Can Lead to Worse Clinical Outcomes

Cancer patients with unmet supportive care needs are more likely to experience worse clinical outcomes, including more emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, according to new research from Sylvester Cancer. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, also found that Black race, Hispanic ethnicity and factors such as anxiety, depression, pain, poor physical function and low health-related quality-of-life scores were associated with more unmet needs, leading to increased risk for ED visits and hospitalizations. Frank J. Penedo, Ph.D., was corresponding author.

Social Factors May Influence Endometrial Cancer Rates More Than Genetics in Black Women

Endometrial cancer rates in African-descent women are related to factors beyond genetics, including social determinants of health such as diet, psychosocial and physiological chronic stress and neighborhood/built environmental issues, according to Sylvester researchers. Their study, published in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society, compared rates between U.S. and French Caribbean women. “We need to disentangle endometrial cancer disparities among Black women by focusing more on subpopulations, specifically on differences between countries and their socioeconomic factors,” said corresponding author Heidy N. Medina, Ph.D.

Seeking Answers for Higher Rates of Breast, Prostate Cancer Among People of African Ancestry

Sylvester researchers and their collaborators have launched a clinical trial designed to understand why Black men and women are at higher risk of developing and dying from aggressive prostate and breast cancer. The trial, called the African Cancer Genome Registry, is currently recruiting cancer patients to participate in the study. “Please, please do it, if not for yourself, then for the next generation,” said Charinus Johnson-Davis,” a breast cancer survivor and one of the first trial enrollees, encouraging others to join her. Sophia George, Ph.D., Sylvester’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, is co-principal investigator.

New Internship Program Strives to Increase Diversity in Cancer Research

Giving undergraduate college students from under-represented communities exposure to cancer research to increase diversity is the aim of a new internship program established by Sylvester this year. The program, Diversity in Cancer Research Internship Program, is funded by the American Cancer Society and run by Sylvester. Demand for a spot in the inaugural class was so overwhelming that Sylvester decided to supplement funding for four additional positions. Sylvester’s Joseph Rosenblatt, M.D., principal investigator, hopes it will push more minorities into cancer specialties to directly help their communities.

# # #