Newswise — October 2023 TIP SHEET: Sylvester’s top leader honored with prestigious award, a pioneering physician elected to the Neuro-Oncology Society’s board, an NCI grant funds research into lifestyle interventions to battle breast cancer, survivorship services help breast cancer patients better deal with stress, teaming up with the Dolphins and AutoNation to battle breast cancer, physician burnout and more are included in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Cancer Leadership
Sylvester Leader Named BioFlorida’s ‘Researcher of Year’
Stephen D. Nimer, MD, Sylvester Cancer director, has been named Researcher of the Year by BioFlorida, an association for the state’s life sciences industry. BioFlorida represents 8,600 companies and research organizations in biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, digital and health systems. It honored Nimer for his groundbreaking research in adult leukemia which has contributed to transforming patient care. For details, visit the InventUM blog.
Pioneering Sylvester Physician Elected to Neuro-Oncology Board
Macarena de la Fuente, MD, chief of Neuro-Oncology at Sylvester, has been elected neurology board representative for the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO). She becomes the first Hispanic elected to a board position with SNO, which strives to advance multidisciplinary brain tumor research, education and collaboration. De la Fuente previously served in leadership roles on the society’s membership and women and diversity committees.
Breast Cancer
Sylvester Awarded Grant to Study Lifestyle Changes for Advanced Breast Cancer
Can exercise and intermittent fasting help patients with advanced breast cancer better tolerate side effects from treatment? That’s the question Sylvester researchers will seek to answer with a $4-million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute. Tracy Crane, PhD, co-lead of Cancer Control and Lifestyle Medicine, Prevention and Digital Health at Sylvester, will be a principal investigator on the study, and colleague Carmen Calfa, MD, co-medical director of Cancer Survivorship and Translational Behavioral Sciences, will be a co-investigator. Read more on the InventUM blog.
Sylvester, Dolphins, AutoNation Team Up to Tackle Breast Cancer Disparities
The Miami Dolphins and AutoNation are partnering to fund a $1-million, four-year Breast Cancer Research Foundation project at Sylvester. The project, led by Neha Goel, MD, MPH, surgeon-scientist and social epidemiologist, will investigate critical health disparities among breast cancer patients. It will focus on how where one lives impacts breast cancer outcomes.
Support Group, Research Studies Help Survivors Deal with Breast Cancer Stress
Miami resident Isabel Toca and many others have found help for dealing with the physical and emotional stress from breast cancer through Sylvester’s support group for breast cancer survivors and related research studies. These programs focus on stress awareness, cognitive restructuring, coping techniques, quality-of-life issues, social support, anger management and assertiveness. “We teach patients to discern between controllable and uncontrollable stressors,” said Patricia Moreno, PhD, Sylvester’s lead of Evidence-Based Survivorship Care. Find more information on the InventUM blog.
Physician Wellness
Shining Spotlight on Physician Burnout at ASTRO 2023
Sylvester physician-scientist Crystal Seldon Taswell, MD, moderated a panel discussion on the trending topic of physician burnout during the American Society of Radiation Oncology’s 2023 annual meeting in San Diego this month. Seldon Taswell provided background data on the problem and introduced other speakers who shared their perspective on ways to ensure greater work-life balance within the medical field. Read more on the InventUM blog.
Brain Cancer
True Progression or Pseudoprogression in Glioblastoma Patients?
That’s the critical question for radiation and medical oncologists treating patients with this most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Distinguishing between these types of tumor progression is vitally important for treatment management. At ASTRO 2023, Sylvester researchers Eric Mellon, MD, and Kaylie Cullison presented results from two recent studies designed to help answer this question. Visit the InventUM blog for details.
Lung Cancer and Social Determinants of Health
Study Links Socioeconomic Status and Outcomes for Lung Cancer
Sylvester researchers have identified an association between social determinants of health and outcomes and survival rates for patients undergoing treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Their findings are based on a statistical scoring system developed to consolidate and analyze measures of socioeconomic status and related factors, according to senior author Dao Nguyen, MD. The study appeared in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Find more details on the InventUM blog.
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