Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Tip Sheet - August 2023

Blood Cancer

Does That MDS Diagnosis Need a Second Opinion?

New research led by Mikkael Sekeres, MD, chief of Sylvester’s Division of Hematology, showed that blood cancers known as myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (MDS) are commonly misdiagnosed, putting patients at risk for treatment mistakes and other potentially harmful consequences. Sekeres was corresponding author for the study, published this month in Blood Advances.

Prostate Cancer

Sylvester Researcher Leads $2.5M NCI Grant to Develop Urine Test to Lessen Need for Invasive Biopsies in Prostate Cancer Detection

Sanoj Punnen, MD, co-chair of Sylvester’s Genitourinary Site Disease Group and vice chair of research at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, is leading a study funded by the National Cancer Institute to develop a urine test to detect prostate cancer. The $2.5-million, five-year study could help lessen the need for invasive, costly prostate biopsies. Punnen is collaborating with colleagues Alan Pollack, MD, PhD, and Sandra Gaston, PhD.   

Pancreatic Cancer

Sylvester Surgeon-Scientist Awarded First Department of Defense Grant to Study Pancreatic Cancer

Jashodeep Datta, MD, associate director of Translational Research in Sylvester’s Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute, and colleagues have been awarded an $800,000, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to target chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer. Datta, who’s also the DiMare Family Endowed Chair in Immunotherapy, will collaborate with Shanta Dhar, PhD, on the study.

Cancer and Climate Change

Calling for Cancer Centers to Lead on Climate Disaster Preparedness

Nationally designated cancer centers are uniquely positioned to protect communities and their most vulnerable residents – cancer patients – from climate-driven disasters by bolstering emergency preparedness, noted researchers from Sylvester, UM’s Miller School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society. Their commentary appeared last month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Zelde Espinel, MD, James Shultz, PhD, and Tracy Crane, PhD, RDN, were Sylvester’s co-authors.

Cancer and Lifestyle Interventions

Sylvester, Dana Farber Awarded Funding to Study Diet, Exercise Impact on Older Cancer Patients

Sylvester researchers and colleagues at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have been awarded $7 million in total funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study how diet and exercise impact mental and physical functioning in older cancer survivors and their caregivers. Tracy Crane, PhD, RDN, is co-principal investigator for the five-year study, expected to begin in spring 2024. Read more here.     

At-Home Cancer Care

Sylvester Researcher, Collaborators Receive $3.5M NIH Grant to Study New Technology for At-Home Cancer Care

Researchers at Sylvester and collaborating organizations will study how new technology can help patients manage symptoms and related stress from cancer treatment while at home, under a five-year, $3.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Tracy Crane, PhD, RDN, will be Sylvester’s principal investigator, working with colleagues from Michigan State University and the University of Arizona. Crane and her team will manage the study’s digital-intervention component, an automated, interactive voice-response system that is part of UM’s proprietary software platform called My Wellness Research. Read more on the InventUM blog.

Cancer Leadership Role

Sylvester Researcher Begins Prestigious Leadership Role with NRG Oncology

Tracy Crane, PhD, RDN, Sylvester’s co-lead for Cancer Control and director of Lifestyle Medicine, Prevention and Digital Health, has been appointed vice-chair of NRG Oncology’s Cancer Prevention and Control Committee. NRG Oncology is a National Clinical Trials Network group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute. It focuses on improving outcomes for patients through international clinical research, including trials and studies currently being conducted at Sylvester.  

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