To highlight the importance of lifesaving cancer research, National Cancer Research Month, led by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), is recognized during May. Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey prevails, as the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, together with RWJBarnabas Health, to address the cancer research demands of one of the most diverse and densely populated states in the nation. From genetic implications to exploring the impact of self-cannibalization of cancer cells, experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute are always working to translate cancer discoveries into today’s treatments. Learn more about Research at Rutgers Cancer Institute.
Research Highlights and News
Exploring Potential Therapeutic Approach to Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common type of acute leukemia in adults, is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal blood cells. Investigators further examined the mechanism behind BH3-mimetic drugs, which can help inform more effective therapies for this disease. Christina Glytsou, PhD, researcher and member of the Cancer Metabolism and Immunology Cancer Pharmacology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is co-author of the study. Learn more about the findings, which were recently published in Cancer Discovery.
Research Underway to Support Cancer Prevention and Control
Cancer control researchers work to identify factors that may contribute to cancer development and outcomes which inform interventions to address and ultimately control avoidable cancer risk factors. Rutgers Cancer Institute has curated a selection of videos featuring members of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program, who discuss their research in behaviors, exposures, and other factors that may influence the risk of cancer.
Exploring Education & Navigation to Increase Cancer Genetic Counseling
Researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey explored informing patients of their potentially increased risk for genetically-inherited cancers and navigating them to receive genetic counseling and/or testing through phone-based decision coaching and navigation. The project, called the Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer Education and Empowerment (GRACE), was led by Anita Kinney, PhD, director of the Cancer Health Equity Center of Excellence at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Rutgers School of Public Health, associate director for Population Science and Community Outreach at Rutgers Cancer Institute and professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health.
Smoking and Alcohol Consumption in Black Breast Cancer Survivors
In a study published in JAMA Network Open, Nur Zeinomar, PhD, MPH, associate member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute, lead author of the study, along with senior author Elisa V. Bandera, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and colleagues found that a higher risk of mortality in Black breast cancer survivors is associated with a history of cigarette smoking along with regular alcohol consumption at the time of diagnosis. These findings add to the evidence of the detrimental health impacts of smoking and underscore the need of tailored and targeted survivorship care for breast cancer survivors.
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Exploring Potential Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Recently, researchers used comprehensive immune profiling in mouse and human pancreatic cancers to identify mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance and investigate potential new therapeutic targets for this disease. Prateek Gulhati, MD, PhD, physician-scientist in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute and assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is the lead author of the work published in Nature Cancer, and shares more about these findings.
Predicting a Survival Path in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Investigators from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Tufts Medical Center collaborated to develop and validate the Advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma International Prognostication Index (A-HIPI), a state-of-the-art clinical decision model to predict five-year progression-free and overall survival in adults with advanced-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma. The work was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology .