Cancer Research | Penn Today

Small-animal irradiation platform performs preclinical proton studies

Eric Diffenderfer of the Perelman School of Medicine comments on his lab’s work on proton therapy.

More younger adults being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, scientists warn

Chyke Doubeni of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on an uptick in colorectal cancer diagnoses in young people. “It is unknown whether screening for sporadic cases in a group with such low disease rate can result in a favorable balance of harms and benefits,” he said. “It is therefore imperative that the various hypotheses for increasing colorectal cancer incidence among people younger than 50 be rigorously tested to determine if changing the current screening age in people who are not at increased familial risk represents the most appropriate public health response.”

The promise and price of cellular therapies

Carl June of the Perelman School of Medicine was profiled for his contributions to the field of CAR-T cellular therapy.

Prostate cancer patient sits in wheelchair while nurse listens to chest with a stethoscope.

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer may raise risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia

A Penn study of more than 150,000 men with prostate cancer shows androgen deprivation therapy was associated with a higher likelihood of developing dementia when compared to patients who were not exposed to the treatment.

Roberts Proton Therapy gantry with lights

Shorter courses of proton therapy can be just as effective on prostate cancer

Treating prostate cancer with higher doses of proton therapy over a shorter amount of time leads to similar outcomes when compared to standard dose levels and treatments, and is safe for patients.

Medical linear accelerator in a therapeutic oncology unit.

One simple change can reduce frequent cancer imaging by half

A “nudge” is helping shorten treatment time for patients with advanced cancer, with less frequent palliative radiation therapy sessions.

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer tied to dementia

Ravishankar Jayadevappa of the Perelman School of Medicine led a study that found androgen deprivation therapy (A.D.T), commonly used to treat prostate cancer, may increase a patient’s risk of dementia. However, he said, A.D.T. is still a lifesaving treatment and shouldn’t be avoided.

DNA can point the way toward curing or controlling cancer

Marcia Brose of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about using precision medicine to treat patients with cancer. “We’re talking about targeting cells at the very core of what made them a cancer to begin with,” she said.

edlerly patient lying in hospital bed with door open and sunlight coming through the windows.

Elderly patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma benefit from targeted therapies

A Penn study of Medicare patients who are often underrepresented in medical trials finds overall survival benefits from treatment with targeted therapies.

closeup of white horse with head turned to the side

Chemo is a go for treating equine lymphoma

New Bolton Center’s Daniela Luethy’s research on 15 horses with lymphoma concluded that chemotherapy had encouraging results. Her study poses opportunities for further research with more case control.

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