Jan. 29, 2018:

Breast cancer researchers have made great strides in recent years, identifying distinct molecular subtypes of the disease and potential novel treatment approaches. One such approach involves a type of immunotherapy, called an immune checkpoint inhibitor, that can help the immune system recognize and kill cancer cells.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising results in a variety of research studies, and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a variety of other cancers.

In breast cancer research, much attention has been focused on triple-negative disease, or cancers in which the three most common receptors that fuel breast cancer growth – estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and the HER2/neu gene – are not present. A number of studies are now testing checkpoint inhibitors in triple negative breast cancer.

“But sometimes we get so focused on one subgroup, that we forget about the hormone-positive breast cancers,” said Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD, of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Read More

Jan. 26, 2018:

Abstracts from two Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium studies were accepted as trials in progress at recent meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. BTCRC-ESO14-012 was accepted to the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium and BTCRC-LUN16-081 was accepted to the ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium. Both meetings were held this month in San Francisco. Read More

Jan. 21, 2017:

This month’s handpicked stories from across the consortium highlight major breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment; spotlight emerging leaders; and celebrate milestones in funding and expansion. The Big Ten CRC members will continue asking tough questions in 2018; resolve to catch the play-by-play Across the Consortium!

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Jan. 8, 2018:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) recently welcomed Salma Jabbour, MD, as a member of its Steering Committee, representing Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The committee, composed of one representative from each member institution, meets on a regular basis to review activities of the consortium and decide matters of policy.

A radiation oncologist with a subspecialty in lung and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and a co-chair of the Big Ten CRC’s GI Clinical Trial Working Group (CTWG) and member of the Thoracic CTWG, Jabbour embodies the Big Ten CRC spirit. Read More

Jan. 4, 2018:

Applications are due January 15 for a nationwide integrative oncology training program. The Integrative Oncology (IO) Scholars program brings together oncology professors from the Big Ten and beyond, in a free year-long course. Designed for the full spectrum of oncology care professionals, the program equips oncologists, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe and evidence-based integration of complementary therapies in conventional oncology care. The course is funded by the National Cancer Institute and developed by researchers and clinicians at the University of Michigan Medical School. Read More