Category: Cancer

Specialty: Oncology

Trial Evaluates Novel Blood Test for Immediate Ovarian Cancer Risk

young woman getting blood drawn

Investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have a clinical trial underway to evaluate the utility and efficacy of a novel blood test that screens women for ovarian cancer risk. Led by Kevin Elias, MD, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the trial aims to enroll 500 women who are estimated to be at increased risk of developing the disease due to a family history of cancer or a known mutation in BRCA1, BRCA2 or another gene linked to ovarian cancer.

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Approach Targets Macrophages in BRCA-Linked Breast Cancer

close up of cells
A cyclic immunofluorescence image of triple-negative breast cancer tissue. Shown are tumor cells (Keratin, white), macrophages (CD163, green; CD68, cyan), T cells (red) and nuclei (blue).

PARP inhibitors have become an important part of the arsenal for treating cancers caused by BRCA mutations — including breast cancer. Recently, clinical trials have begun looking at the combination of PARP inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer, with the goal of making treatment more effective and longer lasting.

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Studying New Approaches for Immunotherapy in Renal Cancer

illustration of organ

Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitor drugs is an emerging treatment for renal cell carcinoma. Now investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have reported the results from lab research looking at a potential new way to boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.

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Preventing Cancer-Associated Thrombosis

Blood clot in the superior vena cava
Blood clot in the superior vena cava associated with a central venous catheter in a 32-year-old woman with Lynch syndrome and advanced colon cancer.

Today’s cancer therapies are helping patients live longer. However, treatments including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and certain targeted and immunological therapies increase the risk of developing cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT). Physicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Center are working with colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) to help prevent CAT and minimize its effect on timely cancer care.

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Taking Tumor Boards to the Next Level

Tumor board meeting

While traditional tumor boards are common at most academic medical centers, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) has taken its 10-year-old tumor board to the next level by integrating molecular pathology into their discussions.

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Using Nanoparticles to Target Renal Cell Carcinoma

nanoparticlesTargeted therapy has had much less success in treating renal cell carcinoma than in treating many other kinds of cancer. Physician-scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are working on several innovative approaches to address this shortfall.

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Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Head & Neck Cancer Patients

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy
Image of tumor sample from a patient who demonstrated pathologic response to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab (10X magnification, courtesy of Dr. Rebecca Chernock)

Researchers at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) are advancing innovative approaches to decrease tumor recurrence rates in patients with HPV-negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

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Optimizing Care for Every Patient With Genitourinary Cancer

Masked doctor and patient

Based on clinical expertise and patient volume, the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) is one of the top programs in the country for the treatment of genitourinary cancers. The integrated center draws on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of specialists to provide exceptional patient care.

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$14.5M Grant Awarded for Glioblastoma Research

close up of microscope

E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and David Reardon, MD, of Brigham and Women’s and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have received a $14.5M Program Project grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for his research on glioblastoma. These NCI grants support multidisciplinary research that addresses a major scientific objective. The highly competitive grants are only awarded to a few research programs every five years.

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$12.5M Grant to Develop Targeted Glioma Therapies

brain scan

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Tracy Batchelor, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Neurology, has received a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

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