March 19, 2017:

Each month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights advances in research and treatment led by our member institutions. Get up to date on the latest discoveries and breakthroughs from Across the Consortium! 

Read More

March 11, 2017:

March is the time to take stock of the number two ranking cause of cancer deaths in the United States: colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum). Since this time last year, it is estimated that 140,000 Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people died from it. During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, researchers, clinicians, survivors, and patients unite with the common purpose of discovering hope for those facing this cancer. 
Read More

March 3, 2017:

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a relatively small proportion — 15 percent — of all breast cancers. Yet a great deal of attention has been given to TNBC in recent years. While targeted therapies have been developed for breast cancers expressing estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, advances in TNBC have been hampered by a lack of identified targets for the disease. As a result, the only approved treatment for TNBC remains chemotherapy.

Recent discoveries, however, have identified several molecular subtypes of TNBC, and researchers are now developing clinical trials to explore potential ways to treat these subtypes.

A new Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium study, led by Ruth O’Regan, MD (pictured), of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, is taking aim at one of these TNBC molecular subtypes: those that express androgen receptors, including the luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype. Read More

March 1, 2017:

Investigator Spotlight

Mark Stein, MD

Educational Background: BS, Yale; MD, New York Medical College; Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein; Fellowship in Oncology Hematology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. 1/13/17 Photo by John O’Boyle

Research Interests: I am interested in developing novel therapies for the treatment of genitourinary malignancies. The potential benefit of immunotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer is still poorly understood. Through collaboration’s with my colleagues at Rutgers, pharmaceutical companies (some of which are even located in New Jersey) and other members of the Big Ten, it is my hope that we will be able to utilize immunotherapy earlier in the course of treatment of prostate cancer and potentially the effects from treatments that decrease testosterone levels and cause significant side effects. Kidney and bladder cancer have likewise seen tremendous progress through use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the majority of patients still did not benefit from these therapies. The GU group in the Big Ten has developed very innovative trials to potentially extend the benefits of immunotherapy to additional patients.

Fun Facts: I have been trying to perfect my freestyle swim stroke for the last three years. I think I finally figured it out last week.

A vacation doesn’t count unless it involves getting into a boat – preferably a kayak moving quickly.

My dream is to cure cancer and use my scientific knowledge to make very good wine.

Read More