Plumbing the Core and Nibbling at the Margins of Cancer

Cancer Commons Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, is the face and curator of this invitation-only column

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    Using AI and Drug Testing to Design Personalized Cancer Drug Combos

    With: Noah Berlow, PhDDiana Azzam, PhD

    Advanced cancer treatment often involves combining multiple drugs. But with a huge number of possible combinations, it is difficult to know which mix might work best for each patient. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks two leaders to describe how the company First Ascent Biomedical is addressing this challenge. Curious Dr. George: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved many thousands of… Read more »

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    How an Emory Professor would Treat Her Own Advanced Endometrial Cancer

    With: Jane Meisel, MD

    When facing a frightening new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Jane Meisel, MD, how she would handle her own advanced endometrial cancer. Dr. Meisel is Associate Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Curious Dr. George: Please consider a hypothetical… Read more »

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    How an Expert Would Manage His Own Advanced Prostate Cancer

    With: Marc B. Garnick, MD

    When facing a new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Marc B. Garnick, MD, how he would handle his own advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Garnick is the Gorman Brothers Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. He is also… Read more »

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    Harnessing Each Patient’s Data to Help Many More

    With: Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD

    At Cancer Commons, we don’t just help people navigate cancer treatment; we learn from everyone we help. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Cancer Commons Clinical Scientist Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD, to share how new knowledge can be captured from every patient to help many more. Curious Dr. George: Cancer Commons has accumulated in-depth data on many hundreds of patients with various cancers. Because of the… Read more »

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    Plain Language Summaries Improve Access to Medical Research

    With: Chris Winchester, DPhilAdeline Rosenberg, MSc

    Cancer Commons helps people make sense of the latest research on treatments for their distinct type of cancer. Meanwhile, a growing number of research papers now include a plain language summary (PLS)—an overview of the paper written for anybody to understand. Here, our Curious Dr. George discusses plain language summaries with Adeline Rosenberg, MSc, Senior Medical Writer at the healthcare communications company Oxford PharmaGenesis,… Read more »

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    Can Immunotherapy Be Effective for Brain Cancer?

    With: Matt Warner, PhD

    Immunotherapy has reshaped the cancer treatment landscape. This type of treatment boosts the immune system to fight cancer. However, for people with advanced brain cancer, immunotherapy options remain slim. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Cancer Commons Scientist Matt Warner, PhD, about the challenges and future potential of immunotherapy for brain cancer. Curious Dr. George: An accomplished molecular oncologist, you have now helped many… Read more »

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    Cancer Commons Adapts to Remain True to Our Mission

    With: Shelley Frisbie

    People facing advanced cancer come to Cancer Commons to ensure they have all the information they need to make their best-possible cancer care decisions. Here, Curious Dr. George asks our CFO & COO Shelley Frisbie about recent updates to our organization. Curious Dr. George: You have been the CFO of Cancer Commons for some time and recently added the COO title and duties to… Read more »

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    Cellular Aging and the Development of Cancer

    With: Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD

    Cancer is so often a disease of older people that a whole medical field, “oncogeriatrics,” exists to address the topic. Deeper understanding of the links between cancer and aging could lead to better treatments. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Cancer Commons Clinical Scientist Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD, about the relationship between cancer and aging processes that occur in individual cells in our bodies—throughout our… Read more »

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    More Information from Less Tissue: Strata Oncology Excels

    With: Scott Tomlins, MD, PhDLaura E. Lamb, PhD

    For a growing number of advanced cancer patients, molecular testing of tumor tissue is an essential step in identifying their best options for treatment. Strata Oncology is one company offering this kind of test. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks two of its leaders what sets Strata apart. Curious Dr. George: No loop is stronger than its weakest link. In the “brain-to-brain” concept of… Read more »

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    Meet Deb Christensen, Nurse Navigator for People Facing Advanced Cancer

    With: Deb Christensen, MSN, APRN, AOCNS, OCN

    For people with advanced cancer, making sense of the complexities of cancer treatment can be truly daunting. Enter the oncology nurse navigator (ONN), a nurse with specialized training to help patients overcome any barriers they may face in accessing high-quality cancer care. At Cancer Commons, our Director of Patient Services Deb Christensen, MSN, APRN, AOCNS, OCN, applies her ONN training to ensure that every… Read more »