Emma Shtivelman, PhD Cancer Commons Chief Scientist

  • November 3, 2022  

    Cancer Commons Helps Patients Benefit from Clinical Trials

    With: Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    For many years, people with advanced cancer who turn to Cancer Commons have benefitted from working with Chief Scientist Emma Shtivelman, PhD. Here, she shares three patients’ stories. Curious Dr. George: You have helped many hundreds of patients with advanced cancer to feel valued, to better understand their disease and their clinical situation, and to explore their options. Will you please share with our readers… Read more »

  • November 10, 2021  

    New Targeted Treatment Options for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in 2021

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Chemotherapy was once the only treatment available for metastatic or advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). But the situation has changed dramatically in recent years. NSCLC may harbor mutations that drive cancer development, and many of these mutations can be targeted with precision drugs that inhibit specific mutant proteins. Targeted drugs not only often prolong survival of patients compared to chemotherapy, but they also improve… Read more »

  • July 14, 2021  

    What’s New in Melanoma Treatment in 2021?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    I last wrote about melanoma treatment more than 2 years ago, a fairly long time in the evolution of treatments for this type of cancer. Just as a refresher, the current mainstays of drugs to treat melanoma fall into two categories: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), antibody drugs that bind to proteins found on the immune system’s T cells—namely, PD-1 (which is targeted by the… Read more »

  • January 26, 2021  

    Behind the Scenes at Cancer Commons: Working with Patients

    With: Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Cancer Commons helps advanced cancer patients identify and access their best-possible treatments. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Chief Scientist Emma Shtivelman, PhD, for an inside look at how she helps the people who turn to us for guidance. Curious Dr. George: As Chief Scientist at Cancer Commons for many years, you have helped thousands of patients with advanced cancer to better understand their… Read more »

  • November 6, 2020  

    What’s New in Treatments that Target the MAPK Pathway in Cancer?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    If you are learning about treatment options for your or your loved one’s cancer, you may have heard of the MAPK pathway. This biological feature of human cells has become an important target of numerous drugs to treat cancer. Read on to learn more about the MAPK pathway and the current status of treatments that target it. What is the MAPK pathway? The mitogen-activated… Read more »

  • September 9, 2020  

    What’s New in Treatment for Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    About 10% to 20% of all prostate cancers are classified as castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). CRPC occurs when prostate cancer evolves to resist standard treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which blocks the production and signaling activity of hormones called androgens (such as testosterone) that fuel the cancer’s growth. Most CRPCs are diagnosed as metastatic (mCRPC), meaning they have already spread beyond the prostate;… Read more »

  • May 25, 2020  

    What’s New in Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Chemotherapy was once the only treatment option for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). But five years ago, immunotherapy—treatment that boosts a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer—came on the scene. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) as next-line treatment for NSCLC after chemotherapy. Today, new immunotherapy options continue to alter the NSCLC… Read more »

  • March 16, 2020  

    New Treatments For Bladder Cancer in 2020

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    In 2019 and early 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a number of new drugs for bladder cancer of all stages, and more treatments are on the horizon. Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening right now in bladder cancer treatment: Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treatments (NMIBC) In patients with NMIBC, tumors are confined to the inner cell layer of the bladder… Read more »

  • December 23, 2019  

    Renal Cell Cancer Treatment: The Old, the Almost Old, and the New

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) is the predominant type of kidney cancer, accounting for 70% to 75% of all kidney cancers. Here, I outline the current treatment landscape for ccRCC, highlighting what’s new and what’s on the horizon. Surgical removal of the cancerous kidney is most often the first treatment after diagnosis, especially if the tumors exceed 3- to 4 cm in size.… Read more »

  • September 9, 2019  

    How to Treat Uveal Melanoma that Recurs in the Liver?

    With: Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    A Q&A with Emma Shtivelman, PhD, Chief Scientist at Cancer Commons; emma@cancercommons.org Q: Malignant melanoma may arise from multiple sites, including the eye. What would you recommend be done for a 50-year-old man in the San Francisco Bay Area who was entirely well for nine years after undergoing enucleation surgery for a large uveal melanoma, but has now been informed by his physician that… Read more »