Emma Shtivelman, PhD Cancer Commons Chief Scientist

  • 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 »

  • June 24, 2019 

    Why Does Exercise Guard Against Cancer? Inflammation May Play a RoleBookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt from The New York Times:

    “One of the most important benefits of exercise is in how it reduces our risk of developing a number of types of cancer — especially colorectal cancer, which according to some estimates is the malignancy most influenced by physical activity. But how workouts guard against colon cancer remains largely unknown. Physical activity speeds the movement of waste through the intestines, as anyone who has had to hunt for a bathroom during a workout knows. But this does not seem to fully account for the protective effects of exercise. Instead, a small study published in February in The Journal of Physiology suggests we should also look to changes in our bloodstream after exercise.”

    Go to full article published by The New York Times on April 22, 2019.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • June 24, 2019 

    Personalizing Precision Medicine with Combination Therapies Improves Outcomes in CancerBookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “Precision oncology often relies on treating patients with a single, molecularly matched therapy that targets one mutation in their tumor. In a report, published online in Nature Medicine  on April 22, 2019, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that treating patients with personalized, combination therapies improved outcomes in patients with therapy resistant cancers.”

    Go to full article published by UC San Diego Health on April 22, 2019.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • June 24, 2019 

    Regional Delivery of Mesothelin-Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy Creates a Win for Solid TumorsBookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “In patients with malignant pleural disease, autologous mesothelin-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy demonstrated clinical benefit with no significant toxicity, outcomes that may be due to the regional delivery of the CAR T cells to the intrapleural cavity rather than conventional systemic delivery. The phase I trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02414269) results were presented at the 2019 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, held March 29–April 3 in Atlanta, Georgia (abstract CT036).”

    Go to full article published by Cancer Network on April 10, 2019.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.