October 2024 Tip Sheet of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

This month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

BREAST CANCER

Sylvester Experts Transforming Breast Cancer Care, Prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Sylvester experts are working year-round to conquer this most common cancer in U.S. women, accounting for 30% of all newly diagnosed cases among females. This month, they shared advances transforming the field:

Prevention in a Pill – Many higher risk women could prevent breast cancer by taking a pill, explained Elisa Krill Jackson, Sylvester hematologist-oncologist. “We have a number of different options, including tamoxifen.”

Precision Medicine – “We have witnessed amazing, life-changing and durable responses” during the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) trial, said Carmen Calfa, Breast Medical Oncologist and Medical Co-Director of Sylvester’s Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care Program.

Circadian Alignment – Sylvester and Dana Farber Cancer Institute researchers led by Tracy Crane are collaborating on the FastER trial involving prolonged, overnight fasting with or without exercise for patients on inhibitor therapy to combat treatment-related fatigue and sleep difficulties.

Lymphedema Treatment – Lymphedema is a serious complication from surgery and radiation that affects up to 30% of breast cancer patients. Sylvester’s Eli Avisar has pioneered a surgical procedure that can reduce this complication by two-thirds. Sylvester also features the Comprehensive Lymphatic Center, offering personalized, effective treatment plans to help patients with this complication.

Breast Cancer Survivor, Doctoral Candidate Focuses on Cancer Disparities

LaShae Rolle was a former college basketball player and 26-year-old PhD candidate studying community health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine when she was diagnosed with multicentric breast cancer, a rare disease type that occurs when two or more tumors form in different breast quadrants.

Today, Rolle encourages other breast cancer patients to start or resume an exercise program. She is now a competitive powerlifter while continuing her PhD studies. Her research and community outreach focuses on cancer disparities, including adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers.

Five Things I Learned About Cancer From My Diagnosis

Rochelle Broder-Singer, a journalist with over two decades of experience in journalism and communications, was diagnosed in Nov. 2023 with breast cancer. This is the first in a series of articles chronicling her cancer journey and her experiences as a breast cancer survivor. Her second column, focusing on the importance of asking for and accepting help is available here.

BRAIN CANCER

Sylvester Research Unveils New Way to Track Glioblastoma Progression

Distinguishing between true progression and pseudoprogression in glioblastoma is vitally important to treating this most common and deadly brain cancer. Recently, Eric Mellon, Radiation Oncologist and Co-Leader of Sylvester’s Neurologic Cancer Site Disease Group, and his pupil, Kaylie Cullison, a dual-degree candidate in UM Miller’s Medical Scientist Training Program, presented research findings on tumor growth at the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting. Their study using an MRI-guided linear accelerator found pattern and volume changes that can help physicians assess if patients are responding to treatment.

PROSTATE CANCER

Radiation Oncologist’s Work Gives ‘Boost’ to Prostate Cancer Therapy

Brandon Mahal, Vice Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Sylvester, presented a leading-edge approach to targeted radiation for prostate cancer – microboosting – at the recent Presidential Symposium during ASTRO 2024.

This innovative method uses MRI imaging to identify cancerous regions in the prostate and deliver high-dose radiation directly to them while sparing healthy parts of the gland. Mahal’s research focuses on health inequities in prostate cancer, which disproportionately affects Black men.

Other posts featuring Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.