Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Recently, researchers used comprehensive immune profiling in mouse and human pancreatic cancers to identify mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance and investigate potential new therapeutic targets for this disease. Prateek Gulhati, MD, PhD, physician-scientist in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute and assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is the lead author of the work published in Nature Cancer, and shares more about these findings.  Learn more

In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, Nur Zeinomar, PhD, MPH, associate member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute, lead author of the study, along with senior author Elisa V. Bandera, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and colleagues found that a higher risk of mortality in Black breast cancer survivors is associated with a history of cigarette smoking along with regular alcohol consumption at the time of diagnosis. These findings add to the evidence of the detrimental health impacts of smoking and underscore the need of tailored and targeted survivorship care for breast cancer survivors. Learn more

Experts from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health presented numerous key gastrointestinal oncology research findings at the 2023 Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium, which was held in San Francisco and online last month. The global meeting featured the latest innovative science, solution-focused strategies, and multidisciplinary approaches in GI cancer treatment, research, and care. For a full list of presentations, click here.

While Black History Month is a celebration of the diverse culture of Black people, it is also an opportunity for reflection and action on health disparities. According to the American Cancer Society, Black Americans have a higher cancer burden and face greater obstacles to cancer prevention, detection and treatment. These disparities are in part a result of underrepresentation of Black patients in clinical trials. Coral Omene, MD, PhD, medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is currently working to increase clinical trial awareness and enrollment of Black women with breast cancer with the aid of a $50,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research in partnership with ESPN. Learn more about this project and our commitment to diversity and inclusivity in clinical trial research.