Fox Chase Cancer Center News

PHILADELPHIA (September 27, 2015) – Effective treatment options are limited for patients with nonsquamous non–small-cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed after initial treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. A phase-3, randomized, open-label international clinical trial showed significantly longer median overall survival with nivolumab (Bristol-Myers Squibb) immunotherapy than with docetaxel (Sanofi-Aventis) for these patients. The trial results were presented at The European Cancer Congress 2015 and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

PHILADELPHIA (September 3, 2015) – Drugs that target key proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism could represent a promising new treatment strategy for a broad range of cancers, according to research by Fox Chase Cancer Center investigators. The study, published September 3rd in Cell Reports, reveals that deficiency in the enzymes SC4MOL and NSDHL depletes cancer cells of cholesterol, thereby inhibiting tumor growth in a mouse model of skin cancer. Moreover, treatments that target this cholesterol pathway sensitize cancer cells to the effects of an FDA-approved drug used to treat several types of cancer.

PHILADELPHIA (September 1, 2015) – Suzanne M. Miller, PhD, has been appointed the next editor-in-chief of Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research, a journal of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

Dr. Miller’s career has focused on psychology and oncology. She is a professor of cancer prevention and control at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she also serves as director of the Psychosocial and Bio-Behavioral Medicine Department.

Translational Behavioral Medicine (TBM) fills an important niche by bringing actionable science to practitioners and by prompting debate on policy issues that surround the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based health interventions.

PHILADELPHIA (August 20, 2015) – Fox Chase Cancer Center’s breast cancer program has earned full accreditation for the third time from The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the premier accreditation program for breast centers throughout the United States.

PHILADELPHIA (August 14, 2015) – A nationally recognized leader in urologic oncology, Robert G. Uzzo, MD, FACS, chair of the Department of Surgery and co-leader of Genitourinary Cancer Treatment team at Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, has been elected to the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons.

PHILADELPHIA (August 11, 2015) – Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Top Docs and fellows will provide free rapid skin cancer screening via the Mobile Screening Unit at the 2015 Miles for Melanoma Philadelphia on Sunday, August 16, 2015.

The screenings will be available from 7:00 am until 9:00 am. Individuals seeking a full body exam will be seen on the Mobile Screening Unit to ensure privacy; all other spot check examinations will be viewed within the Fox Chase tent. The unit, supported by the Flyers Wives Charities enables us to reach communities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, according to Evelyn González, senior director of community outreach for Fox Chase.

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have now identified genetic mutations that predict response to chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, opening new avenues for personalized treatment approaches.

PHILADELPHIA (August 3, 2015) – Joseph R. Testa, PhD, professor and Carol and Kenneth E. Weg Chair of Human Genetics at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been appointed to serve as senior editor for Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.