Oncology

Forty percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors, though there has been a 33% decline in the cancer death rate between 1991 and 2021, according to the American Association for Cancer Research's annual Cancer Progress Report. 

Cancer cases in adults under 50 have been rising in recent years, and alcohol consumption may be one factor contributing to the rise, The New York Times reported Sept. 18.

Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope has received a $150 million gift to fund pancreatic cancer research, the single largest gift in the health system's history, from philanthropists A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand.

As pharmaceutical innovation for oncology care continues to grow, here are four updates to know:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City has appointed two oncology chiefs. 

Karen Knudsen, PhD, CEO of both the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, will transition from the organizations.

Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center and drugmaker AstraZeneca are collaborating to accelerate the development of CAR-T cell and T cell receptor therapies. 

Individuals are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and psychological illness after a family member is diagnosed with cancer, according to a study published Sept. 9 in Cancer.

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Rice University, both based in Houston, have partnered to launch a new operational research initiative aimed at improving cancer care operations with data. 

Surgeons at the Camden, N.J.-based MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper employed noninvasive, histotripsy technology for the treatment of liver cancer, becoming one of 20 cancer centers in the world to offer the treatment.