Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Location, location, location. For the B cells that help defend us against germs, their “neighborhood” is key to their function. How these cells populate different locations in the body has been a mystery. Investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have now discovered a factor that regulates B cell distribution. The findings, reported in the Aug. [...]

Surgeons at the Vanderbilt Endocrine Surgery Center recently performed an innovative procedure, and Tennessee’s first, that is paving the way for easier, less painful removal of adrenal tumors. By making just three small incisions to the back, James Broome, M.D., and Carmen Solorzano, M.D., were able to remove a benign tumor from a patient using [...]

Jordan Berlin, M.D., associate professor of Medicine and clinical director of GI Oncology for Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has been named incoming chair of the Medical Advisory Council for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan). The nonprofit organization is dedicated to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, increasing research funding and providing support for patients and their [...]

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every year, the Tennessee Cancer Coalition’s Childhood Action Team and childhood cancer organizations across the state join together to compile a list of activities. Check them out here.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori infects about half of the world’s population. It induces immune responses, but these responses do not eliminate the bug. H. pylori persists in the human stomach for decades, leading to chronic inflammation, peptic ulcers, lymphoma and stomach cancer. Keith Wilson, M.D., and colleagues are exploring the failure of the immune response [...]

With a 5-year survival of less than 5 percent, pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancer, and conventional chemotherapy offers only a modest survival benefit. Drugs that inhibit the proto-oncogene Src have shown promise in animal models of pancreatic cancer, but their molecular actions are not well understood. In the August [...]

Dozens of moms whose children have been touched by cancer will be shaving their heads and appearing on a television special to support childhood cancer research. The “46 Mommas,” including women from the Nashville area, will participate in the shaving event in Los Angeles on Sept. 7, and then will appear onstage during the Stand [...]

A growing number of Hollywood celebrities, famous athletes and journalists will appear on the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) telecast on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., to raise funds for cancer research. The one-hour live event will be simulcast commercial-free on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Discovery Health, E!, The Style Network, VH1 [...]

Brides searching for the perfect wedding gown can browse through a huge selection of gowns and support a charitable mission at the same time. The Vanderbilt Breast Center is hosting the Nashville stop of the Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns, Sept. 11-13, at the Nashville Airport Marriott hotel, 600 Marriott Drive. The [...]

A new drug used to treat advanced melanoma patients with a specific genetic mutation in their tumors demonstrated significant tumor shrinkage in the majority of patients during a clinical trials.