Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Cousins with melanoma caused by the same genetic mutation enroll in a randomized clinical trial of a promising experimental drug that targets the mutation. Randomly assigned to different groups, one young man gets the new drug, experiences dramatic shrinkage of his tumors and is alive nine months later, while his cousin receives current therapy — [...]

Patients with metastatic melanoma being treated with the new investigational cancer drug PLX4032 are showing strong responses, with an 80 percent anti-tumor response rate among patients whose tumors are positive for the B-RAF (V600E) gene mutation. However, in all too many cases, patients are developing resistance to the drug and their cancer is beginning to [...]

Sheila Bates, L.C.S.W., community outreach manager in Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s Office of Patient and Community Education, has been named the Rural Health Worker of the Year by the Rural Health Association of Tennessee. Bates was nominated for her work in the development of the “Cancer Queens! A Cancer Prevention Musical Revue.” The live “edutainment” program, [...]

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has become the first cancer center in the Southeast and one of the first in the nation to offer adult cancer patients routine “genotyping” of their tumors at the DNA level. The recently launched Personalized Cancer Medicine Initiative will personalize cancer treatment by matching the appropriate therapy to the genetic changes, or [...]

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s Oncology Clinic in Cool Springs makes patient care its priority, and provides a strong example of why the Medical Center is deserving of a second Magnet designation. Though the clinic is 16 miles from the main Vanderbilt University Medical Center campus, the culture of this suburban clinic embodies the VUMC Nursing philosophy [...]

A clinical trial of a new experimental therapy for metastatic melanoma being tested at Vanderbilt and several other medical centers has shown positive results, including tumor shrinkage in the majority of patients. The results support previously reported positive data for the drug, known as PLX4032 (RG7204), in a much larger patient population where all responses [...]

The Vanderbilt Breast Center is inviting cancer patients to a free counseling session designed to help women cope with cancer treatment side-effects such as hair loss and complexion changes. The class is open to patients with all forms of cancer. The “Look Good…Feel Better” class will be held Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to [...]

Cancer survivors interested in exploring the process of creative writing are eligible to attend free Vanderbilt writing workshops this fall. The classes are open to all cancer survivors regardless of where they received their cancer care, and previous writing experience is not required. Participants will have the opportunity to create original material and share their [...]

Well-known daytime television actor Anthony Herrera will be the featured guest speaker at this year’s Cardiology & Oncology International Symposium, Thursday, October 7, at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. This year’s Cardiology & Oncology International Symposium is designed to help medical professionals identify and screen cancer patients for cardiovascular disease and manage treatment for cancer [...]

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.