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| Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Senior Vice President for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, always knew she wanted to be a physician. "Health equity was built into everything I did, even if I didn’t know it or recognize it at the time," Wilkins said. "I have always learned and believed that people are the same — everyone deserves to be healthy, and everyone should have the best opportunities to take care of themselves and their families." Click below to learn more about health equity initiatives. https://momentum.vicc.org/2021/09/everyone-deserves-to-be-healthy/ |
Vanderbilt was the lead site for an NIH-funded, phase 2, multicenter influenza vaccine study in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients that may lead to a change in the current flu vaccine recommendations in this vulnerable population. Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH and colleagues recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that two doses of high-dose trivalent flu vaccine resulted in higher amounts of influenza-specific antibodies than two doses of standard dose quadrivalent vaccine. https://news.vumc.org/2023/03/02/high-dose-flu-vaccine-beneficial-for-pediatric-stem-cell-transplant-patients/ |
Two Studies for Patients with Unfavorable Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer Testing Less Intense Treatment for Patients with a Low Gene Risk Score and Testing a More Intense Treatment for Patients with a Higher Gene Risk Score, The Guidance Trial
Prostate
Prostate
This phase III trial uses the Decipher risk score to guide therapy selection. Decipher score is based on the activity of 22 genes in prostate tumor and may predict how likely it is for recurrent prostate cancer to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Decipher score in this study is used for patient selection and the two variations of treatment to be studied: intensification for higher Decipher score or de-intensification for low Decipher score. Patients with higher Decipher risk score will be assigned to the part of the study that compares the use of 6 months of the usual treatment (hormone therapy and radiation treatment) to the use of darolutamide plus the usual treatment (intensification). The purpose of this section of the study is to determine whether the additional drug can reduce the chance of cancer coming back and spreading in patients with higher Decipher score. The addition of darolutamide to the usual treatment may better control the cancer and prevent it from spreading. Alternatively, patients with low Decipher risk score will be assigned to the part of the study that compares the use of radiation treatment alone (de-intensification) to the usual approach (6 months of hormone therapy plus radiation). The purpose of this part of the study is to determine if radiation treatment alone is as effective compared to the usual treatment without affecting the chance of tumor coming back in patients with low Decipher score prostate cancer. Radiation therapy uses high energy to kill tumor cells and reduce the tumor size. Hormone therapy drugs such as darolutamide suppress or block the production or action of male hormones that play role in prostate cancer development. Effect of radiation treatment alone in patients with low Decipher score prostate cancer could be the same as the usual approach in stabilizing prostate cancer and preventing it from spreading, while avoiding the side effects associated with hormonal therapy.
Prostate
III
Kirschner, Austin
NCT05050084
VICC-NTURO23322
