Opera Star Sings Praises of Targeted Lung Cancer Therapy
KGO ABC7 Video - Jul 20, 2009
Last October, opera singer Zheng Cao fell during a
performance and had no idea why. Later, it turned
out she had advanced lung cancer. Now, as a result
of treatment with a new type of targeted therapy, her cancer
is retreating. Personalized medicine - that
is, customizing the treatment to the patient's tumor -is
rapidly gaining ground in the treatment of lung cancer.This
has given hope to patients like Zheng Cao that their lung
cancer can be successfully treated.
13th World Conference on Lung Cancer
- May 27, 2009
Dr. David Jablons, Chief of the Thoracic Section, is co-chairing
the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer, July 31 - August 4,
2009. The meeting will be held at the Moscone West in San
Francisco.
UCSF Celebrates Award of New Chair to Thierry Jahan, M.D.
Department of Surgery at UCSF - Jun 01, 2009
The Bonnie J. and Anthony Addario Endowed
Chair in Thoracic Oncology has been created in the Department of
Surgery in honor of Thierry Jahan, M.D., an
Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF, who will occupy the Chair
as its first recipient. Dr. Jahan is the one of the
region's most highly regarded thoracic oncologists and sarcoma
specialists, known among patients, their families,
and colleagues for his deep sense
of empathy and compassion. Dr.
Jahan co-founded the multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology
Program with David Jablons, Chief of the
Section of General Thoracic Surgery. On July 9,
2009, there was a celebration held at the Kalmonovitz
Library at UCSF to honor Dr. Jahan and his appointment to the newly
created Chair.
Lung Cancer Now Is the Focus of Powerful Genetics Research
UCSF News - Science Cafe - Feb 05, 2009
"The lung cancer tissue bank now enables researchers at the UCSF
Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center to explore more
deeply the role of specific genes in lung cancer, according to David
Jablons, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at UCSF and leader of
the Thoracic Oncology Program......'There are so many genes that
are interrelated that we never suspected had anything to do with
one another' Jablons says. "This systems genetics approach to
cancer is a whole new frontier.'
Biao He Awarded R01 Funding to Study Small Molecule Inhibitors in NSCLC
UCSF Department of Surgery - Feb 04, 2009
Biao He,
Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Surgery and molecular
geneticist in the Thoracic Oncology Laboratory, was awarded an NIH
R01 grant to study small molecule inhibitors of Wnt-2 transcription
in NSCLC. The goal of the research is to develop novel
Wnt-based therapies to treat lung cancer.
Advancing the Treatment of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Orthopedic Surgery News at UCSF Medical Center - Dec 25, 2008
"Soft tissue sarcomas are
extraordinarily heterogeneous, so experience is particularly
important when deciding among treatment options," says medical
oncologist Thierry M. Jahan,
M.D. (pictured right). At UCSF,
referring physicians typically send patients with painful, growing
soft tissue masses to orthopaedic surgeon Richard J. O'Donnell, M.D., and general surgeon Eric K. Nakakura, M.D.,
Ph.D,(pictured left). If their initial examination
convinces them that there is a sarcoma concern, they move on to a
staging workup that includes various imaging modalities and,
eventually, either a needle or incisional biopsy...."
10th Annual UCSF/UC Davis Thoracic Oncology Conference Held
UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program - Nov 08, 2008
The 10th Annual UCSF/UCD Thoracic Oncology Conference, was
held on Saturday, November 8, 2008, with a
keynote lecture by Alex A. Adjei, M.D., Ph.D.
"Novel Targets and Drugs in the Treatment of NSCLC". The
UCSF/UCD conference is the oldest and longest running program of
its kind, distilling the latest clinical and translational
research updates for lung cancer, mesothelioma and
esophageal cancer, presented by a distinguished
facutly from the fields of medical oncology, radiation
oncology, pulmonology, and thoracic surgery.
Nature Genetics Article Sheds Light on KRAS tissue-specificity
Thoracic Oncology Lab - Oct 02, 2008
In the October tissue of Nature Genetics, scientist Minh To helped
to unravel some of the mystery behind Ras
mutation tumor-type in human cancers, a
long-standing question in the Ras field. Dr. To and
colleagues demonstrated that mice completely lacking the Kras
protein, but expressing Hras under the regulation of the Kras
locus, were highly susceptible to carcinogen induced lung
tumors....
Minh To, Ph.D. Joins Department of Surgery Faculty
UCSF Department of Surgery - Oct 01, 2008
Minh To, Ph.D. has joined the Department of Surgery
Faculty as an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Surgery in the Section
of General Thoracic Surgery, Division of Adult Cardiothoracic
Surgery. Dr. To will collaborate with the
Thoracic Oncology Laboratory. His work focuses on the role of
Kras in lung cancer susceptibility, lung cancer system
genetics and the idenfitication of novel targets for
therapeutic intervention.
"To find answers, Mrs. Addario and her
husband, along with David M.
Jablons, her surgeon from the University of California, San
Francisco, put together a two-day conference last fall of lung
cancer researchers from major institutions around the world.
She says the group identified a number of problems that hinder
progress toward a cure. Among them: Researchers didn't know what
others were doing, tissue and blood specimens needed for
experiments weren't centrally located or shared, and the findings
of experiments weren't integrated to help assess what the key
priorities should be. Mrs. Addario started a new organization, the
Addario Lung Cancer Medical
Institute, and hiredCollabRx to address some of these issues.
The company is helping the institute build a virtual specimen bank
where researchers participating in the project can share patient
specimens and establish joint standards for collecting future
specimens."
Liang You Recipient of David Jablons "Asclepios" Award
San Francisco, CA - Nov 09, 2007
Liang You, MD, PhD was
presented with the David Jablons "Asclepios" Award for his
pioneering research. The award honors those whose dedication to
healing exemplifies the principles and spirit of Asclepios, Greek
God of Medicine and Healing. The award was presented at the Bonnie
J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation's annual fundraising event in San
Francisco.
World Leaders in Lung Cancer Convene for Inaurgural Lung Cancer Summit
Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Website - Nov 09, 2007
On November 9, 2007, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation invited leading physicians, clinicians, scientists, and researchers including a number of Thoracic Oncology Program members to convene at the University of California Mission Bay Conference Center. The Summit Meeting broke into various panel discussions focused on four major areas in the diagnosis and treatment of Lung Cancer, followed by a panel on collaborations and funding mechanisms. The summit concluded with a general brainstorming discussion on four focused areas: 1) early detection, 2) biomarkers and molecular diagnostics, 3) basic research, and 4) clinical trials. Dynamic discussions evolved from these, detailing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in creating a new landscape in the diagnosis and treatment of Lung Cancer.
Pierre Theodore Named Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology
UCSF Today, CA - Nov 01, 2007
Dr. Pierre Theodore
was named the recipient of the newly created Van Auken Endowed
Chair in Thoracic Oncology. Dr.Theodore, an Assistant Professor of
Surgery performs lung transplants and surgery for lung cancer,
mesothelioma, esophageal cancer.
Zhidong Xu Invited Speaker at 14th European Cancer Conference
Barcelona, Spain - Sep 24, 2007
Zhidong Xu, Ph.D., a
senior scientist in the Thoracic Oncology Lab and Assistant Adjunct
Professor of Surgery, spoke at the 14th European
Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona, Spain. In his talk,
Novel agents targeting the Wnt pathway in lung cancer, Dr.
Xu discussed how predictive markers could be used in
conjunction with targeted therapies in lung cancer.
Being Small Has Its Advantages, Especially With Minimally Invasive Lung Surgery
San Francisco Chronicle - Feb 11, 2007
Dr. Jasleen Kukreja
"is not the first surgeon to perform a minimally invasive lobectomy
at UCSF, but she may be a pioneer in the two-finger clamp
technique, because her predecessors are men who have a tougher time
squeezing in both fingers. Last summer, she became the first doctor
to be hired by UCSF to focus primarily on this discipline."
