UC Davis Cancer Care Network

UC Davis Cancer Care Network

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Dorsey Griffith
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News releases

  All news releases   Cancer Center news releases only  

May 2013

Free hepatitis b screening for Asian Americans

May 16, 2013 — One of every 10 Asian Pacific Islanders has hepatitis, and most do not know they have been infected because often there are no symptoms.

Free hepatitis B screenings offered on May 19

May 10, 2013 — Asian Americans and adult children of foreign-born Asian Americans are invited to a free hepatitis B screening event Sunday, May 19 at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

UC Davis radiation oncology chief leads development of new prostate cancer guideline

May 7, 2013 — Based on a major effort co-led by UC Davis prostate cancer expert Richard Valicenti, the nation’s leading urological and radiation oncology organizations today announced a new guideline for radiation therapy after prostatectomy.

April 2013

Health-care worker visits increase hepatitis B screening rates for Hmong Americans

April 23, 2013 — In the first study of its kind, lay health workers increased screening rates for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and knowledge about the disease among a group of Asian Americans, known as the Hmong, UC Davis researchers have found. The study appears online today in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Mammogram tool improves some breast cancer detection but also increases false alarms

April 15, 2013 — A costly and widely used mammography add-on increases detection of noninvasive and early-stage invasive breast cancer but also makes more mistakes than mammography alone, researchers from UC Davis and the University of Washington have found.

Small molecule unlocks key prostate cancer survival tactic

April 9, 2013 — The most recent in a series of studies from a team at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has shown that a single molecule is at the heart of one of the most basic survival tactics of prostate cancer cells. 

Fatty acid metabolite shows promise against cancer in mice

April 2, 2013 — A team of UC Davis scientists has found that a product resulting from a metabolized omega-3 fatty acid helps combat cancer by cutting off the supply of oxygen and nutrients that fuel tumor growth and spread of the disease. 

March 2013

UC Davis research advances efforts to prevent dangerous blood clots

March 20, 2013 — New research from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, may help clinicians determine which patients are at highest risk for post-surgical blood clots in the legs or lungs.

UC Davis Medical Center named one of top hospitals with great oncology programs

March 19, 2013 — UC Davis Medical Center has been named one of “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs” by Becker’s Hospital Review, a national publication geared to hospital and health system leaders.

UC Davis scientist wins prestigious grant to explore cancer spread and stem cell function

March 1, 2013 — Frederic A. Troy, II, professor and chair emeritus of biochemistry and molecular medicine, has received a globally competitive research grant from the Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience to better understand structural changes associated with metastasis of adult cancer cells and stem cells.

February 2013

Mushroom-supplemented soybean extract shows therapeutic promise for advanced prostate cancer

February 20, 2013 — A natural, nontoxic product called genistein-combined polysaccharide, or GCP, which is commercially available in health stores, could help lengthen the life expectancy of certain prostate cancer patients, UC Davis researchers have found.

New radiation oncology device reduces treatment times, increases safety

February 1, 2013 — With radiation oncology treatments, the goal is to hit the tumor with as much ionizing X-ray energy as possible, while sparing adjacent, healthy tissue.

January 2013

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Joaquin Community Hospital affiliate for cancer care

January 11, 2013 — Residents of Kern County, where cancer rates overall are higher than the state average, will now have access to the expertise and experience of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and clinicians through a new hospital affiliation. [en español]

December 2012

The HER2 paradox: HER2-positive stem cells found in HER2-negative breast cancer

December 14, 2012 — A multicenter study led by researchers at UC Davis describes new, paradoxical characteristics of the most common type of breast cancer.

Chong Pan wins national investigator leadership award

December 4, 2012 — Chong Pan has been recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with a Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. Pan, associate professor of medicine and leader of the cancer center’s urothelial carcinoma initiative, was one of 11 award recipients for FY 2011. Formal recognition of the recipients took place recently at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.

November 2012

WeCARE! Peer Navigator Program expands to Central Valley

November 28, 2012 — The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center's WeCARE! Cancer Peer Navigators program is expanding to the Central Valley.

Experts recommend closer scrutiny of radiation exposure from CT scans

November 28, 2012 — Amid increasing fear of overexposure to radiation from CT scans, a panel of experts has recommended more research on the health effects of medical imaging and ways to reduce unnecessary CT tests, as well as industry standardization of CT machines.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center marks Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November 16, 2012 — The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a Tweet chat to discuss the latest approaches to lung cancer treatment on Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. in recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Twitter users are invited to log in and join the conversation about new medical, surgical and radiation oncology approaches to the disease from cancer center  experts. To join, follow #UCDcancerchat.

Call for nominations: Knoepfler Lab seeking "Stem Cell Person of the Year"

November 16, 2012 — Borrowing a thematic page from Time magazine and its annual tradition of identifying an individual or idea that has influenced the events during the year, UC Davis stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler is seeking nominees for what he's dubbed the "Stem Cell Person of the Year" award.

Study finds high exposure to food-borne toxins

November 13, 2012 — In a sobering study published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers at UC Davis and UCLA measured food-borne toxin exposure in children and adults by pinpointing foods with high levels of toxic compounds and determining how much of these foods were consumed.

UC Davis scientists identify new target for lung cancer treatment

November 1, 2012 — A team of UC Davis investigators has discovered a protein on the surface of lung cancer cells that could prove to be an important new target for anti-cancer therapy. A series of experiments in mice with lung cancer showed that specific targeting of the protein with monoclonal antibodies reduced the size of tumors, lowered the occurrence of metastases and substantially lengthened survival time. The findings will be published in the November issue of Cancer Research.

UC Davis Health System's partnership with ValleyCare concludes

November 1, 2012 — UC Davis Health System's Cancer Care Network has concluded its four-year partnership with ValleyCare Health System and Regional Cancer Center.

October 2012

UC Davis researchers develop new drug delivery system for bladder cancer using nanoparticles

October 25, 2012 — A team of UC Davis scientists has shown in experimental mouse models that a new drug delivery system allows for administration of three times the maximum tolerated dose of a standard drug therapy for advanced bladder cancer, leading to more effective cancer control without increasing toxicity.

UC Davis part of Stand Up To Cancer and Prostate Cancer Foundation research dream team

October 9, 2012 — Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), along with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), SU2C's scientific partner, announced the formation of a second Dream Team project dedicated to prostate cancer research -- "Targeting Adaptive Pathways in Metastatic Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer."

September 2012

Oropharyngeal cancer patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) have a more robust response to radiation therapy

September 25, 2012 — UC Davis cancer researchers have discovered significant differences in radiation-therapy response among patients with oropharyngeal cancer depending on whether they carry the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted virus.

UC Davis researchers receive grant to test new strategy for advanced prostate cancer treatment

September 21, 2012 — A team of UC Davis investigators, led by Christopher P. Evans, professor and chair of the Department of Urology, has received a $660,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study a promising new approach for treating advanced prostate cancer.

New study analyzes smoking trends in Mexico and among Mexican-Americans

September 20, 2012 — Led by UC Davis researchers, the first-ever transnational study of Mexico-U.S. migration and smoking has found that U.S.-born Mexican-Americans start smoking at an earlier age but are more likely to quit than their counterparts in Mexico. [en español]

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center to open major new wing

September 17, 2012 — After 10 years of planning, the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center will open its spacious new wing to patients on Sept. 24. [en español]

August 2012

St. Baldrick's Foundation awards $100,000 to UC Davis scientist

August 21, 2012 — For the second consecutive year, Paul Knoepfler, associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy at UC Davis School of Medicine, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the St. Baldrick's Foundation to pursue his novel research into the molecular causes of brain tumors in children.

Ramsey Badawi awarded prestigious "Provocative Questions" grant from NCI

August 9, 2012 — Ramsey Badawi, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, has won a groundbreaking grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to address whether tumors can be detected when they are two to three times smaller than those detectable using current imaging methods.

July 2012

New study reveals racial disparities in voice box-preserving cancer treatment

July 16, 2012 — A new epidemiological study led by UC Davis researchers reveals significant racial disparities in the use of non-surgical larynx-preservation therapy for locally advanced laryngeal cancer.

UC Davis and Yoursphere.com launch online community for kids with cancer

July 12, 2012 — UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and Yoursphere.com have teamed up to create the first of its kind interactive web community that allows young cancer patients and survivors to connect with peers all over the world. [en español]  

UC Davis researchers demonstrate usefulness of a novel PET/CT device in inflammatory arthritis

July 10, 2012 — UC Davis researchers have shown that their specially constructed PET/CT scanner enables better monitoring of the course of inflammatory arthritis - a costly and painful disease.

UC Davis researchers find biomarker that predicts response to chemotherapy for osteosarcoma

July 2, 2012 — Knowing whether a patient's tumor has this protein biomarker could help doctors determine if a patient should undergo standard treatment or if a more aggressive or alternative therapy may be more effective. [en español]

June 2012

UC Davis researchers win three of 11 California breast cancer research grants

June 27, 2012 — Three multidisciplinary teams of UC Davis researchers have been awarded IDEA grants from the California Breast Cancer Research Program.

UC Davis Health System partners with state to direct world-renowned California Cancer Registry

June 26, 2012 — The University of California Davis Health System announced today that it will partner with the California Department of Public Health to run the day-to-day operations of the California Cancer Registry, one of the world's leading resources for population-based data on cancer.

Stowell lectureship focuses on aggressive skin cancer virus discovery, June 27

June 18, 2012 — Virologist and pathologist Yuan Chang, who co-discovered two of the seven known human cancer viruses, will discuss "Merkel Cell Polyomavirus: From Pathology to Therapy" as a guest speaker for the 2012 Robert E. Stowell Lectureship at UC Davis.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center receives $75,000 to support pediatric cancer research from Hyundai Hope on Wheels

June 12, 2012 — UC Davis radiation oncologist Ruben Fragoso was awarded a $75,000 grant today from Hyundai Hope on Wheels to support his pediatric brain tumor research. The Hyundai Scholar Grant was presented during the Hope on Wheels handprint ceremony outside the UC Davis Health System's Administrative Support Building.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher awarded national recognition

June 11, 2012 — Karen Kelly, associate director for clinical research at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected as a 2012 fellow with the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

UC Davis Health System health policy leaders named to "Let's Get Healthy California" Task Force

June 5, 2012 — Joy Melinikow and Kenneth W. Kizer, physicians at UC Davis Health System and national leaders in health policy and research, have been appointed to the Let's Get Healthy California Task Force, a group established in response to Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.'s executive order of May 3 to develop a 10-year plan to make Californians healthier. California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana S. Dooley announced the Task Force members and panel of Expert Advisors on June 4.