Issue 8 – The Cancer Letter

Conversation with the Cancer Letter
His six-month “listening tour” almost over, Sharpless discusses his vision for NCI
“The notion that cancer’s not one disease, but thousands of diseases is really starting to sink in, and the implications of that fact are being felt throughout [NCI], and it means we have to change how we do everything. I hope that the early days of the Sharpless administration will be remembered as a time when we really bought into that reality and did some things differently,” NCI Director Norman “Ned” Sharpless said in a conversation with The Cancer Letter.
Conversation with the Cancer Letter
UT Health San Antonio’s link with MD Anderson goes live
How does it work?
The affiliation between UT Health San Antonio Cancer Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center became active on Feb. 20. “Administratively, the two institutions are distinct. Patients will be cared for by the physicians and nurses of the [San Antonio] Mays Cancer Center, but certainly the platform of the care that they’re being provided has been heavily informed and integrated with MD Anderson, based on their treatment templates and methodology,” Ruben Mesa, director of the Mays Cancer Center, said to The Cancer Letter.
In Brief
- Frederick Schnell named to new post of COA medical director
- Richard Barakat to lead Northwell Health cancer services, research
- Denis Guttridge named director of MUSC Darby Children’s Research Institute, associate director at Hollings
Trials and Tribulations
Diversity within Diversity: Lessons from the Latinos of South Texas
Diversity is to be celebrated in our society as enriching our experiences, our cultures and the richness of our lives. Diversity within the context of cancer care and research has appropriately grown to include considerations of diversity of race, ethnic heritage, age, gender, and experiences.
Clinical Roundup
- NEJM publishes Loxo’s larotrectinib clinical data
Drugs and Targets
- FDA expands approval of Imfinzi to reduce the risk of NSCLC progressing
NCI Protocols
NCI trials for February
NCI approved the following clinical research studies last month.