Alexandria Carolan is a reporter with The Cancer Letter. She joined the publication in 2019.
Her work focuses on a wide range of oncology issues including appropriations, diversity and, most recently, gender-related bias.
Alexandria has worked as an editorial associate at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where she wrote for The ASCO Daily News, and edited ASCO Educational Book and meeting programs. Alexandria holds a B.A. in journalism and English from the University of Maryland (2018), where she wrote for the university’s independent student newspaper, The Diamondback.
She has written for local newspapers and magazines, where she covered city affairs, crime, science and technology, and bias. Alex’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Capital News Service, Asbury Park Press, Bethesda Beat and Bethesda Magazine.
Her work focuses on a wide range of oncology issues including appropriations, diversity and, most recently, gender-related bias.
Alexandria has worked as an editorial associate at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where she wrote for The ASCO Daily News, and edited ASCO Educational Book and meeting programs. Alexandria holds a B.A. in journalism and English from the University of Maryland (2018), where she wrote for the university’s independent student newspaper, The Diamondback.
She has written for local newspapers and magazines, where she covered city affairs, crime, science and technology, and bias. Alex’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Capital News Service, Asbury Park Press, Bethesda Beat and Bethesda Magazine.
Latest Stories
Health Disparities
We are shocked and horrified by the recent spate of violence and hate crimes against people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent across the United States.In response to these events, The Cancer Letter is stepping up coverage of inequities and disparities—and we are seeking your help and guidance on an upcoming series of investigative stories.As a publication that actively advocates for racial justice and health equity, we condemn these attacks, which have led to deaths, severe injuries, and widespread fear in AAPI communities.
The likelihood that a patient walking through the doors of a radiation oncology clinic has advanced disease has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey from the American Society for Radiation Oncology found.
The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors approved 12 new and reissue concepts.
NCI Director's Report
NCI has established a program at Frederick National Laboratory to manufacture CAR T-cell therapies for multicenter clinical trials.
Once an expensive cancer drug is discarded, it’s not worth it for drug developers, health care providers, and payers to recoup its cost, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said in a congressionally mandated report.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
NCI Director's Report
Pandemic notwithstanding, NCI is on track to reach the 15th percentile for the payline by 2025—a goal set by institute Director Ned Sharpless in response to a deluge of grant applications.
Overall cancer mortality rates in the United States continued to drop precipitously, falling by 2.4% from 2017-2018, according to the American Cancer Society's latest Cancer Statistics report.
The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors has approved 10 new and reissued concepts.
In a first procedural move of its kind, NCI asked its Board of Scientific Advisors to endorse the institute's continuing affiliation with the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center.
NCI Director's Report
NCI has joined a nationwide initiative to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty at NIH-funded cancer hospitals.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
After receiving a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, author Ibram X. Kendi sought consultation at two hospitals located a mile apart.
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
NCI Director's Report
NCI plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971 with an effort to build a coalition of support for cancer research, including raising the payline to 15% by 2025.
Free
NCI has awarded 25 grants and contracts as part of the Serological Sciences Network initiative.
Free
Women in oncology who face gender bias know what not to do: seek help from their institutions.
Free
Leonidas C. Platanias spoke with Alexandria Carolan, a reporter with The Cancer Letter:
Free
Pamela Kunz said she left Stanford School of Medicine because of years of gender-related microaggressions and verbal abuse she experienced there.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
Earlier this summer, NCI Director Ned Sharpless faced a big challenge: produce a video for kids with cancer at Camp Fantastic.
Budget increases in 2020 enabled NCI to boost funding for research project grants, pushing the payline up by two percentage points from last year's level.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage is available here.
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. Our full coverage of SARS-CoV2 is available here.
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. Our full coverage of SARS-CoV2 is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. Our full coverage of SARS-CoV2 is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. Our full coverage of SARS-CoV2 is available here.
Free
The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors has approved nine new and reissue concepts—Request for Applications, Cooperative Agreement, Request for Proposals, and Program Announcements with special receipt, referral and review.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
The name of the session was a message in and of itself: “Racism and Racial Inequalities in Cancer Research.”
Free
Fajgenbaum gained insight into COVID-19 while seeking treatment for Castleman disease (which he has)
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
It is not a matter of editorial opinion to say these words: Black Lives Matter.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors has approved 11 new and reissue concepts—Request for Applications, Cooperative Agreement, Request for Proposals, and Program Announcement with special receipt, referral and review.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
AACR data from China and Europe amount to “two different messages” for cancer patients with COVID-19
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
In the past, few patients had Oliver Sartor’s personal cell phone number.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
American Cancer Society announces a wave of furloughs and layoffs as COVID-19 constricts fundraising
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full directory of our coverage is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
The Cancer Letter spoke with leaders at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University to gauge the impact of coronavirus.
Free
The COVID-19 pandemic will affect every aspect of cancer care and cancer research.
Free
"It's like being in a war"This story is part of The Cancer Letter's ongoing coverage of COVID-19's impact on oncology. A full list of our coverage, as well as the latest meeting cancellations, is available here.
Free
NOTE: An earlier version of this story was published March 4 on the web and was updated March 6 to include information about restricted travel for employees of cancer centers, meeting cancellations, potential disruptions to the drug supply chain, and funds allocated by U.S. Congress for combatting the coronavirus.
Last year, FDA approved 11 new drugs and biologics as well as 30 supplemental indications and four biosimilars, according to commentary by FDA officials published in Nature Reviews.
A coalition of over 100 cancer groups is urging Congress to include the Clinical Treatment Act (HR-913) in an upcoming health care extenders package, scheduled to be considered this spring.
Clinical
A program at Ohio State is trying to make use of cancer drugs that would otherwise go to waste.
Free
The White House Feb. 10 released its FY21 budget proposal that, once again, includes drastic cuts to NIH and NCI.
A report by the Office of the Surgeon General finds that more than two-thirds of United States adult cigarette smokers report interest in quitting cigarette smoking; and the majority of adult cigarette smokers in the U.S. have tried to quit during the past year.
Stand Up To Cancer has launched two initiatives to increase minority representation in cancer clinical trials by amending its grant application requirements and funding a new research team focused on diversity and inclusion.
Free
A study evaluating the real cost of smoking by state over a lifetime ranked each of the states, finding that over an average lifetime smokers spend about $1 million to $2 million on tobacco-related costs, depending on the state they live in.
The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors has approved seven new and reissue concepts—Requests for Applications, Requests for Proposals, and PARs.
FDA Jan. 2 issued a final guidance that will restrict the sale of e-cigarette flavors most popular with minors.
President Donald Trump signed $1.4 trillion in spending bills Dec. 20 that includes a $212.5 million increase for NCI to cope with an avalanche of grant applications and improve the institute's declining success rates.
Free
A study that found gender bias in introductions of women speakers has awakened memories of decades of disrespect, women leaders in oncology said to The Cancer Letter.
Free
A sense of foreboding descended on Narjust Duma as she sat at a presentation on drug-induced toxicities. The year was 2018, Duma was a 31-year-old second-year fellow at Mayo Clinic, and her discomfort stemmed from something other than the subject matter discussed.
Free
The American Association for Cancer Research and Research!America are urging Congress to pass the FY20 appropriations bill by Dec. 20.
A Senate committee Dec. 3 cleared the path for Stephen M. Hahn to become the next FDA commissioner, though some Democratic and Republican senators voiced concerns that he wouldn't take aggressive action to ban flavored e-cigarettes in this role.
Questions on flavored vaping products dominated the Nov. 20 Senate confirmation hearing for Stephen M. Hahn, the administration's pick for the job of FDA commissioner.
Free
William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza have a message for young scientists: do science for its own sake—and enjoy it.
Norman E. Sharpless has returned to his previous role of NCI director earlier this week after serving as acting FDA commissioner since April 5.
Free
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Stephen M. Hahn to the position of FDA commissioner Nov. 1.
Free
E-cigarette smoke, like tobacco smoke, may, in fact, cause cancer, new studies suggest.
The the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by three researchers for work focused on how cells sense oxygen availability and adapt to it.
Free
Global health organizations, federal health agencies, and cancer epidemiology experts say they aren't swayed by just-published recommendations on consumption of red and processed meat.
Free
We asked six experts in disease prevention, nutrition, and guidelinemaking to discuss the just-published recommendations that disagree with the dietary guidelines promulgated by mainstream health organizations.
Free
E-cigarette use is on the rise among young adults, but overall combustible cigarette use among teens is continuing on a downward trend, recent studies show.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations Sept. 18 proposed a $3 billion raise for NIH in the 2020 fiscal year.
