News and Breakthroughs

The use of patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment improved overall patient care, according to a trial published in Nature Medicine.

In this episode of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's podcast, Timothy Pearman, PhD, explores the critical role of caregivers and care partners to a patient’s healthcare team. Dr. Pearman discusses the challenges caregivers face, including burnout, relationship stress, and issues surrounding sex and intimacy. He also offers effective communication strategies to address these challenges and shares ways healthcare professionals can better educate and support caregivers.

Tara O. Henderson, MD, MPH, has been named the Founders’ Board Centennial Chair of Pediatrics, effective March 31.

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered unique genetic and structural changes in endothelial cells in the brain after disrupting the blood-brain barrier, which may inform new therapeutic targets that promote blood-brain barrier repair after neurovascular injuries, according to a recent study.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered a key pathway controlling tumor growth in B-cell lymphomas, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Our Year in Review highlights some of the most impactful stories from 2024, and the people who make them possible.

New research from the lab of Issam Ben-Sahra, PhD, could rewrite textbooks on our understanding of cellular metabolism and potentially identify new targets for cancer and metabolic diseases such as obesity. The discovery, published in the journal Science, has been praised for its rigorous simplicity and underscores the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie specific biological processes.

Investigators from the laboratory of Ali Shilatifard, PhD, have developed a novel technique to precisely and efficiently study gene regulation, which may accelerate the development of new therapeutic strategies, according to a recent study published in Molecular Cell.

The use of active surveillance and watchful waiting increased from 13.2 percent in 2010 to 53.8 percent in 2020 among patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, according to a recent study published in JAMA.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a method for identifying reactive cysteines on peptide antigens within the immune system, a development which may prove useful in cancer immunotherapy, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Sheetal Kircher, MD, medical director of Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University’s Cancer Survivorship Institute, has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). This prestigious award recognizes her extraordinary volunteer service, engagement, and dedication to ASCO.

Implantable device works like a tree branch to grab and fling proteins

Acceptance and commitment therapy significantly decreased fatigue interference and improved quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer six months after treatment, according to recent findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Advancing breast cancer care for patients -- locally, nationally, and worldwide -- requires a shared commitment. Through the generous support of the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation and a competitive award from Chicago Sister Cities International’s Medical Initiative Program, 19 early-career oncologists from 18 sister cities had the opportunity to take part in the 2024 Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium from October 24-27.

Patients with a subtype of glioblastoma who received a combination treatment of a PARP inhibitor and standard chemotherapy did not demonstrate improved survival compared to chemotherapy and placebo, according to a recent clinical trial published in JAMA Oncology.