Jefferson Specialists Expand Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) to Correct Major Deformities
(Published: 02-12-2008) Spine specialists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are expanding the field of minimally invasive
spine surgery (MISS) by refining new techniques to correct even complex spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis.
Correction for these conditions using standard surgery historically required a recovery period of at least three to six months,
and even up to a year. But with MISS, selected cases can be managed with recovery times as short as three to six weeks.
Led by D. Greg Anderson, M.D., the Jefferson team is the only in the Philadelphia region, and one of only a handful in the
U.S., employaing an MISS approach to treat patients with major multi-level deformities involving the lumbar and thoracolumbar
spine.
New Jefferson Trial to Test Radiation-Emitting Beads Against Advanced Liver Cancer
(Published: 02-11-2008) Liver cancer specialists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia are beginning an 18-month
study of a new treatment for liver cancer. The therapy entails injecting tiny beads that emit small amounts of radiation into
the liver’s main artery while also blocking the blood supply feeding the cancer’s growth.
Survey Points Out Need for Education for Primary Care Physicians on Rarely Seen Cancers
(Published: 12-10-2007) Many primary care physicians may lack the necessary knowledge when it comes to recognizing the signs,
symptoms and making proper diagnoses in cases of blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, a recent survey indicates.
Jefferson Scientists See Breast Cancer Gene Activity from Outside the Body
(Published: 11-27-2007) Researchers at Jefferson Medical College and Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have
used PET imaging to see hyperactive cancer genes inside breast tumors in laboratory animals, marking the first time such gene
activity has been observed from outside the body. This technology might someday help physicians to detect and classify cancer,
enabling them to find cancerous breast tumors as early as possible, and determine the appropriate treatment.
Jefferson Researchers Show Chemotherapy and Radiation Together Extend Lung Cancer Patients’ Lives
(Published: 11-09-2007) Chemotherapy given at the same time as radiation therapy can help patients with a certain type of
lung cancer live nearly 50 percent longer than they might have otherwise if the same treatment was given differently, according
to an international team’s analysis of several trial results.
Jefferson Oncologists Show Focused Radiation Just as Effective As Surgery in Fighting Rare Nerve Tumor
(Published: 10-30-2007) Specifically aimed, “stereotactic” radiation may be as good as surgery – and in some cases, even better
– in treating benign but potentially devastating brain tumors called non-acoustic schwannomas, according to a study by by
radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital in Philadelphia.
Jefferson Establishes Vaccine Center
(Published: 10-26-2007) After decades of pioneering research in fields ranging from melanoma and colon cancer to HIV and rabies,
vaccine researchers at Thomas Jefferson University finally have a “home” to call their own. Jefferson has established the
Jefferson Vaccine Center to create an infrastructure for all of the university’s research and clinical efforts, while hoping
to spur new collaboration and innovation.
Jefferson Urologists Studying Regenerated Neo-Bladder to Help Spinal Cord Injury Patients
(Published: 10-03-2007) Urologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are studying whether a neo-bladder construct grown
from a patient’s own cells can improve bladder function for adult spinal cord injury patients.
Jefferson Researchers Find that Personalized Interventions are Key to Improving Colon Cancer Screening Rates
(Published: 09-24-2007) One of the best ways to encourage an individual to get screened for colorectal cancer is to use a
personalized approach, according to researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Jefferson Medical College in
Philadelphia . A new study shows that simple, personalized interventions that guide recipients through the screening process
can significantly improve colorectal cancer screening rates in primary care practices.
Jefferson Radiation Oncologists to Use Real-Time System to Help Plant “Seeds” Against Prostate Cancer
(Published: 09-20-2007) Radiation oncologists and urologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital in Philadelphia have begun using a real-time system to implant radiation-emitting seeds in prostate cancer
patients. While the system, which is made by Nucletron, a technology company based in The Netherlands, is only being used
for imaging and planning purposes so far, it ultimately will help with the actual placement of the seeds. To date, Jefferson
is the first medical center in the Delaware Valley to begin employing the new system.
Jennersville Regional Hospital Joins Jefferson Cancer Network
(Published: 08-13-2007) Jennersville Regional Hospital in West Grove, Pa., has joined the Jefferson Cancer Network (JCN),
announced officials from both institutions recently.
Jefferson Oncologists Show Breast Cancers to be More Aggressive in African American Women
(Published: 07-09-2007) A study of more than 2,200 women at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia shows that
African American women have more advanced breast cancer at the time of diagnosis than Caucasian women. In addition, African
American women tend to have breast cancer tumor types that are more aggressive and have poorer prognoses. The findings, the
researchers say, are in line with other recent studies and provide more powerful evidence of the continuing need for early
breast cancer screening for African American women and the development of individual treatment strategies.
Trial Supports Use of Marker to Predict How Pancreatic Cancer Patients Do After Surgery, Jefferson Surgeon Finds
(Published: 06-22-2007) A team of researchers, led by surgeons at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, has
found further evidence supporting the ability of a protein to predict how well a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer will
do after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The levels of the protein CA 19-9 in the blood can be used to determine the
need for further therapy, they say.
New Jefferson Trial to Study Targeted Antiangiogenesis Drug Sutent™ and Radiation Against Cancer
(Published: 06-20-2007) Last year, the drug Sutent™ (sunitinib) made headlines for its effectiveness against kidney and gastrointestinal
cancers. Now, radiation oncologist at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia are hoping to find out if combining
Sutent and radiation will help patients with a wide range of cancers.
Circulating Tumor Cells Predict How Hormone-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients Fare, Jefferson Scientist Finds
(Published: 06-04-2007) The number of tumor cells circulating in the bloodstream of patients with metastatic, hormone-resistant,
prostate cancer can predict how they will do with chemotherapy, according to results of an international trial. The findings,
if backed by larger studies, could have important implications for designing personalized treatments for this very dangerous
type of prostate cancer, the researchers say.
Ground Zero Hair Salons’ Anniversary Ball Will Benefit New Jefferson Breast Care Center
(Published: 05-29-2007) Ground Zero Hair Salons is supporting Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in the development of the
new Jefferson Breast Care Center.
Jefferson’s Urology Chair on National Men's Magazine’s List of Top Physicians for the 21st Century Man
(Published: 04-27-2007) Men’s Health Magazine has named Leonard Gomella, M.D., FACS, Bernard Godwin Professor of Prostate Cancer and Chair of Urology at Thomas Jefferson
University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to its first annual list of physicians who have the “knowledge, the experience
and the tools to maintain and repair the 21st century man.”
Jefferson Oncologist’s Video Aimed at Raising Colorectal Cancer Awareness Among African-Americans
(Published: 4-23-2007) Despite advances in research and treatment that continue to help many people live beyond a colorectal
cancer diagnosis, African-Americans are more likely to die from the disease than any other racial or ethnic group. Edith P.
Mitchell, M.D., is trying to do something about that.
Jefferson Researchers Boost Immune “Killer Cells,” Increase Antibody Effectiveness Against Cancer
(Published: 04-18-2007) Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have devised a novel method to
expand the number of immune system “natural killer (NK)” cells from blood cells outside the body. They have found that adding
such cells to anti-cancer therapies involving monoclonal antibody drugs is more effective in killing cancer cells, and perhaps
someday may improve treatments.
Jefferson Scientists Identify Protein Key to Breast Cancer Spread, Potential New Drug Target
(Published: 04-09-2007) Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have identified a protein that they say is key
to helping a quarter of all breast cancers spread. The finding, reported online the week of April 9, 2007 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be a potential target for new drugs aimed at stopping or slowing the growth and progression of breast cancer.
Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Breast Cancer Symposium Features Latest in Research, Treatment
(Published: 02-21-2007) The latest advances in both breast cancer treatment and research – including innovations in surgical,
imaging, chemotherapy and radiation approaches – will be discussed Friday, February 23, 2007 at a breast cancer symposium
at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia.
Jefferson Chair of Surgery’s Latest Book Considered Essential Medical Reference
(Published: 12-14-2006) Charles J.Yeo, M.D., Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chair of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of
Thomas Jefferson University, has authored the latest (sixth) edition of Shackelford’s Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, considered to be an essential reference for general surgeons, surgical residents and gastroenterologists, with a special
focus on alimentary tract diseases.
Pancreatic Cancer Researcher Jonathan Robert Brody, Ph.D., Joins Surgery Department at Jefferson
(Published: 12-11-2006) Pancreatic cancer researcher Jonathan Robert Brody, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Surgery at
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University as assistant professor of surgery.
A Half-Century Later, Jefferson’s Hilary Koprowski, M.D., at the Top of His Game
(Published: 12-07-2006) In an environment of flat federal spending on science, renowned Thomas Jefferson University virologist
Hilary Koprowski, M.D., continues to amaze. Last month, Dr. Koprowski – the first scientist to develop the oral polio vaccine
– was honored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, M.D., for 50 years of continuous
funding from the National Institutes of Health.
The Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Named Melanoma Center of Excellence
(Published: 12-01-2006) The Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia has been recognized
by The Melanoma Hope Network (MHN) as a Melanoma Center of Excellence (MCE). The KCC is one of the first 10 cancer centers to be designated as an MCE by the network. MHN has designated MCEs across
the United States to recognize melanoma treatment centers and doctors, both academic and community-based, that offer exceptional
care, knowledge and compassion to patients diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer and also the major
cause of death in adult eye tumors.
Jefferson Researchers Find Nanoparticle Shows Promise in Reducing Radiation Side Effects
(Published: 11-07-2006) With the help of tiny, transparent zebrafish embryos, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas
Jefferson University and Jefferson Medical College are hoping to prove that a microscopic nanoparticle can be part of a “new
class of radioprotective agents” that help protect normal tissue from radiation damage just as well as standard drugs.
Jefferson Researcher Awarded Grant for Nearly $180,000 to Study Biological Processes Behind Cancer Growth
(Published: 10-09-2006) Molecular biologist Nianli Sang, M.D., Ph.D., of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
in Philadelphia has received a two-year grant for nearly $180,000 from the prestigious W.W. Smith Charitable Trust to study
the role of a unique molecular switch in the development of cancer.
New Chief Financial Officer Joins the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
(Published: 10-09-2006) Richard W. Haldeman, MBA, has joined the Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) at Thomas Jefferson University
in Philadelphia as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In this new position, Mr. Haldeman will financially integrate the
research and clinical functions of the organization. He will also serve as lead financial representative for KCC director
Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., in both of his roles as Vice President of Oncology Services at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital and Associate Dean for Cancer Programs at Thomas Jefferson University.
Thoracic Surgeon, Thomas d’Amato, M.D., Ph.D., Joins Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
(Published: 09-25-2006) Thoracic Surgeon Thomas Andrew d’Amato, M.D., Ph.D. has joined the Department of Surgery at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.
Paul Bray, M.D., Named Director, Division of Hematology at Jefferson
(Published: 09-08-2006) Paul Francis Bray, M.D., has been named director, Division of Hematology at Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is also Thomas Drake Martinez Cardeza Professor
of Medicine and Director of the Cardeza Center for Hematologic Research at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Jefferson Radiation Oncologists Among First to Use Cone Beam CT to Improve Treatment Accuracy
(Published: 08-28-2006) While one of the Holy Grails in radiation oncology is to spare as much healthy tissue as possible
during therapy, patients undergoing treatment for weeks at a time physically change. Patients can lose weight during a period
of therapy. They might lose or gain fluid. Tumors may shrink or unfortunately, continue to grow. As a result, radiation target
sites change, which can be problematic for treatment.
Jefferson Researchers Find New Potential Drug Targets for Metastatic Breast Cancer
(Published: 07-31-2006) Cyclin D1, a gene that promotes the development of breast cancer, is providing clues to how breast
cancer spreads, or metastasizes, in the body. By getting a better understanding of the complicated routes by which cancer
cells move about, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia are finding new potential
targets for drugs.
Multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Center Opens at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center
(Published: 07-28-2006) Taking advantage of a 12-year history of providing the most innovative treatment for patients with
brain tumors, physicians in three departments of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital have joined together to expand the service.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Ranked Best Hospital in Philadelphia for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Medicine by
U.S.News & World Report
(Published: 07-10-2006) Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has been ranked as the top hospital in Philadelphia for orthopaedics
and rehabilitation medicine by U.S.News & World Report in their 2006 Best Hospitals survey.
Chromosomal Testing Can Determine Brain Tumor Therapy, Outcomes, Jefferson Radiation Oncologists Find
(Published: 06-30-2006) A trial involving two types of rare, malignant but treatable brain tumors shows that missing portions
of two chromosomes can predict which patients will likely do better with therapy. The results, says senior author Walter J.
Curran Jr., M.D., professor and chair of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in
Philadelphia, represents a paradigm shift in treating such tumors, known as gliomas.
WXPN Musicians on Call Launches at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
(Published: 06-13-2006) Patients at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital will have the opportunity to enjoy bedside musical
performances, thanks to a local radio station.
U.S.News & World Report Ranks Jefferson’s Family and Community Medicine Department Among the Nation’s Best
(Published: 05-17-2006) U.S.News & World Report has ranked the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University as
one of America’s best Departments of Family Medicine.
Director of Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson to Celebrate with Cancer Survivors at Annual Event
(Published: 05-10-2006) Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, will be the keynote
speaker at Kimmel’s seventh annual “Celebration of Life” on May 24, 2006. The event will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in
the Bluemle Life Sciences Building, on campus of Thomas Jefferson University, 233 S. 10 th St., Philadelphia.
Noted Cell Biologist Michael P. Lisanti, M.D., Ph.D., Brings Wide-Ranging Expertise to Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
(Published: 05-05-2006) 15th most frequently cited in biochemistry and biology in the last decade.
Andrew Quong, Ph.D., Plans to Expand Nanotechnology Efforts at Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
(Published: 05-01-2006) Physicist Andrew Quong, Ph.D., would like nothing better than to cure cancer, and he thinks that the
burgeoning field of nanotechnology is just the ticket to accomplish it. He concedes it won’t be easy.
Jefferson Scientists Uncover Lethal Gene Mutation Key to Blocking Cholesterol Processing
(Published: 04-18-2006) When Jefferson Medical College researcher Shiu-Ying Ho, Ph.D., and her colleagues first created a
mutation that limited the absorption of lipids and cholesterol into the bloodstream in zebrafish, the possibilities seemed
endless. The discovery boded well for new insights into mechanisms behind lipid and cholesterol processing, and in turn, the
potential development of new cholesterol-controlling drugs.
Timing of Radiation Treatments for Colon Cancer May Need Adjusting, Jefferson Researchers Say
(Published: 04-07-2006) Scientists have unexpectedly discovered that mice with the gene defect that causes colon cancer in
humans can differ from normal mice in how they respond to radiation treatments. The large intestine carrying the gene defect
in mice that received staggered doses of radiation was three to four times more resistant to the radiation than in control
mice.
Jefferson Researchers Discover that Nanoparticle Shows Promise in Reducing Radiation Side Effects
(Published: 04-05-2006) Using transparent zebrafish embryos, researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have
shown that a microscopic nanoparticle can help fend off damage to normal tissue from radiation. The nanoparticle, a soccer
ball-shaped, hollow, carbon-based structure known as a fullerene, acts like an “oxygen sink,” binding to dangerous oxygen
radicals produced by radiation.
Jefferson’s pioneering Genitourinary Cancer Program Marks 10th anniversary as national model
(Published: 03-22-2006) As one of the first multidisciplinary programs in the United States for patients with genitourinary
malignancies, The Genitourinary (GU) Cancer Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia will celebrate
its 10 th anniversary in April. The Jefferson GU program has evaluated and treated 5,000 patients and, today, serves as a
recognized successful model for the trend in the multidisciplinary approach to GU cancer treatment across the nation.
Jefferson Bone Marrow Transplant Expert Receives Top Award from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(Published: 03-10-2006) Professionally speaking, Neal Flomenberg, M.D., is most proud that the bone marrow transplant program
he helped to build at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia rarely turns away high-risk patients. In fact,
Jefferson has become the go-to program to which many physicians send their patients when they don’t have another option to
offer.
Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist Matthew H. Carabasi, M.D., Joins Jefferson’s Division of Medical Oncology
(Published: 03-01-2006) Matthew H. Carabasi, M.D., a specialist in bone marrow transplantation, has been named associate professor
of medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University in Philadelphia. He is also clinical director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.
Improved detection, better therapies mean higher survival rates for patients with pancreatic cancer
(Published: 02-23-2006) Pancreatic cancer is no longer the immediate death sentence that most people think it is.
Jefferson Radiation Oncologist Rated Top in Nation by Industry Magazine
(Published: 02-10-2006) The top radiation oncologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia was also rated
first in the nation in a survey by Medical Imaging, a leading national magazine.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Receives Top Honor from American College of Surgeons
(Published: 02-03-2006) Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia has received a three-year approval with commendation
for its cancer program from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, its highest possible recognition.
Jefferson Radiation Oncologist to Direct Translational Research Program of Leading National Clinical Trials Group
(Published: 01-31-2006) Adam P. Dicker, M.D, Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and an internationally respected researcher in the areas of the epidermal
growth factor receptor, nanoparticles, and brachytherapy for prostate cancer, has been appointed the Radiation Therapy Oncology
Group (RTOG) Vice-Chair for Translational Research.
Surgical Oncologist Eugene P. Kennedy, M.D., Joins Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
(Published: 01-23-2006) Surgical Oncologist Eugene P. Kennedy, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery of Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, Philadelphia. He has also been named assistant professor of surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas
Jefferson University.
