New Jefferson Trial to Test Radiation-Emitting Beads Against Advanced Liver Cancer
(Published 2-11-2008) 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.

Jefferson Transplant Specialist Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Elected to American College of Surgeons
(Published 2-12-2008) Cataldo Doria, M.D, Ph.D., director of the Division of Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and associate professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, has become a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Convocation ceremonies took place at the College’s 93rd annual Clinical Congress, which were held last fall in New Orleans.

Jefferson Specialists Expand Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) to Correct Major Deformities
(Published 2-13-2008) 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., employing an MISS approach to treat patients with major multi-level deformities involving the lumbar and thoracolumbar spine.

High Intensity Ultrasound Being Studied as New Treatment for Prostate Cancer
(Published 2-14-2008) High Intensity Ultrasound Being Studied as New Treatment for Prostate Cancer Urologic researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are studying whether high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can be an effective treatment for low-risk prostate cancer and an alternative to using surgery, radiotherapy or cryosurgery. Jefferson is taking part in a phase three clinical trial for treating localized prostate cancer using HIFU and is currently enrolling participants.

Take a Stroll through the Colon and Learn How to Prevent Colorectal Cancer
(Published 2-18-2008) Take a Stroll through the Colon and Learn How to Prevent Colorectal Cancer (PLYMOUTH MEETING), Mall shoppers and area residents will be able to take a walk through a colon while learning about colorectal cancer Thursday, February 28, when the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Super Colon exhibit comes to Plymouth Meeting Mall.

Potential Test to Gauge Extent of Colorectal Cancer, Advances in Therapy, Imaging, Highlight Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center Symposium Feb. 29
(Published 2-27-2008) If clinical pharmacologist Scott Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., is right, a simple test for a marker involved in traveler’s diarrhea will help provide surgeons and oncologists with a more accurate picture of the extent of colorectal cancer in patients. Dr. Waldman, professor and chair of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) in Philadelphia, will discuss the test and a just-completed, five-year National Institutes of Health-backed clinical trial this Friday, February 29, 2008 at a colorectal cancer symposium held at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

Blocking Growth Protein Kills Prostate Cancer Cells, Inhibits Tumor Growth, Jefferson Scientists Find
(Published 2-28-2008) Researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have shown that they can effectively kill prostate cancer cells in both the laboratory and in experimental animal models by blocking a signaling protein that is key to the cancer's growth. The work proves that the protein, Stat5, is both vital to prostate cancer cell maintenance and that it is a viable target for drug therapy.