Mark your calendars for March 13 -- the UA Cancer Center's Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, is presenting a talk called "Skin Cancer: What Arizonans Need to Know," as part of a lecture series taking place on Tuesdays in March, from 5:30-7 p.m., at the Hacienda del Sol Guest Resort. Dr. Curiel will discuss the diagnosis of skin cancer and the latest treatment advances and answer your questions about this common affliction in Southern Arizona. https://www.bannerhealth.com/calendar/doc-talks-skin-cancer-what-arizonans-need-to-know-tucson?esk=doc+talks+skin+cancer+what+arizonans+need+to+know+tucson+1

Congratulations to our Cancer Prevention and Control group, many of whom are presenting at this week's American Psychosocial Oncology Society conference in Tucson, February 22-24 (plus a Pre-Conference Education Day on February 21). https://apos-society.org/annual-conference/apos-annual-conference/

Why academic medicine is so powerful: It brings together diverse disciplines to empower the patient with a plethora of weapons with which to fight their cancer. Read about the molecular tumor board and the potential of the human genome to guide medical care.

We're so proud of our breast team, which has been recognized by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers!

Two independent clinical trials have shown that two different drugs help patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer — by giving them about two more years before their cancer metastasizes. That means two additional years before pain and other symptoms spread and they need chemotherapy or other treatments.

A team led by UA Cancer Center researchers Agnieszka Witkiewicz, MD, and Erik Knudsen, PhD, screened for drugs that could target triple-negative breast cancer tumors, producing several new therapeutic candidates for this difficult-to-treat cancer.

A cutting-edge gene therapy clinical trial helps a Stage IV lung cancer patient to summit a mountain in Nepal. At the altitude he reached, there’s 70 percent less air pressure than at sea level to push air into the lungs. Breathing is hard for the fittest climbers. There was no data on what the high altitude would do to an advanced lung cancer patient: None were found to have tried.

The evidence is mounting for a link between the bacteria in your gut and colon cancer. A recent study suggests that E. coli can invade the intestines, releasing a toxin that damages DNA of colon cells, while Bacteroides fragilis produces another poison that damages DNA and inflames the cells. Together they enhance the growth of tumors.

Meet Megan Stanley Molina, a doctoral candidate and member of a UA Cancer Center pediatric cancer research team led by Emmanuel Katsanis, MD. Molina is helping investigate which drugs might be better for patients receiving bone marrow transplants, which are typically given to people suffering from leukemia or lymphoma.

January is Cervical Health Month! Cervical cancer disproportionately affects Latinas -- here in Arizona and nationwide. Learn how regular screening and especially vaccination can help fight this preventable disease!