Racial Disparities in Recommendation of Resective Surgery Undermines Treatment of Brain Tumors

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Brain tumors—abnormal and typically cancerous growths of uncontrollably multiplying cells—are often first treated using a surgical approach. Benign and malignant brain tumors may be addressed with excision (partial removal) or resection (complete removal) procedures once an evaluation of surgical indications has established their necessity. As such, these procedures require the physicians with whom patients consult—whether neurosurgeons, oncologists, neurologists, or other specialties—to explicitly … Continue reading Racial Disparities in Recommendation of Resective Surgery Undermines Treatment of Brain Tumors

Growth of Artificial Brain Tumors Using Three Dimensional Cell Culture

Julia Chivu ’23 Three dimensional culture systems and patient derived cells successfully allow for tumoroid development. Tumoroids are structures that grow and appear morphologically similar to naturally growing tumors in a patient. Tumoroids show promise for testing new drugs and cancer treatments. For instance, glioblastoma is a form of brain cancer that is aggressive, fast growing, and deadly. In particular, the mesenchymal subtype of this … Continue reading Growth of Artificial Brain Tumors Using Three Dimensional Cell Culture

What’s better: negative-pressure wound therapy or standard surgical dressings?

By Shahzadi Adeena, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Health professional holding rolled out gauze Doctors seek to improve post-operative care, as it is a critical aspect of surgery that determines success or infection. Following a surgical procedure, it is routine to apply standard surgical dressings (SSDs) on patients to promote healing and prevent infection. Modern surgical dressings are usually gauze dressings made of cotton, rayon, … Continue reading What’s better: negative-pressure wound therapy or standard surgical dressings?

A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Cancer is a disease in which there is uncontrollable cell growth in any part of the body. The migration of the cancer cells from the origin to other parts of the body is called metastasis, causing malignant tumors. Cancerous cells can be aided by other cells found in tissues such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMS) that stimulate tumor growth, prompt metastasis, and promote … Continue reading A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells

Biodiversity Offers Insight into the Ecosystem of Liver Cancer

Priyanshi Patel ’22 Liver cancer is the second most lethal malignancy in the world and includes mainly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). HCC is the most common type of primary liver cancer and often occurs in people with chronic liver diseases. iCCA is also a cancer that develops within the bile duct, whereas HCC occurs among alcoholics or those with fat accumulation in … Continue reading Biodiversity Offers Insight into the Ecosystem of Liver Cancer

In Situ Administration of Cytokine Combinations Could Be the Future of Immunotherapy

By Riya Gandhi ‘22 Rather than look outwards for new cancer treatments, scientists are beginning to look inwards – that is, inside the human body – for advanced therapeutic treatments. Although the use of cytokines, biomolecules that direct an immune response,in cancer therapy has been attempted for decades, there is still room for much improvement. In a recent study on cytokines, researchers under the guidance … Continue reading In Situ Administration of Cytokine Combinations Could Be the Future of Immunotherapy

Targeting Non-Dividing Cells in Cancer

By Cerise Carey Invasive cells, ones that travel from tumor tissue to form new tumors elsewhere within the host, have been the focus of most cancer research. In a recent study, Dr. David Q. Matus, an Assistant Professor in the Stony Brook University Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, and his colleagues found that cells in the roundworm nematode C. elegans cannot divide and invade … Continue reading Targeting Non-Dividing Cells in Cancer