Thrive Archive

Using one's cells to attack and treat cancer continues to grow. Cellular therapy and in particular CAR T-cell therapy offers new opportunities to adult and pediatric patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Dr. Monalisa Ghosh, Rogel Cancer Center oncologist talks about these treatments and and the future of cellular therapy.

Andrew Sweeney, now 35, was aware of his risk for colorectal cancer – his mother had had been diagnosed with it when she was 41. When he was 31, a CT scan at University of Michigan Health’s University Hospital revealed that Sweeney had a mass in his colon and potential metastases in his liver and lymph nodes. A colonoscopy confirmed that he had stage 4 colorectal cancer. After 1.5 years of chemotherapy, his care team began discussing how they could remove the damaged parts of Sweeney’s liver. They developed a colorectal cancer liver transplant protocol from a deceased donor and Sweeney was the first patient to undergo a liver transplant in Michigan for colon cancer. After minor recurrences of tumors in his lung in 2024, which were treated by surgery and radiation, his scans have been clear.

After a patient has a biopsy, the samples are sent to pathology to determine if it is cancerous or not as well as how aggressive it is. Many patients will see their results before hearing from the medical team in their patient portal – leaving them anxious or confused on what it all means. Pathologist, Dr. Cathyrn Lapedis, talks about the role of pathology in a patient’s care plan, as well as new ways to help patients when they get results before their physician is able go over to help them with anxiety and to be better informed about their potential diagnosis.

Those with an elevated prostate-specific antigen test are referred for a biopsy of their prostate to help diagnose prostate cancer or other prostate concerns. This can bring anxiety and discomfort for the patient.

When treating for localized prostate cancer, surgery and radiation are usually what people hear about. However, there are other treatments that could be options under a heading of focal therapy. Dr. Andrew Wood, a urologic oncologist with U-M Health Rogel Cancer Center’s Weiser Center for Prostate Cancer talks about these options and which patients could benefit from them.

Four University of Michigan faculty members have served as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a rare distinction that only two other institutions can claim. ASCO is the world's leading professional organization for physicians and oncology professionals caring for people with cancer. In this episode, Nicole Fawcett, director of communications for the Rogel Cancer Center, sat down with four past ASCO Presidents and talked about the importance of the society, the impact it has had on cancer care and research as a whole and the impact here at U-M. Participants: Allen Lichter, MD, FASTRO Doug Blayney, MD Dan Hayes, MD Lori Pierce, MD