Hollings Headlines // December 2022

Clinical trial brings hope - and a new friendship

“I love all my patients, but sometimes you meet a special one who just embeds themselves in your heart, and Rachel is definitely one of those special ones."

Alexandria Green, right, enrolls patients in clinical trials at Hollings and helps to track their progress. It's a job where you really get to know people at some of their worst times.

When she met Rachael Leppert, something clicked. The two women became fast friends. Alex now vows that when she gets married, Rachael will be there to watch her walk down the aisle – and she’s not even engaged!

A big "thank you" to Pegasus Sports, which came to the Charleston campus this month with a donation of blankets and soft, warm pillows for cancer patients. This donation will go toward both adult and pediatric patients. Your kindness helps to make our patients just a little more comfortable!

Double duty

How are frog eggs helping cancer research? One research lab at Hollings used them to understand how a protein repairs DNA.

David Long, Ph.D., and his team have been unraveling the dual roles of the protein BRD4 in repairing DNA double-strand breaks. And frog eggs have played a central role in allowing them to figure this out.

Anal cancer is not often talked about. But researchers are seeing an increase in rates of this cancer, which is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). And some of the greatest increases are here in South Carolina.

Ashish Deshmukh, Ph.D., has been tracking anal cancer. He says that anal cancer rates in women in South Carolina have doubled and the death rate for men in this state has tripled.

"For now, HPV vaccination really is the best available measure to prevent six cancers, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal and throat cancer," he says.

ASCO Post: Incidence of cervical cancer in women in the United States

Dermatology Times: Emerging therapies to manage vitiligo

SC Public Radio: Benefits of exercise during breast cancer treatment

Dec. 20 - Online Breast Cancer Support Group

Join us online for a monthly support group moderated by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center providers with expertise in the psychological experience of people with cancer. You can participate however you feel most comfortable: video on, video off, or call in. All options are available.

The group meets on Zoom the third Tuesday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. Register to receive a link. 

Send us your news

Got news? We have outlets, from our news site to our video boards! We’d love to help promote your latest journal publications, grants, clinical advances, awards, events and patient stories. Please contact the Hollings communications team to share your news or if you have questions.