Here, Dr. Raymond N. DuBois talks about what his days raising steers in Texas taught him about seizing opportunities and what his plans are to advance cancer care and research at Hollings. And, below are two opinion pieces you won't want to miss about the impact of COVID-19 on cancer screenings and care.

Researchers estimate that mammograms, a crucial tool for early detection of breast cancer, have dropped anywhere from 75% to 95% since March 2020. Pandemic-related screening delays could cause an excess of 10,000 deaths over the next 10 years. It’s time to reverse the trend.

Dr. DuBois speaks out about the importance of cancer screenings in this opinion piece in The Cancer Letter and in AACR’s Cancer Prevention Research journal. 

Dr. Jezabel R. Blanco was thrilled to be the recipient of a prestigious national award to fund her pediatric cancer research. Even more special, though, was when she heard who was on the call to tell her about the award. It was breathtaking, she recalls.

Our MUSC Health Blood and Marrow Transplant Program keeps pulling in the awards. The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) reports that the MUSC Health Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program is among the top 10% of transplant centers that have exceeded predicted survival rates and one of only six that have achieved such excellence as a combined adult and pediatric program.

Dr. Michelle Hudspeth, BMT program director, is humbled by the news.

Check out these stories that show how our health care providers and researchers are responding to the need to go high tech given the demands of modern-day society and the pandemic.

The American Association for Cancer Research released its inaugural Cancer Disparities Progress Report: Achieving the Bold Vision of Health Equity for Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Other Underserved Populations. MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Chanita Hughes-Halbert, Ph.D., not only contributed to this first-of-its-kind report as a member of the steering committee, but she was also part of the virtual congressional briefing that unveiled the report to the nation. Check out the findings.

A new volume of health disparities research, coedited by Hollings researcher Marvella Ford, Ph.D., was recently published. Ford hopes the research will lead to better health outcomes for cancer patients, especially those who are disproportionately affected by cancer.

Cancer of the head and neck is one of the deadliest cancers, with African Americans in particular experiencing significant disparities in mortality. A Hollings research team, led by Evan Graboyes, M.D., is studying the barriers that result in treatment delays and is working on ways to help patients overcome these obstacles and improve outcomes.

“The change we saw this year was extraordinary,” said Dr. Kathleen Cartmell, who leads the Hollings HPV initiative. The HPV vaccine, which requires two doses, saw an 8% increase in vaccine initiation and 12% increase in vaccination completion.

“While we saw a similar big jump in our HPV vaccination rates back in 2016, the increase we saw this year is phenomenal, considering that having these big increases many years in a row is what will be needed to get our HPV vaccination rates up to 80%, which is the national goal set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

To our front-line workers and those working behind the scenes as well to make care at Hollings seamless throughout this pandemic.

Betty Jordan (left), one of our Phlebotomy tech-team leads, Shelitta Warren (right) and colleagues make sure patients get their lab work done in a safe and timely fashion. And Jose and Wendy Peréy keep dishing up cheer and good food at the Hollings Café.

If you have questions, submit them to [email protected].