RWJBarnanabs Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named among Becker’s Hospital Review’s 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs for 2023. This annual list honors heath systems that have earned national recognition for their work in driving forward advanced cancer care and research, as well as cancer centers with internationally known specialists, capacity for clinical trials and exceptional safety ratings. Becker's also recognized Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey as the top cancer center in New Jersey.

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Daniel Herranz Benito, PhD, PharmD, researcher at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and assistant professor of pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has received $800,000 from the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The funding will support his research on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an aggressive type of leukemia that affects both children and adults. Learn more about the four-year project.

Middlesex County and RWJBarnabas Health recently unveiled the RWJBarnabas Health Workforce Partnership, which aims to meet the future workforce needs of the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey by creating unique educational pathways and curricula for students at Middlesex College and Middlesex County Magnet Schools. Highlights of the partnership include internship and volunteer opportunities, educational tracks for sterile processing technicians, patient care technicians and certified medical assistants, as well as additional resources for workforce development. Learn more.

The pancreas is an important organ that produces enzymes that help digest food, and it secretes hormones - such as insulin - that help regulate metabolism. It is not uncommon for cysts to form in the pancreas. The majority of pancreatic cysts are pre-cancerous and are the most common identifiable precursor to pancreatic cancer. Russell Langan, MD, FACS, FSSO, director of surgical oncology, Northern Region, RWJBarnabas Health and chief of Surgical Oncology and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Brett L. Ecker, MD, both surgical oncologists at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health share more about what pancreatic cysts are, how they’re found and the artificial intelligence software being used to identify patients that have an abnormality in their pancreas. Full article.

Despite stricter regulations on tobacco products, the lure of smoking continues to entice young individuals. According to the American Lung Association, every day, nearly 2,500 children under 18 years of age try their first cigarette. It’s an act that results in an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness and potential effects on lung growth and function. Monica Gilles, MAS, RRT, NCTTP, tobacco treatment coordinator at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, shares information about youth tobacco use and the importance of quitting smoking for lung cancer prevention. Full article.