Researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health explored the outcome of patients being given a radiation boost before surgery, then whole breast radiation following surgery, compared to the standard mode of treatment which is radiation to the whole breast followed by a boost of radiation to the lumpectomy site post-surgery. Bruce Haffty, MD, MS, chair of Radiation Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; associate vice chancellor for Cancer Programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences; and system director of Radiation Oncology at RWJBarnabas Health, is senior author of the study. The findings were presented at the 2023 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. Learn more

Physician-scientists from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health presented new, novel, and expansive radiation oncology data at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, which was held in San Diego from October 1-4. This included clinical data and analyses that advance the understanding and use of radiation therapy in the treatment of lung, breast, pancreatic, and other cancers. Learn more and see the full list of this year’s presentations, which included 10 abstracts. Learn more 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to increase awareness about the second leading cause of cancer death in women according to the American Cancer Society. Experts from the Breast Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health share more about the latest and most important breast cancer topics including breast cancer in young women; Black women and breast cancer clinical trials; the importance of mammograms; updates on advances in research, treatment, diagnosis and more Visit our October awareness page.

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. According to the American Cancer Society, liver cancer is one of seven types of cancer linked to alcohol use. Alcohol abuse can cause irreversible damage to the liver called cirrhosis, which is the biggest risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. Miral Sadaria Grandhi, MD, director of Hepatobiliary Surgery at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, shares more about this topic Learn more.

Pancreatic cancer remains a leading cause of mortality in patients with cancer. A key player in this cancer is the KRAS mutation, found in over 90 percent of patients. Matthew Pierre Deek, MD, radiation oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute and assistant professor of radiation oncology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief resident of radiation oncology Jongmyung Kim, MD, PhD, explored the genetic landscape of pancreatic cancer based on KRAS status. They share their findings, which were presented at the 2023 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. Learn more.