RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, in partnership with the New Brunswick Development Corporation, and members of the community celebrated a ‘topping off’ ceremony for the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, the state’s first freestanding cancer hospital, marking the completion of the steel construction phase. Remarks were made by Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, director of Rutgers Cancer Institute and senior vice president of Oncology Services, RWJBarnabas Health, along with other health system and university officials, as well as community leaders. Attendees signed the ceremonial steel beam before it was lifted into place. Learn more about the 12 story, 520,000 square foot facility. 

Investigators from Rutgers Cancer Institute examined the microbiome of pancreatic tumors and identified particular microorganisms at single cell resolution that are associated with inflammation and with poor survival. The investigators, including the study’s senior author Subhajyoti De, PhD, principal investigator at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Martin Blaser, MD, Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome at Rutgers University developed a genomic approach called SAHMI (Single-cell analysis of Host-Microbiome Interactions) to identify microorganisms associated with individual human cells. Their findings are published in Cancer Cell (10.1016/j.ccell.2022.09.009). Learn more

The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), has granted Three-Year Accreditation to the cancer program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. To earn this accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Learn more

According to the American Lung Association, Black Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders and Indigenous people who are diagnosed with lung cancer face worse outcomes compared to white Americans because they are less likely to be diagnosed early. Anita Kinney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FABMR director of the Cancer Health Equity Center of Excellence at Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, explains the impact of disparities on lung cancer, how these disparities are being addressed today and where to find screening resources. Learn more

Flu season is here. While just about anyone is susceptible to the virus, patients undergoing treatment for cancer can be especially vulnerable. Carolyn Hayes, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, chief nursing officer at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health Oncology Services, shares what cancer patients and their families should know about this year’s flu season, including staying informed about common flu symptoms, staying protected by receiving a flu vaccination, and other tips to take care of yourself and stay healthy.

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