2021 News Archive - UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology

December 29, 2021 - Drs. Karim Chamie, Isla Garraway, Amar U. Kishan, Nick Nickols, Matthew Rettig, Christopher Saigal, Michael Steinberg – “ UCLA-led meta analysis of seven randomized trials found an “unexpected result”: Although Black men appeared to have more aggressive disease when they enrolled in clinical trials of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, their treatment outcomes and disease-specific outcomes were better than those of their white counterparts.  “These results provide high-level evidence challenging the common belief that Black men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer will necessarily have a worse prognosis than white men,” said Dr. Amar Kishan, a co-senior author of the article in the December 29th issue of JAMA Network Open.   UCLA Health News > Read more >  

December 29, 2021 - Drs. Karim Chamie, Isla Garraway, Amar U. Kishan, Nick Nickols, Matthew Rettig, Christopher Saigal, Michael Steinberg – “ UCLA-led meta analysis of seven randomized trials found an “unexpected result”: Although Black men appeared to have more aggressive disease when they enrolled in clinical trials of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, their treatment outcomes and disease-specific outcomes were better than those of their white counterparts.  “These results provide high-level evidence challenging the common belief that Black men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer will necessarily have a worse prognosis than white men,” said Dr. Amar Kishan, a co-senior author of the article in the December 29th issue of JAMA Network Open.  UCLA Connect >

December 14, 2021 - Drs. Johannes Czernin, Jeremie Calais, Amar U. Kishan, Nicholas Nikols, Robert Reiter, Matthew Rettig, Michael Xiang – “ UCLA-Led Study Provides First Indirect Evidence That PSMA PET/CT Surpasses Conventional Imaging in Detecting Occult Prostate Cancer Spread and Predicting Long-Term Course and Outcomes.”  Read more here > and here >

December 10, 2021 - Dr. Isla Garraway - Summarizes SUO session on early detection and treatment of prostate cancer for an interview with Urology Times. "It's really important to look at the pathology we've learned before considering these patients for active surveillance treatment,” says Isla Garraway, MD, PhD, associate professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, member of the UCLA Institute of Urological Oncology, UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.  Read more > 

December 3, 2021 - Dr. Mark Litwin – Testicular Cancer with Dr. Mark Litwin. On NBCLX "If you find something you think is suspicious --a lumpy bumpy area inside the testicle--get yourself to a good doctor... a urologist typically and then he or she can make a diagnosis."--Mark S. Litwin, MD, chair of the department of urology at UCLA Health; director, Testicular Cancer Program, Institute of Urologic Oncology; and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Control and Survivorship Program.  Read more >

November 29, 2021 - Dr. Joseph Shirk – Receives grant to study how virtual 3D tumor map can improve bladder cancer surgery  Dr. Joseph D. Shirk, Assistant Professor of urology and member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Control and Survivorship Program, “…has been awarded a 2022 grant for $75,000 from the Margaret E. Early Medical Research Trust for his project, “A 3D tumor map for the surgical treatment of bladder cancer.”  Each year, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA hosts and internal competition to select UCLA's nominee for this award.  Having successfully achieved that milestone, Shirk advanced to the main cross-institutional competition for the grant, itself, which he won.  He hopes to validate surgical innovations to incorporate them into clinical practice across the spectrum of urologic oncology.” Read more >

November 15, 2021 - Arnold I. Chin, MD, PhD – Bladder Cancer Awareness.  Healio spoke with Arnold L. Chin, MD, PhD, associate professor of urology and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member at the University of California, Los Angeles, about new treatment options for bladder cancer, the importance of multidisciplinary care, efforts to help increase bladder cancer awareness and more. Healio News Video >

November 1, 2021 - Brian M. Shuch, MD – Know your treatment options for kidney cancer. “Every patient is different”. At the recent CURE® Educated Patient® Kidney Cancer Summit, Dr. Brian M. Shuch (associate professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, director of the Kidney Cancer Program and the Alvin & Carrie Meinhardt Endowed Chair in Kidney Cancer Research at UCLA and a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Stem Cell Biology Program) explained the various treatment paths a patient may go down after receiving a diagnosis.  Read more >

October 26, 2021 - Amar U. Kishan, MD – The manuscript “Response to Definitive Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer in Black vs White Men: A Meta-Analysis” has been accepted for publication in JAMA Network Open.  The paper poses the question as to whether there is a difference in outcomes between Black and White men with localized prostate cancer receiving definitive radio-therapy (RT).  Led by Resident Martin Ma, with Dr. Kishan, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, as senior author, this paper is a meta-analysis of multiple randomized trials looking at the association between Black race and response to radiation for men with prostate cancer.  In this analysis that included 8814 patients enrolled on seven randomized trials treated with definitive RT, Black men were significantly less likely to experience a biochemical recurrence, distant metastasis and prostate cancer specific mortality event than White men.

October 24, 2021 - Dr. Amar Kishan – Presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO): International meta-analysis quantifies impact of three prostate cancer therapy intensification strategies.  This study is believed to provide the strongest evidence to date supporting use of ADT as well as the prolongation of adjuvant ADT to at least 18 months in conjunction with definitive radiation therapy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer.  The relative benefit of ADT use and adjuvant ADT prolongation was consistently irrespective of radiation dose escalation.  In contrast, prolonging neoadjuvant ADT beyond two months did not improve survival outcomes.   UCLA Health > and JCCC Newsroom > The analysis was conducted through the Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials in Cancer of the Prostate (MARCAP) Consortium, a group formed in 2020 to serve as a data repository from international trial groups.  The MARCAP consortium was co-founded by IUO Member and JCCC researcher, Dr. Amar Kishan, associate professor and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Daniel Spratt, the chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cncer Center.  The MARCAP consortium has data from multiple trials across the world and is the first consortium group of its kind for prostate cancer.  Individual patient data analysis from MARCAP Consortium may be the strongest evidence to date on adrogren deprivation therapy use and duration.  Dr. Kishan served as first author and presenter at ASTRO 2021, the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.  An affiliated paper led by UCLA involving a large 16-institution consortium of centers as been accepted by JAMA Oncology.

October 1, 2021 - Dr. Mark Litwin – Litwin and Garvey: 9 years + counting  Fans for the Cure
"The interaction between patient and doctor, I believe, really is as critical as the skillset of the doctor, him or herself." -Dr. Mark Litwin, chair of the Department of Urology at UCLA Health; director, Testicular Cancer Program, Institute of Urologic Oncology and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Control and Survivorship Program.  See more > Podcast: Play in new window | Download

September 16, 2021 - Dr. Jeremie Calais –  UCLA Health Q&A: How a new imaging tool helps to better stage men with prostate cancer.  Senior author Dr. Calais, assistant professor of nuclear medicine and theranostics in the department of molecular and medical pharmacology and member of UCLA”s Institute of Urologic Oncology and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, addressed questions on a paper detailing with the method that led to the US Food and Drug Administration approval for the imaging technology, which was led by UCLA and UCSF and their nuclear medicine teams, was recently published in JAMA Oncology. The paper is about using the new imaging test PSMA PET/CT for primary staging of prostate cancer before any initial therapy is done.  When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer that has some pathologic features on the biopsy that indicate some risk of metastasis in the lymph node or the bones, the physicians need to know if the cancer has spread out of the prostate or not.  PSMA PET/CT is a whole-body imaging modality that can perform a one-time whole-pbody staging with high accuracy for locating and detecting if any metastasis has spread out from the prostate.  It's the best imagine modality so far for whole-body staging of prostate caner.   UCLA Health News >

September 13, 2021 - Dr. Karim Chamie – New Clinical Trial examining N-803 plus BCG in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC CIS (in patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerín–unresponsive, non–muscle invasive bladder cancer carcinoma in situ) OncLive BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer is not a disease that is common, and because of this, the FDA approves drugs that have achieved certain milestones, according to associate professor of urology and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member Dr. Karim Chamie. 

September 1, 2021 - Top ten in the nation - U.S. News and World Report has ranked the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center as #8 in cancer care nationwide and #1 in Los Angeles and California. To help spread the word about the Cancer Center's clinical and research accomplishments, UCLA Health has created this informational video. Check it out to learn more about some of the great work happening in research and care at UCLA.  See video > (The images and footage in this were captured before the Covid-19 pandemic.)

August 26, 2021 - Drs. Karim Chamie, Christopher Saigal, Leonard Marks, Allan Pantuck, Joseph Shirk, Brian Shuch – Six Institute of Urologic Oncology faculty researchers are amongst the UCLA researchers who will present their latest research and clinical advancements at the virtual American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting being held in September. 

July 30, 2021 -  UCLA Medical Center ranks top 6 in the US News & World Report Hospital Rankings.  KNBC-TV  “The No. 3 ranking was the highest for UCLA Medical Center in the 32 years that U.S. News & World Report has released hospital rankings…with top 10 rankings in 12 specialties…” including cancer (8). Read more at  UCLA Health.

July 23, 2021 - Dr. Michael Xiang – UCLA Health opens radiation Oncology treatment center in Santa Clarita.  The Signal (Santa Clarita)  “I can't really overstate just how excited and proud we are to be able to offer this resource to the community and really bring all that we have to offer to the patients out here in Santa Clarita,” said Dr. Michael Xiang, a UCLA radiation oncologist and medical director of the new treatment center.  Story >

July 9, 2021 - Drs. Jeremie Calais, Johannes Czernin, Matthew Rettig – A new prognostic tool developed by faculty from the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology and five other institutions helps predict which men with advanced metastatic prostate cancer will respond favorably to a novel targeted therapy.  The tool, described in a study published today in Lancet Oncology, analyzes a wide spectrum of imaging and clinical data and is intended to assist physicians considering treating patients with Lutetium-177 prostate-specific membrane antigen, or LuPSMA.  The predictive tool — commonly called a nomogram — was developed by researchers from institutions across Europe, Australia and the U.S. who analyzed data from 270 prostate cancer patients who underwent LuPSMA treatment in clinical trials or via compassionate use. JCCC Newsroom > ,  UCLA Newsroom > and  UCLA Health Newsroom >

July 9, 2021 - Andrew Goldstein, PhD – Dr. Goldstein, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology and Urology, and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Urologic Oncology, and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, is participating in a study that could lead federal regulators to reassess restrictions on gay men donating blood.  The Advance Study aims to find out whether asking would-be donors about risky behaviors could be a safe alternative to screening out all men who have recently had sex with men. Read more >

July 1, 2021 - Amar U. Kishan, MD – Men with high-risk prostate cancer with at least one additional aggressive feature have the best outcomes when treated with multiple healthcare disciplines, known as multimodality care, according to a UCLA study led by Dr. Kishan, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.  The study found no difference in prostate cancer-specific deaths across treatment modalities when patients received guideline-concordant multimodality therapy, which in this case was inclusion of hormone therapy for men receiving radiation and a low-bar for postoperative radiation in men undergoing surgery. The research team did however, find significant differences in deaths when guideline-concordant multimodality care was not delivered. Those treated with external beam radiotherapy or external beam radiotherapy with a brachytherapy boost were consistently associated with lower rates of distant metastasis (8% with EBRT+BT, 16% with EBRT, and 24% with RP, at 10 years).   UCLA Health News Brief | Full article.

June 21, 2021 - Matthew Rettig, MD – NBC's “Today”- The Medical Director of the Prostate Cancer Program at the Institute of Urologic Oncology at UCLA, Dr. Rettig, said that even if screenings aren't performed right away, men should at least start talking about them with their doctors early in life. “I think I would have that conversation fairly early on in life, maybe even in (your) 30s or 40s, about when to initiate screening,”  When should men be screened for prostate cancer? ‘Friends star James Michael Tyler, who played Gunter, has prostate cancer. Feature on James Michael Tyler, the actor who played sarcastic coffee shop employee Gunther on “Friends,” includes interview with Matthew Rettig, MD, medical director and prostate cancer program of the Institute of Urologic Oncology at UCLA. Read the story

June 05, 2021 - Matthias Benz, MD –IUO Member Dr. Benz, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and the Radiological Sciences at DGSOM shared that “…the first PET/MR scanner is expected to be installed at UCLA in late May or early June of 2021. There are only around 250 dedicated PET/MR systems operational worldwide, with around 50 located in the UC (compared to over 2,000 sites using PET and PET/CT systems in the US). PET/MR is a hybrid imaging device that is still mostly limited to large academic centers.” Images from a PET/MR scanner encompass the entire body from head to mid-thigh or foot and generate PET/MR images simultaneously. The radiation dosage is lower, given the performance of both procedures at the same time, not to mention the convenience of conducting the imaging procedures together. Contact Radiology to learn more at (310) 301-6800.

June 05, 2021 - Mark Litwin, MD –Expert commentary by Mark Litwin, MD, chair of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Institute of Urologic Oncology Board Member, on common symptoms of testicular cancer in men.  ‘Everything just stopped': Olympian Nathan Adrian on his life-changing battle with testicular cancer –NBC 6

June 03, 2021 - Amar U. Kishan, MD –NBC News story on Men's Health quoting Dr. Kishan, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a new imaging technique for prostate cancer that locates lesions in the pelvic area and other parts of the body to which the tumors have migrated. The prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging, or PSMA PET, was a collaboration between UCLA and UCSF co-led by Jeremie Calais, MD, assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine and member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology ad the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA.  FDA approves new imaging tool to find advanced prostate cancer –NBC News

May 25, 2021 - Drs. Arie Belldegrun, Paul Boutros, Matthew Rettig - UCLA Los Angeles Bioscience Ecosystem Summit 2021 or LABEST is the ultimate bioscience conference in the LA region where hundreds of researchers from  UCLA, Caltech, City of Hope, USC, The Lundquist Institute and Cedars Sinai converge to present their latest innovations.  Hosted by UCLA Technology Development Group, over 1,100 attendees attended a panel moderated by Dr. Arie Belldegrun, UCLA Faculty Member, Institute Founding Director,  and Chief Executive Officer, Bellco Capital.  “Meet Leaders in the Business of Life Sciences” engaged Biopharma leaders to address scientific innovation, drug development, financing and startup trends in Los Angeles.  The panel included:  David Chang, Chief Executive Officer, Allogene Therapeutics • Levi Garraway, Chief Medical Officer, Genentech • Craig Gordon, Partner, Capital Group • Daphne Koller, Chief Executive Officer, insitro • Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, Kite, a Gilead Company.  Video. Professor spotlight presentations were made by IUO Members Dr. Paul Boutros and Dr. Matthew Rettig.

May 24, 2021  - Honoring their Asian heritage, 3 physicians make their mark at UCLA Health. As our nation celebrates this month the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, three UCLA Health physicians of Asian descent — Albert Chang, MD, PhD; Alan Lee, MD; and Puja Venkat, MD — are striving to make their mark on the present.  Led by Dr. Chang, associate professor, vice chair of surgical services and brachytherapy service chief for the Department of Radiation Oncology, and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member, this highly skilled team performs a specialized procedure called high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The procedure involves inserting radioactive material inside the body, rather than the traditional method of projecting it from a machine outside the body, which allows doctors to deliver higher doses of radiation to specific areas. This type of image-guided, targeted radiation is highly effective in treating cancers of the prostate, head and neck, breast, cervix and eye.  In addition, the UCLA brachytherapy team is the only center in the United States to perform the highly effective and safe brachytherapy procedures for cancers in the lung, mediastinum, liver and abdomen.  Dr. Chang has performed more than 2,000 brachytherapy procedures.  Dr. Chang's team plans to publish a paper aimed at non-Caucasian patients explaining brachytherapy and its benefits.  The goal is to promote better dialogue with all patients, Dr. Venkat says. “Having patient access to our care is very important and so is being able to get out into the community to make sure people are aware of our services,” Dr. Chang says. “I think it takes educating not just our students and our trainees, but our public as well. Connect.uclahealth.org >

May 19, 2021  - Amar U. Kishan, MD - Continued coverage of a UCLA study published in European Urology Oncology finding a new technique using prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imagining (PSMA PET) that can benefit some prostate cancer patients. Research was led by Amar Kishan, MD, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Member of the IUO and the JCCC.  Targeted Oncology Roundtable >

May 19, 2021 - Amar U. Kishan, MD - Dr. Kishan and a team of his UCLA Health colleagues, led a large, multi-institutional and multi-national effort to better characterize the clinical outcomes of men who have a recurrence after initial radiation for high-risk prostate cancer. "The results indicate that the disease course can be aggressive in some men, with the implication that in some men, the disease might have spread even at the time of diagnosis, but was simply not detected. Revolutions in modern technology, such as PSMA-PET/CT scanning, which UCLA has been a pioneer in, can help identify these patients upfront and may help tailor treatment choices." said Dr. Kishan, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the DGSOM at UCLA, Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member.  Read more >

May 13, 2021 - JCCC Inaugural Virtual Retreat – On Thursday, May 13, 2021, the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) hosted an all-day event bringing together the broader cancer research community from across UCLA, including faculty researchers, physicians, physician-scientists, students, post-docs and allied professional.  The retreat was an opportunity for a wide array of individuals working to accelerate discoveries that prevent and cure cancer to chare progress and accomplishments, discuss challenges and future directions, learn about resources available at the Cancer Center, and develop and strengthen collaborations.  Dr. Michael Teitell, Director of the Cancer Center, opened and closed the Retreat, with 2 other Institute of Urologic Oncology Board Members (Dr. Arie Belldegrun and Dr. Dennis Slamon) and 2 additional Institute Members (Dr. Paul Boutros and Dr. Robert Reiter) presenting and/or moderating panels.

May 13, 2021 - Steven Raman, MD - Thermal ablation presents safe and effective alternative for local control of metastatic gynecologic tumors. Cancer Network reported on a new UCLA study that found percutaneous image guided needle-based thermal ablation is safe and effective for gynecologic cancers in the lungs, liver and other soft tissues. Research was led by Dr. Raman, UCLA professor of radiology, urology and surgery.

May 11, 2021 -  UCLA Health Innovation Spring 2021 Awards – At UCLA, health innovation isn't an afterthought or an add-on. It's part of UCLA's history — and a key piece of the present and future.  On May 11, 2021, UCLA Health announced the winners of their most recent  UCLA Health Innovation Health Equity and MedTech Challenges.  Each story reinforces the fact that a single idea combined with multidisciplinary collaboration and the proper resources and partnerships can improve patients' lives and even revolutionize health care.  Paul C. Boutros, PhD, Director of Cancer Data Science for the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Associate Director of Cancer Informatics at the Institute for Precision Health, Professor of Human Genetics and Urology, as well as an integral member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA was an awardee for his project “Targeted Sequencing Panel to Identify Genetic Risk for Prostate Cancer.”

May 11, 2021 - Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD – Dr. Slamon, Board Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and  director of Clinical/Translational Research and the Revlon/ UCLA Women's Cancer Program at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center recently announced, “We're in the clinic!!!!” to UCLA Health leaders – heralding what he called a “very important, exciting and critical translational ‘lab-to-clinic' milestone.”  The first two patients have been enrolled and dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of a unique, experimental cancer therapy that was developed through 1200 Pharma LLC, a partnership between UCLA and Caltech.  The drug is the product of collaborations among Dr. Slamon and others at UCLA Health, UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).  

May 08, 2021  - Steven Raman, MD -  UCLA Radiology researchers, including Steven Raman, MD, UCLA professor of radiology, urology and surgery and a Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, have developed a new artificial intelligence application — FocalNet — that detects prostate cancer lesions and predicts their aggressiveness on multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) scans. With comparisons to the prospective performance of radiologists using the current diagnostic guideline, FocalNet demonstrated nearly the same level of accuracy as radiologists with 10 years of clinical prostate MRI reading experience.  FocalNet: Artificial Intelligence Identifies Prostate Cancer

April 28, 2021  - Congratulations to IUO Members Drs. Corey W. Arnold, Ely Felker, Leonard S. Marks, Steven Raman, Robert E. Reiter, Anthony E. Sisk on their manuscript “Optimizing Spatial Biopsy Sampling for the Detection of Prostate Cancer” being featured in The Journal of Urology.

April 23, 2021 - Brian Shuch, MD – Don't ignore these symptoms of kidney cancer.  Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers for men and women – more than 75,000 people are diagnosed each year. Most kidney cancer is detected at an early stage before symptoms start. But 20 to 30 percent of the time, it presents with symptoms and is diagnosed at a more advanced stage. The majority of kidney tumors are discovered accidentally, according to Brian Shuch, MD, director of the Kidney Cancer Program at the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology. “People go for imaging for some other cause and are found to have a kidney tumor,” he says. “But we also see later-stage diagnoses that present symptomatically.”  UCLA Health Connect for more information > 

April 16, 2021 - Mark S. Litwin, MD, MPH -- Testicular cancer survivor and pro baseball player strives to raise awareness about condition.  During a routine physical while training with the Dodgers, Connor Joe discovered he had testicular cancer.  Little did he know his treatment journey at UCLA Health would lead him to a new friendship with his surgeon Dr. Mark Litwin, Chair of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Director of the Testicular Cancer Program at the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology.  In this UCLA Health blog and video, learn more about Connor, who has fully recovered and is back on the field with the Colorado Rockies, and how he hopes to use his platform to raise awareness about testicular cancer among young men.  UCLA Health Connect >  

April 16, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD and Sandy T. Liu, MD -- Transfer to UCLA Health changed the life of this man with prostate cancer. John Babcock's primary care doctor suggested he sign up for the “SCIMITAR” study at UCLA Heath, which advances treatment options for prostate cancer with the use of short-course radiotherapy.  As part of the program, he received five high-dose radiation treatments over a two-week period, with each treatment taking less than an hour. His PSA level now? It's nearly undetectable.  “It goes to show what smart doctors can do” says Mr. Babcock.

April 15, 2021 - Dr. Dennis Slamon -- Exploiting cancer biology in developing new treatment paradigms. ASCO Post interviewed Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, Chief of Hematology/Oncology, Director of Clinical and Translational Research at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute of Urologic Oncology Board Member, on the ways in which breast cancer research pioneered the targeted treatment approach as the understanding of the basic biology of tumors deepened and new pathways were uncovered.

April 9, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD -- Amar U. Kishan, MD, and a team of his UCLA Health colleagues, are conducting clinical trials on a more effective and less burdensome treatment that uses genetics and advanced technology to determine if a patient can be cured with large doses of radiation given in short sequences, even for patients with recurrences after surgery. “We've learned that prostate cancer responds very well to a higher daily dose radiation delivered precisely and with expertise,” said Dr. Kishan, chief of genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the DGSOM at UCLA, the IUO and the JCCC.   UCLA Health Connect>

April 1, 2021 - PhD candidate Jiayun Li, along with Institute Members Drs. Corey Arnold (mentor), Anthony Sisk, and Huihui Ye, recently published an article in Computers in Biology and Medicine, describing an artificial intelligence (AI) technique for diagnosing and grading prostate cancer, titled “A multi-resolution model for histopathology image classification and localization with multiple instance learning.”  The Computational Diagnostics lab, led by Dr. Arnold, has developed an AI system that automatically detects prostate cancer and can distinguish between Grade group ≥2 and Grade group 1 tumors. The algorithm analyzes tissue at multiple magnifications and does not require any microscopic-level annotations from a pathologist to train. The model obtained an average precision of 99.8% for cancer detection on an external dataset.  This high-throughput analysis technology has the potential to add clinical benefit by enhancing diagnostic capabilities as well as easing the overall workload burden in busy reference centers by screening slides to detect potentially missed small foci of cancer, standardize grading accuracy, and ensure diagnosis of high risk malignancies.  Read the full article here.

April 1, 2021 - Interim Chair of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Dr. Sarah Dry, Vice Chair of the Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology and Chief of the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Dr. Johannes Czernin, Chief of Hematology/Oncology Dr. Dennis Slamon, Chair of Radiation Oncology Dr. Michael Steinberg, and Chair of Urology Dr. Mark Litwin - led an Institute cohort of Members named to Los Angeles Magazine's 2021 list of “Top Doctors” in Los Angeles. The results are obtained via a Los Angeles Magazine survey which asked physicians in Los Angeles County to identify doctors they considered to be at the top of their fields. Other Members named were Dr. Albert  Chang, Dr. Alexandra Drakaki, Dr. Amar Kishan, Dr. Chris Saigal, Dr. Karim Chamie, Dr. Leonard Marks, and Dr. Robert Reiter.  

April 1, 2021 - Paul Boutros, PhD -- Targeted Oncology interviewed Paul Boutros, PhD, professor of human genetics and urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, director of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Data Science program, associate director of cancer informatics at the UCLA Institute for Precision Health, and member of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology, on prostate cancer genetic testing in academic and community settings.

April 1, 2021 - Steven Raman, MD -- ScienMag highlighted a new UCLA study that found percutaneous image guided needle based thermal ablation is safe and effective for gynecologic cancers in the lungs liver, and other soft tissues. Research was led by Steven Raman, MD, professor of radiology and a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology. Medical Xpress and EurekAlert! syndicated the story.

March 18, 2021 - Johannes Czernin, MD and Jeremie Calais, MD, MSc - Lisette Hilton of the Urology Times shared that this “could be a big year for FDA approvals of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted theranostics aimed at diagnosing and treating advanced prostate cancer. Theranostics is the combination of therapeutic and diagnostic agents, targeting the same molecular target. PSMA is a leading target for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment…PSMA targeting could have major implications for patients and providers, including urologists who treat patients with advanced prostate cancer.” Jeremie Calais, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of nuclear medicine and theranostics, Member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and Director of the Theranostics Clinical Research Program at UCLA and colleagues are doing studies comparing PSMA PET with conventional imaging scans for staging prostate cancer. UCSF and UCLA are the only two medical centers in the U.S. that can offer PSMA PET to the public through this FDA approval. A limited number of other U.S. medical centers are currently using PSMA as an investigational technique, generally as part of a clinical trial. However, more hospitals will have the opportunity to adopt the technology after applying for expedited FDA approval, which is now possible as a result of the initial FDA approval gained by UCLA and UCSF.  This UCLA effort was led by Dr. Calais and Johannes Czernin, chief of the UCLA Ahmanson Translational Theranostics Division. 

March 4, 2021 - Jeremie Calais, MD, MSc -- The game changer: new test helps doctors find hidden prostate cancer. KPIX-TV reported on the FDA's approval of a new imaging technique for prostate cancer that locates lesions in the pelvic area and other parts of the body to which the tumors have migrated. The prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging, or PSMA PET, was a collaboration between UCLA and UCSF. Jeremie Calais, MD, assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and member of the Institute of Urologic Oncology and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, was mentioned. Q&A: How a new imaging tool helps to better stage men with prostate cancer.

February 26, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD -- Shorter, stronger radiation course effective for high-risk prostate cancer. Healio highlighted a new UCLA study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics finding that shortening the length of radiation treatment to five days in larger doses is safer and more effective for men with prostate cancer. Research was led by Amar Kishan, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, vice-chair of clinical and translation research, and chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the DGSOM at UCLA and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

February 18, 2021 - Michael A. Teitell, MD, PhD – Director of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center announced the UCLA Health launch of a new cancer care option for patients in the United States. Now people who are diagnosed with cancer can receive a second opinion from UCLA Health's physicians on their course of treatment. Cancer second opinions are offered by written correspondence and by video conferencing to those who reside in California. Patients who live in other states can also receive their second opinion by written correspondence and by video conferencing, although regulations may affect this in the future.  The goals for cancer second opinion include providing people with access to UCLA's leading-edge care no matter where they live across the country, and to continue to build UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Caner Center's reputation as a leader in groundbreaking cancer research.  People looking for cancer care can learn about the benefits of this program and find the answers to their questions >

February 16, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD -- ScienMag, UroToday and Medical Xpress highlighted a new UCLA study that helps identify which patients with prostate cancer will benefit most from the use of prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging, or PSMA PET. Research was led by Amar Kishan, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, vice-chair of clinical and translation research, and chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Member of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.  UCLA Health News >

Feb 12, 2021 - Vidit Sharma, MD -- MDedge highlighted a UCLA study presented at the 2021 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium finding a correlation between reduced levels of screening for prostate cancer and an increase in diagnosis of metastatic disease. Research was led by Vidit Sharma, MD, health services fellow in urologic oncology at UCLA Health and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Medscape, Healio and MDalert syndicated the story. 

Feb 11, 2021 - Dr. Dennis Slamon -- OncLive profiled Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, chief of hematology/oncology and the director of clinical and translational research at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, on his career. 

February 2, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD -- Advances in radiation technology help physicians deliver more precise and effective cancer treatment A new advance in radiation-therapy equipment is giving physicians the ability to better visualize tumors and internal anatomy, allowing more accurate delivery of necessary treatments.  “This makes a critical difference,” says Amar Kishan, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, vice-chair of clinical and translation research, and chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Member of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.. “MRIs have a much better spatial resolution than a CT scan,” which has been the traditional method to locate and map out areas that need to be treated but has limitations because it does not always provide the clearest picture of internal anatomy, particularly in the abdomen and pelvis. The MRIdian is available only at a limited number of major medical centers, including UCLA, which began using it in December 2019 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The technology can be employed to treat any type of soft tissue cancer and tumor, and it is being used by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in multiple clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, sarcomas and prostate cancer.  UCLA Health Connect >

January 28, 2021 - Drs. Kishan, Calais & Nickols -- The manuscript Use and Impact of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Prior to Salvage Radiation Therapy in Men with Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy: A Scoping Review has been accepted for publication in the European Urology Oncology (EUO).  An International consensus panel of urologists, radiation oncologists,  medical oncologists, and nuclear medicine physicians describe the impact of advanced nuclear imaging scans like PSMA PET on radiation therapy for prostate cancer that has recurred after surgery.  Senior author and UCLA radiation oncologist Dr. Amar Kishan was joined by fellow Institute of Urologic Oncology Members Dr. Jeremie Calais(Assistant Professor at the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology) and Dr. Nick Nickols (Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology).

January 28, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD and multiple IUO members -- The manuscript Identifying the Best Candidates for Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PSMA PET/CT) as the Primary Staging Approach Among Men with High-risk Prostate Cancer and Negative Conventional Imaging has been accepted for publication in European Urology Oncology.  With senior author UCLA radiation oncologist and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member Dr. Amar Kishan, this paper highlighted work from multiple authors across the Institute's spectrum from medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, and urology. The authors looked at two of UCLA's phase II trials using the novel scan, PSMA, to identify patients who had more disease than anticipated.  They identified variables that could predict for this, and developed models that can be used in the clinic.

January 28, 2021 - Amar Kishan, MD -- ASCO Post and MedicalXpress highlighted a new UCLA study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics finding shortening the length of radiation treatment to five days in larger doses is safer and more effective for men with prostate cancer. Research was led by Amar Kishan, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, vice-chair of clinical and translation research, and chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Member of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Labroots and Press From syndicated the ASCO Post story.  UCLA JCCC >

January 28, 2021  - Dr. Robert Reiter -- Renal & Urology News and Healio highlighted a new UCLA study published in the Journal of Urology that finds MRI frequently underestimates tumor size in prostate cancer. Research was led by Robert Reiter, MD, co-director, UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Genitourinary Oncology Program, professor of urology and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

January 14, 2021 - Owen Witte, PhD -- Bioengineer.org, Science Daily and Medical Xpress covered a new UCLA study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that describes how a new method, called CLInt-Seq, improves existing techniques to collect and genetically sequence rare T cells. Research was led by Owen Witte, MD, founding director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, presidential chair in developmental immunology, and professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and Institute of Urologic Oncology Member.  The Witte lab is utilizing this technology to address a number of scientific questions and developing T-cell therapies for prostate cancer.  This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, a UCLA Tumor Immunology Training Grant and the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, including support from the Hal Gaba Director's Fund for Cancer Stem Cell Research.