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This phase II trial tests whether loncastuximab tesirine works to shrink tumors in patients with marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), a type of immune cell cancer, that has come back (relapsed) or become unresponsive to one or more treatments (refractory). Loncastuximab tesirine is composed of an antibody, called loncastuximab linked to a chemotherapy drug called tesirine. Loncastuximab attaches to specific proteins in the cancer cell and delivers tesirine only to the cancer cells because of this antibody. Ultimately this results in cancer cell death only without exposing normal cells to the tesirine.

The real MVP: Fitness challenge raises funds in honor of 4-year-old cancer patient

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When 4-year-old Monroe Peterson was diagnosed with cancer, her family was determined to not only rally around her in support but also wanted to make a difference for other patients and families going through a similar experience.

To honor her journey, in November 2024 Monroe’s father, fitness expert and celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, started the MVP Challenge on his app, Common Ground, to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer efforts at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

The MVP Challenge, named for Monroe Vivian Peterson, included four weeks of guided workouts, question and answer sessions with Gunnar, and an opportunity to win special prizes. The fitness challenge raised funds to support pediatric cancer research, training and care at Monroe Carell.

“For months, Monroe has faced this battle with more grit, determination and positivity than I’ve ever seen,” said Peterson. “She hasn’t backed down; she doesn’t quit; and she moves forward with a smile on her face every day. To honor her strength, we launched the MVP Challenge as a way to come together as a community, push ourselves and raise funds to support children’s cancer treatment and research.”

Monroe Peterson with her mother, Jessica, left, and Debra Friedman, MD, MS.
Monroe Peterson with her mother, Jessica, left, and Debra Friedman, MD, MS.

Monroe was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and completed two rounds of chemotherapy. She received two bone marrow transplants, one from each of her older brothers, and she is now in remission.

During her treatment, Monroe’s family says that she brought positivity, joy and levity to those around her and earned the nickname MVP. Many family members, friends and community members came together in support of the challenge to make it a success.

“We are blown away by the incredible success of the MVP Challenge and know that it would not have been possible without the advocacy, outreach and community engagement work of Gunnar, Jess and the whole Peterson family,” said Debra Friedman, MD, MS, director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Monroe Carell, deputy director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and holder of the E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology. “This challenge was a wonderful way to honor Monroe’s journey and tenacious spirit.”

Funds raised from the MVP Challenge will support Monroe Carell’s vision to advance personalized pediatric, adolescent and young adult cancer care in the region, specifically leukemia and stem cell research.

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The main purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of volrustomig compared to observation in participants with unresected locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) who have not progressed after receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT).

Presurgery consults with patients using 3D models improve shared decision-making and reduce anxiety 

Aimal Khan, MD, assistant professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, noticed the puzzled or anxious expressions of patients trying to fully comprehend what he was saying during preoperative consultations, so he devised visual aids — three-dimensional models of the lower digestive tract. 

The 3D models allowed patients to easily distinguish the ascending colon from the sigmoid colon, along with other parts of the digestive system. Patients could actually see where the surgery would occur, and Khan noticed that they asked more questions, felt more confident and seemed less anxious.  He devised a study to determine whether his personal observations were scientifically valid. 

The study, which was published June 3 in JAMA Network Open, determined that the 3D models made patients feel they played a bigger role in decision-making and that their anxiety levels decreased. 

The patients were scheduled for partial or complete colon and/or rectal resections for colorectal cancer, diverticulitis or inflammatory disease. Fifty-one patients participated in the study with 28 receiving consultations using the 3D models and 23 receiving conventional consultations. The patients in the 3D arm of the study reported a significantly higher involvement in shared decision-making and significantly reduced anxiety levels compared to the other patients. 

Khan and five other Vanderbilt surgeons conducted the study from March 2022 to June 2023.  

“Using 3D models during consultations allowed our patients to truly visualize their surgery, which not only empowered them to take an active role in decision-making but also significantly eased their anxiety. This approach has the potential to transform how we communicate complex information to our patients. We are currently working with surgeons from other specialties, including thoracic surgery, ENT and surgical oncology, to validate these findings in a multicenter randomized trial,” Khan said. 

The findings are important because other studies have shown that improvements in shared decision-making are associated with reduced hospital stays, lower health care utilization, improvement in patient-reported health outcomes and fewer emergency department visits.  

The 3D models used in the study were developed in collaboration with the Department of Radiology. The modular designs, which were made with 3D printing, allowed each segment of the colon and rectum to be magnetically detached and reattached. 

To the knowledge of the study’s authors, this is the first randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of a 3D-printed model with usual care on colorectal surgery patients’ involvement in decision-making, anxiety and education. 

Other Vanderbilt researchers who authored the study are Danish Ali, MD, Shannon McChesney, MD, Michael Hopkins, MD, Molly Ford, MD, Roberta Muldoon, MD, Timothy Geiger, MD, MMHC, Alexander Hawkins, MD, MPH, Georgina Sellyn, MA, Hillary Samaras, RN, and Dann Martin, MD, MS.

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Study shows sharp increase in appendix cancer for Generation X and millennials 

Cases of appendiceal cancer tripled for Americans born between 1976 to 1984 and quadrupled for those born between 1981 to 1989, according to a study published June 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 

The study compared chronological data in five-year intervals from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, using 1941 to 1949 as the baseline. The lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, said the findings reveal the need for increased awareness about appendiceal cancer from both clinicians and the public as well as more research to determine the reasons for the sharp spike in incidence.  

Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI

“When you take these alarming rates that we are seeing for appendiceal cancer across generations, together with the fact that 1 in every 3 patients diagnosed with appendiceal cancer is diagnosed under the age of 50, these point to a timely need for everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms of appendix cancer.

“Albeit cancer of the appendix is rare, it is important for individuals who have these symptoms to see a health care professional. Ruling out the possibility of an appendix cancer diagnosis, or diagnosing it early, is important for this cancer as we continue to learn what factors may be contributing to this worrisome trend,” Holowatyj said.

Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, changes in bowel habits, and loss of appetite. 

Appendiceal cancer is a rare cancer with about 3,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the United States, according to prior studies, but Holowatyj and colleagues took a closer look at statistics by combing through the SEER database. 

“As incidence rates in younger generations are often indicative of future disease burden, these results support the need for histology-specific investigations of appendiceal adenocarcinoma, as well as increased education and awareness of appendiceal adenocarcinomas among health care providers and the public,” the study stated. 

Appendiceal cancer has had no standardized screening guidelines, risk factors or tumor classifications — a lack of clinical evidence that has resulted in late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Up to 1 of every 2 patients is diagnosed with distant metastatic disease, and five-year survival rates vary between 10% and 63%.  

Earlier this year, Holowatyj and a team of experts identified six key research priority areas to deliver a fundamental understanding of appendiceal tumors and to improve treatments and outcomes for patients.  

The recommendations published Feb. 20 in Nature Reviews Cancer are the result of a concerted focus by the Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (ACPMP) Research Foundation to better understand the disease that afflicts an estimated 3,000 new patients across all age groups each year. 

The recommendations arose from the inaugural ACPMP Research Foundation Scientific Think Tank, sponsored by ACPMP and chaired by Holowatyj at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in December 2023. 

The current study in the Annals of Internal Medicine received support from ACPMP and the National Institutes of Health (grants K12HD043483 and P50CA236733). 

Other authors on the study are Mary Kay Washington, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at VUMC, Richard Goldberg, MD, of the West Virginia University School of Medicine, and Caitlin Murphy, PhD, MPH, of the UT Health Houston School of Public Health. 

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Claudia Gonzalez-Hunt, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine (Genetic Medicine)

Email

claudia.gonzalezhunt@vumc.org

Claudia Gonzalez-Hunt, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine (Genetic Medicine)

claudia.gonzalezhunt@vumc.org

Research Program

Research Description

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Brian Shirts, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Email

b.shirts@vumc.org

Brian Shirts, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

b.shirts@vumc.org

Research Program

Research Description

Have any questions? Contact Us 1-877-936-8422 for more information
Contact Now

Testing the Addition of a New Anti-cancer Drug, M3814 (Peposertib), to Radiation Therapy for Localized Pancreatic Cancer

This phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best dose of M3814 and to see how well it works when given together with radiation therapy in treating patients with pancreatic cancer that cannot be removed by surgery and has not spread to other parts of the body (localized). M3814 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Hypofractionated radiation therapy delivers higher doses of radiation therapy over a shorter period of time and may kill more tumor cells and have fewer side effects. Giving M3814 and hypofractionated radiation therapy together may work better than radiation therapy alone in the treatment of patients with localized pancreatic cancer.
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