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Sep 14, 2023
UC Irvine’s Dr. Shawn Griffin and CSU Fullerton Student Gloria Castañón Researching Health Disparities in Hispanic Populations; Connected Through Cancer Health Equity Research Partnership (CHERP)
Two Orange County universities have partnered to explore cancer disparities in the area, and for Castañón and University of California, Irvine’s Dr. Shawn Griffin, the program has provided a chance to conduct research they feel passionately about.
Sep 08, 2023
Why the rare skin cancer that killed Jimmy Buffett may become more common
Climate change may directly or indirectly contribute to rising skin cancer cases. … In the 1970s, [UCI] scientists started noticing holes in the ozone layer. Further investigation showed that artificial compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons were destroying ozone. … While Merkel cell carcinoma is more aggressive than melanoma, it is curable if caught early and treated successfully, says Ling Gao, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, Irvine. “For all skin cancers, early diagnosis greatly improves outcomes.”
Sep 05, 2023
Beating lung cancer at the genetic root
Michelle Helm’s lung cancer journey began as a frustrating, frightening ride through multiple misdiagnoses. Then she found UCI Health specialists who wouldn’t accept the worst-case scenario other doctors had painted for her. Today, the Mission Viejo parenting coach says she is thriving because she was referred to the lung cancer specialists at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she benefited from their arsenal of advanced therapies and surgical expertise.
Aug 23, 2023
‘TeamNeush’ mobilizes to fight young woman's cancer
In February 2022, Neusha Raffijandi was diagnosed with advanced bile duct cancer. Her family encouraged her to go to the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, which has experts in all types of disease. There, she met UCI Health medical oncologist Dr. Jennifer B. Valerin, who specializes in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers.
Aug 16, 2023
UC Irvine-led study links low-dose radiation to higher cancer risk
“We wanted to strengthen the scientific basis for radiation protection by directly studying settings where low-dose exposures occur,” said corresponding author David Richardson, Ph.D., professor of environmental and occupational health with UCI’s Program in Public Health. “Understanding those associations is essential to inform decisions about medical and commercial uses of ionizing radiation, exposure limits for the public, and workers.”
Aug 01, 2023
Associate Professor Claudia Benavente featured on Chilean TV show
Claudia Benavente, UCI associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was recently featured on the Chilean TV show “Pasaporte Ciencia” (“Science Passport”) as one of the Chilean scientists conducting important research in various countries around the world. The host, Cristian Hernandez, and his team traveled to campus for the interview. “The initial challenge for the production was to prove they could create a show with gender parity, and I immediately saw the value in the opportunity to bring science closer to the average person,” Benavente said. “The show touches on our experiences from training to the work we currently do, which, in my case, is searching for cures for childhood cancer.”
Jul 25, 2023
Just Published NUTRIENT Trial: Mediterranean Diet Intervention in MPNs
Dr. Fleischman, an MPN specialist at University of California, Irvine, is a leader in connecting the fresh foods Mediterranean diet with symptom improvement in people living with essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), and myelofibrosis (MF). In this latest study, she and her collaborators examined how effective education would be in changing MPN patients’ eating habits to align with the Mediterranean diet. Dr. Fleischman et al reported results of the NUTRIENT trial, based on work funded in part by MPNRF through a 2017-2019 Challenge award. The research established that a Mediterranean diet intervention is in fact feasible in the MPN patient population and can improve symptom burden.
Jul 24, 2023
Bridging the Gap: Latinx Children with Cancer, Culturally Appropriate Support for Families
Fortier’s work has shown that the pain management treatment of Latinx children – and their outcomes – are too often inadequate when compared to non-Latinx white children. Besides the immediate impact of not assisting a child in need, researchers have found that there are long term consequences to poorly managed pain that amplify health inequities for Latinx patients when they are adults including changes in their physiological responses to pain and avoidance of preventive healthcare to support wellness.
Jun 28, 2023
UCI Health Named One of America's Best Cancer Hospitals by Newsweek
UCI Health has been recognized as one of America’s Best Cancer Hospitals by Newsweek in its inaugural rankings of the specialty, highlighting our commitment to exceptional cancer care. The UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only 53 centers designated as comprehensive by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the only one in Orange County. The cancer center offers one of the region’s largest early phase cancer clinical trials programs.
When young people survive cancer, their mental-health struggles are often just beginning
“Young cancer survivors suffer from numerous late effects,” said Joel Milam, a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, Irvine and co-director of the Southern California Center for Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research, who was not involved in the study. “Much of the focus historically has been on medical late effects, like higher risk for cardiovascular disease or [cancer] recurrence. The fact that there are also mental health implications is not surprising at all.”