The Rise of Colorectal Cancer in Younger People and Updated Screening Guidelines
Release Date: 05/15/2024
The History of KU Cancer Center with Dr. William Jewell
Bench to Bedside
In this very special episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen hosts Dr. William Jewell, longtime surgeon and early leader of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to recount how the center evolved from an uncertain idea into a nationally recognized program. Jewell describes early efforts after the 1971 Cancer Act, leadership transitions, and the challenges of aligning departments around a shared mission. Drawing on his NCI Subcommittee A experience and site visits, Jewell highlights that successful centers must show growth, collaboration, and an upward research trajectory....
info_outline
Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials: Reducing Risk Before Diagnosis
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, talks with Dr. Lauren Nye, medical oncologist and breast cancer prevention specialist, about cancer prevention clinical trials and how they differ from treatment trials by aiming to lower cancer risk or detect cancer earlier in healthy, high-risk individuals. Dr. Nye explains who may qualify based on family history, genetics, prior precancerous biopsies, or lifestyle factors, and highlights prevention successes, such as tamoxifen and the HPV vaccine. They...
info_outline
MyeloMATCH Update: Expanding Precision Medicine Access for AML Patients
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen is joined by Dr. Tara Lin, principal investigator for the myeloMatch clinical trial at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and Dr. Jesus Gonzalez Lugo, recently recognized with a National Career Development Award. They revisit the NCI-sponsored, first-of-its-kind national precision medicine trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and share progress since its 2024 launch, including growth to five enrolling treatment protocols with seven more awaiting activation, more than 1,000 patients screened nationwide, and participation...
info_outline
The CAR T Access Crisis: Why Eligible Patients Aren’t Getting a Potentially Curative Therapy
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen welcomes Dr. Joseph McGuirk, division director of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapies at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to discuss CAR T-cell therapy and the growing “CAR T crisis” in access. Dr. McGuirk explains how CAR T is made from a patient’s own T cells and why it has produced unprecedented, potentially curative outcomes in blood cancers such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leading to FDA approvals in second- and third-line settings. He shares national data showing only 25% of eligible second-line patients...
info_outline
Exploring the Obesity-Cancer Connection: A Pioneering Research Initiative
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is joined by Dr. Kristy Brown and Dr. John Jakicic, co-leaders of KU Cancer Center’s new Obesity, Metabolic Health & Cancer research program, the first of its kind at an NCI-designated cancer center focused on the obesity–cancer link. They discuss rising obesity rates, obesity’s link to at least 13 cancers, and key biological mechanisms including insulin and glucose signaling, inflammation, and hormone changes such as estrogen. The guests explain...
info_outline
Collaboration and Community Trust: Tobacco Cessation Research at Swope Health
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, speaks with researchers Dr. Nikki Nollen and Dr. Lisa Sanderson-Cox about building lasting collaborations to reduce tobacco use and cancer disparities, particularly in African American communities. They describe how their partnership began at KU Medical Center and grew through a long-term, trusted collaboration with Swope Health, a federally qualified health center in Kansas City. Drs. Nollen and Cox explain how community and patient advisory boards shape...
info_outline
Training the Next Generation of Translational Cancer Researchers: KU Cancer Center’s K12 Program
Bench to Bedside
Dr. Roy Jensen introduces the season’s focus on the people behind cancer research and hands hosting duties to Dr. Ronald Chen, chair of Radiation Oncology and associate director for Community Outreach and Engagement at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Dr. Chen highlights the KU Cancer Center’s K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development for Clinical and Translational Oncology program, which mentors and trains early career clinician-investigators, and interviews K12 scholar Dr. Yiduo Hu, a breast medical oncologist who joined KU after training at Yale and completing research and degrees at...
info_outline
Clinical Pharmacology: The Science Behind Safer, Smarter Cancer Therapies
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, interviews Dr. Brent Sear, director of the Clinical Pharmacology Shared Resource at KU Cancer Center. Brent shares his unique career journey into clinical pharmacology, the role of clinical pharmacology in advancing cancer therapies, and the critical work his team does in guiding clinical trials and personalizing cancer treatment. They also discuss emerging technologies and their potential impact on the future of cancer research. Tune in to learn more about...
info_outline
Looking Ahead: Hope and the Future of Cancer Research
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, hosts Dr. Kristy Brown, a nationally recognized expert in cancer metabolism and hormone signaling. Dr. Brown discusses the latest breakthroughs in understanding the relationship between obesity, estrogen, and cancer, along with how these discoveries shape more effective treatments. She reflects on her career and shares moving accounts of patient interactions that fuel her research. The conversation delves into emerging opportunities in cancer treatment and prevention,...
info_outline
It Takes a Village: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Cancer Research
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen speaks with Dr. Anna Arthur and Dr. Gregory Gan about their innovative cross-disciplinary work at the intersection of nutrition and radiation oncology. They explore how their combined expertise leads to holistic cancer treatment approaches, focusing on the effects of diet, inflammation, and treatment response on patient outcomes. Both experts share their personal and professional journeys into their respective fields, the collaborative projects they have undertaken, and the way they integrate multidisciplinary insights into improving cancer...
info_outlineColorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or rectal cancer, is one of the most treatable cancers when found early. However, it is also the most common type of gastrointestinal cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. For decades, colorectal cancer was most often diagnosed in people aged 50 and over. More recently, the incidence of colorectal cancer has declined in people 50 and over, while dramatically increasing in younger people. Because of this shift, the American Cancer Society recently revised its colorectal cancer screening guidelines for people at average risk. According to the updated guidelines, individuals at average risk of colorectal cancer should have regular screening for colon cancer beginning at age 45. On this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, discusses this topic with Dr. John Ashcraft, Associate Professor of Surgery and Division Chief of the Colorectal & Oncologic Surgery Division at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Dr. Raed Al-Rajabi, Associate Professor of medicine in the division of medical oncology and leader of the gastrointestinal medical oncology group at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Links from this Episode:
-
Read the new American Cancer Society guidelines for colon cancer screening
-
Learn more about colon cancer screening and treatment at KU Cancer Center
-
Read about Dr. Ajay Bansal’s Lynch Syndrome research and clinic
-
Learn more about Dr. John Ashcraft and Dr. Raed Al-Rajabi
After listening to this episode, we invite YOU to be a part of the podcast! We want to hear your thoughts on the conversations we have here, topics you’d like to learn more about and any questions you may have for our guests. Call our Bench to Bedside hotline at 913-588-3880 and leave us a voicemail, or you can email your comments and questions to benchtobedside@kumc.edu. Your comments may be shared on a future episode!