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News Archive from June 2011

News Releases

June 28, 2011

Jefferson Interventional Radiologists Inducted as Fellows into Society of Interventional Radiology

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital interventional radiologists Daniel B. Brown, M.D., FSIR, and Carin Gonsalves, M.D., FSIR, were recently inducted as fellows into the Society of Interventional Radiology. The Jefferson interventional radiologists were two of 26 fellows inducted nationwide during 36th Annual Scientific Meeting held in Chicago earlier this year.

June 28, 2011

Jefferson GI Cancer Expert Discusses Photodynamic Therapy as a New Treatment Option for Bile Duct Cancer Patients

Thanks to a unique approach to cancer treatment called photodynamic therapy, Ron Whitehead feels he's had the chance to live longer than he would have and with a better quality of life. The therapy, available at the Jefferson Digestive Disease Institute, was pioneered in the treatment of some esophageal cancers and obstructing lung carcinoma, and is now being applied for bile duct cancers.

June 27, 2011

Christopher J. Farrell, M.D., Joins Department of Neurological Surgery at Jefferson

Christopher J. Farrell, M.D., recently joined the Department of Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and was named assistant professor of Neurological Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Farrell specializes in brain tumor surgery and research.

June 14, 2011

Radiation Right After Prostate Removal is Cost-Effective, But Less Likely to be Recommended by Urologists

Receiving radiation therapy immediately after a radical prostatectomy is a cost-effective treatment for prostate cancer patients when compared with waiting and acting on elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, according to a new study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital.

June 09, 2011

ASCO: Glioblastoma in the 21st Century: Wealthier Patients Living Longer Than Poorer Patients

Survival rates of wealthier patients and those younger than 70 with glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, have improved since 2000, according to an abstract presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital researchers.

June 08, 2011

ASCO Merit Award: Emerging Trends in Radiation Therapy for Women Over 70 With Early Stage Breast Cancer

More women are opting for radioactive implants and those with estrogen positive tumors are opting out of radiation therapy, according to an abstract presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital researchers.

June 07, 2011

ASCO: Experimental Vaccine Made from Frozen Immune Cells Shows Promise for Prostate Cancer Patients

Metastatic prostate cancer patients who received an investigational vaccine made from their own frozen immune cells lived 10 months longer than those not treated with it.

June 01, 2011

Cancer Cells Accelerate Aging and Inflammation in the Body to Drive Tumor Growth

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson show that a simple sugar, lactate, is like "candy for cancer cells."

Featured in the Media

Featured June 29, 2011

Jefferson's Lung Nodule Clinic and Use of CT Screenings Featured on 6 ABC and ABC News

The results of a study involving 53,000 current and former smokers who were screened with low-dose CT scans showed that lung cancer deaths can be cut by 20 percent compared to using standard X-rays.

Featured June 29, 2011

Jefferson's Efforts to Lower Incidence of Wrong-Side Surgeries Featured in NewsWorks

Jefferson University Hospitals recently took part in an effort to lower the incidence of wrong-side, or wrong-site, procedures.

Featured June 28, 2011

Jefferson Dermatologist Jouni Uitto Comments on Rare Skin Disease Epidermolysis Bullosa in ABC News Article

A rare skin disease known as epidermolysis bullosa (EB) can leave a baby with missing or fragile skin and blisters on the skin and inside the mouth. Dr. Uitto is one of the first doctors to describe Bart's syndrome, a variant of EB.

Featured June 27, 2011

Myrna Brind Center Staff Talk to The Inquirer About Meditation Techniques for Youngsters

The article discusses an occupational therapist in Bucks County who is using techniques learned at the Mindfulness Institute to teach students in his summer program tools to control their anxiety and frustration.

Featured June 25, 2011

Drs. Ciccotti and Freedman Quoted in The Morning Call About Roy Oswalt's Current Condition and Recommended Treatment

With additional comment given on other injured members of the Phillies pitching staff.

Featured June 23, 2011

Drs. Showalter, Pizzi and Gomella's Radiation Therapy and Prostate Cancer Studies Featured in Urology Times

Researchers at Jefferson found during a study that receiving radiation therapy immediately after a radical prostatectomy is a cost-effective treatment for prostate cancer patients when compared with waiting and acting on elevated PSA levels.

Featured June 23, 2011

Woman Shares Late Husband's Experience with Pancreatic Cancer in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Raises Money for Research at Jefferson

Kathleen Begley's life turned upside down when her healthy husband told her that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 62. Seven months later, Kathleen said goodbye to the love of her life. Kathleen writes about her experience in an op-ed piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Featured June 22, 2011

Drs. Pestell and Wagner Talk About Running for a Cause in Runner's World

The story is about the running community's ability to raise millions of dollars each year to fight cancer.

Featured June 21, 2011

Jefferson Researchers' Work on Rabies Clearance from the Central Nervous System Highlighted in New Scientist

D. Craig Hooper, PhD, and Bernhard Dietzschold, DVM, of Thomas Jefferson University have been conducting research on the brains of mice to see how the rabies virus attacks immune cells.

Featured June 20, 2011

DNA Research at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Is Highlighted in The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and other area hospitals such Fox Chase Cancer Center and University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center are conducting research genetic mutations so that doctors can provide more precise treatments.

Featured June 18, 2011

Dr. Gomella Interviewed by Fox 29 on Prostate Cancer Awareness

He recommends that all men at the age of 50 get screened for prostate cancer, unless you have a family history, in which you should be screened at 40 or 45.

Featured June 15, 2011

Dr. Greenbaum Comments on FDA's New Sunscreen Labels in The Philadelphia Inquirer

For years it's been difficult for the average person to comprehend what the various sunscreen labels mean. The FDA hopes to fix that with its new requirements to provide simpler but adequate information on how to avoid painful sunburns and increasing your risk of skin cancer while out in the sun.

Featured June 08, 2011

Dr. Paris Lovett Talks About Exercising Safely in the Heat on 6 ABC, CBS 3

Exercising in the heat puts extra stress on the heart and lungs as your body tries to regulate its temperature, so hydrating and sweating are critical for exercising safely in the heat.

Featured June 07, 2011

Dr. Gomella Discusses Prostate Cancer Screenings on Everyday Health

Dr. Gomella tells Everyday Health that the PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which measures the level of PSA in the blood, is a great test but it's not perfect to detect prostate cancer.

Featured June 06, 2011

Dr. Karen Novielli Talks Women and Medicine in The News Journal

Many women struggle with the demands of juggling work and raising a family. For female physicians, decisions about having children can be extremely difficult, depending on what they specialize in, how many patients they have and whether they will lose their career footing by becoming a mother.

Featured June 06, 2011

Dr. Andrew Newberg Comments on Transcendental Meditation in ABC News Article

Many soldiers who return from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. They will use medication or talk therapy to relieve their symptoms, but sometimes that just doesn't help. One soldier turned to transcendental meditation.

Featured June 06, 2011

HuffingtonPost.com Features Jefferson Research on Cancer Cells Accelerating Aging

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson discovered what makes a tumor grow — and how to make it stop.

Featured June 03, 2011

Jefferson's 20th Anniversary Celebration of the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry Featured in The Reporter

Children at the event video-Skyped with Nobel Prize winner Joseph Edward Murray, 92, the first person to successfully perform a kidney transplant, in 1954.

Featured June 03, 2011

Jefferson NICU Preemie Returns 16 Years Later as Volunteer

Called a "miracle baby" by physicians, nurses and her family, Rebecca Kamens returned to Jefferson as a healthy 16 year-old to volunteer on the floor as part of a Special Studies program at the Agnes Irwin School.

Featured June 01, 2011

Dr. Weinstein Explains Diaphragm Electrical Stimulation in CBS Philly Article

Jefferson is the first in Pennsylvania to offer this device, and Michael Weinstein, MD, of Jefferson's Department of Surgery, is among the first surgeons in the United States to implant the NeuRx DPS.