Tip Sheet: BRCA cancer risks for men, a new way to classify brain tumors, funding for bile duct cancer — and cancer care in LGBTQ+ communities

Newswise — SEATTLE — Aug. 7, 2024 — Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news.

Cancer research

BRCA1/2: Why men should be screened for the “breast cancer gene”
A new review article in JAMA Oncology led by Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, describes evidence that men can carry mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that increase their risk of several cancers. According to Cheng, there is a need for awareness and screening, as the population of men undergoing genetic testing is 10% that of women, despite men accounting for 50% of carriers for these genes. To meet this need, national guidelines for screening have been updated from the BRCA Research and Cure Alliance and Basser Center for BRCA.
Media contact: [email protected]

More to brain tumors than meets the eye
Eric Holland, MD, PhD, director of the Human Biology Division and Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology, and his team are classifying tumors based on their biology rather than their appearance. Published in Cell Genomics, Holland’s team identified subtypes that share similar genetics. This approach could improve diagnoses for meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor, and help with treatment for other solid-tumor diseases including lung and breast cancers.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, [email protected]

Finding a rare bile duct cancer’s weaknesses
Fred Hutch postdoctoral fellow Liberalis (Debraj) Boila, PhD, received awards from the Department of Defense Rare Cancers Research Program and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation to study intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), a rare but aggressive form of bile duct cancer. About 16% of cancers affecting veterans are rare cancers. The DoD Rare Cancers Research Program aims to address this burden and Boila’s award will fund studies of an ICC subtype with no current targeted treatment.
Media contact: Claire Hudson, [email protected]

Cancer care

Dr. Mazyar Shadman, new medical director of the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic, says immunotherapy services are expanding to meet demand
Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, a blood cancer expert and Innovators Network Endowed Chair, answers questions about his vision for the future of immunotherapy as the new medical director for the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic. Shadman gives insight into current immunotherapy treatments, patients and experience, and clinical trials at the immunotherapy clinic.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, [email protected]

Cancer Health Equity Now podcast: Cancer Care and LGBTQ+ Communities
This episode of Fred Hutch’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement’s podcast features lung cancer expert Matthew Triplette, MD, MPH, discussing their pilot study, insights on disparities in sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection, and LGBTQ+ biases among patients receiving care. Triplette is the medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and Living Tobacco Free Services Program and associate professor with the Cancer Prevention Program.
Media contact: Kat Wynn, [email protected]

Genetic research

Curiosity, connection and C. elegans
A study published in PLOS Biology revealed more insights on a rare genetic disorder linked to NGLY1 deficiency, which causes delays in motor function and life-threatening liver impairment. Nicolas Lehrbach, PhD, showed links between NGLY1 function in the worm C. elegans and the part of a cell called proteasomes, which act like garbage disposals to get rid of waste. Too few proteasomes in cells can result in neurodegenerative diseases. Lehrbach is now studying genetic mechanisms involved in maintaining sufficient proteasomes.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, [email protected]

Awards and recognition

Cell biologist Dr. Susan Parkhurst named 2024 ASCB fellow
Susan Parkhurst, PhD, was named an American Society for Cell Biology fellow, honoring her lifetime contributions to our understanding of cell wound repair and mentorship of young researchers. Parkhurst, the Mark Groudine Endowed Chair for Outstanding Achievements in Science, has worked at Fred Hutch for over 30 years and helped to establish University of Washington’s Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program and Fred Hutch’s Postbaccalaureate Scholar Program.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, [email protected]

Making the leap from postdoc to principal investigator
Postdoctoral researcher Phoebe Hsieh, PhD, in Fred Hutch’s Malik Lab, hopes to have her own lab next summer thanks to funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Postdoc-to-Faculty Transition Award. Earlier this year, Hsieh was the lead author of a PLOS Biology study identifying magnesium as a key part of antibiotic resistance.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, [email protected]

Science spotlight
Science Spotlight is a monthly installment of articles written by postdoctoral fellows that summarizes new research papers from Fred Hutch scientists. If you’re interested in learning more or covering these topics, contact [email protected]

• Timing of ART administration for HIV is more important than we thought
• Rethinking blood tests for colorectal cancer screening: study establishes test performance benchmarks for colorectal cancer blood tests
• Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes are worse among non-Hispanic Black patients and lower-income groups
• Reduce smoking rates with a behavioral activation mHealth app: a pilot study on Actify!
• Gut microbes dictate donor T cell expansion and graft-versus-host disease risk after stem cell transplantation

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Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.

Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.