Mays Cancer Center Annual Report Magazine
2023 issue
Bridging discovery and clinical care
When we reflect on our accomplishments as one of only four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas and the only one for the South Texas region, we recognize the positive rippling impact we have on every patient we treat even as we carry the burden of responsibility to find new therapies to combat every type of cancer within our communities.
Tonya Randolph: a caregiver’s journey
Tonya Randolph, RN, senior registered nurse at the Mays Cancer Center, carries more than a year’s worth of heart-breaking memories on her phone’s calendar that document her best friend’s discovery of a cancer diagnosis and her journey to recovery.
New health equity research center launches
Thanks to a $4.08 million grant from the American Cancer Society, the Mays Cancer Center launched the Avanzando Equidad de Salud: Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center, uniting South Texas research scholars and the community to reduce health disparities across the cancer care continuum.
Molecule shows potential to combat tumor treatment resistance
Researchers at Mays Cancer Center and from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have made significant progress in studying a promising new molecule that inhibits the ability of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors to repair themselves.
Clinical trial gives women with gene mutation power over disease
When Juana Padron chose to have a genetic test, she discovered that she carried a BRCA1 gene mutation, which increased her chance of developing certain cancers. She then chose to participate in a clinical trial conducted by Georgia McCann, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Mays Cancer Center. “More than anything, I wanted to tell my daughters that we have this mutation so they can do something to prevent getting cancer,” said Padron.
Study shows immunotherapy may lower recurrence of advanced melanoma
Monte Shaheen, MD, a melanoma expert at Mays Cancer Center, was part of a team of investigators that conducted a phase 2 clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute. The study showed that participants with stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma who were given pembrolizumab before and after surgery had significantly lower risks of recurring cancer.
Repurposed drug brings new hope for breast cancer patients
Could a drug prescribed for transplant recipients also help some women beat breast cancer? Impressive new findings point to this possibility, according to research conducted at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio that is now being used in a clinical trial supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Mays Cancer Center.
Mays Cancer Center conducts groundbreaking glioblastoma research
Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio recently conducted a clinical trial combining two drugs in patients with recurrent, high-grade glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The Mays Cancer Center, one of four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas, is the only cancer center in America to conduct this trial.
University of Texas team studies compounds aimed at brain cancer treatment
$3M National Cancer Institute grant to make compounds to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors, an aggressive brain cancer associated with the worst overall survival rates among all human cancers Scientists from Mays Cancer Center and from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, along with […]
‘We have an obligation to help others’
As Arhan Rao watched his grandfather become ill with cancer and die, a goal formed in the teenager’s mind. He would become an oncology physician and researcher and discover a new generation of cancer treatments. While still in high school, Rao learned the fundamentals of laboratory research during his summer internships at The University of […]
CPRIT awards nearly $8M for research infrastructure
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announced two awards totaling nearly $8 million to support research infrastructure at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Two core research facilities at UT Health San Antonio’s Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute will be expanded. A $3.9 million CPRIT award enhances the […]