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| IN THE NEWS . . . |
 The cover story (April 1, 2013) of TIME magazine explores the emerging team science approach that's necessary to advance in the complex field of cancer research. The article focuses on Stand Up to Cancer, the partnership between the entertainment industry and cancer scientists that has put millions of dollars behind a group of multi-institution "dream teams" tasked with working together on some of the toughest issues in cancer. Jeffrey Drebin, MD, PhD, the John Rhea Barton Professor and Chairman of the department of Surgery, is featured in the article for his role as a leader of the pancreatic cancer dream team, which is focused on better understanding the metabolic changes that characterize pancreatic cells. The article describes a tumor tissue study in which pieces of pancreatic cancer removed from patients undergoing surgery at Penn is divided into small pieces and sent to researchers from several other institutions on the team, each of whom study different aspects of the cells. Their individual findings have combined to produce a new combination drug strategy that has, in just two years, been tested in more than 800 advanced pancreatic cancer patients, with results showing that the new combo therapy stabilized the disease in 48 percent of patients.
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 (Febraury 21, 2013) Using robots to perform mitral-repair surgery is becoming a popular option in the world of cardiovascular surgery. Y. Joseph Woo, MD, associate professor of Surgery, is cited in this Philadelphia Inquirer article.
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 (February 5, 2013) 6ABC reports that Penn Medicine plastic surgeons have an effective new procedure to treat a condition called lymphedema. Jeannette Aspden's right arm is a constant reminder of her battle with breast cancer four years ago. "When [lymph nodes are] disrupted, fluid builds up in the arm or the leg or wherever the lymph nodes were removed from," said Suhail Kanchwala, MD, assistant professor in Plastic Surgery. Kanchwala decided to bring a procedure developed in France to Philadelphia. It's a transplant, moving lymph nodes from an unaffected area of the body to the area where the lymph nodes were removed. In Jeannette's case surgeons transplanted lymph nodes from her abdomen up to her underarm. "Taking them from just underneath the skin and putting them in another area just underneath the skin," Kanchwala said. Most patients will get fewer infections and more mobility. "This is treating patients' quality of life," Kanchwala said. |
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| (January 21, 2013) As reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer, in an era when people talk about just about anything, fecal incontinence is one of the few medical conditions that is so embarrassing, so disturbing, that people don't even tell their doctors about it. Sadly, if only sufferers were not ashamed to talk about it, they'd find out how common their problem is and learn that new help is available. PAH colorectal surgeon Joshua Bleier, MD, is featured in the article discussing his successful use of sacral nerve stimulation to treat patients with bowel incontinence. The device, which is very similar to a heart pacemaker, improves the function of pelvic floor muscles and is much less invasive and painful - and often more effective - than surgery. "I am amazed and so gratified by the fact that these people whose lives have just been hijacked and destroyed by their incontinence…they're just rescued by this," said Bleier. "It's the best feeling in the world." |
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 (January 9, 2013) In continuing coverage, KYW Newsradio reports that Penn Medicine is among an elite group testing a revolutionary technique for preserving and even improving lungs donated for transplant. The lungs are the most delicate of transplantable organs, says Penn transplant surgeon Edward Cantu, MD, interim director, Lung Transplantation Program. When brain death occurs, lung tissue can become damaged, rendering many donated organs unsuitable for transplant. “Currently we use organs from about 15 to 20 percent of potential donors," said Cantu. "If we can increase that number to 50 to 80 percent, somewhere between two to four times as many organs will be available with the same outcome.” To achieve that, this technique uses profusion and ventilation, which first runs a special fluid though blood vessels to dry the lungs and then basically “breathes” the lungs prior to implant. Cantu says this allows the lungs to heal themselves of the damage. |
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A front page article in the Sunday (January 6, 2013) edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer details a new clinical trial underway at Penn Medicine testing technology aimed at improving the pool of available lungs for transplantation. Lung transplantation remains daunting almost 30 years after the first successful operations in Toronto by transplant pioneer Joel Cooper, MD, professor of Surgery. More than any other vital organ offered for transplant, the lung is susceptible to injury that is difficult to prevent, detect, and predict. To err on the side of caution, 80 percent of organ donors' lungs are rejected as unsuitable, a waste lamented by doctors and patients alike. The new trial is testing a process that involves cleaning and refurbishing donor lungs while the organ "breathes" in a specially designed machine. Lungs that would normally be discarded can be tuned up, evaluated, and, in many cases, reused. In a recently published clinical study in Canada, 86 percent of risky lungs became acceptable for transplant. Penn transplant surgeon Edward Cantu, MD, interim director, Lung Transplantation Program, believes the advance, could save thousands of lives a year. "We could reduce the number of people who die waiting for lungs, and reduce the number who die" because their new lungs fail soon after surgery, he said.
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