Duke Cancer Institute

Mary Diggs-Garris was three years old when doctors diagnosed her with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer affecting the eye. Throughout Diggs-Garris’s illness, her family put their faith in Dr. Edward Buckley, an opthalmologist at Duke. Now, nearly 30 years after he started treating Diggs-Garris, Buckley is chair of Duke’s Department of Ophthalmology. He was recently surprised to find an email in his inbox with the title, “You saved my life in 1995.” https://duke.is/7/2zgw Duke Health

A new study suggests #BreastCancer patients with a history of heart disease are more likely to have advanced tumors at the time of diagnosis. DCI's Alexandra Thomas, MD, spoke to Everyday Health about possible shared root causes between the conditions. "Inflammation from the cancer might cause heart damage, such as the development of plaques in the coronary arteries,” Thomas said. https://duke.is/p/nzkm Duke Health | Duke Department of Medicine

The Raleigh Testicular Cancer Foundation, in partnership with several local hockey clubs, donated $6,500 to DCI for men's mental health services as part of its Movember Campaign. Players from these clubs delivered the donation to DCI, where they met with executives, toured the Duke Cancer Center, and learned more about the work being done for patients. #TesticularCancer

DCI's Richard Riedel, MD, spoke with the Association of Cancer Care Centers about the critical resources needed for #Sarcoma care, including psychosocial support and the financial difficulties often faced by patients. “It’s critically important to partner with centers with disease-specific expertise, academic centers, for example, that are well-positioned to partner with community-based providers in providing optimal care for patients," Riedel said. https://duke.is/w/seu8 Duke Health | Duke Department of Medicine

A new report found that compared with abstaining from alcohol, moderate drinking was linked to a lower risk of death from any cause and death from heart disease, but it was also linked to an increased risk of #BreastCancer. DCI's Michael Pignone, MD, MPH, spoke with NBC News about how this and other, conflicting research should impact people's behavior toward alcohol. “I am skeptical that low levels of alcohol consumption really reduce mortality or cardiovascular mortality,” Pignone said. https://duke.is/5/spbj Duke Health | Duke Department of Medicine | Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy

DCI's Allison Martin, MD, MPH, is featured in the Society of Surgical Oncology's podcast "SurgOnc Today" highlighting the top hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgical oncology published in 2024. 👂: https://duke.is/j/mqea Duke Health | Duke Surgery

A new study led by DCI's Andrew Armstrong, MD, MSc, and Susan Halabi, PhD, found that a DNA sequencing test for advanced #ProstateCancer patients can distinguish between patients with poor and favorable prognoses. "Incorporating genomic profiling into clinical decision-making may enhance personalized treatment strategies and inform the design of future clinical trials," Armstrong said. https://duke.is/9/6qmd Duke Health | Duke Department of Medicine | Duke Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics

Connect with the cutting-edge research and stellar educational environment at Duke at the Invited Scholar Research Symposium, hosted by DCI's Office of Cancer Research Training & Education Coordination. 📆 Mar. 20-21, 2025 Apply by Friday, Jan. 3: https://duke.is/z/6z99 Duke University School of Medicine

DCI has received a $100,000 donation from Project Purple® for the Prevention of Progression to #PancreaticCancer Trial to evaluate the efficacy of anti-inflammatory drug Sulindac in preventing disease progression. Peter Allen, MD, leads the trial with support from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital. https://duke.is/2/7y62 Duke Health

The Knox Martin Foundation for Brain Cancer Research announced it will donate $150,000 to DCI's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. The organization hopes the donation will help address funding shortfalls in research for glioblastoma, a form of #BrainCancer, within the pharmaceutical industry. https://duke.is/p/76b9 Duke Health