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BYLINE: Cedars-Sinai Newsroom

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (May 1, 2026) — Some Breast Cancer Survivors Need Closer Heart Disease Monitoring

The racial makeup and socioeconomic status of early-stage breast cancer patients could offer clues about their risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death among breast cancer survivors. Results of a study led by a Cedars-Sinai breast oncologist and published in npj Breast Cancer identified several groups of patients who could benefit from closer monitoring after a breast cancer diagnosis.

“Our study found that—regardless of other medical conditions or the type of cancer treatment received—Black breast cancer survivors and patients living in areas with the lowest per capita income had a higher risk of heart failure over time compared with white patients or those living in areas with the highest per capita income,” said Karissa Britten, MD, breast medical oncologist, member of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and corresponding author of the study.

Looking at data from more than 200,000 breast cancer patients in a National Cancer Institute database, investigators also found that patients of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native descent had more advanced and more aggressive tumors, compared with white or Asian American/Pacific Islander patients. Patients from lower-income areas or with lower levels of education also were more likely to have these higher-risk tumors.

“Our Cardio-Oncology Research Program was established to study cardiovascular disease in patients with cancer,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “Our goal is to better understand the risks involved and to develop novel therapies to address them.”

Britten said that no evidence-based guidelines currently exist for heart monitoring of high-risk patients after a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer, but the study findings point to an opportunity for targeted monitoring and early intervention that could save lives.

Additional authors include Marla Lipsyc-Sharf, Eric H. Yang, Susan McCloskey, Mina S. Sedrak, Mediget Teshome, Julia LaBarbera, Aditya Bardia, and Nicholas McAndrew.

Funding: The collection of cancer incidence data used in this study was supported by the California Department of Public Health pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Section 103885; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Program of Cancer Registries, under cooperative agreement 1NU58DP007156; the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program under contract HHSN261201800032I awarded to the University of California, San Francisco, contract HHSN261201800015I awarded to the University of Southern California, and contract HHSN261201800009I awarded to the Public Health Institute.

Use of Hepatitis C-Positive Donors Reduces Pancreas Transplant Wait Times

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University have discovered that utilizing organs from donors who are hepatitis C virus-positive (HCV+) can greatly shorten wait times for those awaiting pancreas transplants. According to their study published in the American Journal of Transplantation, patients receiving HCV+ organs experienced an average reduction of 117 days in wait time, all while maintaining comparable safety and organ function to those receiving organs from HCV-negative donors.

The study also found that transplant centers can safely handle infections passed from donors to recipients by using direct-acting antiviral therapies that cure hepatitis C, a viral infection that can cause severe liver damage. This method decreases organ wastage and increases the availability of organs for patients, who often face complications while waiting for transplantation.

“By maximizing the potential of available organs, we can transplant more patients and, ultimately, extend more lives,” said Todd Brennan, MD, professor of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center and corresponding author of the study. “Our goal is for this research to help guide national guidelines on donor utilization and expand access to transplantation.”

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Tiffany Lim, Yujie Cui, Kambiz Kosari, Georgios Voidonikolas, Tsuyoshi Todo, Justin A. Steggerda, Steven A. Wisel, and Irene K. Kim

Other authors include Gabriel E. Nissen and Olyvia S. Wang.

Novel In-Hospital Screening Method Detects Cognitive Issues

Over 40% of older people admitted to U.S. hospitals have dementia, yet only half of them have been diagnosed with memory and cognitive difficulty. Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed a comprehensive screening method that identifies previously undiagnosed cognitive impairment and dementia in hospitalized patients. Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Cognitive impairment, which is more common in older adults, involves challenges with a person’s ability to think, learn, remember and make decisions. In people with dementia, these problems are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Both conditions frequently go undetected, which can adversely affect patient care in hospital settings.

“Early recognition of cognitive issues is critical to improving hospital care, optimizing outcomes, and proactive discharge planning for cognitively impaired patients, who are at increased risk for falling, behavioral issues and hospital readmission,” said Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. “And yet, cognitive screening of patients remains rare in U.S. hospitals because they lack effective strategies for implementing it.”

The new screening method includes brief cognitive assessments administered by nursing staff to patients over the age 65 who are admitted to the hospital, coupled with an algorithmic tool in the electronic health record that flags patients with cognitive impairment and dementia. When this system was implemented across more than 11,000 hospital admissions, it resulted in the cognitive screening of more than 80% of eligible older adults. It detected previously unrecognized cognitive impairment in 9% of those patients and undiagnosed dementia in 4.3%. Black and older (over 85 years) patients were more likely to be identified to have undiagnosed dementia compared with younger and white patients.

“Our screening approach demonstrated the potential to equitably capture cognitive impairment at the point of hospital admission, allowing for interventions to optimize the care for all vulnerable patients,” Tan said.

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Nabeel Qureshi, Nancy L. Sicotte, Drew Hirsch, Cameron Escovedo, Erica Spivack, Mary C. Nasmyth, Mitzi Gonzales, Sarah A. Kremen, Teryl K. Nuckols, Janae McFadden and Pamela R. Roberts.

Other authors include John Mafi.

Funding: The study was supported through internal institutional funding. Data collection was supported by NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) UCLA CTSI Grant Number UL1TR001881.

Proteins Found in Cancer Extracellular Vesicles Could Guide Drug Development

Cancer cells release tiny biological packages called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that help tumors grow and spread. A team led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators has now connected certain proteins carried in these EVs with poor patient outcomes in multiple cancer types.

Their findings were published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.

“By identifying these proteins, we aim to uncover new targets for drugs that could be used to treat many types of cancer,” said Sungyong You, PhD, professor of Urology and Computational Biomedicine and corresponding author of the study.

Investigators analyzed data from more than 2,200 patients with 12 different cancer types. They linked 26 specific proteins present in EVs from these patients to poor survival. The standout across multiple tumor types was a protein called PTK7. The analysis also showed that blocking PTK7 effectively stops cancer cell growth, highlighting it as a promising target for therapies.

“These findings provide a powerful new blueprint for using EV data to guide cancer drug testing and applications,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “The proteins identified can guide the development of novel therapies and the repurposing of existing drugs for new cancer treatments.”

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Jina Kim and Hyoyoung Kim.

Other authors include Su Yeon Yeon, Kyerim Choi, Hojung Kim and Daehee Hwang.

Funding: This research was funded by National Institutes of Health R01CA277530 (H.R.T., Y.Z., V.G.A., J.D.Y., S.Y.), R01CA255727 (Y.Z., H.R.T., S.Y.), R01CA253651 (H.R.T., V.G.A., S.Y.), R01CA253651-04S1 (Y.Z., H.R.T., S.Y.), R01CA246304 (H.R.T., V.G.A., S.Y.), P01CA278732 (S.Y.), and The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute (SOCCI) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center through 2024 Program Project Grant (PPG) Team Science Award (S.Y.).

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

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