News

Opelika, Alabama’s first female firefighter, Charlotte Patterson, has been putting out fires for more than 25 years. However, in May 2017, Patterson learned she would be fighting a new fire — endometrial cancer.

A team of department faculty and trainees recently published their research “Prognostic Impact of Tumor Size on Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Recurrence May Have Racial Variance” in Pancreas.

A modified herpes virus, alone and in combination with radiation, has been shown to be well tolerated with early signs of clinical effectiveness in pediatric patients with high-grade brain tumors, or gliomas, according to findings from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama. The findings were presented at the virtual American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021, held April 10-15 and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 10.  

When faced with anorectal melanoma, an uncommon and aggressive form of cancer, Meredith McGowan turned to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for cross-specialty, cutting-edge treatment in order to get back to her active lifestyle.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified a potential new pathway to treating radiation-resistant glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. The research, performed in animal models and human and mouse cells in culture, was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The findings indicate that an adhesive cell surface protein known as N-cadherin — or N-cad — may be key in overcoming glioblastoma’s resistance to radiation therapy. 

Cancer survivor Leslie Hamilton makes a habit of purchasing a special license plate each year that supports a worthwhile cause. Her 2019 tag, however, was a UAB Blazers plate with a direct message to the UAB Medicine doctor who treated her: gynecologic oncologist Warner Huh, MD. She chose IOHUH1, which is license-plate shorthand for, “I owe Huh one”. When the tag expired, she presented it to Dr. Huh as a gift of appreciation.

UAB Medicine patient Steadman Harrison is a one-year cancer survivor. He says that his cancer journey has been a lesson in patience, the value of family support, and personal faith.

Every day, scientists across the world learn more about how to treat COVID-19, how it spreads and how it affects those who contract it, but what does that mean for cancer research?

After roughly four decades on the Advisory Board of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, George Wheelock III has seen the evolution of both the O’Neal Cancer Center and its annual ArtBLINK Gala. But this year, Wheelock will take on a new role as the Director’s Circle honoree for the Cancer Center’s first-ever virtual ArtBLINK Gala on Feb. 5, 2021.

Clinical trials serve as the bridge between research and patient care. They allow scientists to test a new drug, therapy or procedure before it becomes the standard, but how exactly do clinical trials work, why are they important and how is the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center working to make them more accessible for everyone?

Three years after leaving her home country of Nigeria, UAB doctoral candidate Zainab M. Shonibare is now studying gynecologic cancers in the lab of O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center scientist Mythreye Karthikeyan, Ph.D., in the hopes of bringing the results of her research to cancer patients and survivors across the world.

As the world adjusts to a new way of life in the shadow of a global pandemic, the higher risks faced by many cancer patients and survivors are now colliding with those associated with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

The Office of Community Outreach & Engagement at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center celebrates its silver anniversary this year after 25 years of providing health advocacy and cancer education to communities across the state and the South as a whole.

After 18 months of excruciating migraines, Birmingham-area businessman Christopher Sheheane felt as though he was at the end of his rope. With the migraines came the inability to think clearly, to lead his company, and to be the father and husband he wanted to be.  

In December 2020, the Division of Hematology and Oncology began offering High-Dose-Ara-C (HiDAC) through the UAB Extended Care Clinic, an outpatient chemotherapy service that eliminates the need for patients to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

To celebrate 2021 ArtBLINK Gala Director's Circle honoree George Wheelock III and his almost 40 years on the Advisory Board, the O'Neal Cancer Center revisits this 2008 story about Wheelock from the archives with fresh eyes and annotated updates on Wheelock's life.

Rehabilitation therapy helps people recover from many medical conditions, such as stroke, heart attack, and injury. Rehab for patients with cancer is equally valuable, but it isn’t often used in the United States. The new Cancer Rehabilitation Program, developed by physicians in the UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, seeks to change that at UAB Medicine.

As an active member on the Advisory Board of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Susan Bishop Williams advocates for the highest quality of care for cancer patients and their families. However, she says she never fully understood the challenges associated with cancer treatment until she received her own cancer diagnosis.

In 2021, the Advisory Board of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center held its annual ArtBLINK Gala virtually for the first time. Now, with their second virtual ArtBLINK in the books, the board looks back on its history and the history of the gala.

The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s 35th Annual ArtBLINK Gala raised $767,000 for the Cancer Center’s Fund for Excellence. The annual gala is the culmination of its advisory board’s yearly fundraising campaign and has served as one of the city’s premier social events for more than 30 years.

Shannon E. Meier, a doctoral candidate at UAB, gravitated toward cancer after testing out three different areas of research during her student rotations. In 2016, she decided to join the O’Neal Cancer Center in its mission to become a national leader in cancer research.

The relationship between cancer research and clinical care has never been more important, but the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UAB Health System are leveraging the best of both worlds by aligning their missions under the leadership of the Cancer Center through the Cancer Service Line.

Young New Jersey state trooper Barry Sleckman never thought he would be trading in his basement repair shop for a lab. Now the new director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Sleckman has since built his career on the pursuit of what he calls “great things.”