UH cancer center’s RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS

Multiethnic cohort

The Cancer Center has followed a group of ethnically diverse Hawaii patients for more than 20 years, tracking their food, lifestyle choices and whether they develop health problems such as cancer. The study led to insights into how genetics and nutrition interact to determine cancer risk.

E-cigarette prevalence

UH researchers were among the first to investigate the health effects of electronic cigarette use. They uncovered a growing public health problem in Hawaii high schools, with local teens using e-cigarettes at nearly triple the rate of mainland teens.

Prediabetic indicators

The Cancer Center has discovered markers that identify whether a person is prediabetic by measuring the fatty acids in their blood, which could allow physicians to warn patients years before the onset of diabetes to change their lifestyle and potentially avoid the chronic disease.

Detecting colorectal cancer

Researchers found six genetic variants associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer as part of a large international study that will help identify individuals who should be prioritized for colonoscopy screening to find tumors earlier and increase patient survival.

Discovery of cancer mutation

Researchers were among the first to identify a new cancer syndrome caused by mutations in the protein Bap1, associated with a higher incidence of mesothelioma, melanoma, renal carcinoma and other cancers. It is the focus of several new lines of research to better diagnose and treat cancers.

New bladder cancer drug

The new drug is expected to be more effective for patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, the most common type of the bladder disease.

Compounds to fight brain and breast cancers

Researchers have discovered two chemical compounds that effectively stop the growth of brain cancer cells and breast tumors, opening the way for potential new drugs to be developed. The targeted treatments are less toxic and could give cancer patients a better quality of life.

Compound to fight kidney cancer

Researchers developed a promising metal-based compound of titanium and gold that destroys kidney cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. The findings might provide a new way of treating kidney cancer, opening the potential for more potent and less toxic therapies that would give cancer patients a better quality of life.

Source: University of Hawaii Cancer Center