UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center

05/18/2026

We would like to congratulate our UVA Health Oncology Nurses for their presentations at this year's Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress!

ONS Congress focuses on education, collaboration, and innovation, and brings together thousands of oncology nurses and healthcare professionals from across the globe.

Thank you to all of you for representing UVA Health and for the comprehensive, high-quality care you provide for our patients!

05/15/2026

UVACCC has joined PRECEDE! We are proud to partner with the UVA Health initiative to continue to transform pancreatic cancer outcomes—aiming to increase five-year survival rates from just 12.8% to 50%.

Because pancreatic cancer is often hard to detect early, data-sharing is the key to a breakthrough. UVA Health is already making a major impact with 170 patients enrolled in PRECEDE via their High-Risk Pancreatic Screening Clinic. Launched in 2013 by Clinic Director and Chief of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Todd Bauer, alongside Kathleen Haden, RN, MSN, ANP-C, this program was a national pioneer and the very first in Virginia dedicated to individuals with significant risk factors.

We are honored to support the clinicians and researchers at the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center in our shared mission to change the future of pancreatic cancer detection. Let's get to work!💜

05/15/2026

UVACCC has joined the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Consortium (PRECEDE), in support of its goal to increase five-year pancreatic cancer survival rates from just 12.8 to 50%.

Pancreatic cancer affects 1.7% of adults, but is the third-leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths because it often develops and spreads before clear symptoms appear. The only effective curative treatment, surgery, works just 10-15% of the time.

PRECEDE is the largest-ever assemblage of pancreatic cancer data and biospecimens, and the only global initiative designed to drive discovery by providing open access to researchers and industry alike. Patient participants consent for information like their family histories and blood tests to be studied across the consortium, providing critical data and stimulating vital research progress.

At UVA, 170 patients have already enrolled in PRECEDE through the High-Risk Pancreatic Screening Clinic established in 2013 by Todd Bauer, MD, Clinic Director and Chief of Surgical Oncology, and Kathleen Haden, RN, MSN, ANP-C. The clinic was one of the earliest programs in the country for people with significant pancreatic cancer risk factors, and the first in Virginia. It is located at UVA Health’s Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, which is named in honor of the late State Sen. Emily Couric, who died of the disease in 2001.

The Consortium is supported by the Precede Foundation, which offsets patient enrollment costs, provides research assistance, trial funding, and resources for clinicians, researchers, genetic counselors, and clinical research coordinators.

Read about PRECEDE: https://uvaconnect.com/uva-comprehensive-cancer-center-joins-international-consortium-to-improve-pancreatic-cancer-early-detection-and-survival/

05/13/2026

Cancer treatment can bring unexpected symptoms, questions, and moments of uncertainty — and you should never feel like you have to navigate them alone. We understand that even small changes in how you feel can sometimes cause stress or concern for patients and families.

Not every symptom during cancer treatment means a trip to the Emergency Room. Sometimes, the right care can happen the very same day — in a setting designed specifically for patients with cancer.

At UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, our Oncology Same Day Care Clinic is here to provide timely, compassionate support for patients experiencing treatment-related symptoms or side effects. Whether you are dealing with fever, nausea, pain, dehydration, or simply feeling worried about a new or worsening symptom, our specialized oncology team can help guide you to the right level of care and help you know what steps to take next.

Use the guide below to help determine when to:
• Monitor symptoms at home
• Call our Oncology Same Day Care team
• Seek emergency care or call 911

Our goal is to help patients feel supported, safe, and cared for throughout every step of treatment — while providing expert cancer-focused care in the right setting, at the right time.

📍 Located at the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center
📞 Oncology Same Day Care: 434.924.9333

05/11/2026

At UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, we know that cancer care extends far beyond appointments and treatments. A cancer diagnosis can impact every part of life — patients, caregivers, children, loved ones, and entire support systems.

Whether you are a patient, survivor, caregiver, family member, or friend supporting someone through cancer, you are not alone. We are committed to walking beside you every step of the way. 💙

✨ Upcoming Support & Wellness Offerings:

🖊️ Writing As A Way of Healing
Thursdays | May 21 – July 2 | 2:30–4:00 PM (Virtual)
A supportive writing workshop for UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center patients focused on healing, reflection, creative expression, and emotional well-being. No writing experience needed.

🌿 Survivorship Wellness Series
Thursdays | June 4 – July 9 | 6:30–7:30 PM (Virtual)
A FREE 6-week wellness series led by UVA Health experts covering topics including fatigue, nutrition, mindfulness, emotional wellness, intimacy, and life beyond treatment. Designed for survivors navigating their next chapter after cancer.

💪 LIVESTRONG at the YMCA
Spring, Fall & Winter Sessions Available
A FREE 12-week physical activity and wellness program for individuals living with, through, or beyond cancer. Participants build strength, improve endurance, and connect with other survivors in a supportive group environment.

🏕️ Camp Kesem at UVA
August 4–9 | Lowesville, VA
A FREE week-long summer camp for children ages 6–18 who have a parent or primary caregiver impacted by cancer. Camp Kesem creates a safe, supportive space where kids can build friendships, process emotions, and simply be kids.

For questions or to register for programs, please contact:
📧 cancersupportservices@uvahealth.org

05/01/2026

Olivia Sears, MD, has been awarded $150,000 by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and UVA’s Focused Ultrasound Immuno-Oncology Center to explore how focused ultrasound could overcome treatment resistance in colorectal and triple-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Sears’ research involves the use of noninvasive, ultrasonic sound waves to rupture tumor cells without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue. Once released, the tumor cells’ exposed contents are easier for the immune system to detect, activating its natural response to fight the disease. The project will focus on improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments through remodeling the tumor microenvironment and enhancing cancer-fighting T-cell activity.

A general surgery resident, Dr. Sears is part of a research team co-led by Cancer Center members Natasha Sheybani, PhD, and Allan Tsung, MD. Congratulations, Dr. Sears, and good luck!

Read about Dr. Sears’ Award: https://news.med.virginia.edu/research/olivia-sears-md-receives-focused-ultrasound-preclinical-award/

04/25/2026

Meet Katie Fox, senior lab specialist in UVACCC’s Office of Clinical Research (OCR)!

Katie has been with the Cancer Center since 2022 and was OCR’s inaugural lab specialist. She was drawn to the position as “a unique opportunity to build the lab operations program from the ground up.”

She oversees lab operations for cancer clinical trials, reviewing study manuals and partnering with clinical research coordinators and study teams to align sample collection, processing, storage, and shipment procedures to ensure samples are handled safely and correctly.

Katie’s work is especially meaningful to her because her parents both received treatment at UVACCC: her mother for early-stage endometrial cancer, and her father for metastatic colon cancer. She says her parents’ cancer journeys gave her “a deep appreciation for the work being done and the people behind it,” Katie said. “It reinforces for me that even the behind-the-scenes work we do plays an important role in supporting patients and advancing research.”

Outside of work, Katie is active in her local Jewish community, where she enjoys celebrating holidays, singing in the choir, and participating in community events and performances, including their annual Purim play. She is involved in advocacy work with her husband, and she also enjoys exploring local shops and small businesses around Crozet.

Learn more about the Office of Clinical Research: https://bit.ly/4pCNAgj

04/24/2026

Support from a new international research initiative will power work by John Bushweller, PhD, and colleagues to develop a first-of-its-kind treatment for Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer affecting children and young adults.

Due to its rarity, Ewing sarcoma traditionally lacks the amount of research funding afforded to more common cancers. Enter C-Further, a consortium of researchers, providers, charities, and investors formed to advance new treatments for cancers impacting children and young people. It is funded by Cancer Research Horizons, a subsidiary of Cancer Research UK, one of the largest non-profit investors in cancer research, LifeArc, a charity supporting drug development for underserved diseases, and the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Charity.

Research led by Dr. Bushweller, Kim Stegmaier, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Miguel Rivera, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital targets Ewing sarcoma that has recurred or spread. Dr. Stegmaier’s team found that its survival depends on a protein called ETV6, which, when degraded or repressed, halts the growth of the Ewing sarcoma cells, suggesting a drug targeting ETV6 could be effective for Ewing sarcoma. As work continues with C-Further’s support, Dr. Bushweller’s team will create an ETV6 inhibitor molecule, while Dr. Rivera’s will study treatment’s potential effects on healthy cells and proteins related to ETV6.

Dr. Bushweller recently appeared on Charlottesville’s 29News WVIR to discuss the project, emphasizing the importance of philanthropic support for research into rare cancers.

Though the potential treatment is still in the early stages of development, Dr. Bushweller said that efforts like C-Further will bring drugs like the ETV6 inhibitor from the lab to the clinic faster by fostering innovative connections from the start. “This is really an extraordinary model for the development of new treatments for pediatric cancers,” he said. “This partnership creates a unique pairing of academia and industry, and by putting together this team, we have all the elements for success.”

Read about the C-Further Program: https://www.c-further.org/news/c-further-unveils-first-therapeutic-programmes

Watch Dr. Bushweller’s appearance on NBC 29: https://bit.ly/4soQGWP

04/22/2026

UVA Cancer Center has specialists that only treat head and neck cancer. Learn about our innovative surgical care and advanced robotic techniques.

04/22/2026

04/18/2026

Research led by Cancer Center immunologist Jie Sun, PhD, found that severe cases of COVID-19 and the flu increase risk of developing lung cancer – and that the added risk is largely reduced by routine vaccination.

Dr. Sun and his team found that serious respiratory infections can alter the lung’s protective immune cells, lining, and the air sacs that help us breathe, fostering an inflammatory environment that supports tumor growth months or years later.

Statistically, people hospitalized with COVID-19 were nearly a quarter more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, regardless of other risk factors like a history of smoking, they found.

The findings could prompt closer monitoring of patients based on personal history, including earlier cancer screenings, and the development of better viral respiratory infection treatments.

Read the article: https://www.uvahealth.com/news/covid-lung-cancer