IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

11/07/2025

A huge thank-you to IU Bloomington Zeta Tau Alpha for raising an incredible $250,000 during the 2025 Big Man on Campus event and throughout October to support breast cancer research.

Their efforts benefit the Nakshatri Breast Cancer Breakthroughs Fund, and a $20,000 match from the Catherine Peachey Fund made their impact go even further.

A portion of the proceeds will support research projects at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and help launch a pilot study exploring how altitude may influence breast cancer growth and progression—another step toward discoveries that could change lives.

Your generosity fuels lifesaving breast cancer research. Thank you for making a difference.

11/05/2025

Indiana’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

That title isn’t just a badge—it’s a responsibility.

It means our scientists are leading discoveries that change how cancer is prevented, diagnosed, and treated. It means access to the latest clinical trials close to home. And it means every Hoosier benefits from a stronger, smarter approach to cancer research.

The National Cancer Institute recognizes only 57 centers nationwide at this level. We’re proud to be one of them, and the only one in Indiana.

Learn how our researchers are turning discoveries into life-changing results: https://cancer.iu.edu/iuvscancer/.

11/04/2025

IU vs Cancer.

It’s more than a phrase—it’s the momentum that starts here in Indiana.

From developing the cure for testicular cancer to building the world’s only healthy breast tissue bank and launching the state’s first mobile lung screening program, every discovery from the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center proves what’s possible when research meets determination.

As Indiana’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we're leading research that saves lives.

Learn more about how IU takes on cancer: https://cancer.iu.edu/iuvscancer/.

11/03/2025

November is Month. Thanks to research advancements and improved treatments, lung cancer cases and mortality rates are steadily decreasing due to progress in prevention, screening, and therapies.

Stay proactive—screening and early detection can make a big difference.

Learn more about lung cancer prevention, signs, screening guidelines, and the latest research: https://ow.ly/jFkq50X9UsS.

10/31/2025

A trip to your local library could help protect your health—and we want to see it.

End Lung Cancer Now, an initiative of the cancer center, is partnering with the Indiana Department of Health, the American Lung Association, The White Ribbon Project, and the Indiana State Library to raise awareness about radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer after to***co use.

Bookmarks are available at 230 public libraries across Indiana. Each bookmark includes important information about radon—what it is, how to test your home and what to do if levels are too high.

Find a bookmark at your library's service desk or display table, snap a selfie with it and send your photo to our team at elcn@iu.edu to be featured.

Help spread the word and reduce the risk of lung cancer across Indiana.

10/30/2025

From veterinarian to groundbreaking cancer researcher—Hari Nakshatri, PhD, BVSc, has dedicated his life to understanding how breast cancer spreads and how to stop it.

What began with treating infertility in cows sparked a lifelong curiosity about hormones and cell signaling, and ultimately, a career that's advancing breast cancer research worldwide.

Today, Dr. Nakshatri's work explores the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind breast cancer in women of African ancestry, in men, and across all populations, with one goal in mind: improving outcomes for every patient.

Learn more about his inspiring journey and his vision for the future of breast cancer research: https://ow.ly/23Np50XfCY3.

Harikrishna Nakshatri, a breast cancer researcher at IU School of Medicine, has amassed a lengthy list of achievements over the past 29 years, but it’s a far cry from how his career began in veterinary medicine.

10/29/2025

Could artificial intelligence make brain cancer diagnosis faster and more affordable?

Researchers at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a new AI-based approach to diagnose a deadly group of brain cancers known as adult-type diffuse gliomas.

These cancers are notoriously hard to detect because they spread into healthy brain tissue. The team’s work shows that AI could help reduce costs, save time, and improve how doctors diagnose and treat these challenging tumors.

Learn how IU researchers are using technology to transform cancer care: https://ow.ly/pryM50XivWY.

New models have shown promise in identifying glioblastomas. 

10/28/2025

For Carla Fisher, MD, a physician-scientist at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Breast Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, caring for people with breast cancer is about more than surgery—it's about improving lives through compassion, innovation, and education.

A renowned breast surgeon, educator and researcher, Dr. Fisher leads a team of talented physicians dedicated to advancing the quality of breast surgery care. She also directs IU's breast surgical oncology fellowship, training the next generation of surgeons to deliver patient-centered care.

Her work goes beyond the operating room. It's changing care, shaping education, and redefining what's possible for patients.

Learn more about how IU researchers and physicians are improving outcomes for people facing breast cancer: https://ow.ly/7j5850XfSQc.

10/27/2025

Men get breast cancer too. About 1 in every 100 breast cancer cases in the United States are in men, yet awareness remains low.

Researchers at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are studying how male breast cancer develops and why it responds differently to treatment. Even estrogen, a hormone made by both men and women behaves differently in men’s breast tissue.

This work is helping uncover answers that could lead to more effective targeted treatments for men.

10/24/2025

Since July 2019, F3+R: Faith, Family, Fellowship, Research has raised an incredible $1 million to support precision medicine research at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Their generosity is fueling groundbreaking studies that help our researchers better understand how each patient’s tumor is wired, paving the way for personalized treatments that target cancer more effectively.

Thanks to F3+R’s support, IU researchers are advancing therapies for a range of cancers, including lung, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, colon and other cancers.

We are deeply grateful for F3+R’s commitment to changing the future of cancer care, one discovery at a time

10/23/2025

More than 30 physicians and scientists at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are reshaping our understanding of breast cancer, developing better ways to detect it early, advancing treatment options, and improving survivorship.

At the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research, our experts are turning scientific discoveries into real solutions for those at risk, fighting the disease, and navigating life after cancer.

Learn more about the research happening at IU and how you can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer: https://ow.ly/5AfJ50WUJty.

10/21/2025

Cancer that spreads to the bone can lead to muscle wasting—a condition known as cachexia that reduces quality of life and contributes to many cancer-related deaths.

The cancer center’s Christopher Collier, MD, received the Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award, known as a K08 grant, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the NIH. His work focuses on improving care for people facing rare and complex cancers like sarcomas and metastatic bone disease, while studying how cancer and its treatments affect the body’s muscles and bones.

This research could lead to better treatments and a better quality of life for those facing some of the most challenging forms of cancer.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/vHk750XenNo.

Muscle waste and body composition changes are a side effect of having cancer that IU musculoskeletal oncology surgeon-scientist Christopher Collier wants to mediate in kidney cancer. He received a K08 Award from the NIH, a first for an early investigator within the Department of Orthopaedic Sur...