USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine of USC

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine of USC

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC Norris), located in Los Angeles, is a major regional
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16/07/2025

USC Norris is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center based on our scientific leadership and the practice-changing multidisciplinary cancer research we conduct to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. What does it mean to be a NCI designated comprehensive cancer center? Learn more in the video.

10/07/2025

Did you know? Not all brain tumors are cancerous, a common myth we’re here to bust. Even benign tumors can press against important parts of the brain and cause serious health problems. Learn more from USC Norris member Dr. Josh Neman, who is helping raise awareness and bust this myth.

09/07/2025

With summer in full swing, please remember the ABCDEs of Melanoma Detection when checking your moles and spots:

A – Asymmetry
B – Border irregularity
C – Color variation
D – Diameter larger than a pencil eraser
E – Evolving shape, size, or color

Early detection saves lives. Take a moment to check your skin, and if you notice any of these warning signs, talk to your healthcare provider.

08/07/2025

Congratulations to Ricky Bluthenthal, member of the USC Norris Cancer Control Research Program, who has been appointed as chair of the department of Population and Public Health Sciences (PPHS), effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Bluthenthal has served as interim chair since July 1, 2024. Dr. Bluthenthal is a distinguished professor of PPHS whose expertise spans a broad range of research disciplines—including clinical psychology, sociology, harm reduction, and community-based behavioral interventions to mitigate health disparities—intersecting with cancer-related topics such as sexual risk behaviors, alcohol and substance abuse, and addiction.

01/07/2025

Cellular immunotherapies are a promising therapy for the treatment of cancer. These therapies have already changed clinical practice for hematologic malignancies like leukemia and lymphoma and are poised to do the same for solid cancers like prostate, pancreas, ovarian, and colorectal. The KSOM/Norris Center for Cancer Cellular Immunotherapy Research, led by founding director Dr. Saul Priceman was created to help facilitate promising cancer cellular immunotherapies to patients. Its mission is to provide a nucleus for novel cellular immunotherapy ideas and advance translational research poised for clinical development. Learn more in the video below.

30/06/2025

In the face of uncertainty, one word shines bright: Believe.

Believe in your strength, your resilience, the care surrounding you, in the power of community, and in the science that’s changing lives every day.

At the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, more than 300 dedicated physicians and scientists are leading the fight to make cancer a disease of the past. Multidisciplinary teams provide the latest evidence-based care at USC Norris Cancer Hospital, a 60-bed hospital, as well as outpatient clinics throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Learn more here: https://uscnorriscancer.usc.edu.

27/06/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Gary Ulaner, member of the USC Norris Translational and Clinical Sciences Program, who has been elected vice president-elect of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). In his role as vice president–elect, Dr. Ulaner is committed to advancing the SNMMI Mars Shot to support nuclear medicine research, expanding educational activities for nuclear medicine professionals, and driving growth and funding for training new radiochemistry and physics professionals.

“It is an honor to serve SNMMI and the nuclear medicine community at this pivotal time. The potential of nuclear medicine to transform the care of patients with cancer and other diseases is enormous, and we must continue to build the infrastructure, education, and support necessary to realize that promise.” – Gary Ulaner

25/06/2025

Glioblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumor in adults—and one of the most difficult to treat. Most patients receive a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but tumors typically return and resist further treatment. Published in the journal Neuro-Oncology, USC Norris member Dr. Steve Kay and his team demonstrated that a new drug compound, SHP1705, targets circadian clock proteins hijacked by glioblastoma stem cells, impairing the cancer cells’ ability to survive and grow, with minimal impact on healthy cells. When they treated glioblastoma stem cells with other drug compounds developed to target clock proteins, none worked as well as SHP1705. SHP1705 is also the first clock-targeting compound to complete a phase 1 clinical trial, where they tested SHP1705’s ability to neutralize glioblastoma stem cells, finding it to be highly effective, safe, and well-tolerated in humans. Learn more here: https://keck.usc.edu/news/new-compound-targets-circadian-clock-machinery-in-cells-to-fight-glioblastoma/.

23/06/2025

A healthful diet is key to physical resilience during and after cancer treatment. But sometimes, unforeseen obstacles can prevent our patients from achieving optimal nutrition, including widespread misinformation about the benefits of certain foods, as well as the well-meaning interference of family and friends. Last week, in our Patient Perspective Series titled “When Food Is Not the Answer,” registered dietitians Lisa Statner and Rachel Lander-Canseco, along with social worker Leah Hamel, shared surprising insights into why cancer patients sometimes struggle to eat well despite their best efforts. They also offered guidance on how all of us can better navigate the path to healthier outcomes. Check out some highlights from the day!

19/06/2025

Leptomeningeal dissemination (LMD) occurs when tumor cells interact with choroid plexus epithelium (CPE) to gain access to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain’s meninges and ventricular system. Cancer cells send signals to the choroid plexus—specialized cells in the nervous system that support and protect neurons—tricking them into producing more of a brain chemical called GABA, a key energy source for cancer cells. Published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology, USC Norris members Drs. Josh Neman and Francis Chow, along with Dr. Diganta Das, a staff scientist in the Neman laboratory and first author on the study, found that by using primary choroid plexus cells, breast cancer cells, and patient-derived metastatic cells from breast and lung cancer, they could block a specific pathway called the STAT6-Bestrophin1-GABA axis. By inhibiting this axis, Dr. Neman and his team prevented the choroid plexus from fueling tumor cells. Additionally, they found that using a STAT6 inhibitor extended survival in preclinical models. Read the full publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39883056/.

17/06/2025

Prostate cancer risk is influenced by genetic differences people inherit from their parents. Thanks to a major grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Fei Chen, member of the USC Norris Cancer Epidemiology Program, will apply various statistical methods to detect genetic changes known as copy number variants (CNVs) that may increase the risk of prostate cancer, especially aggressive disease, in men of African and European ancestry. Since previous research hasn’t focused much on CNVs, this study could provide new insights into how they contribute to prostate cancer risk. This research could lead to the discovery of new genetic risk factors, improve our understanding of the disease, and improve the prediction of prostate cancer risk for people of different backgrounds.

13/06/2025

Congratulations to the three recipients of the Scientific Award at our 3rd annual Cancer Research Day.

Binu Jacob - Young Adults' Va**ng Cessation Discourse on TikTok

Reid Whaley - Interactions of processed meat and red meat intake with pathway-based polygenic risk scores for colorectal cancer: A novel approach for PRSs construction

Thomas Tilton - Single-Cell Analyses Reveal Metabolic Heterogeneity Between HPV+ and HPV- Head and Neck Cancer Tumor Microenvironments

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