Fred Hutch

03/04/2026

Follicular lymphoma, a common and usually slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has long been deemed incurable: Though the disease responds well to initial treatment, oncologists tell patients to expect it to come back. New findings from a 15-year follow-up analysis of clinical trial patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) could upend that prediction, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology.

Scientists at SWOG, Fred Hutch Cancer Center and the University of Rochester Medical Center looked at outcomes from FL patients who had received chemoimmunotherapy: a standard chemotherapy regimen (known as CHOP) plus an antibody-based immunotherapy (either CHOP plus rituximab or CHOP plus a radio-labelled antibody). Applying cure modeling to the 15 years-worth of follow-up data, the investigators showed a cure rate of 42% in the total population of trial participants.

The new findings could inform discussions with patients newly diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, said Fred Hutch lymphoma expert Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, who is the paper’s first author.

The current work analyzed data from 532 patients who enrolled in a SWOG trial initiated in 2001 by the late Fred Hutch lymphoma physician-scientist Dr. Oliver "Ollie" Press.

The current analysis is the latest of multiple scientific papers to come out of the trial, initiated by Press, who mentored Shadman. He pioneered the development and use of radio-labeled antibodies, which help focus cancer-killing radiation in tumors, for lymphoma treatment. More than a decade later, the trial Press conducted is still providing insights that could improve patient care and future lymphoma research.

“It’s a wonderful testament to Ollie and his vision,” Shadman said.

Tap the link comments to read more.

03/02/2026

Colon cancer is preventable, and early action is key.
If you’re 45+, or have a family history of , now is the time to schedule your screening.
Under 45? Dr. Rachel Issaka shares practical tips to lower your risk and stay ahead of the disease.

03/02/2026

Fred Hutch is proud to announce that Dr. Holly Harris has been named the inaugural Bus Family Endowed Chair, a role made possible through the generous support of Dick and Melinda Bus. This endowed chair will advance critical research in gynecologic and breast cancers, areas of women’s health that remain historically underfunded.

“Gynecological health is ever present,” Harris said. “What I really want from my research [career] is for everybody to have a high quality of life, and to live their lives to the fullest.”

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/46vcKH0

Fred Hutch Cancer Center recently celebrated the Bus Family Endowed Chair, made possible by a generous gift from Dick and Melinda Bus of Burien, Wash. Holly Harris, MPH, ScD, was recently announced as the inaugural holder of this endowed chair that will...

03/01/2026

You are invited to High Five to HIPEC: Finding Hope and Health with Peritoneal Cancer, a free virtual event hosted by Fred Hutch Cancer Center in partnership with the Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (ACPMP) Research Foundation and Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) Pals. This event is for people affected by peritoneal cancers – patients, survivors and caregivers.

📅 Saturday, March 28, 2026
⏰ 9 a.m. PDT
💻 Virtual via Zoom

Visit the link in comments to register.

02/28/2026

Meet the research duo bringing both clinical experience and epidemiology expertise to women’s health.
Dr. Naoko Sasamoto and Dr. Holly Harris share how their complementary backgrounds and genuine support for each other fuel new ideas and meaningful scientific impact.

02/27/2026

Deadlines for our summer high school programs are fast approaching! Learn more via the link in the comments 👇

02/26/2026

Fred Hutch is pleased to announce the 12 recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which honors the exceptional achievements of graduate students in the biological sciences.

Representing research institutions across the United States, this year’s award recipients explored a range of scientific topics including tumor metabolism, sensory reception and DNA replication.

“These awardees stood out for their scientific originality, rigor and dedication to asking important scientific questions. They reflect the strength and promise of the next generation of scientific leaders,” said Jihong Bai, PhD, a professor in Fred Hutch’s Basic Sciences Division and director of the Weintraub awards committee. He added, “Their achievements remind us of the enduring and inspiring power of science.”

Award recipients will be honored at the Weintraub Symposium on Friday, May 1 at Fred Hutch.

The namesake award honors Dr. Harold “Hal” Weintraub, a molecular biologist who helped establish Fred Hutch’s Basic Sciences Division and died of brain cancer in 1995. Now in its 27th year, the award has supported 361 graduate students across the world.

02/25/2026

“The Mobile Mammogram Vans operate like a full-on clinic — they’re just on wheels,” said Le Ann Yoder, the Mobile Mammography operations and administrative manager.

The vans are equipped with the same 3D mammography technology as our clinics, with the same technologists and patient access coordinators (PACs) assisting patients. And, just like for mammograms that are completed at our clinic locations without wheels, UW Medicine radiologists review patients’ images and consult with them if any follow-up is needed.

The Mammogram Van travels to neighborhood locations all over the greater Seattle area, making it fast and convenient to get the preventative care you need. Call 206.606.7800 to schedule.

02/24/2026

Fiber plays a huge role in cancer risk reduction. What are your favorite ways to incorporate fiber in your diet? Let us know in the comments below 🍎 🥦 🥭

02/23/2026

Great event last week with our partners the Boston Museum of Science and the Raw Science Film Festival for the Lee & Nile Albright Annual Symposium and screening of our documentary The End of HIV: The Journey to a Vaccine, held in the iconic Mugar Omni Theater.

We were honored to welcome special guests Dr. Anthony Fauci as well Dr. Larry Corey for an inspiring evening of conversation, connection, and shared commitment to ending HIV.

02/23/2026

Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists are working toward a drinkable foam that may one day help patients with esophageal cancer maintain their quality of life. Still in preclinical tests, the foam has been designed to concentrate a cancer-killing gene therapy at tumors that narrow the esophagus and restrict swallowing and eating.

The work was published in Gene Therapy. The goal is to open the esophagus “and make sure the patient can keep eating or keep swallowing and — most important — also avoid a feeding tube as long as possible,” said Fred Hutch bioengineer Dr. Matthias Stephan, who is leading the drinkable foam development.

Esophageal cancer is usually detected at a late, hard-to-treat stage. If successful, Stephan’s foam could be used to reduce doses of radiation therapy or delay a high-risk surgery.

The drinkable foam is one potential use for an easy-to-use foam Stephan and his team have created to make it easier, faster and cheaper to deliver various cancer treatments and gene therapies. The idea is to design “something that could easily be applied, where essentially you could do it at home if you wanted to,” Stephan said.

He and his team mixed their biodegradable, cellulose-based foam with RNA liposomes that can be absorbed by cells, which then use the RNA as a blueprint for making an FDA-approved cell-killing compound. The idea is that the foam will collect at the tumor, which will absorb the seeds of its own demise. The foam-RNA mixture is non-toxic and any foam that slips past the esophagus-clogging tumor will degrade in the stomach.

To test their foam, Stephan’s team built a lab-based esophagus model, complete with regular pumps of a commercially available saliva-like solution to mimic swallowing. When they tested the foam against esophageal cancer tissue, they found that foam-suspended, toxin-encoding RNA liposomes suspended were 110% more effective than the same liposomes mixed with liquid. In preclinical tests, the foam also amped up the effects of radiation therapy.