Researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center report that a new approach to immunotherapy could overcome some of the challenges of treating ovarian cancer by leveraging the power of endogenous (host) T cells using engineered T cells to deliver bispecific T-cell engagers, commonly referred to as BiTEs — a trademarked term for a type of fusion protein. The research team believes this strategy could improve treatment outcomes in ovarian cancer, for which immunotherapy has been largely ineffective. Findings from their preclinical study lay the groundwork for a new approach to targeting folate receptor alpha (FR⍺), an antigen commonly present in epithelial ovarian cancer and associated with advanced disease, chemotherapy resistance and disease relapse.

Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are shedding light on how Body Mass Index (BMI) impacts treatment response, risk of recurrence and survival in patients with head and neck cancer. Their retrospective study, published late June in JAMA Network Open, found that head and neck cancer patients with an overweight BMI had better outcomes than those with a normal or obese BMI, including longer overall and progression-free survival and lower rates of locoregional failure — persistent or recurrent disease around the tumor site and in nearby lymph nodes. Sung Jun Ma, MD, former Department of Radiation Medicine resident at Roswell Park, is first author of the study.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named to the ranks of America’s Best Cancer Hospitals for 2023. It is the only Buffalo-area center included on the full list of 175 cancer hospitals across the country.