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BSW researcher co-authors paper in JAMA Oncology examining Hypofractionated Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) for non-small cell lung cancer patients

Concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy, known as chemoradiation, is a common treatment for locally advanced cancers. Adding concurrent chemotherapy can improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy but can also enhance the appearance of toxic side effects. This means that some cancer patients, especially those with comorbidities or poor health status, are ineligible for concurrent chemoradiation. Researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) are contributing to critical clinical trials to improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer patients, including those who are not eligible for concurrent chemoradiation.

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Translational research fuels discovery at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) is well known for its diverse research portfolio. The program actively maintains nearly 2,000 active and enrolling projects across more than 50 medical specialties each year, including initiatives supported by its translational research program. The program is focused on driving innovation by working with clinical teams across the Baylor Scott & White Health System to develop new medicines and diagnostic tests. The translational research team’s approach to discovery of “bench-to-bedside- and- back-to-bench” allows BSWRI to continue to be a major contributor to advancements in medical science.

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Baylor Scott & White researchers link allergy and achalasia

Achalasia is a serious motility disorder of the esophagus that impacts more than 5,000 people in the US each year. Patients with achalasia experience damage to muscle and nerve cells in the esophagus, resulting in a loss of the peristaltic activity that normally pushes food through the esophagus into the stomach, and failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax with swallowing, which further blocks the transit of food. Thus, achalasia patients experience severe swallowing difficulty that adversely impacts their quality of life. Because the etiology of achalasia is not known, current therapies do not cure the disease and only address its symptoms. Exciting new research from Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) shows that LES muscle in achalasia exhibits profound mast cell degranulation, a hallmark of allergy-induced inflammation. This work adds support to the novel hypothesis developed by BSWRI researchers that achalasia might be an allergic disorder.  

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The transplant specialists on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute at Baylor University Medical Center – Dallas and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth deliver quality, advanced care for patients with end-stage liver disease, end-stage renal disease, hepatobiliary and pancreaticobiliary disease, as well as patients with chronic pancreatitis. 

Our goal is to deliver the best organ transplant experience, by providing carefully selected organs to our patients in the shortest possible time. A multidisciplinary environment allows us to access and utilize innovative technology and research for our patients with complicated cases of liver and kidney disease and those with chronic pancreatitis. Our expert medical and surgical teams work with empathy, sensitivity and compassion to restore meaningful life to as many patients as possible.

As a referring physician, provider or colleague, you play an integral role in our mission. Through this abdominal transplant newsletter, we provide an update on our new alcohol-associated liver disease program, our advancements in the use of robotic technology for transplant surgery, innovative research for islet cell transplantation, an assessment of liver acquisition costs and summary of two events held by our program this past spring. We’re excited about all that is happening for patients in our program, and appreciate your support.

Please let us know how we can be of service to you and your patients, or if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Giuliano Testa, MD, MBA, FACS
Chairman and Chief of Abdominal Transplantation,
Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute