LOS ANGELES (June 6, 2025) —
Breast Cancer Tool Accurately Predicts Patient Survival
Newswise — Cedars-Sinai investigators have found that the latest version of a decision-making online tool developed to help physicians predict breast cancer patient survival is accurate for most U.S. patients. The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, concluded that PREDICT Breast version 3 outperformed other available tools, but was less accurate in some patient groups.
Previous versions of the tool, including the original version developed with Paul Pharoah, MD, PhD, professor of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai and a co-author of the new study, were validated in cases from multiple countries. Version 3, however, had only been validated in cases from the United Kingdom, where it was created.
“Our team developed the original version of PREDICT Breast, a widely adopted tool that assists clinicians in predicting patient outcomes and helping stratify therapy to reduce unnecessary treatments and potential accompanying side effects,” said Pei-Chen Peng, PhD, assistant professor of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study. “In this study we found that the latest version of the tool accurately predicts 10- and 15-year survival for U.S. patients. However, it is less accurate in non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic Asian women than in white women. This points to the value of validating clinical tools across multiple populations to promote more equitable and evidence-based oncology.”
Additional authors include Yi-Wen Hsiao, PhD, and Gordon C. Wishart, MD.
Funding: This research was supported by the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center through the 2024 Cancer
Prevention and Control Program Research Developmental Funds Award.
Preclinical Study: Drug Reverses Heart Failure
A drug known as TY1 reversed a major type of heart failure in laboratory mice, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Basic Research in Cardiology, uncovered a potential way to combat a common disorder that has few treatment options and no known cure.
The disorder, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is a chronic condition in which the heart muscle gradually becomes too stiff to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Investigators administered TY1, a synthetic version of an RNA that helps reduce inflammation, to laboratory mice with HFpEF. The data showed that both injection and oral administration of the drug were effective in reversing the cardiac and systemic manifestations of HFpEF, which include inflammation.
“While our findings were limited to laboratory mice, they indicated that synthetic RNA may offer a viable path toward developing urgently needed drugs to treat this disabling and life-threatening type of heart failure in patients,” said Ahmed Ibrahim, PhD, assistant professor of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai. He is the study’s corresponding author and co-senior author along with Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, the Mark Siegel Family Foundation Distinguished Chair and executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
Other authors: Kazutaka Miyamoto and Xaviar M. Jones (co-first authors); and Shukuro Yamaguchi, Alessandra Ciullo, Chang Li, Joshua Godoy Coto, Kara Tsi, Jessica Anderson and Ashley Morris.
Funding: This work was supported by grants to EM and AGI from the NIH Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL124074, R01 HL142579 respectively), HL155346 (EM), NIH T32 HL116273 and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM DISC2-13009; EM).
Disclosure: EM owns founder’s equity, and AGI owns stock, in Capricor Therapeutics, a company with no licensing rights to TY1 or related discoveries.
Cedars-Sinai Case Study: Advanced Technology Creates Images of Spinal Fracture
An advanced scanning technology that generates detailed imaging of body tissues without the use of ionizing radiation has been successfully applied to manage treatment and surgery for a pediatric spinal fracture, according to a case study from Cedars-Sinai.
Investigators used the technology to help guide a minimally invasive surgery on a 14-year-old boy with pediatric spondylolysis, a common type of stress fracture that occurs in the lower spine of adolescent athletes. After three months, follow-up imaging showed complete healing of the fracture. The study was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
The technology, called MRI-generated synthetic CT, creates synthetic computed tomography (CT) images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. This process produces detailed imaging of both bone and soft tissue without exposing the patient to ionizing radiation, which is required to conduct a traditional CT scan.
“Our research is the first documented use of this imaging innovation to evaluate pediatric spines,” said Kenneth D. Illingworth, MD, director, Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma in the Department of Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. “Given the young age of these patients, it is especially important to minimize ionizing radiation exposure. We envision this imaging technology as the future standard of care for most pediatric spinal conditions.”
Other Cedars-Sinai authors include Suhas K. Etigunta, BS; Andy M. Liu, BS; Christopher Watterson, MD; and David L. Skaggs, MD, MMM.
Other authors include George Michael, BS, BA.
Broken Heart Syndrome Survivors Could Be at Risk for Recurrence
Nearly 1 in 5 patients who experience the rare heart condition called Takotsubo syndrome will experience it again, a new Cedars-Sinai study shows.
Takotsubo syndrome, also known as broken heart syndrome, occurs when severe emotional or physical stress triggers a biological process that weakens the heart. Although it is a temporary condition that can last weeks or months, recurrence can further weaken the heart.
The findings are published in the journal JACC: Advances.
Investigators reviewed data from 88 patients in the Smidt Heart Institute Takotsubo Registry at Cedars-Sinai, which collects information from patients who survived Takotsubo syndrome. The investigators found that 17% had a recurrent event and these recurrent episodes happened a median of 3.3 years after the first event.
Although considered a rare condition, Takotsubo incidence has been rising steadily and appears to be more common in women, according to previous research at Cedars-Sinai.
“This study underscores the importance of tracking individuals who had Takotsubo syndrome,” said senior and corresponding author C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center in the Smidt Heart Institute. “We need more research to understand what factors might cause a recurrent episode and to counsel patients on how to reduce their risk of recurrence.”
Other Cedars-Sinai authors include Paul Marano, MD; Jenna Maughan, BA; Okezi Obrutu, MBBS, MPH; Marie Lauzon, MS; Benita Tjoe, MD; Prizzi Moy, BA; Natalie Rojas, AA; and Janet Wei, MD.
Other authors include: Romana Herscovici, MD; Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, MS; Thomas Rutledge, PhD.
This research was supported by R01HL124649, U54 AG065141, the Edythe L. Broad and the Constance Austin Women’s Heart Research Fellowships, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, the Barbra Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, the Erika Glazer Women’s Heart Health Project, the Adelson Family Foundation, and the Chester and Susan Zerlin Family Charitable Fund, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
Disclosures: Dr. Bairey Merz has a relationship with SNL Telemedicine and iRhythm. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
Gene Therapy Alleviates Heart Failure in Preclinical Study
A potential new gene therapy reduces stiffening of the heart muscle and irregular heartbeats in laboratory mice with a common type of heart failure, according to investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. Their research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
“Our findings open a new therapeutic approach for a type of heart failure that is difficult to treat using conventional drugs,” said Eugenio Cingolani, MD, director of Cardiogenetics and Preclinical Research in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study.
The team discovered that a protein called FoxO1 contributes to impaired communication between heart muscle cells and cells that cause heart stiffening, known as cardiac fibrosis.
Investigators tailored a gene therapy strategy to suppress FoxO1 signaling and administered it to laboratory mice. This reduced the fibrosis and irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias, that are associated with what is known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This condition, in which the heart pumps out blood normally but is too stiff to fill properly, is the most common type of heart failure.
“Having identified that FoxO1 is upregulated in HFpEF animals, leading to fibrosis, brings new opportunities to also understand the mechanisms of arrhythmias in this condition,” said Thassio Mesquita, PhD, assistant professor of Cardiology and first author of the study.
Additional Cedars-Sinai authors: Thassio Mesquita, Rodrigo Miguel-dos-Santos, Weixin Liu, Mario Fournier, Russell G. Rogers, Jocelyn Alfaro, Asma Nawaz, Lizbeth Sanchez, Xaviar M. Jones, Liang Li and Eduardo Marbán.
Funding: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01 HL135866 and R01 HL147570 to E.C. and R01 HL155346 to E.M.), the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program of the US Department of Defense (PR150620 to E.C. and E.M.), the American Heart Association (Career Development Award: 940033 and Innovative Project Award: 24IPA1275047 to T.M.), California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CLIN1-14874 to E.C., DISC2-13009 to E.M. and EDUC4-12751 to R.M.S.), and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors. E.M. holds the Mark S. Siegel Foundation Distinguished Chair of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Cedars-Sinai Pharmacist-Led Clinics Reduce Medication Use
A specialized clinic developed for patients who regularly take multiple medications was associated with a reduction in use of potentially inappropriate and high-risk drugs, a Cedars-Sinai observational study led by pharmacists found.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports, examined patients with polypharmacy, defined as taking five or more medications on a regular basis. Older adults who have multiple chronic conditions are often subjects of polypharmacy, with associated higher risks of mortality, falls, fractures, motor vehicle accidents, hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
Moreover, “the unintended consequences of polypharmacy can include adverse drug reactions, drug-to-drug interactions and decreased medication adherence,” said Nicha Tantipinichwong, PharmD, clinical geriatric pharmacist at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study.
In this study investigators, reviewed charts of 66 older adult patients who were seen at the Cedars-Sinai Geriatrics Polypharmacy Clinic in November and December of 2022. At these consultations, pharmacists reviewed the patient’s prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, educated the patient and caregivers about the drugs, and made recommendations to the patient and referring physician. Following the polypharmacy clinic visit, the number of patients using potentially inappropriate medications decreased by 28%. Patients using drugs with strong anticholinergic properties, which can increase fall risk, impair cognition and pose other health risks, decreased by 54%. The accuracy of the patients’ medication lists also improved.
The other Cedars-Sinai author is Michelle S. Keller, PhD.
Preclinical Study: Preventing Chemotherapy-Related Liver Injury
In a preclinical study in the peer-reviewed journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cedars-Sinai investigators found that a widely available health supplement could prevent liver injury in colorectal cancer patients.
When colorectal cancer spreads to the liver, the chemotherapy combination known as FOLFOX can shrink tumors so that they can be surgically removed. But in some patients FOLFOX injures the liver, making surgery impossible. Cedars-Sinai investigators found that a supplement commonly called SAMe can prevent injury, thus making patients candidates for the surgery that can extend their lives.
“We found that the common dietary supplement S-adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, appears to prevent FOLFOX-related liver injury,” said Shelly Lu, MD, director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study. “Given the well-established safety profile of SAMe, we are working to confirm our findings in the hope of improving patient outcomes.”
Additional authors include Alexandra Gangi, Tony WH Li, Youngyi Lim, Swati Chandla, Andrea Floris, Arash Khangholi, and Maria Lauda Tomasi.
Funding: This work was supported by DoD grant DoD/W81XWH-21-1-0375 (A Gangi) and NIH grant P01CA233452 (ML Tomasi and SC Lu).
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