Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) ranks sixth in cancer mortality in the world and its incidence has risen dramatically in the western population over the last decades. Data presented herein strongly suggest that Notch signaling is critical for EAC and underlies resistance to chemotherapy. We present evidence that Notch signaling drives a cancer stem cell phenotype by regulating genes that establish stemness. Using patient derived xenograft models we demonstrate that inhibition of Notch by gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSI) is efficacious in downsizing tumor growth. Moreover, we demonstrate that Notch activity in a patient’s EUS-derived biopsy might predict outcome to chemotherapy. Therefore, this study provides a proof of concept that inhibition of Notch activity will have efficacy in treating EAC, offering a rationale to lay the foundation for a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of GSI in EAC treatment.

When Jim, an avid cyclist, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, he was referred to Penn Medicine for his care.

After his surgery, Jim received radiation therapy at Penn Medicine Valley Forge.

“The treatments were relatively smooth sailing, and the staff was great,” says Jim. “I am nearly bald, but I was told that I might suffer some hair loss, and my only question was ‘How would I know?’”

Now, nearly two years after his journey with cancer started, Jim remains cancer-free and is still cycling like a champ.

“I can’t say enough about the Abramson Cancer Center,” says Jim. “My surgeon Dr. O’Malley, my oncologist, Dr. Chip Staddon at Penn Medicine at Radnor, and Dr. Geoffrey Geiger at both the Valley Forge and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine always put me as a person in front of me as a patient. Plus the staff at all locations have been phenomenal.”

Jim adds, “I want my story to give others hope.”

About Penn Radiation Oncology at Valley Forge

The Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine Valley Forge brings the expertise and prominence of one of the nation’s leading cancer centers to Chester County – including the most advanced treatment, groundbreaking research and the compassionate care of leading experts.

Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center at Valley Forge offers patients:

• World-class cancer experts right in your community
• 15 consultative exam rooms
• Chemotherapy and innovative medical oncology treatments
• State-of-the-art True Beam™ linear accelerator for radiation oncology
• Consultative surgical services in some specialties
• On-site laboratory and pharmacy services
• Access to the latest clinical trials and research, as well as cutting edge treatments like proton therapy – the most advanced and precise form of radiation therapy in the world.

Penn Radiation Oncologists in Valley Forge 

At Penn Medicine, we don’t just treat cancer, we treat your cancer. And, if you need radiation treatment, rest assured. Whichever of our eight locations you choose, whether it’s downtown or close to home, you get the same Penn doctors. Same Penn evaluation team. All part of Penn Medicine.

We work with you to understand who you are, how you live and even help you find locations close to where you live to create the most personalized treatment plan that considers every radiation option available today. Some, like proton therapy, are found only at Penn.

Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology Locations

If Valley Forge is not convenient to you, you can still receive radiation therapy at one of our other radiation oncology locations listed below:

• Penn Radiation Oncology Chester County Hospital
• Penn Radiation Oncology Chestnut Hill
• Penn Radiation Oncology Doylestown
• Penn Radiation Oncology Kennett Square
• Penn Radiation Oncology Pennsylvania Hospital
• Penn Radiation Oncology Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
• Penn Radiation Oncology Radnor

At 23, Megan Dychala was a former college soccer player who thought her nagging knee pain was a result of old injuries. She was young, active, and enjoying all that life had to offer her. But, in October, 2013 she got a phone call that would change her life.

Megan’s ongoing knee pain was in fact a tumor behind her knee. One day she was healthy and the next she was faced with a rare and aggressive cancer. Although statistics were against Megan, she knew she wouldn’t let anything happen without a fight.

Luckily Megan found Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center and Kristy Weber, MD. While other hospitals said that amputation was her only chance for survival, Dr. Weber knew she could do better – treating Megan’s cancer, but also ensuring a good quality of life after treatment.

“My medical team worked with me to develop an aggressive treatment plan that included five and a half weeks of daily radiation followed by an intense surgery. Dr. Stephen Hahn was my rockstar of a radiation oncologist and took care of me every step of the way,” says Megan.

About Penn Radiation Oncology at Pennsylvania Hospital

Pennsylvania Hospital

• Complete evaluation, treatment and follow-up care for patients with cancer whose disease can be effectively treated with radiation, as well as patients with benign (non-cancerous) diseases
• Offers advanced treatment options including Gamma Knife®, CyberKnife®, Brachytherapy, and evaluation for Proton Therapy
• Home to one of the only bloodless medicine and surgery programs on the East Coast
• Expert care from physicians of every subspecialty to provide patients with personalized treatment plans

About Penn Radiation Oncology at The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine

The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine

• Expert care from physicians of every subspecialty to provide patients with personalized treatment plans
• Home to Roberts Proton Therapy Center, the most advanced form of radiation therapy
• Provides patients effective communication, mutual understanding and a solid foundation for personal support

Other Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology Locations

If Center City is not convenient to you, you can still receive radiation therapy at one of our other radiation oncology locations listed below:

• Penn Radiation Oncology Chestnut Hill
• Penn Radiation Oncology Chester County Hospital
• Penn Radiation Oncology Kennett Square
• Penn Radiation Oncology Radnor
• Penn Radiation Oncology Valley Forge

Jacob Riley-Wasserman has an eye for the interesting and unusual.

After completing his studies in furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design, Jacob planned to start a graduate program at New York University when he began having difficulty swallowing. He was only 22.

“I had an endoscopy at Penn Medicine that summer, and went back to New York to begin to prepare for grad school,” Jacob remembers. “It was just before I was to start school again that I learned I had esophageal cancer.”

Jacob returned to his home in New Jersey to receive proton therapy and chemotherapy at Penn Medicine.

It was at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center where Jacob became fascinated by the treatment process. “I was amazed that this beam of proton radiation was hitting my tumor without radiating to other areas of my body,” says Jacob.

As a designer and artist, Jacob was especially drawn to the compensator blocks used to direct the proton beam to the treatment area.

“Compensator blocks are custom made to fit the patient and their particular tumor,” says Jim Metz, MD, vice chair of radiation oncology at Penn. “Before proton therapy begins, the blocks are created based on scans of the patient’s anatomy and tumor site. Each time they come in for therapy, the compensator blocks are placed in the beam line to shape the distribution of protons over the target area while sparing exposure to normal tissue.”

Jacob was so fascinated with the compensator block, he asked to take his home. Then, he had another idea.

“I thought it would be a cool thing to start offering to patients,” says Jacob. “So we are beginning a program in which patients take their blocks home after a small donation is made to patient education at the Abramson Cancer Center.”

Today, Jacob’s tumor in his esophagus is gone, but he is still undergoing treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center.

While on leave from school, he is staying busy in his workshop.

His most successful design is the Star Spangled Spatula. Crafted of solid walnut and stainless steel, the over-sized grilling spatula has been highlighted in national publications like the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and Fast Company. Jacob licensed it with New York based firm, Areaware, and it has been sold across the country in home stores including Williams Sonoma, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and shops in some of the nation’s prominent museums. There’s also a smaller vinyl version for kitchen use.

With the spatula’s popularity, Jacob has decided to donate a portion of the percentage he receives from its sale to the Abramson Cancer Center.

“My cancer diagnosis has been a huge blow but I’ve been trying to keep as busy as possible,” he says. “I like to be working and make stuff. I work with my hands. This has been my opportunity to be on top of that. I don’t just have cancer, get treatment, and sit at home. I’ve been using this as an opportunity to create –  the perspective on that is interesting.”

To purchase a Star Spangled Spatula, or to learn more about Jacob, visit www.flip4cancer.com

Even with an excellent chance of being cured, teenagers with cancer face myriad emotional, educational and social concerns, especially missing out on activities and losing friends who can’t cope with cancer in a contemporary.