SEATTLE – Nov. 4, 2025 – Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news.
November is the awareness month for lung and pancreatic cancers.If you’re working on stories related to these diseases,please reach out to media@fredhutch.org to connect with experts.
Watch an interview with Shannon M. Colohan, MD, a plastic reconstructive surgeon, about breast reconstruction surgery for breast cancer patients on YouTube.
Patient stories and advocacy
Taking an active role in your care
In celebration of October’s Health Literacy Month, Fred Hutch shares how care teams empower patients to make health care decisions. Gentry King, MD, Heath Literacy Program Manager Laura carr and Patient Navigator Andrea Suzuki share resources and advice for patients to advocate for themselves in clinical settings.
Media contact: Heather Platisha, hplatisha@fredhutch.org
Patient stories, provider advice mark invasive lobular breast cancer awareness event
Fred Hutch hosted a program in recognition of Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day featuring patient stories, insight from experts Hannah Linden, MD, and Christopher Li, MD, PhD, epidemiological findings and new developments in screening and clinical trials. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is a common subtype, making up 15% of new cases annually. The American Cancer Society released its first report on ILC’s occurrence and outcome, showing a steep rise in rates over the last several years.
Media contact: Heather Platisha,hplatisha@fredhutch.org
Lived experience matters: patient engagement improves cancer care, research
Recognizing the valuable insight of patients and caregivers, Brandelyn Be
Fred Hutch News: Recent Discoveries
Media contact: Heather Platisha, hplatisha@fredhutch.org
Basic sciences
brandeis University honors Fred Hutch molecular biologist Steven Henikoff, PhD, who won the 55th Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research for his innovative research in gene expression. Henikoff’s lab has developed precise methods to study how DNA is packaged with proteins, and a recent collaboration with Eric Holland, MD, PhD, holder of the Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology, uses his sequencing techniques to develop better cancer diagnostics and potential new therapies. About a third of past Rosenstiel recipients later won the Nobel Prize, including two of Fred Hutch’s Nobel laureates – linda Buck, PhD, and Lee Hartwell, PhD.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org
Frogs help Fred Hutch find the shape of small things
Human genetics greatly overlap with frogs, so much so that the species Xenopus laevis is a versatile model organism to study cells and embryonic progress.Structural biologist Yasuhiro Arimura, PhD, is using the molecular materials of frog eggs to make test tube chromosomes that look and behave like chromosomes formed naturally within a human cell.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org