IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

02/13/2026

Recognition for community impact, leadership and innovation.

The mobile lung screening program—a collaborative partnership between IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and IU Health—was recognized at the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Excellence in Health Care Awards this week for Outstanding Community Achievement, expanding access to lung cancer screenings across Indiana.

The awards program also honored two cancer center researchers: Jay Hess, MD, who received the Career Achievement Award for leadership, and D. Wade Clapp, MD, who received the Innovations in Health Care Award.

Congratulations to all those honored at this year's IBJ Excellence in Health Care Awards.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/e8OU50YcU8k.

The Indianapolis Business Journal honored several IU School of Medicine faculty, including Dean Jay L. Hess, for outstanding efforts to improve the health of people in Indiana.

02/12/2026

The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center has been awarded the grant from The Pfizer Foundation to expand access to timely ...

02/12/2026

Actor James Van Der Beek, star of the hit TV drama “Dawson’s Creek,” died at the age of 48 on Feb. 11. He announced in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer—one of many younger people to receive such a diagnosis. Colorectal cancer has long been linked to aging. But in recent years, more people under 50 are being diagnosed—and that trend is raising concern among researchers.

The cancer center's Douglas Rex, MD, an internationally recognized gastroenterologist who studies colorectal cancer screening and colonoscopy, shares answers to common questions about this shift.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/wiyb50Ye2ZS.

02/11/2026

For nearly 50 years, one tradition at IU has helped shape cancer doctors across the country.

The hematology-oncology fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine, founded by Lawrence Einhorn, MD—the physician who developed the cure for testicular cancer—has trained 180 oncologists since 1975. Graduates now work at top cancer centers nationwide, and many serve as leaders right here at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

From hands-on patient care to the long-standing journal club where fellows learn to dissect new research, the program gives future cancer doctors the tools they need to lead, discover and innovate.

Read the full story to learn how this fellowship continues to influence oncology worldwide: https://ow.ly/99Ne50XCaaZ.

Forever associated with the cure for testicular cancer, Lawrence Einhorn, MD, has also built another formidable legacy – training 50 years of IU oncologists.

02/10/2026

Did you know regular exercise can lower your risk of eight common types of cancer including breast, colon, lung, and kidney cancers?

Exercise helps regulate hormones, reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and support overall health. That’s why our MOVE (Multidisciplinary Oncology Vitality and Exercise) Program is here to help people at any stage of their cancer journey stay active and thrive.

One MOVE at a time, we can all take steps toward better health and cancer prevention.

Learn more about the MOVE Program here: https://ow.ly/ERok50XCLVU.

02/09/2026

How do cancer drugs get from an idea to helping patients?

At the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, a drug discovery initiative is helping researchers move promising cancer treatments from the lab toward clinical use. Since 2019, the program has supported more than 50 projects, including small molecules, cell therapies and new drug combinations.

Learn how this work is helping advance cancer research and future treatments: https://ow.ly/W7rn50Y9zVg.

At the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers are making progress toward cancer cures by moving drug discoverie...

02/08/2026

Hoosiers know teamwork wins games—and saves lives.

At the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, we bring that same team spirit to cancer research. Our researchers are leading hundreds of clinical trials, advancing pediatric cancer research, and powering discoveries that reach patients around the world.

As Indiana’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the state’s only member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, we’re setting the standard for cancer research nationwide.

This is IU vs. Cancer.

Learn more about how IU takes on cancer: https://ow.ly/4clu50XnMKw.

02/06/2026

A molecule once overlooked is now helping transform prostate cancer treatment, and IU played a major role.

Developed at Purdue University, Pluvicto is based on D**A, a molecule designed to target prostate cancer cells. Researchers from IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and Indiana University School of Medicine helped guide its development, including key clinical trials that supported FDA approval. The therapy delivers radiation directly to tumors while limiting harm to healthy tissue.

The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is now one of the nation’s highest-volume sites treating patients with Pluvicto and is leading studies exploring how to bring the therapy earlier in the disease.

Read the full story to learn how IU researchers helped bring this therapy to patients: https://ow.ly/vnSz50XC99k.

A molecule born in a Purdue University lab and tested at IU School of Medicine has become the backbone of a new generation of targeted radioligand drugs — saving lives, fueling a biotech boom and redefining what’s possible in oncology.

02/05/2026

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest five-year survival rate of any major cancer—largely because it's usually found late.

A researcher at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis identified biomarkers that could help improve early detection and better identify risk in patients with pancreatic cysts. This work lays important groundwork for future non-invasive screening tools.

Learn why early detection is critical and how this research could help change outcomes: https://ow.ly/Efb150Y4yul.

02/04/2026

Today is World Cancer Day—a day to raise awareness, inspire action and support everyone affected by cancer.

At IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, we’re working to reduce cancer’s impact through research, education and statewide outreach. From discovering new therapies to supporting early detection and prevention, our teams are dedicated to creating a future with less cancer.

Join us in recognizing World Cancer Day and supporting efforts that move cancer research forward.

02/03/2026

Cancer care is changing and it’s about more than chemotherapy or surgery.

The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is expanding supportive oncology efforts to help patients navigate every part of their cancer journey. From exercise and physical therapy to art therapy, mental health services, palliative care and survivorship support, these programs focus on the whole person.

The cancer center's Walther Center for Supportive Oncology is helping grow these services and advancing research to better understand what patients need most.

For patients like Judy Hetzel, a pancreatic cancer survivor, staying active and having the right support made a powerful difference in her recovery and quality of life.

Read the full story to learn how supportive oncology is improving care for people with cancer: https://ow.ly/pqZ450XC9l2.

Beyond medical treatments, caring for people on their cancer journeys is expanding to exercise, art therapy, psychology, acupuncture and much more.

02/02/2026

What if you could take steps today to lower your cancer risk?

This National Cancer Prevention Month, we're highlighting the cancers that can be prevented or found early—including breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer and more. Small choices, regular screenings and knowing your risk factors can make a big difference.

From to***co cessation and HPV vaccination to healthy habits and staying up to date on recommended screenings, you have tools to protect your health. Our researchers are also studying new ways to detect cancer earlier and understand who is most at risk.

Take a moment to learn the steps that can help reduce your risk and catch cancer early: https://ow.ly/2Gki50XCMqX.