By Amy E. Hamaker

Members of the Jonathan Club received a better understanding of the state of cancer in California and Los Angeles, and what the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is doing to combat it at their Breakfast Club Speaker Series meeting on September 11. 

Cancer Center Director Stephen Gruber reviewed the Cancer Center’s history and its overall impact on cancer prevention and control, gave information on cancer rates for men and women and for varying ethnicities in the Los Angeles area, examined hormonal effects on cancer, and explained how gene sequencing helps oncologists choose the right drug for individual patients. “Gene sequencing unlocks the key to cancer. The future [of cancer treatment] is in front of us,” he said, “and we’re only just now picking the low-hanging fruit.”