November 5, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Revolutionary Immunotherapy: Dr. O’Day Tackles T-cells at Providence Saint John’s

By Staff Writer

Steven J. O’Day, MD is the Professor of Medical Oncology and the Director of Immuno-Oncology and Clinical Research at The John Wayne Cancer Institute and Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Through his work at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center, Dr. O’Day has revolutionized how melanoma is treated around the world. He has begun applying that same treatment to other cancers in hopes of making as big of an impact on solid tumor treatments as he has done with his work in melanoma.

“We are going through a revolution in the treatment of cancer around the field of the Immunotherapy, using the immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapy has absolutely revolutionized the treatment of melanoma, but even more importantly, other cancers are benefitting from what we have learned from treating melanoma,” said Dr. O’Day. “We’re now able to harness the immune system’s T-cells, which are cells in the immune system that normally protect us from cancer.”

Dr. O’Day explained that new treatments for melanoma involve giving patients intravenous T-cell antibodies to reinvigorate T-cells that have been exhausted or rendered inactive by a cancer, bringing them back into a working state.

This treatment has resulted in a long-term benefit for 50 and 60 percent of melanoma patients, and has been approved for use in the treatment of lung, bladder, kidney, head, neck, and other cancers. The more the treatment is refined, the success rate will steadily approach that of its efficacy against melanoma.

“At the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s, we’ve been a worldwide leader in the research into the immune system and cancer,” said Dr. O’Day. “It’s really a revolutionary time. In some disease, we are using immunotherapy before chemotherapy and reserving chemotherapy when immunotherapy doesn’t work said Dr. O’Day. Immunotherapy has different side effects and toxicities that are often better tolerated then the side effects of chemotherapy.

Dr. O’Day has been practicing at Providence Saint John’s for more than 20 years “It’s been very gratifying to see the success in melanoma, and now I spend a lot of time educating doctors around the world how to use these drugs not only on melanoma but other malignancies,” said Dr. O’Day.

Aside from his work in immunotherapy, additionally, Dr. O’Day works with the team at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in researching and developing new treatments, through clinical research and laboratory research.

Through clinical research, the staff at the John Wayne Cancer Institute runs clinical trials, testing the efficacy of newly developed treatments against a control group of patients. Laboratory research involves analyzing tissue and blood samples from patients with specific responses to new treatments in order to analyze what in the treatment caused that particular result.

Grants from the federal government, private foundations and philanthropic donations all support the cutting-edge and high level of research that defines the work being done at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.

Steve J. O’Day, M.D. works with the team at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Photo: Providence Saint John’s.
Related Posts

The Willows: 30 Years Going Strong

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational...

Election Day Freebies and Discounts: Where to Eat, Drink, and Watch Election Results

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

From Free Doughnuts To Watch Parties, How To Unwind With Election Night Deals With this election day being one of...

Early Morning Call From Community Leads to Burglary Arrest in Culver City

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Police Respond To Suspicious Activity Call, Arrest Suspect With Pickaxe Culver City police arrested a man early Friday morning in...

Culver City Police Department is Prepared to Ensure Community Safety During Election Week

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Enhanced Patrols, Activated Emergency Center Ready, Culver City Voting Center is Open The Culver City Police Department has announced an...

Legendary Music Icon Quincy Jones Dies at 91 in Bel Air

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Celebrated Musician, Producer Leaves an Indelible Legacy By Dolores Quintana Legendary musician, music producer, film and television producer, composer of...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Lays Off Longtime Archive and Library Staff

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Downsizing and Restructuring Continue, Affecting Employees with Decades of Service By Dolores Quintana Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture...

LA County Opens 526 New Vote Centers for Early Voting, Announces Conditional Voting for Unregistered Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro LA Offers Free Rides on Election Day to Help Residents Get to the Polls Los Angeles County opened an...

New Aviation/Century Station Opens, Linking Metro’s C and K Lines

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro’s Newest Station Paves the Way for Future LAX Transit Center The new Aviation/Century Station officially opened this week, marking...

H5N1 Detected in LA County Wastewater, Health Officials Urge Precautions for Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Los Angeles County Investigates Low-Level H5 Avian Flu Detected in Wastewater The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is...

Two Events in Culver City This Weekend: Bike Registration and Dance Performance

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Put the Brakes on Bicycle Theft and Enjoy an Evening of Dance and Interactive Art The Culver City Police Department...

All You Need to Know to Attend the Dodgers Victory Parade Tomorrow in DTLA

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

World Champions and LA’s Team to Greet Angelenos After Win of NY Yankees The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their...

Beverly Hills City Government Agrees to a Stipulated Judgment After Blocking Abortion Clinic Opening

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

City to Implement Training, Oversight on Reproductive Rights Following Legal Settlement  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a legal agreement...

Dia De Los Muertos 2024: Here’s Where To Celebrate The Holiday Tradition This Weekend

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Los Angeles Has a Variety of Ways to Explore Latino Culture and Honor Ancestors Starting just after Halloween, Dia de...

(Video) Downtown L.A. Reacts to World Series Victory

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Dodgers Are World Series Champs For The Eighth Time https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFtyDDKn/

Halloween Pre-Game Party Brings Chills and Spooky Thrills to The Rose Venice

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Enjoy Halloween With Festive Cocktails, Appetizers, and a Costume Contest The Rose Venice in Venice is set to host a...