News

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute welcomes Paige Aiello, M.D. , breast surgeon and member of the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) at Karmanos. Not only does Dr. Aiello specialize in the surgical removal of breast cancer, but she also adds to the multidisciplinary team with a specialization in axillary lymph node surgery. She began seeing patients at the Karmanos locations in Detroit, Dearborn, Farmington Hills, and Roseville in July 2025. “The diagnosis of breast cancer in itself can b...

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute welcomed one new leader and appointed two seasoned leaders in 2025: Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D., Elizabeth Cunningham, MS, CCRP, and Benjamin Herring, MA. Deputy Center Director of Research Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D., has joined Karmanos as the new deputy center director of Research and a tenured professor of research at Wayne State University. With over 25 years in research education, Dr. Atfi’s research interests are uncovering the molecular mechanisms that drive pancreati...

With less than 60 days in her new job, Lisa Whitmore Davis found herself in the emergency room. It was a medical mystery. At the time, she was a 57-year-old healthy woman living her life full of travel, fun and family. But that time was unexpectedly interrupted when, in August 2023, she began experiencing severe chest pain and struggled to breathe. While having trouble breathing on the phone, her daughter, Allantѐ, suggested that Whitmore Davis go straight to urgent care. When she arrived, the staff rec...

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University present the annual Head and Neck Cancer Symposium on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Detroit Marriott Troy (200 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, Michigan). This year’s symposium features two guest speakers. Robert Haddad, M.D. , professor of Medicine, chief of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology, McGraw Chair in Head and Neck Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, will deli...

"If someone comes to Karmanos first and then goes to get a second opinion, they’re going to come back to Karmanos." Terrell Thomas has always been a positive person. ‘Extraordinarily positive’ by his own declaration. Thomas’s positive outlook early on carried him through law school and practice. He became a fitness instructor after losing more than 100 pounds. However, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to undergo treatment in early 2022. Thomas’s diagnosis came as a surprise, but not necessa...

Leslie Cameron Devereaux was born on Oct. 2, 1942, to Adelyn Brockway and Richard (Dick) C. Devereaux. She spent summers and winters at the family vacation home on the Au Sable River, where she first developed a deep love and appreciation of nature and wildlife. Devereaux attended Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. As a graduation present, her parents sent Devereaux and a cousin to Europe, where she contracted...

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute , cancer centers, and other organizations nationwide recognize October as Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Worldwide, liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer around the world each year. Here in the U.S., over 42,200 new cases of liver cancer are estimated to occur in 2025. Since 1980, the diagnosis of this disease has tripled, and death rates have doubled,...

Hour Detroit’s 2025 Top Docs List  is out; over 80 physicians from the  Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute  are listed. This year’s magazine also features a Karmanos physician on the cover. Each year, Hour Detroit Magazine puts out an online peer-to-peer review survey conducted by Professional Research Services (PRS) to determine the top physicians in southeastern Michigan. Participating physicians in Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties nominate the best doctors ...

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute , cancer centers, and other organizations nationwide recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer affects more women each year than any other cancer, making up about 30% of cancer diagnoses among females each year. Breast Cancer Facts and Figures There are more than 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. The relative five-year survival rate is 91%. Women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast can...

Many myths surround clinical trials and their potential risks and benefits. Below, I answer some common questions to combat myths with facts to help illustrate the importance and potential benefits for patients considering participating in cancer clinical trials. What are clinical trials? Clinical trials are research studies that involve humans who volunteer to evaluate new treatments, drugs, vaccines, medical devices, behavioral interventions, or screenings. They are the best approach to discovering wh...