Special to UM News

Mohammad Jahanzeb

As a lung cancer clinician and researcher at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mohammad Jahanzeb, M.D., understands the importance of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC). “Survival rates for patients with advanced lung cancer have more than tripled in the past five years, thanks to new targeted strategies that go beyond traditional chemotherapy,” he says. “The research work of our colleagues at Sylvester—supported by the DCC—and elsewhere is really paying off.”

The medical director of Sylvester at Deerfield Beach and professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Jahanzeb will be riding his bike again in the DCC on Saturday, February 20, at Sun Life Stadium, helping to raise funds for Sylvester’s cancer research. This year, the DCC includes a variety of options, including cycling routes of various distances, taking part in a 5K run/walk or becoming a virtual participant.

“I’ve been participating in the DCC since the second year when my son Shameel convinced me to ride with him,” says Jahanzeb. “Along with supporting our research work, DCC participants enjoy the camaraderie of being part of Team Hurricanes, while getting some good, healthy exercise and inspiring cancer patients and their families. I encourage you to DCC with me!”

An international lecturer on breast and lung cancers, Jahanzeb has given more than 800 lectures and written or contributed to more than 150 scientific publications, book chapters, reviews, and abstracts. He is chair of the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Steering Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a board member and chair of the Continuing Medical Education Committee of the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology.

He conducts clinical trials for new medications and other treatments for lung and breast cancer patients. “We have been working with new compounds that can shut down pathways activated by mutated lung cancer cells,” he says. “This targeted approach can be more effective than chemotherapy, which kills healthy cells as well.”

Jahanzeb is also using therapies based on mobilizing the patient’s immune system against cancer cells. “Today, only about one-third of my patients undergoing active treatment are receiving traditional chemotherapy,” he says. “It’s an exciting time to be a lung cancer specialist because of the progress in our field.”

To learn more about the DCC, visit www.Teamhurricanes.org and watch the DCC with Me video.