News & Media
Highlights
2025
De-escalation Perils in Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Dr. Woodward co-authored this perspective article on the risks of de-escalating treatment in IBC. The piece urges caution when applying de-escalation strategies to IBC patients, highlighting the danger of undertreatment in a disease with uniquely aggressive biology. JAMA Network Open, March 2025
TRIUMPH-IBC: Transforming Research Insights into Progress & Hope for IBC
In March 2025, Dr. Wendy Woodward and Dr. Bisrat Debeb were awarded a $4 million Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavors (Accelerator) grant through the MD Anderson–UT Austin Strategic Collaboration.
Their project, TRIUMPH-IBC, will develop novel protein-based therapeutics for inflammatory and triple-negative breast cancers, leveraging clinical insights and cutting-edge protein engineering and machine learning.
2024
Development of a multi-institutional dataset to validate a novel inflammatory breast cancer diagnostic score
A multi-institutional team led by Dr. Filipa Lynce and Dr. Wendy Woodward published a key study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute validating a new inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) diagnostic scoring system. The tool, now available through Susan G. Komen, aims to improve diagnostic consistency and accelerate timely treatment. Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Inflammatory breast cancer: 14 things to know
In this comprehensive article, Dr. Wendy Woodward addresses common questions about IBC, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. She emphasizes the importance of specialized care and the advancements being made at MD Anderson to improve outcomes for this aggressive subtype.
2023 and earlier
July 2013: The Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology awarded Jessica Li with a Performance Award.
July 2013:
In Breast Cancer Research: Cancer stem cell markers are enriched in normal tissue adjacent to triple negative breast cancer and inversely correlated with DNA repair deficiency. By RL Atkinson , WT Yang, AA Sahin, DG Rosen, MD Landis, H Wong, MT Lewis, CJ Creighton, SG Hilsenbeck, KR Sexton, AM Brewster, WA Woodward* & JC Chang*.
In PLOS ONE: Anti-Helminthic Drug Pyrvinium Pamoate Targets Aggressive Breast Cancer Through Wnt Inhibition. By W Xu, L Lacerda, B Debeb, RL Atkinson, T Solley, L Li, D Orten, A Klopp, N Ueno, J Reuben, S Krishnamurthy, J McMurray & WA Woodward*.
May 2013: Dr. Woodward was a finalist of the 2013 Robert M. Chamberlain Distinguished Mentor Award for her outstanding mentorship.
November 2012: Adam Wolfe received the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) T32 Training Fellowship for the project titled Statins inhibit the tumor associated macrophage inflammatory response leading to inhibition of breast cancer growth and metastasis by making tumor-initiating cells more radiosensitive. The CCTS T32 program provides stipends for PhD students whose dissertation research is clearly translational or addresses a problem that has direct clinical implications.
September 2012: Our work just published in Stem Cells! Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Stimulate Dedifferentiation of Human Breast Cancer Cells through WNT/β-catenin Signaling.
June 2012: Dan Smith was awarded funding as a Johnson Foundation Graduate Student Center for Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Scholar to develop the project titled Wnt/β-catenin signaling drives the tumorigenicity and radiation resistance of cancer stem cells and Dr. Woodward awarded a Transformative Pilot Grant, both sponsored by the Center for Stem Cell & Developmental Biology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
May 2012: Dr. Lara Lacerda awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Research Program to develop the project titled The Role of the Malignant Pleural Effusion on Expansion of Tumor Initiating Cells in Breast Cancer Metastasis.
April 2012: Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Network Foundation raised $30,000 to support a clinical study led by Dr. Wendy Woodward in the Morgan Welch IBC Research Program and Clinic at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The check presentation ceremony was attended by IBC Network Foundation founder, Ms. Terry Arnold, Dr. Woodward, IBC survivors and supporters and Morgan Welch IBC Research Program and Clinic team members.
September 2011: Dr. Woodward was appointed as associate professor and as Section Chief of Breast Radiation Oncology at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology and as Deputy Director of the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program, all at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
April 2011: Woodward Lab at the 2011 Robert M. Chamberlain Distinguished Mentor Award ceremony: Dr. Woodward was presented with a special crystal award for her outstanding mentorship.
April 2011: Dr. Wei Xu awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Research Program to develop the project titled The Effect of a Dietary Supplement Silibinin on Breast Cancer Tumor Initiating Cells in Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
March 2011: Dr. Rachel Atkinson received a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Society of Preventive Oncology sponsored by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Dr. Atkinson is also continuing her education with the pursuit of an MPH with the support from the National Cancer Institute R25T Postdoctoral Cancer Prevention Fellowship.
January 2011: Dr. Wendy Woodward has been selected as one of the five finalists for the 2011 Robert M. Chamberlain Distinguished Mentor Award and will be recognized at a ceremony to be held on April 26.
December 2010: Dr. Bisrat Debeb received the AACR Susan G. Komen Minority Scholars Scholarship supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support attendance at the 33rd Annual CTRC AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), December 8-12, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas.