First Coast News
by Alexander Osiadacz

Both father and son are former military, with thousands of hours flying. Byron served throughout the Pacific, including a stint in Vietnam. When he returned, he inspired his son to fly as well. Douglas also served in the Air Force, then turned to private and commercial aviation. At the time of his diagnosis, he was flying for Southwest Airlines. But there was a risk neither of them knew, UV radiation at high altitudes. “The environmental exposure, a common lifestyle, both are pilots so both were exposed to similar environmental risk factors,” Dr. Roxana Dronca, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic said. She treats both Byron and Douglas. Dr. Dronca said that after running the tests the best option was Keytruda. The drug targets cancer and allows the body’s own immune system to kill off the cells.

Reach: First Coast News refers to three television stations in Jacksonville, Florida. WJXX, the ABC affiliate; WTLV, the NBC affiliate; and WCWJ, the CW affiliate.

Context: Roxana Dronca, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic hematologist and oncologist. Dr. Dronca's medical research focuses on the field of tumor immunology, with a particular interest in malignant melanoma and genitourinary malignancies. Her goal is to understand the interaction of immune and endocrine systems in modulating the anti-tumor immune response, study the dynamics and mechanisms of systemic immune regulation in cancer, and develop innovative approaches to cancer therapy utilizing chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents administered in an individualized fashion — synchronized to patient-specific endogenous anti-tumor immune dynamics. You can read more about her research here.

Contact: Tia Ford

Tags: Byron Devan, Cancer, Douglas Devan, Dr. Roxana Dronca, First Coast News, Keytruda, Uncategorized