For optimal viewing of the AACI Update click here.
News from the Association of American Cancer InstitutesMay 2009


Winship Announces NCI Cancer Center Designation
Markey Appoints Evers as Center Director
AACI, AACR Host Center Directors’ Reception

Online Registration for 2009 AACI/CCAF Meeting in Washington, DC
AACI Members Share Work at 100th AACR Annual Meeting

Awards & Honors
Grants & Gifts
Leadership Transitions
Research Highlights
Other News


The AACI is dedicated to promoting the common interests of the nation’s leading academic cancer centers that are focused on the eradication of cancer through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary program of cancer research, treatment, patient care, prevention, education, and community outreach.
AACI Update is an e-newsletter for the cancer center directors and key contacts at AACI member institutions and individuals interested in the cancer center-related activities of AACI. AACI Update reports on the progress of AACI initiatives and other AACI endeavors that benefit the cancer community and highlights important news and events at AACI member institutions.

AACI encourages member institutions to submit cancer center highlights to AACI Update. News briefs are linked to complete stories posted on individual cancer center websites. Please e-mail materials to aaciupdate@aaci-cancer.org. AACI reserves the right to decide whether or not materials are appropriate for inclusion.

Update, please send an e-mail to aaciupdate@aaci-cancer.org with your name, title, address, telephone and fax numbers asking to be added to the AACI’s distribution list.

To unsubscribe from AACI Update, please send an e-mail to aaciupdate@aaci-cancer.org with your name, title, and unsubscribe in the subject line to be removed from AACI’s distribution list.


Mailing address:
3708 Fifth Avenue
Medical Arts Building, Suite 503
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Headlines

Winship Announces NCI Cancer Center Designation

(from left to right) Bill Todd, President and CEO of the Georgia Cancer
Coalition; Brian Leyland-Jones, MD, PhD, Director of the Emory Winship
Cancer Institute; Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue; James Wagner, PhD,
President, Emory University; Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PhD,
Executive Vice President, Health Afffairs, Emory University.

Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute has earned the coveted National Cancer Institute Cancer Center designation. Winship is the first medical facility in Georgia to earn this distinction. As an NCI-designated center, Winship joins an elite group of 64 cancer centers nationwide that are on the forefront of the battle against cancer.

Winship’s NCI designation will benefit patients through increased access to new clinical trials and technologies that are available through NCI-designated cancer centers. more...

Markey Appoints Evers as Center Director

 The University of Kentucky announces that it has appointed an accomplished surgeon, scientific investigator and administrator, Dr. B. Mark Evers, as director of the Markey Cancer Center and professor of surgery in the UK College of Medicine.

In addition, Evers will be appointed as physician-in-chief of the oncology service line and will hold the endowed Markey Cancer Foundation Chair.

Evers, 51, will come to UK from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, where he is professor of surgery, director of the UTMB Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology and the Robertson-Poth Distinguished Chair in General Surgery. more...

AACI, AACR Host Center Directors’ Reception

AACI and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored cancer center directors in Denver, April 20, during the AACR Annual Meeting. AACR and AACI Leaders welcomed more than 60 center directors to the annual reception, as well as some special guests, including National Cancer Institute Director Dr. John Niederhuber, and Dr. Linda Weiss, chief, NCI Cancer Centers Branch. During brief remarks, AACI President Dr. Edward Benz thanked AACR CEO Margaret Foti for continuing the two group’s tradition of acknowledging the accomplishments of the distinguished leaders, and honoring them for their important contributions to the national cancer program. more...

Online Registration for 2009 AACI/CCAF Meeting in Washington, DC
The 2009 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC, October 18 –20. Information on the meeting, including the program and electronic registration is available at http://aaci-cancer.org/annual_meeting/index.asp . The meeting will bring leaders of AACI cancer centers—center directors and executive-level administrators—together with top personnel of national cancer research and advocacy organizations, industry, and government health agencies to share best practices and devise solutions to common challenges. AACI and the Cancer Center Administrators Forum (CCAF) developed the program, with Beverly Mitchell, MD, Director, Stanford Cancer Center, chairing the program committee. This year’s event—expected to attract around 300 participants—will feature sessions on the federal cancer enterprise, targeted therapies and tissue procurement. more...

AACI Members Share Work at 100th AACR Annual Meeting
Numerous AACI cancer centers showcased their world-class research in presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research’s centenary meeting, in Denver. To view abstracts from every presentation of the five-day event, as well download podcasts and watch and listen to approximately 90 hours of video and audio webcasts, please visit the meeting’s website at http://www.aacr.org/. more...
News from the Centers
Awards & Honors
NYU Awards Three Biomedical Researchers Biotechnology Achievement Awards
NYU Cancer Institute
The NYU School of Medicine Biotechnology Study Center recognized three outstanding pioneers in the field of biotechnology at its annual awards symposium in April. Mark S. Ptashne, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, for his pioneering work on the lamda phage repressor, key to a molecular switch that controls gene transcription, a discovery that forms the basis for much of modern biotechnology. Leonard P. Guarente, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his discovery of sirtuins, key regulators of longevity in living creatures. Activation of sirtuins by resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, has led to trials of its analogues as scientists search for the key to a longer life. more...
St. Jude Researcher Named Howard Hughes Early Career Scientist
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital
Michael Dyer, PhD, of the Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has been selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Early Career Scientist. Dyer is one of 50 scientists nationwide selected for the 2009 HHMI Early Career Scientist program, a competition recognizing outstanding scientists who have demonstrated originality and productivity during the earliest stage of their career and show exceptional promise for future research contributions. More than 2,000 individuals applied for early career scientist appointments. more...
AANCART Receives National Recognition for Health Disparities Leadership
UC Davis Cancer Center
The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART) has been honored by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities with its Health Disparities Leadership Award. The recognition was announced during an awards banquet in National Harbor, Md., recently, held in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities. more...
Researchers Receive Early Career Awards from Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute today announced that two researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center are among 50 scientists nationwide to be appointed HHMI Early Career Scientists. Harmit Singh Malik, Ph.D., an associate member of the Center’s Basic Sciences Division, and Toshiyasu Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant member in the Center’s Human Biology and Public Health Sciences divisions, each will receive a six-year appointment to the HHMI and, along with it, the freedom to explore his or her best ideas without worrying about where to find the money to fund the work. Each will receive $1.5 million over the six-year appointment. The Institute will also cover other expenses, including research space and the purchase of critical equipment. more...
NYU Researchers Named Howard Hughes Early Career Scientists
NYU Cancer Institute
Two researchers from NYU School of Medicine have been named Early Career Scientists by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The honorees, Iannis Aifantis, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology and co-director of the Cancer Stem Cell Program at the NYU Cancer Institute and Jeremy S. Dasen, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and neuroscience at NYU School of Medicine are among 50 of the nation’s top scientists being honored by HHMI under this new initiative to establish, develop and grow unique research programs. more...
Ho Receives CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University member, Dean Ho, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation. more...
Khan named to Board of Directors of American Society of Breast Disease
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University member, Seema Khan, MD, Bluhm Family Research Professor of Breast Cancer and professor of surgery at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-leader of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center and director of the Bluhm Family Program for Breast Cancer Early Detection and Prevention, was elected to join the Board of Directors of the American Society of Breast Disease, a professional medical society in the U.S. that brings together physicians and allied professionals committed to an interdisciplinary team approach to breast disease management, prevention, early detection, treatment and research. more...
Chandel receives inaugural Lung Cancer Promise of Tomorrow Award
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Navdeep Chandel, PhD, associate professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Biology at Northwestern’s University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, received the inaugural Lung Cancer Promise of Tomorrow Award, made to researchers conducting groundbreaking work in lung cancer. The award will support Dr. Chandel’s investigation of a unique cellular signaling system, which may indicate the development of adenocarcinoma. Understanding how the system works may lead to development of new therapies and treatments for the disease. more...
Michigan’s Ferrara receives honorary doctorate and research award
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
James Ferrara, M.D., director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, recently received two prestigious awards. One is an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Medicine, from the University of Regensburg in Germany. This is only the second time in nearly 15 years that the University of Regensburg has given this award. Ferrara is one of the world’s leading experts in the area of bone marrow transplantation. For 10 years, as the director of U-M’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, he has worked toward building and promoting one of the few competence centers in Europe located at the University of Regensburg. In addition, Ferrara received The Hartwell Foundation’s Individual Biomedical Research Award, which provides funding to individual researchers at eligible research institutions in the United States. more...
Jordan Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University
The National Academy of Sciences has announced the election of V. Craig Jordan, OBE, PhD, DSc, incoming scientific director and vice chairman of the department of oncology at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center. Election to the NAS is considered one of the highest honors for a scientist or engineer. The Academy said the election, held this morning, recognizes “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.” Jordan is an internationally recognized breast cancer scientist whose research focuses on the response of breast cancer cells to preventive and treatment agents. A pharmacologist, Jordan is recognized by many as the "father" the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen, a drug that blocks estrogen from fueling some breast cancers. Millions of women around the world continue to be treated with tamoxifen. more...
LaBonne Named to FASEB Board of Directors
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Carole LaBonne, the Soretta and Henry Shapiro Research Professor in Molecular Biology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, has been named to the board of directors of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). She has been co-leader of the Tumor Invasion, Metastasis and Angiogenesis Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University since 2005. The FASEB, the largest U.S. coalition of biomedical research associations, advances biological science through collaborative advocacy for research policies that promote scientific progress and education and lead to improvements in human health. Currently, the FASEB is involved with the proposed increases to the National Institutes of Health budget before Congress. LaBonne is a developmental biologist who studies how complex body plans develop from a single cell, the fertilized egg. She has become a world leader in studies of the neural crest, a group of migratory invasive stem cells established early in vertebrate development that eventually form the peripheral nervous system and contribute to many other tissues. Formation of these cells was a key step in the evolution of the vertebrates, including humans. more...
Grants & Gifts
Case Western Scientist Receives $1.66M Grant from NIH for Otoprotection Research
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University
Qing Yin Zheng, MD, assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Genetics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded a five year $1.66 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant Program (R01) to explore the impact of several molecular pathways on inner ear dysfunction in Ushers syndrome. Usher Syndrome (USH) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by congenital deafness and retinitis pigmentosa. It is the most common cause of deafness accompanied by blindness. *There are about 10-15,000 people with Usher syndrome in the United States today and it accounts for 6 percent of the congenitally deaf population and more than 50 percent of the deaf- blind population. While there is currently no medical treatment for Usher syndrome, cochlear implants have been found to be very affective in patients with severe or profound hearing loss. more...
Cancer Research Foundation Funds Unique Program in Leukemia Research
University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
The Cancer Research Foundation (CRF) has generously provided the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center (UCCRC) with an initial grant of $3 million to catalyze a multidisciplinary systems biology and genomics approach to study therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML). (The CRF is an Illinois 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, operating in Chicago, and committed to funding innovative laboratory and clinical cancer research projects in Chicago medical centers.) Founded by the late Maurice Goldblatt and today led by his son, Stanford J. Goldblatt and daughter, Merle Goldblatt Cohen, the CRF has provided over $20 million to the University of Chicago cancer programs since its inception in the 1950s. more...
Arizona physician/scientist receives $3.68 million NCI research grant
Arizona Cancer Center
Arizona Cancer Center physician/scientist Karen Weihs, MD, has been awarded a $3,682,256 research project grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study emotion and depression in breast cancer survivorship. This is Dr. Weihs’ first R01 grant. The five-year study will enroll 450 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer starting in 2010 and will monitor them closely through their treatment and survivorship. The goal of the study is to determine what biologic, psychological and social characteristics may protect the patients from clinical depression, says Dr. Weihs, medical director of psychosocial oncology at the Arizona Cancer Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at The University of Arizona. She also practices psychiatry, providing individual and family psychotherapy, as well as pharmacotherapy services to cancer patients. “Our patients will be assessed for genetic factors that may combine with stress to increase the risk for depression. We are particularly interested in differences in the overall stress of these patients’ lives and the ways they cope with the emotional turmoil of the first year after breast cancer. We want to understand how close relationships may buffer the effects of stress,” Dr. Weihs says. more...
Prostate Cancer SPORE Receives Five-Year Grant from NCI
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Lurie Cancer Center’s Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) in prostate cancer, one of just 11 in the country, will receive $11.5 million over the next five years from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The SPORE brings together a multidisciplinary team of basic scientists, epidemiologists, urologists, oncologists, pathologists and statisticians, who are working together to develop innovative approaches to prostate cancer research. First funded in 2001, the Northwestern-based SPORE represents a consortium of investigators from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, and NorthShore University Health System (formerly Evanston Northwestern Healthcare). The principal investigator is Chung Lee, PhD, the John Grayhack Professor of Urology, Feinberg. Co-principal investigators are William Catalona, MD, Professor of Urology, Feinberg, and Walter Stadler, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago. The scientific administrator is Robin Leikin, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Feinberg, and Scientific Program Director, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. more...
Renewed Partnership with NVCI Brings Outpatient Oncology Back to UMC
Nevada Cancer Institute
Thanks to months of hard work, thoughtful planning, visionary new leadership and a generous donation from The Lincy Foundation, outpatient oncology services will once again be offered at University Medical Center (UMC). The renewed partnership between UMC and Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) will allow patients to receive a full complement of cancer services starting in early 2010. Since the announcement of the closure of outpatient oncology services in late 2008, Clark County Commissioners have been meeting with UMC and NVCI leadership as well as other medical providers in the community to solve this issue. The $3 million donation from The Lincy Foundation will be used to renovate space at UMC to build a state-of-the-art clinic for outpatient services, including medical oncology and radiation oncology. more...
Leadership Transitions
Konski Accepts Karmanos Radiation Oncology Post
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Andre Konski, MD, MBA, has accepted the position as Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine and Service Chief for Radiation Oncology at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center. Dr. Konski comes to Wayne State and Karmanos from the renowned Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa., where he serves as chief medical officer for the center’s Partners Program. He will assume his new responsibilities by the end of March. “We are fortunate to have an individual like Dr. Konski to lead the department,” said Robert M. Mentzer, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and senior advisor to the president for medical affairs. “I am steadfastly committed to supporting Dr. Konksi’s vision for a world class Radiation Oncology program for the School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. That vision, coupled with his inherent drive for cancer treatment research, care for patients, and business acumen, is consistent with the Karmanos Cancer Center’s mission and commitment to providing outstanding comprehensive cancer care.” more...
Karmanos Names Albrecht to Two Key Interim Positions
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announces that Terrance Albrecht, Ph.D., has been named interim associate center director for Population Sciences and interim program leader for Population Studies and Prevention. She takes over the two positions from Ann Schwartz, Ph.D, MPH, who was named interim president and chief executive officer last month. Dr. Albrecht joined Karmanos in 2003 and most recently led the Communication and Behavioral Oncology program. She also served as co-leader of the Population Studies and Prevention program. During her time at Karmanos, she has conducted in-depth analyses of the way oncologists communicate with patients to make the work of researchers and scientists even more effective. more...
Kasow to lead UNC pediatric bone marrow transplantation program
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Kimberly Kasow, D.O., has joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as director of the UNC Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation program. Kasow is an associate professor of pediatrics and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She comes to UNC from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she served as director of the autologous transplant program and transplant quality officer. Stuart Gold, M.D., professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of pediatric hematology/oncology, said, “Dr. Kasow is a wonderful addition to our bone marrow transplant program. With the experience she brings from St. Jude she will be an incredible asset to the growth of our program. more...
Glaser Named CEO of The Northern California Cancer Center
Stanford Cancer Center
Sally L. Glaser, PhD, a 19-year veteran at the Northern California Cancer Center (NCCC), has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the organization, which is the only center in the country conducting research dedicated solely to cancer prevention. NCCC employs 135 staff members and has a $14 million operating budget. Dr. Glaser, a research scientist, will continue to direct NCCC’s Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry, which collects cancer data for its nine-county catchment area to better understand patterns of cancer occurrence, treatment and survival. Previously, Dr. Glaser served as Director of Surveillance Research at NCCC. She earned an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. NCCC is a partner in population-based research with Stanford Cancer Center. more...
Hayes Appointed Associate Director for Population Sciences at NYU
NYU Cancer Institute
Richard B. Hayes, D.D.S., Ph.D. has been appointed associate director for population sciences at The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center, with a dual appointment at the NYU School of Medicine as director of the Division of Epidemiology within the Department of Environmental Medicine. In this new role, Dr. Hayes will lead the development of a comprehensive research program focused on cancer prevention that will employ a multi-faceted approach to identifying both genetic and environmental causes of cancer as well as a program to identify prevention strategies through risk profiling, early detection and behavioral changes. “One of our highest priorities is to ensure that every member of our community benefits equally from breakthroughs in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment,” stated William L. Carroll, M.D., the Julie and Edward Minskoff professor of Pediatrics and director of the Cancer Institute. “Dr. Hayes will help us reach our goal of understanding the economic, social and cultural obstacles to effective cancer care.” more...
Liu Joins Emory’s Department of Radiation Oncology
Winship Cancer Institute
Tian Liu, PhD, has joined the Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology as associate professor. Liu joins Emory from Columbia University Medical Center where she was assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Liu’s research is currently funded by both the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense. She is one of a small number of clinical physicists who has successfully competed for peer-reviewed federal funding. “She will collaborate with faculty within our department, as well as the departments of radiology, urology, and surgery” says Curran. “We place great value on multidisciplinary teamwork, and Dr. Liu is certainly a welcome addition to our team.” more...
Winship announces $2 million chair in breast cancer research
Winship Cancer Institute
Brian Leyland-Jones, MD, PhD, director of Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute announced that Ruth O’Regan, MD, has been named to the Louisa and Rand Glenn Family Chair in Breast Cancer Research. O’Regan is associate professor of hematology and medical oncology and director of Emory Winship’s translational breast cancer research program. A Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar, O’Regan joined Emory from Northwestern University in Chicago. She is widely published in peer reviewed scientific journals and frequently cited on topics related to breast cancer, including the use of hormonal and targeted therapies. more...
Research Highlights
Fox Chase First to Offer Patients an MRI-Guided Biopsy to Detect Prostate Cancer
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Fox Chase Cancer Center is the first hospital in North America to offer an MRI guided biopsy to detect prostate cancer using Invivo Equipment in a clinical hospital setting. Pioneering new techniques for MRI-guided prostate interventions, Fox Chase is offering a new procedure for men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels who have had at least two negative transrectal ultrasound guided (TRUS) biopsies and whose doctors suspect cancer. more...
Compassion Fatigue: Impact on Healthcare Providers of Caring for the Terminally Ill
Indiana University Simon Cancer Center
Compassion fatigue in nurses, doctors and other front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family, according to analysis by Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute researchers published in the March issue of the Journal of Health Psychology. more...
Health Choices Predict Cancer Survival, U-M Study Finds
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Head and neck cancer patients who smoked, drank, didn’t exercise or didn’t eat enough fruit when they were diagnosed had worse survival outcomes than those with better health habits, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. "While there has been a recent emphasis on biomarkers and genes that might be linked to cancer survival, the health habits a person has at diagnosis play a major role in his or her survival," says study author Sonia Duffy, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor of nursing at the U-M School of Nursing, research assistant professor of otolaryngology at the U-M Medical School, and research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. more...
DNA Repair Mechanisms Relocate in Response to Stress
Winship Cancer Institute
Like doctors making house calls, some DNA repair enzymes can relocate to the part of the cell that needs their help, a collaborative team of scientists at Emory University School of Medicine has found. The signal that prompts relocation is oxidative stress, an imbalance of cellular metabolism connected with several human diseases. more...
Two Genetic Variants Raise Risk of Breast Cancer
The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center
A multicenter study has found two new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The study was conducted by the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) initiative and reported through advance online publication this week in Nature Genetics. "Each of these markers independently increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer," says one of the study’s investigators, Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.PH., associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "The increased risk is fairly small — comparable to the increased risk represented by such factors as being overweight or lacking physical activity." more...
Alzheimer’s Disease Linked to Mitochondrial Damage
The Burnham Institute
Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have demonstrated that attacks on the mitochondrial protein Drp1 by the free radical nitric oxide—which causes a chemical reaction called S-nitrosylation—mediates neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to this study, the mechanism by which beta-amyloid protein caused synaptic damage to neurons in Alzheimer’s disease was unknown. These findings suggest that preventing S-nitrosylation of Drp1 may reduce or even prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s patients. The paper was published in the April 3 issue of the journal Science. more...
Research Shows Women with Simultaneous Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers Have Better Outcomes than those with Single Ovarian Tumor
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
New research published in this month’s edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology(Vol. 113, Issue 4), by a team of investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows better survival outcomes for women who have cancer of the ovaries and endometrial lining of the uterus at the same time (synchronous) than those who only have one tumor in the ovaries. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. more...
New Radiography Approach Tool Will Assist in Earlier Detection of Asbestos-related Diseases
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Michael Harbut, M.D., MPH, co-director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers (NCVAC) at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, MI, and chief of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wayne State University, announced the use of a new technology to aid in the diagnosis of asbestos-related lung disease. The announcement was made at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s annual conference. more...
A miR Boost Enables Acute Leukemia Cells to Mature
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -
A new study by Ohio State University cancer researchers shows that boosting the level of a molecule called miR-29b in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells can reverse gene changes that trap the cells in an immature, fast growing state of development. The study discovered how the miR reactivates silenced genes, which enables the leukemic cells to differentiate and mature, important steps that precede their death. The findings suggest that miR-29b could be a potent treatment for AML. more...
Study Finds More Women Diagnosed with Highly Treatable Form of Breast Cancer Having Both Breasts Removed
Masonic Cancer Center
A University of Minnesota cancer surgeon and researcher has found a dramatic increase in the number of women diagnosed with the earliest stage of breast cancer choosing to have both breasts surgically removed. The rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) surgery among U.S. women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) increased by 188 percent between 1998 and 2005, according to Todd Tuttle, M.D., lead researcher on this study. more...
New FDA-Approved Targeted Therapy for Advanced Kidney Cancer Tested
Masonic Cancer Center
A new drug, which was studied in clinical trials at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, may help some patients with advanced kidney cancer live longer. Arkadiusz (Arek) Dudek, M.D., medical oncologist specializing in kidney cancer research and treatment at the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Center and Medical School, led the phase III clinical trial at the University to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug in patients. more...
High-Dose Radiation Improves Lung Cancer Survival, Study Finds
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Higher doses of radiation combined with chemotherapy improve survival in patients with stage III lung cancer, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Standard treatment for this stage of lung cancer -- when the tumor is likely too large to be removed through surgery -- involves a combination of radiation therapy with chemotherapy. But, this new study finds, giving chemotherapy at the same time as the radiation enhances the effect of both. Further, increasing the dose of radiation over the course of treatment also increased survival. more...
Researchers Propose New Model of Stem Cell Memory and Plasticity
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
How does a human cell remember its past and decide its future? A research team including stem cell transplant clinicians in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplant at Children’s Memorial Hospital and researchers in the Developmental Biology Program of Children’s Memorial Research Center. studied this six million dollar question that biomedical researchers have long sought to answer in their attempts to control cell fate and develop better cellular therapy. Team leader William T. Tse, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. more...
Therapeutic Effect of Imatinib Improved with Addition of Chloroquine
Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
The therapeutic effects of the blockbuster leukemia drug imatinib may be enhanced when given along with a drug that inhibits a cell process called autophagy, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The cell-death effect of imatinib (Gleevec) was potentiated when chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, was given with imatinib for the in vitro treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells including the CML stem cells, according to Bruno Calabretta, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Cancer Biology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. more...
Reversing Effects of Altered Enzyme May Fight Brain Tumor Growth
Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center
An international team of scientists from the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, the University of North Carolina and several institutions in China have explained how a gene alteration can lead to the development of a type of brain cancer, and they have identified a compound that could staunch the cancer’s growth. The researchers, led by Kun-Liang Guan, PhD, professor of pharmacology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, have shown that when a mutated enzyme fails to do its job, the development of tumor-feeding blood vessels increases, allowing more nutrients and oxygen to fuel cancer growth. They have also shown in the laboratory that they could reverse the mutant enzyme’s effects, effectively blocking this process, called angiogenesis, and provide a potential future treatment strategy against some types of brain tumors. They reported their findings in the current issue of the journal Science. more...
Imaging Method Reveals Whether Chemotherapy Is Working -- After One Treatment
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA
Oncologists often have to wait months before they can determine whether a treatment is working. Using a non-invasive method, researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have shown that they can determine after a single cycle of chemotherapy whether the toxic drugs are killing the cancer or not. Using a combination Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scanner, researchers monitored 50 patients undergoing treatment for high-grade soft tissue sarcomas. The patients were receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatments to shrink their tumors prior to surgery. The study found that response could be determined about a week after the first dose of chemotherapy drugs. Typically, patients are scanned at about three months into chemotherapy to determine whether the treatment is working. more...
MicroRNA discovered to play role in DNA repair
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Among their many roles as message couriers and gene regulators, microRNA molecules also help control the repair of damaged DNA within cells, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School scientists report in the May issue of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The finding not only demonstrates the unexpected versatility of microRNA (miRNAs) in the life of cells but also may lead to new tests for determining a tumor’s aggressiveness and likely response to different therapies. Because radiation and chemotherapy kill cancer cells by damaging their genetic material, knowledge of the DNA repair mechanism may suggest novel solutions to the problem of drug resistance, in which tumors develop the ability to withstand drugs that initially were effective against them. more...
New Therapeutic Target for Melanoma Identified
Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
A protein called Mcl-1 plays a critical role in melanoma cell resistance to a form of apoptosis called anoikis, according to research published this week in Molecular Cancer Research. The presence of Mcl-1 causes cell resistance to anoikis. This resistance to anoikis enables the melanoma cells to metastasize and survive at sites distant from the primary tumor, according to Andrew Aplin, Ph.D., an associate professor of Cancer Biology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. The research was conducted at Albany Medical College in New York by Dr. Aplin and colleagues. more...
New Biomarker May Predict Leukemia Aggressiveness
Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have evidence of a potential new biomarker to predict the aggressiveness of an often difficult-to-treat form of leukemia. They found that high levels of a particular enzyme in the blood are an indicator that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – the most common form of adult leukemia – will be aggressive and in need of immediate treatment. The researchers, led by Paul A. Insel, MD, professor of pharmacology and medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, say that the enzyme, PDE7B, is also critical to the development of CLL and a potential target for drugs against the disease. They presented their results April 19 at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in Denver. more...
Developmental Drug Helps Protect Against Radiation Damage
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
A drug currently under development at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine protects cells from the damaging effects of radiation exposure, a new study suggests. Results of the study were presented at the 100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), April 18 to 22 in Denver. The study, led by Joel Greenberger, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Pitt, is overseen by Pitt’s Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation. The center is dedicated to identifying and developing small molecule radiation protectors and mitigators that can be easily accessed and administered in the event of a large-scale radiological or nuclear emergency. more...
Naltrexone Helps Smokers and Drinkers
University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
In a recent clinical test using a drug called Naltrexone (which has regulatory approval for the treatment of dependency on alcohol) it was observed that the drug had a positive effect on helping people to quit smoking. The results showed that heavy drinkers who were also smokers not only reduced the amount of drinking that they did over an eight week treatment period but they also were significantly more likely to quit smoking than the drinkers who were taking a placebo. This research is interesting because smokers who drink on a regular basis are known to be particularly ‘treatment resistant’ when it comes to smoking cessation. more...
Radiation Device Reduces Complications for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients
Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center
A new study shows that the SAVI™ applicator, a small, expandable device inserted inside the breast to deliver partial breast irradiation, carries a low infection risk, a potential complication of such devices. The research, led by radiation oncologists and surgeons at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center and Fort Myers, Florida-based 21st Century Oncology, also indicates that other complications – such as seromas, pockets of fluid that build with the use of internal radiation devices – are unlikely to occur. That’s good news for those women with early-stage breast cancer who opt to have such devices inserted for their radiation therapy after breast-sparing lumpectomy surgery, said Cate Yashar, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and chief of breast and gynecological radiation services at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. Their use is increasing, she added, noting that the Moores UCSD Cancer Center was one of the first medical facilities in the country to offer SAVI. more...
NFGC Conducts Multi-Institutional Research Project in Ovarian Cancer
Moffitt Cancer Center
The National Functional Genomics Center, funded through an assistance agreement that is awarded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), will be conducting a multi-institutional collaborative project in ovarian cancer. “Consortia such as these will greatly accelerate our pace of discovery, such that genomic medicine may become a reality in the near term. We will take advantage of specialized expertise and unique resources at multiple centers to rapidly translate basic scientific findings into clinically useful tools that may help women with ovarian cancer as soon as possible,” said Lancaster, director of The Center for Women’s Oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, who is leading the NFGC Ovarian Cancer consortium. more...
Researchers Identify Missing Target for Calcium Signaling
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -
An international study led by Ohio State University neuroscience researchers describes one of the missing triggers that controls calcium inside cells, a process important for muscle contraction, nerve-cell transmission, insulin release and other essential functions. The research was posted online April 22 in the journal Nature. The researchers believe the findings will enhance the understanding of how calcium signals are regulated in cells and shed light on new ways to treat many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, immune diseases, metabolic diseases, cancer, and brain disorders. more...
Insurance Coverage May Affect Access to Quality Cancer Care
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Does a person’s insurance coverage affect their access to quality cancer care? According to researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, insurance coverage may not only affect a patient’s access to health care, but also the quality of care they receive. Research findings, presented today at the American Urological Association’s Annual Meeting, may have implications for a national debate on healthcare reform. “We discovered a discrepancy in the type of surgical treatment patients are offered based on their health insurance,” says Robert G. Uzzo, MD, chairman of the department of surgery at Fox Chase and the study’s lead author. His research evaluated differences in surgical treatment for kidney cancer based on a patient’s health insurance carrier. The study explored this question in one specific area of medicine, but the results may have implications for other areas of medicine as well. The study results showed that kidney cancer patients with Medicare as their primary payer were more likely to have their kidney surgically removed entirely (radical nephrectomy) whereas those with private insurance were offered surgery to preserve organ function (partial nephrectomy). more...
New Imaging Analysis Predicts Brain Tumor Survival
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
As early as one week after beginning treatment for brain tumors, a new imaging analysis method was able to predict which patients would live longer, researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found. The method uses a standard magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, protocol to monitor changes over time in tumor blood volume within individual voxels of the image, rather than a composite view of average change within the tumor. This parametric response map allowed researchers to see specific areas in which tumor blood volume increased or decreased, that may have canceled each other out when looking at the changes as an average. Results of the study appear in Nature Medicine. “What we have potentially is a generalized analytical approach that we can use to quantify treatment intervention in patients,” says study author Brian Ross, Ph.D., professor of radiology and biological chemistry at the U-M Medical School and co-director of the Molecular Imaging Program at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. more...
Study Evaluates Ability of Drug to Overcome Resistance to Cancer Therapy
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Roswell Park scientists investigated a new combination of drugs for colorectal cancer patients who have become intolerant or resistant to standard therapies. Marwan Fakih, MD, Department of Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute present the results of a phase I clinical study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2009 annual meeting, May 29 – June 2, in Orlando, FL. Aggressive colorectal cancers can develop resistance to standard therapy of 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, and progress. Vorinostat is a chemotherapy drug that modifies the structure of chromatin and therefore modifies the expression of various important genes that are implied in cancer growth. Dr. Fakih, the lead investigator on this study, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of 5-FU and vorinostat in 27 patients with solid tumors who had failed standard therapies. The investigators administered vorinostat three times a week in combination with biweekly administration of 5-FU. Of the 24 colorectal cancer patients who were drug-resistant, one had a partial response lasting more than one year, and 12 patients had stable disease. more...
Other News
New Take-Home Messages for Airport Travelers
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Here’s one piece of luggage that shouldn’t get lost – a take-home health message from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) for Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BNIA) travelers. Now, airport travelers will find tips and advice on how to reduce their risk for cancer while they wait for their luggage. more...
UNC Lineberger to Celebrate Opening of New Hospital in September
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center will celebrate the opening of the new North Carolina Cancer Hospital on September 15, 2009. The 320,000 square foot, state-of-the-art structure will triple the current space and include numerous upgrades, including teleconferencing facilities to connect UNC physicians with the state’s community-based physicians for diagnostic and therapeutic consultations and specially designed imaging capabilities to provide accurate diagnoses and guide, and treatment. more...
Schroeder/Lombardi Consortium to Enhance Tobacco-related Research
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University
The Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center and the Steven A. Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the American Legacy Foundation announce the establishment of the Schroeder/Lombardi Cancer Control Consortium. The consortium seeks to advance tobacco-related research, policy and education, utilizing the shared knowledge and expertise of these two leading research organizations. more...
Legislators Learn Of Cancer Research Funding Successes
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -
Members and staff of central Ohio’s Congressional delegation, along with National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Dr. John Niederhuber, learned of the importance of maintaining sufficient cancer research funding during an April 16 tour of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. The Bench to Bedside: Clinical Cancer Research Pathway Comes to Life invitation-only event, co-sponsored by Ohio State’s cancer program and the American Cancer Society (ACS) Ohio Division, showcased significant research successes at The James made possible through funding by ACS and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including NCI. The tour of the 10-story Biomedical Research Tower at Ohio State University Medical Center and Clinical Treatment Unit at The James highlighted emerging and innovative therapies that emphasized the need to continue sufficient funding. more...