The annual conference of the American Association for Cancer Research is coming up, and among the 17,000 attendees will be many of the Dream Team scientists. If you've ever wanted to ask them a question, now's your chance: select Dream Team members will be answering questions from the SU2C community in front of hundreds of colleagues during the panel discussion "Maximizing Innovation Through Translational Research and Team Science." Submit your questions to scientist_questions@standup2cancer.org; we'll select the best of the bunch to pose to SU2C's roster of talented researchers, and footage from the panel will be available here on April 20. (You'll need to send in your question by Thursday, April 15 for consideration.)
Learn more about the exciting science behind the Dream Teams here and here. And check out our new series of videos profiling the work of SU2C's Innovative Research Grant recipients here.
Thanks, as always, for your support of SU2C, and we look forward to hearing from you.
In a landmark ruling, this week federal judge Robert Sweet overturned a company's BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancer gene patents, making the argument that genes cannot legally be patented because they're natural. Thousands of patients have been granted on human genes already, but eliminating them could greatly accelerate biotech innovation, this Forbes article explains: "In the shorter term, gene sequencing will help diagnose rare genetic diseases in people with unexplained symptoms and help oncologists devise personalized cancer treatments." http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/31/gene-patent-myriad-business-healthcare-dna-biotech.html
Does the phrase "circulating tumor cells" sound familiar to you? (Hopefully it does . . . cough cough.) New research reinforces the promise of studying CTCs, whose presence in a patient's bloodstream could act as a tip-off to doctors that their cancer is on the verge of spreading. In a study out of Boston, researchers used a microchip to capture and store images of CTCs; the breakthrough could eventually be used to monitor patients after surgery, or even guide treatment. "We're very interested in these cells because we believe these are the ones that are going to give us the most insight into cancer biology as well as cues to how cancer metastasizes," said lead author Shannon Stott. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=10260017
In less cheerful news, research out of Canada indicates that work-related exposure to chemicals and pollutants before a woman hits her mid-30s may greatly increase her risk of getting breast cancer after menopause. In a study of 556 women diagnosed with breast cancer between ages 50 and 75, compared with a control group of 613 breast-cancer-free women of the same age, researchers found a link between breast cancer and occupational exposure to several substances: acrylic fibers, nylon fibers, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are found in petroleum products. http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/04/01/workplace-chemicals-may-boost-breast-cancer-risk.html
I never thought I'd be typing the word "buckyballs" in one of these entries, but there it is: buckyballs. They're soccer-ball-shaped molecular cages that deliver drugs or radioactive particles to attack diseases including cancer; now scientists have found that the buckyballs can put human skin cells into suspended animation, which could lead to new treatments against cancer, Parkinson's and even Alzheimer's. (For extra fun, check out the video at the end of the article, which demonstrates how to make your own model buckyball out of ice cream cones.) http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/buckyballs-could-put-fast-spreading-cancer-cells-suspended-animation
Finally, some food-related news: a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that people who get a lot of Vitamin K may have a lower risk of developing or dying from lung and prostate cancers. It's the first study to look at Vitamin K intake and cancer risk, so more research is definitely needed, but what we know for now is that Vitamin K2, for which meat and cheese are the primary dietary sources, appears to be the cancer-fighter. It's not often that I hear good news about eating cheese, so I'll definitely be following this research as it continues. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62U4VO20100331
That's all for this week, but check back next Thursday for more news you can use!
Pardi, who faced cancer the first time at 31 and was diagnosed with a fatal recurrence of the disease in 2008, was a palliative care doctor; she spent her career treating patients who were near death, even as she fought for her own life. She passed away at the age of 41. "She preached the gentle gospel of her profession, persuading patients to confront their illnesses and get their affairs in order and, above all, enduring that their last weeks were not spent in unbearable pain," the article says. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/health/04doctor.html?pagewanted=3&ref=homepage&src=me
Barbara Bates Smith
In 2001, Smith played the role of a cancer patient in the play "Wit"; during production, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, now in remission. This weekend Smith will debut her one-woman show about the experience in Asheville, NC, called "The C-Word: A Life-Meets-Art Cancer Story." The play is based around Smith's journal entries and other writings from the time, and Smith hopes it will make people think about issues like how best to communicate with a cancer patient. "I don't think I am telling anybody anything new about cancer," Smith says. "But I am giving one cancer patient's perspective." http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100404/LIVING/304040033/1311/ADVERTISING
Jeff Jacobson
After recovering from lymphoma and chemotherapy in 2005, Jacobson, a 63-year-old photographer, began a new project called "The Last Roll." He used the last of his Kodachrome 200 - a now defunct film that had been his favorite for two decades - to document his recovery. "Many photojournalists think that they are documenting some sort of objective reality that exists in front of the camera," he says. "Any good photojournalist or documentary photographer acknowledges that what they are documenting is their perception of that reality." http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/showcase-147/
Ginger Hamm
In this article, Hamm, a former kindergarten teacher diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, shares her story. No stranger to the disease - her son passed away from rhabdomyosarcoma in 1974 - Hamm now volunteers at the hospital where she was treated eight years ago. "I wanted to give back," she says. She also urges women to stay on top of their annual mammograms: "You have to do everything to keep yourself safe. We are never promised tomorrow." http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/apr/05/survivor-finds-teachable-moment-cancer/
As always, we welcome you to share your stories in the comments below.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month just ended, and here's some great news to cap it off: according to the largest study of colonoscopy outcomes so far, for every 1% increase in colonoscopy use, the risk of death from colon cancer drops 3%. That's according to analysis of healthcare databases from Canada that included 2.5 million patients. "These procedures cost a lot, and we're doing an awful lot of them in the US and in Canada," said the study's lead researcher. "Now we know they work." http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63428820100405
According to a study presented last week in Barcelona, women who survive breast cancer and go on to have children don't experience a higher risk of dying from the disease. Doctors have long worried that the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy could spur recurrence of the disease, but the study, which looked at 1,400 pregnant women with a history of breast cancer, indicates otherwise. "I hope this changes what doctors tell their patients," said its lead author. "There's no reason to tell women who survive breast cancer not to get pregnant." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jJoDYysGvi7UVD4Za4VZ-i0crbMAD9ELUMOO2
This article looks at ACS data on cancer rates in Hispanic/Latino Americans, which shows that they are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to develop and die from all cancers combined as well as the four most common cancers: breast, prostate, colorectal and lung. However, it's not all good news: Hispanic/Latino Americans experience higher rates of cancers related to infections, such as stomach, liver and cervical cancers, and are more likely to have their cancers detected at a more advanced stage. http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=12264981
New findings reported in the Journal of Urology indicate that prostate surgery isn't always best for a patient's quality of life. Men with earlier stage cancers tend to far better with non-surgical approaches, including "watchful waiting" and radiation, according to the study, which followed 785 men who received one of four types of treatment for the disease between 2000 and 2008. "I think data like these give men more information to use in their decision-making," said one of the researchers on the study. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6342YC20100405
Finally, some not-so-great news from the world of food: in an analysis of data from over 470,000 men and women in 10 European countries, researchers found only a weak association between high intake of fruits and veggies and reduced cancer risk. The report, which can be found in the online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, says that the protective effect of fruits and vegetables is probably modest, and suggests that the reason the association has been made in the past is that people who eat a lot of fruits and veggies are more likely to drink less, to be nonsmokers and to get more exercise. However, the researchers do suggest that future research look at the cancer-reducing benefits of specific fruits and veggies (if you're curious about that topic, you can read a little more about it here). http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/04/06/fruits-veggies-have-modest-effect-on-cancer-risk.html
That's all for this week, but check back next Thursday for more!
Anne Feeley is a woman with a mission. The 55-year-old brain cancer survivor sets off today on a 4,000-mile bike ride across the country to raise awareness of and funding for brain cancer research. Joined by her trainer, Gundula Hennig, and her dog Walter, Anne will travel from San Francisco to Washington, DC over the next three months. "Exercise is my way of fighting - a way to focus on positive feelings and get strong," she says.
Check out the video below to learn a little more about Brains on Bikes. You can visit Anne's blog to stay up-to-date on her journey as it progresses, and check back here as well - we'll be posting updates as Anne pedals her way from coast to coast!
Carter, one of the stars of the sitcom "Designing Women," passed away from complications of endometrial cancer at the age of 70 on Saturday. After "Designing Women" ended, Carter went on to success as a cabaret singer and split her time between Beverly Hills and McLemoresville, Tennessee. As this NY Times article puts it, in her role as Julia Sugerbaker, Carter "gave strong, opinionated Southern women a good name." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/arts/television/12carter.html?src=me
Maura Tierney
Tierney, the 45-year-old actress best known for her role on "ER," is returning to television after battling breast cancer. She dropped out of the series "Parenthood" last summer after learning she had the disease, and will now resume her guest role as Denis Leary's love interest on "Rescue Me." She "has finished treatment and is doing very well and is happy to move forward with the next phase of her life," said her spokeswoman. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100407/ap_en_tv/us_tv_maura_tierney
Charles Florsheim
Florsheim, a two-time cancer survivor who faced prostate cancer in 2008 and lung cancer in 2009, is a consumer reviewer for the Lung Cancer Research Program, a federal initiative that debuted last year. He helped the program's physician panel award a $20 million grant to build a tissue repository, giving his input as a fomer patient and survivor. "If I could prevent one person from going through what I went through, whatever I'm doing is worth it," he said of the experience. http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=12337
Tim Fletcher
Fletcher was diagnosed with penile cancer at the age of 38; now he hopes to raise awareness of the disease, often thought of as a taboo topic, and the impact it can have on men. Fletcher says talking openly about the disease helped him get through the treatment, which included a partial penectomy and, now, reconstructive surgery. "Life is for living," he says. "And I've just tried to carry on as much like normal as I can. Some people will read this and think I am unlucky, but I don't feel like that. I'm currently in the clear from cancer, I've not had to go through chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and I'm looking forward to a new chapter in my life. I haven't let cancer win." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/penile-cancer-a-taboo-im-just-glad-to-be-alive-1942837.html
As always, we welcome you to share your stories in the comments below.
Are you a young adult patient? Survivor? Caregiver? Provider? Advocate? Next month in New York City, I'm Too Young For This (i2y) will host its third annual OMG! Cancer Summit, the only annual international oncology conference for young adults affected by all cancers. The summit, which takes place on Sunday, May 23, will bring together the nation's foremost advocates to discuss issues relevant to the young adult cancer community, including oncofertility, employment and insurance and young adult survivorship.
"This summit was always something that I wished existed," Matthew Zachary, founder of i2y, told us. "For me, it's a dream come true. I wish there had been something like this when I was sick, and I'm so glad to know that it exists now for others."
The OMG! Summit is free, but registration is required. Visit the OMG! website to learn more and to sign up.
According to a new analysis by the Institute of Medicine, the US government's cancer research network is "approaching a state of crisis." Among the report's shocking findings: 40% of late-stage clinical trials funded by the government are abandoned before completion, and it can take more than two years to design and initiate new clinical trials. The Institute recommended that the National Cancer Institute consolidate its administrative operations, develop more efficient trial design, create incentives for investigators to participate in studies and more. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-15/cancer-research-by-u-s-disorganized-underfunded-study-says.html
A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine indicates that people with diabetes actually fare better following colon cancer surgery than people without the condition. In an analysis of medical records for nearly 220,000 people who had colon cancer surgery in the US between 1995 and 2005, there was a 29% lower risk of death among those with uncomplicated diabetes. One possible explanation? Doctors may keep a closer eye on patients with diabetes, and that extra attention may translate into better survival rates. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63D3R820100414
CDC researchers have found that 75% of physicians rely on an in-office fecal occult blood test (FOBT) to screen for colorectal cancer, when the home-based FOBT has been shown to be more effective. The in-office test misses a whopping 95% of cancer or precancerous polyps, and national guidelines recommend that FOBT testing be done with stool samples collected at home. "Many primary care physicians continue to use inappropriate FOBT methods to screen for colorectal cancer, thereby missing the potential to save lives," said the study's author. "FOBT is an important option for screening, but it must be implemented correctly." http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638141.html
This LA Times article provides a neat wrap-up of new technologies in breast cancer screening. Mammography has been the gold standard of breast cancer detection for years, but it only correctly identifies 80 to 85% of women who have cancer. This piece touches on technologies like digital mammography and computer-aided detection (both on the market now) as well as digital tomosynthesis and stereoscopic mammography (emerging). http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-mammogram-20100412,0,3561975.story?page=2
Finally, two research institutes have joined to form the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium, using the DNA from dog drool, of all things, to look into the genomic causes of disease. That slobber DNA could be the key to unlocking new treatments for rare cancers in both man and his best friend. "Rare diseases in humans also show up in dogs. By studying the DNA of canines, we expect to more quickly discover the genomic causes of disease and more quickly find ways to better treat dogs, and people,'' said Dr. Mark Neff, director of the new program. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591128,00.html
That's all for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more!
During this Sunday's broadcast of the Academy of Country Music Awards, country music star Toby Keith will sing a song he wrote in honor of his friend, NBA star and fellow musician Wayman Tisdale. In "Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)", Toby remembers what he learned from his friendship with Wayman, who he lost to cancer last year: "You showed me how I'm supposed to live, and now you showed me how to die . . . so play your upside-down, left-handed, backwards bass guitar. I'll see you on the other side, superstar." Tune in to the ACM Awards at 8 PM/7 PM Central to watch.
Toby is also honoring Wayman with an SU2C Team he started in his friend's name. Stand up with Toby by joining "Team Toby Keith For Wayman," or join the fight by starting your own team in honor of someone you know who's faced cancer. It's Up2 all of us - country stars, friends, parents, kids and grandkids - to help end cancer now.
As a four-time cancer survivor, Rockowitz has plenty of experience talking about the disease. In this hilarious column, "How Not to Cheer Up a Cancer Patient," he offers a few "nuggets of advice" for providing moral support to loved ones facing cancer. Among his tips: don't give them a copy of It's Not About the Bike; don't expect thank-you notes; tell it like it is; and don't say things like "You should've taken better care of your body" or "Maybe this is your wake-up call to do something different with your life." http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-04-14/arts/how-not-to-cheer-up-a-cancer-patient/2
River Stillwood
After she was diagnosed with uterine cancer last fall, Stillwood, who built her own cabin in the rural Ozarks, applied the same determination to beating the disease, which had already penetrated her uterine walls and cervix by the time doctors discovered it. Now that the disease appears to have sounded the retreat, Stillwood says hope gets her through the remaining chemo treatments: "I want to see my nieces and grand-nephews grow up. I want to see my family again . . . There are thousands of things that I want to do, but more than anything, I just hope for life. I hope for time." http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/6439/66/
Harriet Benjamin
Benjamin, who passed away in early April from lung cancer, was the inspiration for the Wellness Community, which was founded in 1982 by her husband, Harold. Benjamin faced breast cancer in 1972, and her experience with the disease exposed a void in the cancer treatment world: very few resources were available for the social and emotional health of cancer patients. Within two years, the Wellness Community offered 25 free support groups a week to those battling the disease; it later merged with Gilda's Club, a similar organization named for Gilda Radner. Benjamin was "the heart and soul of our organization," said the Cancer Support Community's president. "It was a brave and bold move for her years ago to decide she was going to be very public about her own cancer experience. She did not want people to face cancer alone." http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-harriet-benjamin15-2010apr15,0,4878560.story
Mark Goldstein
Goldstein is not your usual breast cancer survivor: he's a 77-year-old man who faced the disease 21 years ago, and has now "strolled," as he puts it, in 203 Komen Race for the Cure events around the country. In this article, he says that his mission is "that men should not die from breast cancer out of ignorance"; so he wears a pink visor when he participates in the races, and runs "slowly enough so people pass me and see the message." http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=12286513
As always, we invite you to share your stories in the comments below.
Calling all runners and walkers! Registration is now open for this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game Charity 5K and Fun Run, which takes place Sunday, July 11 in Anaheim, CA. Thanks to our incredible partner, MLB, proceeds from the All-Star Weekend will benefit SU2C for the second year running. This year's race promises to be especially exciting, with baseball legends and mascots joining runners like you on a course that finishes with a lap through Angel Stadium.
SU2C co-founders Laura Ziskin, Lisa Paulsen and Sherry Lansing were in attendance at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research last week, as were Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, chairperson of our Scientific Advisory Committee, Dr. Joe Gray, co-leader of one of our Dream Teams, and Julie Fleshman, president of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and a Dream Team advocate. Watch their interviews from the conference in the podcasts below:
During a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research last weekend, members of the Dream Teams presented exciting details about their studies. The teams highlighted their scientific goals and trial details, as well as their anticipated milestones. Even more exciting, several teams report on progress that is already being made.
A new study out of Idaho State University indicates that a colder, cloudier climate could increase the risk of prostate cancer for men. Higher rates of the disease have been observed in the northern part of the world, and low exposure to the sun can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which is a risk factor for the disease. The study also suggests that cold temperatures play a role in cancer risk because the breakdown of industrial pollutants in the atmosphere is slower, and frigid air is believed to pull chemicals from the atmosphere to the earth. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591363,00.html
Amy Abernathy, an oncologist from Duke University, has spoken out against comparative effectiveness studies, suggesting that they may present obstacles for the field of cancer research. While oncology keeps moving toward more personalized treatment, comparative effectiveness research is based on large populations; this means that patients with less common molecular abnormalities in their tumors could fall through the cracks. Her cure for what's ailing this type of research? More randomized clinical trials, better data gathering from physicians and patients, and more communication between all parties involved in cancer research and treatment. (Hmmmm . . . that approach sounds familiar!) http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/04/22/cancer-field-conundrum-comparative-effectiveness-research/
A screening program to detect the early signs of bowel cancer has launched in Northern Ireland. Over the next two years, everyone in the region between the ages of 60-69 will be invited for screening, which can detect signs of the disease at a very early stage. The NI Department of Health anticipates that the program could reduce deaths from the disease by 15%; the screening catches the disease when there's still a 90% chance that it can be successfully treated. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8638319.stm
According to research published in the April 15 issue of Breast Cancer Research, women who were thinner in childhood may experience an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. "Greater body size at age 7 is associated with a decreased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, and the associated protective effect is stronger for the ER-negative breast cancer subtype than for the ER-positive subtype," the study authors write. "Childhood body size is potentially useful for building breast cancer risk or prognosis prediction models." http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/720649
Finally, researchers have launched the "ultimate study" to determine whether cell phones can cause cancer, Alzheimer's or other diseases. More than 250,000 people in five different countries will take part in the research, which will last more than 30 years and will note diseases and symptoms as they arise. After five years, scientists hope to know whether phone use can cause issues like headaches; after ten years, they hope to have an insight into whether phones can cause common cancers. "This is the largest study to date worldwide on mobile phones and health and will be monitoring a large number of mobile phone users over a long time," said one of the lead investigators. "It will be the gold standard." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7620278/Mobile-phones-cancer-and-Alzheimers-disease-the-ultimate-study-is-launched.html
That's all for this week, but I'll be back next week with more!
Did you catch Toby Keith's moving performance of "Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday? The live version of the song is now available for download at iTunes, with all proceeds benefiting SU2C through July 26--click here to get your copy now.
We want to thank Toby Keith and the ACM Awards for their incredible support. Toby has a long history of helping the cancer community: through his Toby Keith Foundation, he helps fund charitable organizations focused on the health and happiness of pediatric cancer patients. His OK Kids Korral provides home-like daytime and overnight lodging for kids undergoing cancer treatment at the Oklahoma University Medical Center and their families, with facilities like a game room, a movie theater and an outdoor play area. Check out a video about Toby's contributions to the pediatric cancer community here, or visit the Toby Keith Foundation's website.
You can join us in thanking Toby by being a part of the SU2C Team he started in Wayman's honor. And don't forget to download "Cryin' For Me" at iTunes!
Parlette was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called alveolar soft part sarcoma in 2005, when she was 23 years old; she documented her experience battling the disease in a series for the San Francisco Chronicle called "Alicia's Story." In spite of treatments with interferon and chemotherapy, the cancer eventually spread from her hip and breast to her lungs, and she passed away last week at the age of 28. "It became really like a lifeline in a way for me because I would often come to conclusions about things -- things I didn't even realize until I had written them," Parlette said of her writing in an April 14 interview. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/22/DDMP1D11M1.DTL
Guru (Keith Elam)
Keith Elam, better known as Guru, was one of the most influential rappers in New York's early hip-hop scene. As half of the late-eighties/early nineties duo Gang Starr, he was a major figure in bridging hip-hop and jazz, and went on to have a solo career, releasing four volumes of his "Jazzmatazz" series. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma last summer, Guru passed away last week at the age of 47. In this article, his sister Tricia and the rest of his family remember him as "creative like crazy. Dynamic and curious, eager and ambitious." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/arts/music/21guru.html
Alexis Johnson
While undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, Johnson, 63, found out about Gilda's Club, a national group offering social and emotional support for cancer patients, through a flier in a packet of information distributed to cancer patients. After spending 16 weeks attending classes and programs there, Johnson realized something was missing: there were very few African-American people taking advantage of the club's services in her community. Now, she's partnering with the organization to raise awareness of its resources. "The idea is to get you away from a hospital setting, and thinking about your illness," she says. "More people should know Gilda's Club exists so they can make an informed decision whether or not to come. Gilda's should not be the best-kept secret in town." http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/91911579_Wyckoff_cancer_survivor_spearheads_Gilda_s_Club_awareness_campaign.html
Connor Olson
Olson, a high school senior who had been battling bone cancer for more than a year, recently passed away from the disease at the age of 18. As his health took a turn for the worse, his school, Tonhanoxie High, arranged a special graduation ceremony just for him. "I think the graduation gave him some closure, gave him a goal that he had worked very hard for," his father, Martin Olson, says. "His pain has been lifted," Olson said. "He didn't lose to cancer . . . it could not quash the spirit of the man." http://www.kansascity.com/2010/04/21/1894385_tonganoxie-student-who-courageously.html?storylink=omni_popular#ixzz0mLAntF6v
As always, we welcome you to share your stories in the comments below.
At Stand Up To Cancer, our team is energized by the privilege of being part of an initiative that holds such promise to benefit patients who suffer from cancer, and by the potential for SU2C to create real and much needed change in the arena of cancer research and treatment.
Two weekends ago in Washington, D.C., an SU2C delegation of co-founders and staff had the honor of attending the American Association for Cancer Research's 101st Annual Meeting. The AACR is SU2C's official scientific partner and helps SU2C with all components of our model - from assembling the Scientific Advisory Committee and making recommendations about Management Committee members, to communication with the scientists and their various institutions throughout the country, administration of all the grants, and much more.
The five SU2C Dream Teams and 10 of the thirteen Innovative Research Grant Recipients were present for this year's AACR meeting, and participated in the filming of small group interviews to help us share the state of their projects with you.
The excitement of every researcher who participates in Stand Up To Cancer was palpable. Your donations enable researchers and clinicians, senior scientists and junior investigators to come together and collaborate in new and more efficient ways that no prior mechanism had provided them.
Nobel Laureate and SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee Chairperson Dr. Phillip Sharp and many of his colleagues concurred that "we are in a golden moment in cancer research." Scientists understand more about the genes and proteins that drive cancer, and can increasingly identify specific molecular targets for new cancer drugs. The future of cancer treatment will be an unrelenting quest to develop more tolerable, less toxic therapies to treat the very specific errors that instigate cancer's cellular misbehaviors. The Stand Up To Cancer model empowers scientists to bring those therapies to patients in an accelerated time frame.
We want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who responded to the call for questions and submitted their inquiries to scientists_questions@standup2cancer.org. Our discussion with the SU2C scientists combined questions from our community with questions that SU2C staff cultivated in preparation for the meeting and refined over the course of the sessions.
One question from the scientist_questions inbox came from community member Richard. Paraphrased, Richard asked why Stand Up To Cancer appeared to have become a "celebrity-driven" campaign for donations. Richard's wife suffers from leiomyosarcoma, a sarcoma of the soft muscle tissue; she has been in clinical trials for more than six years.
We carried Richard's question to SU2C leadership and scientists. To address the topic of "celebrity": Each time someone joins the SU2C movement, they have a personal connection to cancer. Cancer doesn't care if a person is well known or not; we are all impacted by cancer. Celebrities have a unique ability to reach large and varying audiences--when a well known person is willing to lend his or her support to an effort such as this one, the organization's ability to reach a large number of people is that much greater. Every member of the SU2C movement is a valuable part of this effort: a donor who gives a dollar, a celebrity who lends his or her image or name to the effort, a patient, a researcher, someone who sends a Tweet. Each effort helps-- after all, it's Up2 all of us.
Glad to have Richard's question in hand, we learned that many of the projects in the realm of the SU2C Dream Team's work could impact his wife's cancer type. In fact, Dr. Craig Thompson of SU2C's "Cutting Off the Fuel Supply: A New Approach to the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer" Dream Team reported that he expected tissue samples in his lab this week that would yield insight into leiomyosarcoma. In fact, most of the Dream Team projects have the potential for broad impact beyond the specific cancer types actually being studied.
We asked several of the doctors what early signals they would look for to indicate whether the SU2C model could be a success. We were thrilled to hear them tell us that those signs are already present. The collaborative model brings scientists from different institutions together, and the simple virtue of removing the barriers to communication for these professionals facilitates their process of discovery.
Dr. Cynthia Zahnow, a basic researcher on SU2C's "Bringing Epigenetic Therapy to the Forefront of Cancer Management" Dream Team, is fighting breast cancer herself. Cindy shared with us that prior to Stand Up To Cancer, she spent a significant amount of her time writing grant proposals, and has to raise money through grants or philanthropic funds to keep her lab going. Because of SU2C--because of you!--Cindy is now able to devote more of her time contributing to research and the work of the Epigenetics Dream Team.
As Dr. Stephen Baylin, leader of the SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team put it, "Collective science is not a new endeavor, but the Stand Up To Cancer model rolls collaborative techniques into a single mission, with an accelerated model--and a mandate for three years to impact. Within a three-year period, with novel use of existing drugs, and by identifying new targets, we can bring epigenetic therapies to the forefront of management for breast, colon and lung cancers. Success will provide a new paradigm for avenues toward treatments of many, if not all, cancers."
We asked Dr. Sharp what he had learned, personally, since he first began to participate in SU2C. His reply was profound: "I realized that I should have known this. We should have tried this sooner." The SU2C Dream Teams and Innovative Research Grant recipients are honored by your support, and they are working furiously and fast, responding to an urgent need with what SAC Vice-Chairperson Dr. Arnold Levine described as a sense of "appropriate impatience."
From basic scientists, researchers, clinicians, informatics and lab technicians to patients, advocates, individual donors, families and friends - thank you to everyone who has joined the Stand Up experiment. You each have helped to launch this endeavor. We have liftoff.
With summer approaching, news stories about skin cancer are everywhere. I particularly liked this Q and A between Melinda Beck of the Wall Street Journal and dermatologists and other skin experts, in which Beck, a self-described "health columnist with a tan," asks if there's any way to sunbathe safely. The short answer, of course, is no: although sun exposure releases endorphins and gives us vitamin D, experts still say it's best to stay in the shade, especially between the particularly dangerous hours of 10 and 4. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703465204575208011470022100.html
New research from the Finnish Cancer Registry indicates that a new HPV screening test is better at detecting serious precancerous legions than conventional cervical screening with a Pap smear. In a study of 58,282 women who had routine cervical screening between 2003 and 2005, those randomly assigned to receive an HPV test had serious lesions detected sooner. The researchers cautioned that there weren't very many cervical cancer cases found in the group studied, but added that "considering the high probability of progression of CIN III lesions in women aged 35 years or more, our results are important for prevention of cervical cancer." http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638534.html
This post from the LAT's Booster Shots blog looks at the "hidden women's cancer," otherwise known as lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among women since 1987. On Monday, Brigham & Women's Hospital and the Lung Cancer Alliance released a roundup of research on how many and which women get lung cancer, who survives, and what treatments are in the works. One of the report's most striking findings was that among women lung cancer patients, 1 in 5 never smoked cigarettes, compared with 1 in 12 among men. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/lung-cancer-and-women-heartache-and-hope.html
Results of a new British study indicate that screening those 55 to 64 for colorectal cancer using a small camera can cut death rates from the disease by 43%. While many countries have screening programs that use the fecal occult blood test, which can detect early cases of the disease and reduce death rates by around 15%, the study's lead authors say screening using sigmoidoscopy (the camera) saves more lives and is more cost-effective. "Economic analyses suggest . . . a once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screen at age 55 or 60 years would be cost saving, largely because of the avoided costs of treatment," they said. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63R4KM20100428
Finally, scientists have found that extract from a tiny flower - the bloom of the plant gypsophila paniculata, more commonly known as baby's breath - has the potential to boost the efficiency of leukemia drugs by a factor of a million, and could also be helpful in treating other types of cancer. Molecules from the flower appear to break down the membrane of deadly cancer cells, making it easier for antibody-based drugs to attack the cancer itself. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591766,00.html
That's all for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more!
