Oncology and AIDS blog http://www.canceraids.org Cancer and HIV Research News Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:30:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en July 6, 2009New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sheds light on a genetic function that gives breast cancer cells the ability to survive and spread to the bone years after treatment has been administered. The findings support the study of therapies that target this survival capacity and force the death of latent breast cancer cells before they get a chance to metastasize, or spread - a problem that accounts for a majority of breast cancer-related deaths. The research will be published in the July 7 issue of Cancer Cell. [PubMed Abstract] “Our results should encourage oncologists to consider the study of Src inhibitors to attack reservoirs of disseminated, latent cancer cells and prevent metastasis in breast cancer patients after their tumor has been removed.”– Joan Massagué, PhD, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at MSKCC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Using gene-expression profiling techniques, researchers found that breast cancer cells that infiltrate the bone marrow can survive over time if they contain the gene product Src, which has known effects on cell mobility, invasion, and survival. The investigators discovered that genetically disabling Src activity in human breast cancer cells inhibits these cells from surviving in the bone marrow and forming metastases in mice. They also observed that treatment with the drug dasatinib inhibits the formation of bone metastasis by human breast cancer cells inoculated into mice. “Our results should encourage oncologists to consider the study of Src inhibitors to attack reservoirs of disseminated, latent cancer cells and prevent metastasis in breast cancer patients after their tumor has been removed,” said the study's senior author, Joan Massagué, PhD, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at MSKCC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Breast tumors may shed cancer cells from the outset, and some of these cells may infiltrate vital organs, including the bones, lungs, and brain. When a tumor is diagnosed and removed, chemotherapy is administered with the goal of eliminating these residual cancer cells. However, metastasis may still emerge in some patients and may take years or decades to occur, suggesting that these cells may not inherently possess - and need some time to acquire - all of the molecular characteristics needed to metastasize. According to the study, nearly one-third of cases of breast cancer relapse emerge three or more years after diagnosis, with some cases developing decades later. At present, the major clinical benefits from postoperative drug therapies are observed in the first few years after treatment, which may mean that latent cancer cells are at least partially resistant to conventional therapy. The following investigators contributed to this study: Xiang H. F. Zhang, Clifford A. Hudis, Larry Norton, Qiongqing Wang, and the late William Gerald of MSKCC; and Marcel Smid and John A. Foekens of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Kleberg Foundation, the Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis Initiative, the Hearst Foundation, and the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI)/Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. July 6, 2009New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sheds light on a genetic function that gives breast cancer cells the ability to survive and spread to the bone years after treatment has been administered. The findings support the study of therapies that target this ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/mskcc-3412/ Dr. Shishir K. Maithel Joins Emory Surgical Oncology ATLANTA - Shishir K. Maithel, MD, has joined Emory's Department of Surgical Oncology and the Emory Winship Cancer Institute as assistant professor of surgical oncology.  He specializes in gastrointestinal oncology, with an emphasis in liver, biliary, and pancreatic surgery.  Dr. Maithel comes to Emory from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/winship-3227/ Clinical Trial of Anti-Cancer Drug Open to Patients with BRCA1 or 2 Mutations ATLANTA - Doctors at Winship Cancer Institute are testing an anti-cancer drug that exploits the vulnerabilities of particularly hard-to-treat tumors.  Suresh Ramalingam, MD, associate professor of hematology and medical oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and chief of thoracic oncology at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute, is the ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/winship-3558/ Emory Earns Full Provisional Membership in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group ATLANTA - Emory University Hospital through its Department of Radiation Oncology has earned provisional full membership in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).  RTOG is one of nine National Cancer Institute-supported cooperative groups conducting large multi-center cancer clinical trials in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.  RTOG has been ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/winship-2117/ Roswell Park and Partners Launch Prostate Club for Men BUFFALO, NY – Western New Yorkers are invited to “Aim for a Cure,” a special event at the Walden Galleria Mall on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6. The event marks the launch of the Prostate Club for Men, a six-month empowerment campaign to raise awareness about the importance ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/roswell-2796/ Three New Faculty Members Join Department of Medicine at Roswell Park BUFFALO, NY - Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has appointed three new faculty members to the Department of Medicine. Foluso Olabisi (Bisi) Ademuyiwa, MD, MPH, will see patients in the RPCI Breast Clinic.Dr. Ademuyiwa comes to RPCI from Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, where she completed a fellowship ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/roswell-1955/ Donating Blood… A Labor of Love! BUFFALO, NY – Celebrate this Labor Day with a “labor of love” and donate much-needed blood or platelets at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). Your donation today will help to save a life tomorrow. Many cancer patients require blood and platelet transfusions as part of their care. RPCI is seeking ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/roswell-4040/ Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University review of breast and cervical cancer screening program highlights need to address economic challenges of uncompensated care Robert Burack, M.D. With approximately 44 million Americans uninsured, health care systems and providers bear much of the financial burden by providing unreimbursed services. The absence of health insurance is a major impediment to receiving preventative health care as well as other health care needs extending beyond prevention. According ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/cancer-karmanos-628/ Cancer patients separated at diagnosis have worse survival rates Andre Konski, M.D., M.B.A., M.A. Cancer patients who are separated from their spouses at the time of their diagnosis do not live as long as widowed, divorced and never married patients, according to a new study to be published in CA, the journal of the American Cancer Society. Andre ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/cancer-karmanos-627/ Help Save a Life - Bone Marrow Donor Registry Drive Sept. 2 at the Karmanos Cancer Center DETROIT, MI – Everyone can help save a life by taking a simple test to register as a potential bone marrow donor. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, in collaboration with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), will host ... http://www.canceraids.org/2009/09/11/cancer-karmanos-629/