April 2009
Shop to Make a Difference: Support for cutting-edge research
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center thanks our generous Shop to Make a Difference partners.
For the past five years, Shop to Make a Difference at University Village® has generated funding and increased awareness for the Hutchinson Center’s research into the prevention, detection and treatment of disease. Through your generous support of the Center, you and your fellow Shop to Make a Difference participants have become part of a community seeking to advance research and save lives. This report highlights some of the exciting work that Center scientists are pursuing with the help of contributions from our Shop to Make a Difference partners.
Connie Lehman uses imaging tools to improve early detection of breast cancer
Dr. Connie Lehman is setting new standards in breast cancer imaging as director of the Breast Imaging Program, a group uniting the strengths of the Hutchinson Center, the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Lehman has recently made a significant contribution to the field by conducting a study that found magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can dramatically improve diagnoses of secondary breast tumors in women previously diagnosed with cancer in the opposite breast. The resulting earlier detection of the second tumor allows women to be treated simultaneously for both tumors. The increase in accuracy of this early detection also increases the likelihood of avoiding unnecessary preventive mastectomies.
Dr. Lehman currently evaluates the use of imaging tools in monitoring women undergoing chemotherapy treatment. She is also looking for new ways to fine tune the use of MRI screening for women at high risk of breast cancer. Simultaneously, Dr. Lehman mentors numerous young researchers and clinicians, extending the reach of the Breast Imaging program.
Anne McTiernan aims to give people concrete ways to reduce their cancer risk
Some researchers focus on detecting cancer, some focus on treating it and others focus on preventing cancer in the first place. Dr. Anne McTiernan leads the Hutchinson Center’s Prevention Center, a state-of-the-art facility for conducting research on exercise and diet. Among other projects, Dr. McTiernan is the principal investigator for a major study on diet, weight and physical activity for which the Center is the coordinating body. The study involves drawing from a range of scientific fields to advance understanding of how daily habits and cancer are intertwined.
Dr. McTiernan has found direct evidence that regular exercise can affect biology related to cancer and other chronic diseases. Working with the resources of the Hutchinson Center and its partners in Seattle, she has been able to quantify the risk-reduction properties of weight loss and increased exercise. For instance, Dr. McTiernan has found that moderate physical exercise reduces intra-abdominal fat and lowers levels of hormones that, in excess, can contribute to cancer. She looks for signs of disease that are carried in the blood and measures their variations as trial participants undergo measurable changes in their behavior. Such quantifiable studies are an important advance in the field of cancer-prevention research.
With the resources of the world’s largest and most experienced prevention program, Dr. McTiernan and her colleagues expect to continue to find ways that people can reduce their own cancer risk levels.
Oliver Press searches for new ways to treat lymphomas and leukemias
Dr. Oliver Press, member of the Clinical Research Division and the director of clinical research for hematology at the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, focuses his work on cancers of the blood: lymphomas and leukemias. An internationally recognized expert in immunotherapy, Dr. Press studies therapies that are designed to fight cancer by exploiting the body’s own immune system. Much of his research centers on using one element of the immune system, antibodies, to target cancerous cells.
In the past year, Dr. Press has made strides in his groundbreaking radioimmunotherapy work, in which the immune system is harnessed to help direct radiation therapy. Dr. Press and his colleagues are engineering interventions that are meant to decrease the amount of radiation that healthy tissues receive during cancer treatment. His laboratory studies have shown the potential of a man-made protein that binds to lymphoma cells and subsequently acts as a magnet for the radiation. Dr. Press’ team also has employed a clearing agent that helps remove any extra magnet proteins before the radiation is delivered, further reducing the detrimental effect that radiation can have on healthy tissue. The next step will be conducting clinical trials of this approach.
In addition, Dr. Press is working on several other methods for increasing the effectiveness of immune-based cancer treatments while decreasing side effects, including harnessing the immune system’s T-cells to extend lymphoma treatment to those for whom current treatments are not feasible. Early trials have shown the safety and potential of this new approach, and now Dr. Press’ team will be working to expand the anti-cancer effect of the T-cell therapy.
Thank you again for your support of the Hutchinson Center’s efforts to improve the lives of those with and at risk for cancer and related diseases.
Stephanie Henderson, Director of Annual Giving
Tel. 206.667.4974 shenders@fhcrc.org
Mail Stop J5-200, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109
1100 Fairview Ave. N. PO Box 19024 Seattle, WA 98109
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