Scientists 'Stand Up To Cancer' With Latest Research

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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As the Stand Up To Cancer campaign -- being put forth by television's "Big 3" networks -- is opening the nation's eyes to the need and the benefit of cancer research dollars, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is highlighting some of its groundbreaking studies being conducted by internationally recognized clinical investigators. CINJ is New Jersey's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and is a Center of Excellence of UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month as well as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, and CINJ is making experts available to comment on new studies, which may hold new treatment promise in these particular areas.

CINJ experts available for comment include:

Robert DiPaola, M.D., associate director for clinical science; chief, Division of Medical Oncology; executive director of the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at CINJ; and professor of medicine, UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He currently is the lead investigator at CINJ in the recently opened, Phase III clinical trial "Study of Active Surveillance Therapy Against Radical Treatment in Patients Diagnosed with Favorable Risk Prostate Cancer," also known as the START trial.

This international study is planning to accrue more than 2,100 participants from the United States, Canada and Europe, including 60 from CINJ. Patients with early stage prostate cancer will either undergo the usual standard of treatment, which is to either have radiation therapy or remove the prostate, while the other group will receive what is known as active surveillance, in which their disease will be monitored closely. Recent studies from investigators at CINJ have shown that there are benefits to active surveillance, since it avoids the risk of treatment side effects. The study is expected to take five years to complete.

Grace Lu-Yao, Ph.D., M.P.H., cancer epidemiologist at CINJ and associate professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She was the lead investigator on a study, which showed conservative management can be a viable option to older men diagnosed with Stage I or Stage II prostate cancer in preserving their quality of life in their later years. Dr. Lu-Yao's findings further support the START trial, which aims to preserve the quality of life of patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Another study led by Dr. Lu-Yao, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that early use of hormonal therapy for low-risk prostate cancer does not improve disease-specific survival. Many experts regard this study as significant, because hormonal therapy is widely used among men with localized prostate cancer and it has substantial side effects.

Lorna Rodríguez, M.D., Ph.D., chief of gynecologic oncology, CINJ; and associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Rodriguez is close to concluding a clinical trial which indicates the potential for more targeted treatment of ovarian cancer. The study looks at the effects of a mineral called selenium in combination with the standard treatment for the disease.

Currently used are the drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel, which have shown the ability to shrink ovarian cancer tumors; however, that shrinkage may not last due to the development of drug resistance. Previous data shows that selenium inhibits the development of a tumor's resistance to carboplatin. The study couples selenium with the two drugs with the goal of preventing or slowing drug resistance.

Darlene G. Gibbon, M.D., clinical director of gynecologic oncology at CINJ; and assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Gibbon's specialty lies in the areas of clinical trial developments; new therapeutics in ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers; and fertility issues in cancer survivors. She is a sub-investigator on the aforementioned selenium trial.

Additional information about cancer clinical trials and research at CINJ can be found at http://www.cinj.org.

Quick Facts:

One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, it is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, other than skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. It is estimated that approximately 183,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in the United States this year, with the illness affecting more African-American men than those of Asian or Caucasian descent. In New Jersey, 5,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed, while 800 will die from the disease this year.

The various forms of gynecologic cancer -- which is the growth and spread of cancer cells in the cervix, ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva -- also will have a big impact on our nation. According to the American Cancer Society, 78,000 new cases of gynecologic cancer will be diagnosed nationwide with 28,000 deaths resulting from the disease.

According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer -- known as the "silent killer" because of its lack of symptoms -- is expected to claim some 15,000 lives nationwide this year, with 480 in New Jersey.

Cancer Institute of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
United States
http://www.cinj.org