http://www.pennmedicine.org/news The latest news from Penn Medicine (the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System) and the Abramson Cancer Center. en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss rachel.ewing@uphs.upenn.edu (Rachel Ewing) 2009, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.pennhealth.com/images/pennmedicine_logo.jpg http://www.pennmedicine.org/news In addition to building muscle, weightlifting is also a prescription for self-esteem among breast cancer survivors, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research. Breast cancer survivors who lift weights regularly feel better about bodies and their appearance and are more satisfied with their intimate relationships compared with survivors who do not lift weights, according to a new study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/11/cancer-survivors-self-esteem/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:00 GMT The day-to-day maintenance required to keep proliferative tissues like skin and intestines functional is about more than just regeneration, a stem cell-based process that forms the basis of tissue renewal. It's also about housekeeping, the clearing away of damaged cells. So indicates a study published in the October issue of Nature Genetics, which demonstrates that loss of the tumor-suppressor protein p53, coupled with elimination of the DNA-maintenance protein ATR, severely disrupts tissue maintenance in mice. As a result, tissues deteriorate rapidly, which is generally fatal in these animals. In addition, the study provides supportive evidence for the use of inhibitors of ATR in cancer therapy. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/10/tissue-maintenance/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT Aromatase inhibitors, the same drugs that have buoyed long-term survival rates among breast cancer patients, also carry side effects including joint pain so severe that many patients discontinue these lifesaving medicines. New University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research, however, has identified patterns that may help clinicians identify and help women at risk of these symptoms sooner in order to increase their chances of sticking with their treatment regimen. In a study published recently in the journal Cancer, researchers at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center found that estrogen withdrawal may play a role in the onset of joint pain, also known as arthralgia, during treatment: Women who stopped getting their menstrual periods less than five years before starting breast cancer treatment were three times more likely to experience these pains than those who reached menopause more than a decade earlier. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/09/reducing-breast-cancer-drug-side-effects/ Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:00:00 GMT Breast cancer survivors who lift weights are less likely than their non-weightlifting peers to experience worsening symptoms of lymphedema, the arm- and hand-swelling condition that plagues many women following surgery for their disease, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings challenge the advice commonly given to lymphedema sufferers, who may worry that weight training or even carrying children or bags of groceries will exacerbate their symptoms. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/08/weight-lifting-eases-lymphedema-symptoms/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:00:01 GMT In a study comparing two strains of mice, one susceptible to developing cancer and the other not, researchers found that a high-fat diet predisposed the cancer-susceptible strain to liver cancer, and that by switching to a low-fat diet early in the experiment, the same high-risk mice avoided the malignancy. The switched mice were lean rather than obese and had healthy livers at the end of the study. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/diet-liver-cancer.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:00:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men, and its incidence among non-Hispanic Caucasian men has doubled in the last 40 years -- it now affects seven out of 100,000 white men in the United States each year. The discovery, published in the May 31, 2009 online issue of Nature Genetics, is the first step toward understanding which men are at high risk of disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/testicular-cancer-gene.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:30:00 GMT In what researchers are calling a breakthrough, patients with thyroid cancer that is resistant to radioactive iodine therapy were found to respond well to sorafenib, a University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researcher reported today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The phase II clinical trial data highlight an intensive effort at the Abramson Cancer Center to develop effective, personalized therapies for these patients, who have previously had few options for treatment. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/new-thyroid-cancer-treatment.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:45:00 GMT Although the majority of patients with follicular lymphoma initially respond to chemotherapy, the disease frequently recurs, eventually becoming resistant to available therapies. Patients treated with traditional chemotherapy followed by a personalized vaccine were found to have a 44 percent increase in progression-free survival compared with patients who responded to chemotherapy but received a control vaccine, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/personalized-cancer-vaccine.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT An increasing number of cancer patients who receive chemotherapy now do so at home, with the click of a pill bottle each day rather than the drip of an IV medicine that must be delivered in a doctor’s office or hospital. Though the growing shift toward oral chemotherapy agents offers cancer patients greater freedom and independence during their treatment, physicians say use of the new medications also poses more chances for patients to skip doses, miss prescription refills, and take their drugs in a dangerous way. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/oral-chemotherapy-compliance.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:59:00 GMT The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and Penn Medicine announced today a four-year partnership to further develop and disseminate the LIVESTRONG Care Plan Powered by Penn Medicine’s OncoLink. This free service gives cancer survivors, their families and physicians the ability to create an individualized plan of care using up-to-date treatment information based on Institute of Medicine recommendations, as well educating them about their options to maintain optimal health once they are out of treatment. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/05/livestrong-cancer-survivorship.html Wed, 27 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT Abramson Cancer Center Director Craig Thompson, MD, PhD, has been selected to lead a research "Dream Team" for Stand Up To Cancer, the groundbreaking partnership between the nation’s entertainment industry and the cancer research community. Armed with $18 million in funding, Thompson’s team is poised to lead the nation’s most innovative pancreatic cancer research project, which will discover more about what metabolic nutrients pancreatic tumors rely on to grow and develop new therapies designed to cut off that essential fuel. Despite the myriad advances in treating other cancers, people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer still face a grim prognosis – as many as 80 percent of patients who get the news die within a year. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/05/stand-up-to-cancer-pancreatic-dream-team.html Wed, 27 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who exhibit an overexpression of the protein HER2/neu have a six-fold increase in risk of invasive breast cancer, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The results, published in the May issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, may help clinicians distinguish between DCIS that requires minimal treatment and DCIS that should be treated more aggressively. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/05/dcis-her2-breast-cancer-risk.html Fri, 22 May 2009 14:30:00 GMT An online tool that provides cancer survivors and their family members with an easy-to-follow roadmap for managing their health as they finish treatment and transition to life as a survivor got high marks from users, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research. Ninety-seven percent of people who used OncoLife, the first online cancer survivorship care plan tool – developed by physicians and nurses from Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center – rated their experience with the tool as 'good' to 'excellent,' and 84 percent said they planned to share their plan with their health care team. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/cancer-survivorship-plans.html Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT Donald O’Rourke, MD, associate professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and colleagues were able to accurately predict the specific genetic mutation that caused brain cancer in a group of patients studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The researchers presented their findings this week at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/mutation-prediction-by-mri.html Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT A new federally funded University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study aims to learn whether women at high risk of breast cancer can use exercise to meaningfully reduce their risk of getting the disease. Building on evidence that reducing estrogen in the body reduces cancer risk, and that elite female athletes experience a drop in estrogen levels that often cause them to stop ovulating and menstruating, the WISER Sister trial will investigate two different levels of regular treadmill exercise as a possible intervention for breast cancer risk reduction. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/exercise-breast-cancer-prevention-trial.html Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:40:00 GMT For years, researchers have known that under normal conditions, the breast cancer protein BRCA1 orchestrates the repair of damaged DNA, but the details of just how BRCA1 moves to the damaged site and recruits the right nuclear repairmen for DNA restoration remains a mystery. Now, a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has identified genes associated with the BRCA1 protein and their involvement in the DNA repair pathway, helping to clear the way for researchers to better understand what goes wrong when the BRCA1 gene is mutated and the repair pathway goes haywire. Identifying patients with mutations in these BRCA1-associated genes may help better fight breast cancer. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/brca-associated-gene.html Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:30:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing from a primary tumor to other organs. The switch is a protein that, when in the “on” position, maintains the normal character of cells that line the surface of organs and body cavities. These epithelial cells are the type of cell from which most solid tumors arise. However, when the switch is turned “off” or absent, epithelial cells acquire characteristics of another cell type, called mesenchymal cells, and gain the ability to migrate and move away from the primary tumor. The researchers report their findings in this month’s issue of Molecular Cell. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/esrp-molecular-switch.html Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT Researchers have generated altered immune cells that are able to shrink, and in some cases eradicate, large tumors in mice. The immune cells target mesothelin, a protein that is highly expressed, or translated in large amounts from the mesothelin gene, on the surface of several types of cancer cells. The approach, developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), shows promise in the development of immunotherapies for certain tumors. The study appears online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/02/mesothelin-targeting.html Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT Many breast cancer survivors give low marks to the post-cancer care they receive from their primary care physicians, who generally serve as a patient’s main health care provider after they’re released from active treatment with their oncologists, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/01/cancer-survivorship.html Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:00:00 GMT A new study from the Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Psychiatry in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that smokers who carry a particular version of a gene for an enzyme that regulates dopamine in the brain may suffer from concentration problems and other cognitive deficits when abstaining from nicotine – a problem that puts them at risk for relapse during attempts to quit smoking. The findings, newly published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, pave the way to identify novel medications to treat nicotine addiction. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/12/genetic-nicotine-addiction.html Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that some proteins of the immune system can promote tumor growth. Investigators found that instead of fighting tumors, the protein C5a, which is produced during an immune response to a developing tumor, helps tumors build molecular shields against T-cell attack. These findings appeared online this week in Nature Immunology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/09/immune-promote-tumor-growth.html Carl June, MD, Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in Penn’s School of Medicine, has received $1 million over the next three years from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, Inc. (ACGT) to harness the immune system to fight the worst cases of ovarian cancer. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/09/carl-june-cancer-gene-therapy.html Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a key step in the formation – and suppression – of esophageal cancers and perhaps carcinomas of the breast, head, and neck. By studying human tissue samples, they found that Fbx4, a naturally occurring enzyme, plays a key role in stopping production of another protein called Cyclin D1, which is thought to contribute to the early stages of cancer development. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/09/natural-tumor-suppressor-fbx4.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown how Argos, a fruit fly protein, acts as a 'decoy' receptor, binding growth factors that promote the progression of cancer. Knowing how Argos neutralizes tumor growth may lead to new drug designs for inhibiting cancer. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/05/argos-decoy-binds-tumor-growth-factors.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology have shown that one of the main chemical culprits in lung cancer, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, can lead to mutations in critical genes by a process of oxidative stress. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/05/pah-oxidative-stress-cancer.html Many women with a faulty breast cancer gene could be at greater risk of the disease due to extra risk-amplifying genes, according to research published this month in the American Journal of Human Genetics. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr08/combination-breast-cancer-genes.html In an effort to empower the men of Philadelphia and the surrounding region, the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania is offering free prostate cancer screening, Saturday, March 1st, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the First District Plaza, next to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, 3801 Market Street, Philadelphia. Screenings consist of a physical exam and a prostate-specific antigen – or PSA – blood test, provided free of charge. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb08/free-screening.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shed new light on how Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpes Virus (KSHV) subverts normal cell machinery to cause cancer. A KSHV protein called latency-associated nuclear antigen, LANA for short, helps the virus hide out from the immune system in infected cells. When LANA takes the place of other proteins that control cell growth, it can cause uncontrolled cell replication. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct07/virus-reveals-cancer.html In the first clinical trial of its kind, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center will lead a nationwide test of anti-cancer drug combinations that target blood vessel growth in patients with advanced kidney cancer. The trial is being conducted with colleagues in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, a network of researchers, physicians, and health care professionals at public and private institutions. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct07/kidney-cancer.html The Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has been awarded $2.3 million over the next four years to study biological indicators of exposure to cigarette smoke. The grant is part of the National Institutes of Health new Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The GEI represents a unique collaboration between geneticists and environmental health scientists. In this first round of awards genetic studies were funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute and biomarker studies were funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/sep07/cigarette-smoke-grant.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new strategy that Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) uses to dupe infected cells into replicating its viral genome. This allows the virus to remain virtually undetected by the body's immune system. Previous work suggested KSHV needed viral proteins to initiate replication, but this is the first study to directly show that a section of viral DNA can independently draw upon proteins within a host cell to promote its own replication. The study was published in the August issue of Cell Host and Microbe. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/KSHV-replication.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that a commonly prescribed diabetes drug kills tumor cells that lack a key regulatory gene called p53. Results from current studies in mice may result in new therapies for a subset of human cancers that tend to be aggressive and resistant to existing treatments. Additionally, the findings open up a new avenue for targeting cancers whose hallmark is the absence of this regulatory gene. The Penn team reported their findings last month in Cancer Research. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/metformin-cancer-cells.html A family affected by multiple myeloma will visit the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania as part of its cross-country jaunt to raise awareness of this form of cancer. Myeloma, also called multiple myeloma, affects the production of red cells, white cells, and stem cells and is the second most common of the blood cancers affecting an estimated 75,000 people worldwide. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/myeloma-mobile.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that proteins known to promote cell death are also necessary for the maturation and proliferation of immune cells. Activation of T-cell receptors on the surface of lymphocytes by foreign antigens initiate a calcium-mediated signaling pathway that ends in cell differentiation and growth. The Penn scientists discovered that in the cells that lack the pro-death proteins Bax and Bak, calcium signaling is disrupted and energy production is reduced. Restoration of Bax corrects the signaling problems, increases energy production, and stimulates cell division. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/cell-death-proteins.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center have begun ACT III – a Phase II/III Randomized Study – to investigate the addition of CDX-110 vaccine to standard care maintenance chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/brain-tumor-vaccine-trial.html With thousands of shoes at half the suggested retail price, shoe lovers had the opportunity to splurge in the name of charity at the 13th Annual QVC Presents 'FFANY Shoes on Sale' event during Breast Cancer Awareness Month last October. The Rena Rowan Breast Center of the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) was one of the beneficiaries of the televised fundraiser that supports breast cancer research and patient education. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/ffany-rowan-center.html Caryn Lerman, PhD, Deputy Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded the 22nd Annual Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Health. The award will be presented to Lerman, for her work on pharmacogenetic approaches to nicotine dependence treatment, at the annual convention of the American College of Chest Physicians on October 21, 2007, in Chicago. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/ochsner-award-smoking.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine identified a combination therapy as a way to sensitize resistant human cancer cells to a treatment currently being tested in clinical trials. They propose that the therapy may help to selectively eliminate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact, providing a cancer treatment with fewer side effects. The Penn team reports their findings in the July issue of Cancer Cell. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/trail-combination-cancer-therapy.html Jeanne M. Rogers, RN, MEd, Associate Executive Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Administrative Director, of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network, was recently appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Cancer Control, Prevention and Research Advisory Board. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/cancer-advisory-board.html A team of cancer specialists from OncoLink.org, the award-winning cancer Web-based resource of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, has launched OncoLife, the first and only individualized plan-of-care based on the national Institute of Medicine's recommendations for adult cancer survivors. Free and easy to use, the new program -- soon to be available in Spanish -- provides cancer survivors with information regarding the health risks they face as a result of cancer therapies, as well as a defined plan of action to maintain their health once they are out of treatment. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/oncolife-cancer-care-plan.html Despite a concerted effort by local and regional medical groups and health care agencies over the past twenty years, Pennsylvanians with cancer are not having their basic needs for psychosocial support met. In a report appearing online in Cancer, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that support for psychosocial needs, such as activities of daily living (feeding, dressing, housework), transportation, financial issues (paying for prescriptions), and emotional issues have not improved. The study also states that some needs, such as insurance, employment, access to medical information, and homecare have worsened. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/cancer-psychosocial-needs.html Kevin R. Fox, MD, Medical Director of the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Mariann T. and Robert J. MacDonald Professorship in Breast Cancer Care Excellence http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/breast-cancer-professorship.html As the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who treat people with cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and many of its 25,000+ members meet this weekend in Chicago at of the largest annual medical conferences in the world. Physicians from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania – like the rest of their ASCO colleagues – are committed to advancing the education of oncologists and other oncology professionals, to advocating for policies that provide access to high-quality cancer care, and to supporting the clinical trials system and the need for increased clinical and translational research. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/abramson-cancer-center-asco.html Researchers at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute of the University of Pennsylvania and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute describe in this week’s issue of Science a new candidate breast-cancer susceptibility gene. The Rap80 gene is required for the normal DNA-repair function of the well-known breast cancer gene BRCA1. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/Rap80-breast-cancer-gene.html The Department of Dermatology and the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania will be conducting free screenings where a Penn dermatologist will check people's skin to determine their risk for developing skin cancer. Over 250 people are scheduled to receive a free screening. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/skin-cancer-screenings.html Previously-published research has given credence to the notion that psychotherapy extends the lives of people with cancer. In fact, one in four cancer patients believe that science supports the idea that participating in group therapy will extend their lives. However, in a paper appearing in the May issue of the Psychological Bulletin, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine concluded -- after an extensive research review -- that there is no compelling evidence linking psychotherapy or support groups with survival among cancer patients. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/cancer-group-therapy.html The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in association with Pennsylvania State University Medical College and Lincoln University, has received $4.2 million to study gene-environment interactions that increase the risk of lung cancer in African American and Caucasian smokers and non-smokers. The funds were awarded from Pennsylvania’s share of the national tobacco settlement for 2006-2007. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/lung-cancer-grant.html Two years ago, two students from the Westtown School, motivated by community service and mitzvah projects (mitzvah means 'good deed'), worked together to start the Kids Swim for the Cure swim-a-thon. In just two years, Kids Swim for the Cure has raised nearly $17,000 for skin cancer research at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The money raised by these extraordinary students has not only supported innovative research and patient care programs at the Abramson Cancer Center, but has also increased public awareness and education about skin cancer – particularly melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/kids-swim-for-cure.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science have discovered a better way to deliver drugs to tumors. By using a cylindrical-shaped carrier they were able sustain delivery of the anticancer drug paclitaxel to an animal model of lung cancer ten times longer than that delivered on spherical-shaped carriers. These findings have implications for drug delivery as well as for better understanding cylinder-shaped viruses like Ebola and H5N1 influenza. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/nano-drug-delivery.html A study conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) study published in the March 29th, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine helps establish magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a key component of the diagnostic workup for women at the time of initial breast cancer diagnosis. The research, conducted at 25 institutions across the country, including the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania found the addition of an MRI scan led to the detection of more than 90 percent of cancers in the opposite breast missed by mammography and clinical breast exam, increasing the number of cancers detected. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/MRI-breast-cancer-detection.html In 2002, Thomas and Carol Hallinan, of Northeast Philadelphia, lost their son, Peter, 31, to Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma -- a type of brain tumor that affects 190,000 people in the U.S. each year, and is the second most common cause of cancer death in young people ages 15-34. To honor their son's memory, The Hallinans have partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn's Department of Neurosurgery to build support for the advancement of clinical research for patients who suffer from brain tumors.'For Pete's Sake' -- an evening of dinner, dancing, and a silent auction -- is a sold-out event with an expected attendance of 250 people. Proceeds will support brain tumor research at Penn. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/brain-tumor-event.html The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania Health System and School of Medicine, and Penn's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology have announced today the establishment of the Center for Research on Early Detection and Cure of Ovarian Cancer. The Center, to be directed by internationally renowned gynecologic oncologist and research scientist, George Coukos, MD, PhD, will focus on developing better detection methods, new treatment therapies, and improving the quality of life for women with ovarian cancer. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/ovarian-cancer-center.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine have determined a way to pre-screen cancer patients to see if they are suitable candidates for proteasome inhibitors, a promising class of anti-cancer drugs. They propose to test for p53, a well-known tumor-suppressor protein that is broken down by cellular machinery called proteasomes. This study appears online in the journal Blood, in advance of print publication in June 2007. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/p53-test-cancer-drugs.html Physicians initially diagnosed Phil Marfuta, 28, with tension headaches, which seemed reasonable to him since he is a busy graduate student studying physics at Princeton University. However, as the days went on his headaches did not subside, and when a CT scan and an MRI revealed two tumors, Phil underwent emergency surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. One of Phil’s tumors was a grade IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor. Typically once diagnosed, the median survival time for a patient with a GBM is 12 months. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb07/brain-tumor-trial.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are the first to show that a mouse protein, whose human equivalent is related to defense against HIV-1, inhibits the infection and spread of a mouse tumor virus. The study, which appeared online January 28 in advance of its print publication in Nature, provides a new model for the discovery and evaluation of anti-HIV drugs. HIV-1, like the mouse tumor virus, is a retrovirus which infects immune system cells. However, unlike HIV-1, the mouse virus causes breast cancer in mice. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb07/new-anti-HIV-drug-test-model.htm At a reception in University City, an exceptionally dedicated, retired nurse was honored for making a donation of one million dollars to her former employer, the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Radiation Oncology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan07/radiation-oncology-fellowship.htm Recent findings from an observational study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine suggest that men between 65 and 80 years of age who received treatment for early stage, localized prostate cancer lived significantly longer than men who did not receive treatment. The study will be published in the December 13th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/dec06/early-prostate-cancer-treatment.htm University of Pennsylvania alumni Ralph J. Roberts and his son Brian L. Roberts have pledged $15 million to help create the first-of-its-kind proton therapy center for the treatment of cancer. The Roberts Proton Therapy Center will be unique in its ability to fully integrate conventional radiation treatment with proton radiation, which more accurately targets tumors and leaves surrounding healthy tissue unaffected. The Center will also be the first to be located on the campus of a world-class academic medical center, facilitating scientific research to measure and improve this innovative therapy. The gift will help finance the construction and equipment for the center, scheduled to open to patients in 2009. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/dec06/roberts-proton-therapy-center.htm Six powerful pillars of light will outline the 75,000 square feet of space where the world's first fully integrated proton therapy center will be built at PENN Medicine. Visible to residents across Philadelphia, as well as the guests and honorees at a special naming ceremony from a VIP reception on the top floor of the Biomedical Research Building, the beams of light symbolize the bright future of cancer therapy in which a stream of protons are accelerated to near light speed, bent by powerful magnets and focused with incredible precision at tumors lodged deep within the human body. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/dec06/proton-therapy-center-invitation.htm Earlier this month, Mark I. Greene MD, PhD, the John Eckman Professor of Medical Science at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was awarded the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov06/taylorprz.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new protein associated with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Several lines of evidence point to a protein called Tribbles, named after the furry creatures that took over the starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" series. Tribbles was first described in fruit flies. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov06/leukemiatrib.htm Despite the many advances that have been made over the past 30 years in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer, one grim fact remains: the overall five-year lung cancer survival rate is only 15%. The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania has joined an international effort launched by Roswell Park Cancer Institute to potentially revolutionize the prevention and management of this disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov06/lungreg.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) subverts a normal cell process in order to promote tumor growth. The finding, published in the most recent issue of PLoS Pathogens, offers new potential strategies for treating Kaposi's sarcoma and other cancers associated with viruses. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov06/KSHV.htm A protein with the ironic name 'Srcasm' can counteract the effects of tumor-promoting molecules in skin cells, according to new research by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Using animal models, the researchers discovered that Srcasm acts like a brake in epithelial cells, preventing uncontrolled cell growth caused by a family of proteins called Src kinases. This finding, published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, suggests a target for future gene therapy to treat skin, head, neck, colon, and breast cancers. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov06/Srcasm.htm A finding by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers about how immune cells 'decide' to become active or inactive may have applications in fighting cancerous tumors, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplant rejection. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct06/DAGs.htm The newly appointed Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, Craig B. Thompson, MD, has named Caryn Lerman, PhD, Deputy Director, and Joseph R. Carver, MD, Chief of Staff. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/sep06/ACCleaders.htm In recognition of his over-fifty-year career at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Peter C. Nowell, MD, and his colleagues from Penn and other institutions will talk about the history of the Philadelphia chromosome and what it portends for the next generation of cancer therapies. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/sep06/nowellITC.htm Craig B. Thompson, MD, has been named the new Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Associate Vice President for Cancer Services of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/sep06/thompsonACC.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have initiated a clinical trial directed at developing a better treatment for lung cancer. For patients who undergo surgery for their lung cancer, the treatment involves taking the tumor that was removed and processing it to make a vaccine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug06/lungvacc.htm Yongwon Choi, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been awarded Korea's 2006 Ho-Am Prize in Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/hoamprz.htm Using a newly developed drug screen, researchers have discovered small molecule compounds that are able to perform the functions of a gene commonly mutated in many types of cancer. By combining molecular imaging techniques with human cancer cell culture and animal model approaches, the researchers were able to reveal the ability of the compounds to kill human tumor cells. These findings emphasize the growing role of imaging technology in aiding researchers in the development of individualized cancer treatments. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/el_deiry.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that the acute loss of a protein called menin can cause the proliferation of pancreatic islet cells, which secrete insulin to regulate blood sugar. The menin gene (Men1) mutation in humans causes an inherited disease called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). Not only could this discovery inform basic cancer biology, it also has implications for treating Type 1 diabetes. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/hua_research.htm Members of the media are invited to come see an amazing new PET/CT at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Its powerful advanced "time-of-flight" technology, pioneered in part at Penn, makes it the first clinical machine of its kind in the world. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/PETCTITC.htm The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) has announced today that they will begin construction on a new proton therapy treatment facility to provide patients in the greater-Philadelphia region and beyond with the most advanced and sophisticated form of cancer treatment available. To be equipped by the Ion Beam Application, S.A. (IBA) company based in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, the proton therapy center will be located adjacent to The Raymond and Ruth Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, a $302 million structure that is now being built to house Penn’s outpatient cancer, cardiovascular, diagnostic, and surgical services. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/protonCAM.htm The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Brain Tumor Society present a one-day seminar designed for pediatric and adult brain tumor patients, survivors, and their caregivers. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/BTSsem.htm Media Advisory -- The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Brain Tumor Society present a one-day seminar designed for pediatric and adult brain tumor patients, survivors, and their caregivers. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/BTSsemMA.htm