NeoRecormon Gains European Approval For Convenient Once Weekly Treatment Of Anaemia In Patients With Solid Cancers

Roche announced today that it has received European marketing approval for a simple and convenient once weekly subcutaneous injection of NeoRecormon (epoetin beta) 30,000 IU for the treatment of anaemia in patients with solid cancers receiving chemotherapy. This expansion of the product label means that patients will no longer have the burden of three injections per week and their anaemia can be managed in a more convenient way.

Anaemia affects up to 95% of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.1 It can develop as a result of the cancer itself or as a consequence of its treatment. For most patients anaemia manifests itself as an extreme and overwhelming fatigue that makes the impact of cancer even more devastating.

NeoRecormon 30,000 IU once weekly is proven to effectively2 and rapidly3,4 correct anaemia irrespective of the type of chemotherapy patients receive. It also reduces the need for blood transfusions by at least 50% compared to standard care5,6 and has been shown to significantly increase the time until patients need a first transfusion.7 Patients treated with NeoRecormon often experience an improvement in their quality of life8 and an increase in their daily energy levels.6,9

Key supportive data for the new label came from the BRAVE (BReast cancer - Anaemia and the Value of Erythropoietin) study, which was conducted in women with metastatic breast cancer receiving chemotherapy5,7,10 and the NAUTICA study conducted in patients with a wide range of cancer types also receiving chemotherapy.3

About NeoRecormon

NeoRecormon is prescribed for the treatment of symptomatic anaemia in patients with cancer. Treating anaemia increases red blood cell (haemoglobin) numbers and oxygen levels allowing the body to function effectively, which improves patients' quality of life and reduces morbidity.

NeoRecormon is one of Roche's leading biotechnology achievements and market leader in the countries in which it is sold.

With the label expansion announced today NeoRecormon 30,000 IU once weekly is now indicated for the treatment of symptomatic anaemia in adult patients with solid and lymphoid cancers receiving any form of chemotherapy. Treatment with NeoRecormon is initiated when patients' haemoglobin level is 11 g/dl or below and given to maintain a haemoglobin level of up to 13g/dl.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. Roche employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet (http://www.roche.com).

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

References

1. Groopman & Itri. Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:1616 34.

2. Leonard et al. Ann Oncol 2004; 15 (Suppl 3):iii 50 Abstract 188P.

3. SpaГ«th et al 2006; 17 (Suppl 9): ix294 Abstract 1020P.

4. Boogaerts et al. Anticancer Res. 2006; 26:479-484.

5. Marangolo et al. Eur J Cancer Suppl 2005; 3: 388 Abstract 1347.

6. OrdГіnez et al. Lung Cancer 2005; 49(Suppl 2): S339 Abstract P-836.

7. Aapro et al. 29th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006; Poster 6095.

8. Boogaerts et al. Br J Cancer 2003; 88: 988-995.

9. de Castro et al. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2006; Jul 28 (Epub ahead of print).

10. Marangolo et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2005;23: 16S, Part I of II: 8141.

Roche
http://www.roche.com

A New Target For The Treatment Of Breast Cancer:

The active ingredient in a drug currently being tested to treat rheumatoid arthritis might also one day serve as an effective means of treating one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated that inhibiting the activity of the protease enzyme known as TACE can deprive tumor cells of a key factor needed for their proliferation. TACE is strongly present in a form of breast cancer which responds poorly to current therapies.

We have shown that inhibition of the TACE protease in breast cancer cells blocks the shedding of two critical growth factor proteins and results in an inhibition of a key signaling pathway that controls cell division," said Paraic Kenny, a post-doctoral cell biologist with the research group of Mina Bissell in Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division. "Based on analysis of cells grown in three-dimensional cultures, the inhibition of this protease results in the reversion of the malignant phenotype of these breast cancer cells and switches their behavior back to a phenotype very reminiscent of non-malignant breast epithelial cells."

Kenny is the co-author along with Bissell of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation entitled: Targeting TACE-Dependent EGFR-ligand Shedding in Breast Cancer. This paper presents the latest experimental results from an on-going investigation led by Bissell into the ecology of tumors.

It has long been Bissell's contention that "no tumor is an island." Tumor cells, she maintains, exist in the same microenvironment as healthy cells and must therefore appropriate normal physiological processes to facilitate their growth and spread. As she and her colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated, this idea can open up potential new avenues and targets for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

For this latest paper, Kenny and Bissell looked into the pathway by which the EGFR signal is carried. EGFR, which stands for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, is the protein on the outer surface of a cell that is activated by EGF and related growth factors and signals for the cell to divide. Given that one of the hallmarks of cancer is cell division run amok, the reduction of high levels of EGFR activity has long been a primary target for anti-cancer drug development. So far, however, drugs aimed at directly inhibiting EGFR activity have met with only limited success in the cancer clinic, primarily in a small number of lung cancers.

"Because of this, we turned our attention to the processes that regulate the production of the ligands which bind and activate EGFR," Kenny said. "We reasoned that this binding and activation is essential for EGFR activation and that finding a way to block this interaction might prove to be an important additional approach to explore for inhibition of this pathway."

Earlier studies had indicated that TACE (tumor necrosis factor-alpha-converting enzyme) acts like a "molecular scissors" that releases from the cell surface a pair of ligands, called Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha, which activate EGFR. Bissell and Kenny found that by targeting TACE (also known as ADAM17) with either molecular inhibitors or short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that silence the TACE gene, they could effectively block the shedding of Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha ligands. This resulted in the inhibition of EGFR signaling and the reversion of malignant characteristics in tumor cells. It is the first reported use of protease inhibitors to stop breast cancer cell proliferation and restore the normal breast tissue structure.

"We have designed an entirely new way of targeting EGFR signaling in breast cancer," said Kenny. "Almost all the work to date has involved the use of antibodies that stick to kinases or drugs that block kinase activities."

These newest results are very much in keeping with Bissell's contention that cancer growth and spread is not solely a tumor cell-autonomous process brought on by a genetic mutation. Bissell is one of the leading proponents of the idea that a cell's genetic information is supplemented by contextual information encoded within the microenvironment that surrounds the cell.

"It is becoming increasingly apparent that, as with other organs, the biogenesis of the tumor represents an interaction between the tumor cell, other types of cells and the rest of the microenvironment," she said.

Kenny and Bissell successfully tested their protease blocking approach on several different breast cancer cell lines. In addition, they examined the data from 295 breast cancer patients and found that tumors which produced the highest levels of TACE and the TGF-alpha ligand posed the greatest risk to women.

"Women with those types of tumors would seem to be poorly served by existing treatments and may stand to benefit from therapies that are based on the inhibition of TACE activity," said Kenny. "We would like to see some of the companies who have developed the new generation TACE inhibitors for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis also consider evaluating them in cancer patients."

Kenny stressed that the importance of EGFR to so many different tumor types, including lung, head and neck, bladder, colorectal and kidney, makes it likely that "TACE inhibition has the potential to be an effective means of stopping tumor growth for EGFR-dependent cancers outside the breast as well."

This research was supported by grants and a Distinguished Fellowship Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the National Cancer Institute,and an Innovator award from the U.S. Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program to Bissell, and by a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation fellowship to Kenny.

Berkeley Lab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California. Visit our Website at http://www.lbl.gov/.

* For more information on the research of Mina Bissell and Paraic Kenny, please visit the Website at http://www.lbl.gov/lifesciences/BissellLab/main.html

Contact: Lynn Yarris
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Breast Cancer - A New Target For The Treatment Of Breast Cancer (Breast Cancer News)

The active ingredient in a drug currently being tested to treat rheumatoid arthritis might also one day serve as an effective means of treating one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated that inhibiting the activity of the protease enzyme known as TACE can deprive tumor cells of a key factor needed for their proliferation. TACE is strongly present in a form of breast cancer which responds poorly to current therapies.

We have shown that inhibition of the TACE protease in breast cancer cells blocks the shedding of two critical growth factor proteins and results in an inhibition of a key signaling pathway that controls cell division," said Paraic Kenny, a post-doctoral cell biologist with the research group of Mina Bissell in Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division. "Based on analysis of cells grown in three-dimensional cultures, the inhibition of this protease results in the reversion of the malignant phenotype of these breast cancer cells and switches their behavior back to a phenotype very reminiscent of non-malignant breast epithelial cells."

Kenny is the co-author along with Bissell of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation entitled: Targeting TACE-Dependent EGFR-ligand Shedding in Breast Cancer. This paper presents the latest experimental results from an on-going investigation led by Bissell into the ecology of tumors.

It has long been Bissell's contention that "no tumor is an island." Tumor cells, she maintains, exist in the same microenvironment as healthy cells and must therefore appropriate normal physiological processes to facilitate their growth and spread. As she and her colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated, this idea can open up potential new avenues and targets for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

For this latest paper, Kenny and Bissell looked into the pathway by which the EGFR signal is carried. EGFR, which stands for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, is the protein on the outer surface of a cell that is activated by EGF and related growth factors and signals for the cell to divide. Given that one of the hallmarks of cancer is cell division run amok, the reduction of high levels of EGFR activity has long been a primary target for anti-cancer drug development. So far, however, drugs aimed at directly inhibiting EGFR activity have met with only limited success in the cancer clinic, primarily in a small number of lung cancers.

"Because of this, we turned our attention to the processes that regulate the production of the ligands which bind and activate EGFR," Kenny said. "We reasoned that this binding and activation is essential for EGFR activation and that finding a way to block this interaction might prove to be an important additional approach to explore for inhibition of this pathway."

Earlier studies had indicated that TACE (tumor necrosis factor-alpha-converting enzyme) acts like a "molecular scissors" that releases from the cell surface a pair of ligands, called Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha, which activate EGFR. Bissell and Kenny found that by targeting TACE (also known as ADAM17) with either molecular inhibitors or short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that silence the TACE gene, they could effectively block the shedding of Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha ligands. This resulted in the inhibition of EGFR signaling and the reversion of malignant characteristics in tumor cells. It is the first reported use of protease inhibitors to stop breast cancer cell proliferation and restore the normal breast tissue structure.

"We have designed an entirely new way of targeting EGFR signaling in breast cancer," said Kenny. "Almost all the work to date has involved the use of antibodies that stick to kinases or drugs that block kinase activities."

These newest results are very much in keeping with Bissell's contention that cancer growth and spread is not solely a tumor cell-autonomous process brought on by a genetic mutation. Bissell is one of the leading proponents of the idea that a cell's genetic information is supplemented by contextual information encoded within the microenvironment that surrounds the cell.

"It is becoming increasingly apparent that, as with other organs, the biogenesis of the tumor represents an interaction between the tumor cell, other types of cells and the rest of the microenvironment," she said.

Kenny and Bissell successfully tested their protease blocking approach on several different breast cancer cell lines. In addition, they examined the data from 295 breast cancer patients and found that tumors which produced the highest levels of TACE and the TGF-alpha ligand posed the greatest risk to women.

"Women with those types of tumors would seem to be poorly served by existing treatments and may stand to benefit from therapies that are based on the inhibition of TACE activity," said Kenny. "We would like to see some of the companies who have developed the new generation TACE inhibitors for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis also consider evaluating them in cancer patients."

Kenny stressed that the importance of EGFR to so many different tumor types, including lung, head and neck, bladder, colorectal and kidney, makes it likely that "TACE inhibition has the potential to be an effective means of stopping tumor growth for EGFR-dependent cancers outside the breast as well."

This research was supported by grants and a Distinguished Fellowship Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the National Cancer Institute,and an Innovator award from the U.S. Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program to Bissell, and by a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation fellowship to Kenny.

Berkeley Lab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California. Visit our Website at http://www.lbl.gov/.

* For more information on the research of Mina Bissell and Paraic Kenny, please visit the Website at http://www.lbl.gov/lifesciences/BissellLab/main.html

Contact: Lynn Yarris
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A New Target For The Treatment Of Breast Cancer:

The active ingredient in a drug currently being tested to treat rheumatoid arthritis might also one day serve as an effective means of treating one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated that inhibiting the activity of the protease enzyme known as TACE can deprive tumor cells of a key factor needed for their proliferation. TACE is strongly present in a form of breast cancer which responds poorly to current therapies.

We have shown that inhibition of the TACE protease in breast cancer cells blocks the shedding of two critical growth factor proteins and results in an inhibition of a key signaling pathway that controls cell division," said Paraic Kenny, a post-doctoral cell biologist with the research group of Mina Bissell in Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division. "Based on analysis of cells grown in three-dimensional cultures, the inhibition of this protease results in the reversion of the malignant phenotype of these breast cancer cells and switches their behavior back to a phenotype very reminiscent of non-malignant breast epithelial cells."

Kenny is the co-author along with Bissell of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation entitled: Targeting TACE-Dependent EGFR-ligand Shedding in Breast Cancer. This paper presents the latest experimental results from an on-going investigation led by Bissell into the ecology of tumors.

It has long been Bissell's contention that "no tumor is an island." Tumor cells, she maintains, exist in the same microenvironment as healthy cells and must therefore appropriate normal physiological processes to facilitate their growth and spread. As she and her colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated, this idea can open up potential new avenues and targets for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

For this latest paper, Kenny and Bissell looked into the pathway by which the EGFR signal is carried. EGFR, which stands for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, is the protein on the outer surface of a cell that is activated by EGF and related growth factors and signals for the cell to divide. Given that one of the hallmarks of cancer is cell division run amok, the reduction of high levels of EGFR activity has long been a primary target for anti-cancer drug development. So far, however, drugs aimed at directly inhibiting EGFR activity have met with only limited success in the cancer clinic, primarily in a small number of lung cancers.

"Because of this, we turned our attention to the processes that regulate the production of the ligands which bind and activate EGFR," Kenny said. "We reasoned that this binding and activation is essential for EGFR activation and that finding a way to block this interaction might prove to be an important additional approach to explore for inhibition of this pathway."

Earlier studies had indicated that TACE (tumor necrosis factor-alpha-converting enzyme) acts like a "molecular scissors" that releases from the cell surface a pair of ligands, called Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha, which activate EGFR. Bissell and Kenny found that by targeting TACE (also known as ADAM17) with either molecular inhibitors or short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that silence the TACE gene, they could effectively block the shedding of Amphiregulin and TGF-alpha ligands. This resulted in the inhibition of EGFR signaling and the reversion of malignant characteristics in tumor cells. It is the first reported use of protease inhibitors to stop breast cancer cell proliferation and restore the normal breast tissue structure.

"We have designed an entirely new way of targeting EGFR signaling in breast cancer," said Kenny. "Almost all the work to date has involved the use of antibodies that stick to kinases or drugs that block kinase activities."

These newest results are very much in keeping with Bissell's contention that cancer growth and spread is not solely a tumor cell-autonomous process brought on by a genetic mutation. Bissell is one of the leading proponents of the idea that a cell's genetic information is supplemented by contextual information encoded within the microenvironment that surrounds the cell.

"It is becoming increasingly apparent that, as with other organs, the biogenesis of the tumor represents an interaction between the tumor cell, other types of cells and the rest of the microenvironment," she said.

Kenny and Bissell successfully tested their protease blocking approach on several different breast cancer cell lines. In addition, they examined the data from 295 breast cancer patients and found that tumors which produced the highest levels of TACE and the TGF-alpha ligand posed the greatest risk to women.

"Women with those types of tumors would seem to be poorly served by existing treatments and may stand to benefit from therapies that are based on the inhibition of TACE activity," said Kenny. "We would like to see some of the companies who have developed the new generation TACE inhibitors for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis also consider evaluating them in cancer patients."

Kenny stressed that the importance of EGFR to so many different tumor types, including lung, head and neck, bladder, colorectal and kidney, makes it likely that "TACE inhibition has the potential to be an effective means of stopping tumor growth for EGFR-dependent cancers outside the breast as well."

This research was supported by grants and a Distinguished Fellowship Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the National Cancer Institute,and an Innovator award from the U.S. Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program to Bissell, and by a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation fellowship to Kenny.

Berkeley Lab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California. Visit our Website at http://www.lbl.gov/.

* For more information on the research of Mina Bissell and Paraic Kenny, please visit the Website at http://www.lbl.gov/lifesciences/BissellLab/main.html

Contact: Lynn Yarris
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

New England Journal Of Medicine Publishes Study Identifying A Tumorigenic Cancer Cell Gene Signature That Appears Predictive Of Clinical Outcomes

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, a company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells, today announced the publication in the New England Journal of Medicine of the discovery of a novel gene expression signature associated with tumorigenic breast cancer cells, also known as cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells, a small subset of cells found in solid tumors, have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate, initiate tumors and drive tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. Researchers found that the gene expression signature is highly correlated with clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer and certain other types of solid tumors. The study, titled "The Prognostic Role of a Gene Signature from Tumorigenic Breast Cancer Cells," was conducted collaboratively by researchers at OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, the University of Michigan and Stanford University, including the lab of OncoMed co-founder Michael Clarke, MD, currently Deputy Director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

The data published today describes a set of 186 specific genes, dubbed, the "invasiveness" gene signature or IGS, that are differentially expressed in tumorigenic cells relative to normal breast tissue. Using breast cancer patient information from the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the Erasmus Medical Center, two large published gene expression and clinical databases, study authors evaluated the relationship between the IGS and patient outcomes. Researchers found that among patients whose tumor gene expression profiles correlated to the IGS, there was a statistically significant increase in risks of breast cancer metastasis and reduced survival rates. The predictive power of the IGS was independent of established clinical and pathological criteria, such as tumor size, lymph node status, histologic grade and estrogen receptor status. In addition, researchers found that the IGS was also predictive of clinical outcomes in individuals with prostate cancer, lung cancer and medulloblastoma. These findings suggest that this cancer stem cell gene signature may be used to identify patients at the highest risk for disease recurrence and metastasis. A series of patent applications were filed by OncoMed and the University of Michigan covering this discovery and its potential applications and are owned by or licensed to OncoMed.

"We are excited about these data and their potential application to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The newly identified 186 cancer stem cell gene signature was observed to be highly predictive of breast cancer, independent of other factors typically used to forecast a patient's prognosis," said John Lewicki, PhD, Senior Vice President Research and Development of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals. "Interestingly, we found that the gene signature appeared to correlate to the risk of death and metastasis for multiple tumor types, demonstrating the central importance of cancer stem cells in the recurrence and progression of solid tumors."

"This study published in today's New England Journal of Medicine further adds to the substantial body of data establishing the central role of cancer stem cells in tumor growth, recurrence and metastases," said Paul Hastings, OncoMed's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe the discovery of a novel tumorigenic gene expression signature may prove important in identifying patients at highest risk and selecting those individuals most likely to respond to therapies, including cancer stem cell-directed treatments."

In another aspect of the work reported today, when the tumorigenic stem cell signature was combined with a 512-gene wound response signature previously published by Stanford University investigators, the resulting data were even more significant in predicting a patient's outcome, thus pointing to a potential dependency between cancer stem cells and their surrounding tumor environment.

About OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is discovering and developing novel therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells, the cells believed to be capable of driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastases. The company has established a library of antibodies to cancer stem cell proteins for the treatment of solid tumors such as breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers. The company is a leader in cancer stem cell research and the identification of novel cancer stem cell targets.

OncoMed's investors include Latterell Venture Partners, US Venture Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures, the Vertical Group, Adams Street Partners, DeNovo Ventures, and Bay Partners. Information can also be found at the company's website http://www.oncomed.com/.

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
http://www.oncomed.com/

US Cancer Deaths Fall Second Year In A Row Despite Growing And Aging Population

The American Cancer Society has reported that the number of cancer deaths in the US has fallen slightly again, the second year in a row.

About 3,000 fewer people died from cancer between 2003 and 2004 compared with the previous year. This is small compared to the total annual death toll of more than 500,000, but it could signify the start of a most welcome reversal.

Cancer death rates (as opposed to total deaths, this is the number of deaths per 100,000 people) in the US have been declining steadily for years and the latest report by the American Cancer Society shows that the decline has been sharper in the last reported year, 2004. And the decline is actually more significant because it has outpaced the growth in the population, and despite the fact it is getting older.

Tobacco control is thought to be the biggest reason for the decline, because of the impact on reduction of cases of lung cancer, expecially in men. The second reason is the gradual improvements in treatment and early detection of cancers, as with the increased use of colonoscopies, and breast screening, for example.

According to the chart published in the report, one can see the large reduction in the rate of lung and bronchial cancer in men, where it rose steadily from 1930, peaked at around 90 cases per 100,000 of the male population in 1990 and reduced again steadily toward a present day figure of around 75 cases per 100,000.

Stomach cancer in men shows a steady decline from above 40 cases per 100,000 in 1930 to below 10 in 2003.

Colon and rectal cancer in men are also steadily dropping, while liver cancer is staying about the same, with a slight increase over the last decade. Prostate cancer rose steadily and peaked in 1990 to around 40 cases per 100,000 and is now approaching the 1930 figure of around 20-25 per 100,000.

The only male cancers to have risen, albeit very slightly, in incidence are pancreatic cancer and leukaemia, showing a rate of around 10 to 12 cases per 100,000 of the male population.

The figures for female cancers since 1930 have followed a broadly similar pattern as the male, with the lung and bronchial rates not yet coming down but they appear to have settled around the much lower rate of 40 per 100,000 cases.

Breast cancer rates hovered at around 30 cases per 100,000 females until around 1990 when they started coming down to the 2003 rate of about 25 cases per 100,000.

Stomach, uterus, colon and rectal cancer rates in women have steadily declined and at 2003 were at under 10 cases per 100,000. As for the men, pancreatic cancer has not reduced and is around 10 per 100,000, while ovarian cancer has also stayed steady at around 10 cases per 100,000 women.

The NCS estimates that the number of Americans alive today who have or have ever had cancer is about 10.5 million (roughly 4 per cent, or 1 in 25 of the population). Some of them don't have it any more, while others may still be having treatment.

At least half of all new cancer cases are cancers that can be prevented or detected earlier and people who get them have an 86 per cent chance of surviving five years or more. This high survival rate is due to improved, earlier screening as well as reduction in deaths.

The NCS suggests that in 2007, the number of new cancer cases in America will be about 1,444,920, excluding certain types such as most of the non-invasive and the basal and squamous cell skin cancers. The numbers of these last two is expected to be around 1 million this year.

The number of people in America who will die of cancer in 2007 is likely to be around 559,650, or more than 1,500 per day.

In the US, cancer is the second biggest killer after heart disease and accounts for about 1 in every 4 deaths.

The percentage of Americans who survived cancer for five or more years after being diagnosed between 1996 and 2006 is 66 per cent. This is a significantly improved survival rate compared with 30 years ago when it was 51 per cent. The ACS point out that while this figure is useful for making statistical comparisons on effectiveness of treatment and diagnosis, it is not useful in individual cases, nor is it a measure of long term survival rate since deaths from cancer can occur after the five years.

The report states that childhood cancer is rare, and that the mortality rates for childhood cancers (up to age 14) have come down by 48 per cent since 1975. The ACS estimates that 10,400 cases of childhood cancer will be diagnosed in 2007, and 1,545 American children will die of cancer in 2007, mostly from leukaemia.

The four cancers likely to be the biggest killers in 2007 will be: lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.

American Cancer Society Statistics for 2007.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today

M. D. Anderson Announces Collaboration With The National Cancer Institute Of Mexico

Building on a relationship that spans more than three decades, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Instituto Nacional de CancerologГ­a (INCAN) in Mexico City (the National Cancer Institute of Mexico) have announced a formal agreement to expand opportunities for collaboration in clinical cancer research, prevention and education.

The agreement between M. D. Anderson and INCAN is based on their mutual commitment to research-driven patient care in a setting of academic excellence, and represents a step forward in the global fight against cancer. As the leading institution and governing body for cancer policy, treatment, education and research in Mexico, INCAN shares M. D. Anderson's strong interest in advancing programs in cancer prevention and translational medicine.

Leaders and representatives from both institutions participated in a signing ceremony at INCAN that coincided with the 60th anniversary of its founding and a symposium on leukemia. The institutions agree that leukemia, along with breast cancer and epidemiological studies, will be initial focus areas for collaboration. It is anticipated that the relationship between the two institutions will further advance multidisciplinary, patient care programs throughout INCAN's network of 24 national cancer centers and lead to a greater understanding of cancer in Mexican and Mexican-American populations.

"For more than 30 years, INCAN has been a valuable partner to M. D. Anderson, and patients in Mexico and the United States have benefited from our shared knowledge," said John Mendelsohn, M.D., president of M. D. Anderson. "This agreement formalizes a program to continue the important work we have accomplished together and advances our efforts to eradicate cancer throughout the world."

M. D. Anderson's long-standing relationship with INCAN has developed in part because of the geographic proximity of the centers, as well as the close historical, cultural and socioeconomic ties between Mexico and Houston. Specifically, the agreement will further shared population-based studies to understand the risk factors for development of certain cancers among Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, including the Mexican-American Cohort Study, the largest study ever to focus entirely on the health needs of Mexican-American families, currently underway at M. D. Anderson. Additionally, the collaboration establishes a plan for a national Mexican tissue bank, and faculty training and education activities related to breast cancer and leukemia, eventually expanding to include clinical research and translational projects.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in Mexico and accounts for 10.6 percent of all cancers and 16.4 percent of cancers in women. Mortality rates from breast cancer in Mexico have increased over the past 10 years and are expected to continue to rise as a significant portion of the population in Mexico ages.(1) Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with more than 19 new cases per 100,000 diagnosed each year.(2)

"As a nation, Mexico recognizes the devastating effects of cancer and is dedicated to providing the best cancer care for the people of Mexico," said Alejandro Mohar, M.D., the General Director of INCAN. "Our expanded relationship with M. D. Anderson ensures that communities throughout Mexico will have access to the latest advances in cancer research and treatment."

Mohar attended the signing ceremony along with INCAN leader Alfonso DueГ±as, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Research, Dolores Gallardo, M.D., Director of Academic Affairs, and Abelardo Menesess, M.D., Medical Director. Several M. D. Anderson faculty members attended, including Stephen Tomasovic, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs; Vicente Valero, M.D., Professor, Breast Medical Oncology; Jorge E. Cortes, M.D., Professor, Leukemia; Kendra Woods, Ph.D., Director, Extramural Programs; and Hilario E. Mata, Ph.D., Project Director of Extramural Programs.

"Many faculty members at M. D. Anderson have deep-rooted professional and personal interests in Mexico," said Tomasovic. "This agreement builds on their commitment to the prevention and management of cancer throughout the region, and continues to fulfill the mission of M. D. Anderson."

Among the first efforts emerging from the sister agreement is M. D. Anderson's participation in the XXIV Annual Congress of INCAN, planned for February 2007. The symposium will highlight achievements across several disciplines of oncology and will bring together faculty from both institutions to discuss projects in clinical, basic and translational research and training.

###

(1) Cancer, Vol. 91, No. 4, pp. 863-868, 2001

(2) GLOBOCAN, 2002.

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, an institution created by the Texas Legislature in 1941, has established an international reputation as one of the world's preeminent centers for cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. A multidisciplinary approach, and dedication to translational research, education and prevention are hallmarks of M. D. Anderson. Looking to the future, M. D. Anderson is increasingly focused on sharing new research developments and clinical expertise through affiliations with premier institutions around the world. M. D. Anderson was designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as one of the first three Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States. Consistently ranked one of the top two cancer centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" since the survey's inception, M. D. Anderson has provided care for more than 700,000 cancer patients since 1944 and 74,000 in the last year alone.

Instituto Nacional de CancerologГ­a

The Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia of Mexico (INCAN) is the leading institution and center for cancer treatment, education and research in Mexico. A decentralized department of the Secretary of Health in Mexico, INCAN serves as the country's primary reference and governing body for cancer care and policy. INCAN is dedicated to providing cancer care of the highest quality to patients, as well as establishing best practices in prevention, diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment of cancer.

Contact: Julie Penne
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Poorer Women More Likely To Get Reduced Chemotherapy Dose

Breast cancer patients who have a lower household income and less education may be more likely to receive reduced doses of chemotherapy, according to a new study from a University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher.

In addition, severely obese women were four times as likely as lean women to receive less chemotherapy. Doctors calculate chemotherapy doses for each patient based on her height and weight.

The study looked at 764 women enrolled in the Awareness of Neutropenia in Cancer Study Group Registry, a prospective, multicenter study of cancer patients starting chemotherapy. The researchers looked at women with early breast cancer who were beginning chemotherapy. Study participants enrolled at 115 hospitals and doctors' offices across the country.

Results of the study appear in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The study authors used U.S. Census Bureau statistics and the women's zip codes to assign each woman a median household income, poverty status and level of education. Information about individual women's actual educational attainment was also collected as part of the study. The researchers then calculated the standard chemotherapy dose, based on each woman's height and weight, and compared that to the initial dose each woman received. A reduced dose was noted for those who received 85 percent or less of the expected standard dose, based on their height and weight.

Researchers found that doctors were more likely to reduce the chemotherapy dose for heavier patients and those who were less educated, and lived in zip codes with lower median household income and higher levels of poverty. Severely obese patients were four times more likely to receive a reduced dose, and women with less than a high school education were three times as likely to have a dose reduction.

When it comes to obese patients, the researchers suggest that doctors reduce the chemotherapy dose because they do not want to give those patients the large dose that their weight would indicate. The motivation is to avoid potential severe and harmful side effects in their patients. For those patients of lower socioeconomic status, doctors may be anticipating the patient's attitude toward treatment, the researchers suspect.

"We speculate that physicians have concerns about a patient's ability to tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy and that the physician's uncertainty about a patient's tolerance increases with increasing social distance. One might just as well ask why we are willing to give full doses to someone with more education. It may be that negotiating side effects and continued doses of treatment is easier when there is more shared culture," says lead study author Jennifer Griggs, M.D., MPH, associate professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. Griggs was at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., when she completed this research.

Previous studies have shown a connection between obesity and reduced chemotherapy doses. Griggs' work is the first to look at socioeconomic status.

Reduced doses of chemotherapy may reduce its effectiveness in preventing breast cancer from returning. Women seeking treatment for breast cancer can advocate for full doses by indicating their commitment to treatment, Griggs suggests.

"A patient might say to her physician that she is fully committed to her treatment, and in particular, to full doses of chemotherapy. I do not think it is the responsibility of the patient to ensure that she receives full weight-based doses, but physicians may be more comfortable dosing a patient fully when they are assured the patient is committed to her treatment," says Griggs, a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

An estimated 214,640 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

In addition to Griggs, study authors were Eva Culakova, Ph.D., University of Rochester; Melony E.S. Sorbero, Ph.D., MPH, RAND Corporation; Michelle van Ryn, Ph.D., MPH, University of Minnesota; Marek S. Poniewierski, M.D., University of Rochester; Debra A. Wolff, University of Rochester; Jeffrey Crawford, M.D., Duke University Medical Center; David C. Dale, M.D., University of Washington; and Gary H. Lyman, M.D., MPH, University of Rochester.

The study was not funded, but Amgen Inc. funded the data collection for the ANC Study Group.

Reference: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 25, No. 3.

University of Michigan Health System
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2007 Global Breast Cancer Pathfinders Named - American Society Of Breast Disease

The American Society of Breast Disease will honor two internationally known leaders as Pathfinders in the fight against breast cancer during the Society's 31st annual symposium, April 12-14, 2007 at the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco. The 2007 Pathfinder Lecturers are:

Breast Imaging
Daniel B. Kopans, MD
Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Breast Surgery
Melvin J. Silverstein, MD
Medical Director, Harold E. and Henrietta C. Lee Breast Center, University of Southern California/Norris, Los Angeles, California

In announcing the Pathfinder Lecturers, Society President Benjamin O. Anderson, MD, noted "this prestigious program recognizes the innovators who have combined research and clinical practice with an interdisciplinary understanding to advance the fight against breast disease and breast cancer."

Dr. Anderson stressed that "these Pathfinders reflect the spirit and commitment of the American Society of Breast Disease as the only clinically based organization to advocate an interdisciplinary team approach to managing breast disease and cancer prevention, risk assessment, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and research."

Profiles of the 2007 American Society of Breast Disease Pathfinders

Dr. Kopans is a leading world expert on breast cancer screening for women in their forties. It was in large part due to his efforts in defining the scientific issues, analyzing the data, and pressuring the National Cancer Institute that women aged 40-49 have access to routine annual mammography screening. In 1978, he founded the Breast Imaging Division at the Massachusetts General Hospital where he was Director from 1978 to 2006. In the late 1970's Dr. Kopans invented a guide wire and techniques that made it possible to accurately direct surgeons to areas of concern found by mammography that were so small that they could not be felt. Dr. Kopans defined the field of Breast Imaging with a landmark article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1984 recognizing the need for multimodality breast evaluation. He developed an organized approach to image interpretation and reporting that is the basis for the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) and he was co-chairman of the original BIRADS committee.

Dr. Silverstein was the first person in the world to design and build a freestanding breast center as a place where all of a patient's needs could be met in one location. In 1973, he launched his first breast clinic at UCLA, where he served as director. He then went on to start the acclaimed Van Nuys Breast Center in 1979, the world's first free standing breast center. Dr. Silverstein joined the University of Southern California in 1998 and has since served as co-leader of the breast cancer research program and professor of surgery. His approach to breast cancer has been a highly individualized model of care that leans toward a "less is more" mentality. Dr. Silverstein continues to push forward breast health research, but remains focused on improvements for breast centers. He has written the only major textbook on ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. His leadership as a surgical oncologist in treatment of DCIS and use of sentinel node biopsy has been recognized worldwide.

About the American Society of Breast Disease

The American Society of Breast Disease is the only professional medical society to bring together all physicians and allied professionals involved in breast disease and cancer management to advocate an interdisciplinary team approach to breast healthcare. The Society advocates for improvements in breast health management. For information about the ASBD, visit the Society at http://www.asbd.org.

U.S. Cancer Deaths Decline For Second Straight Year, Though Mortality Rates Still Higher For Blacks Than Whites

The number of cancer deaths in the U.S. declined by 3,014 from 2003 to 2004, marking the second consecutive decline in annual cancer deaths, according to an American Cancer Society report released on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. ACS said the decline over two years indicates that the decrease in cancer deaths from 2002 to 2003 -- the first in more than 70 years -- was not a statistical fluke but potentially an emerging trend driven by smoking cessation increases and better detection and treatment of the most common types of cancers (Grady, New York Times, 1/17). For the report, ACS researchers reviewed U.S. death certificate data from 2004 compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (Detroit Free Press, 1/18). Last year's report found that U.S. cancer deaths declined by 369 from 2002 to 2003. According to the new report, total cancer deaths in the U.S. decreased from 556,902 in 2003 to 553,888 in 2004 (Stein, Washington Post, 1/18). The cancer death rate -- the number of cancer deaths per 100,000 U.S. residents -- declined by about 2% in 2004, the same rate as in 2003, the report found. Prior to 2003, the cancer death rate had decreased about 1% annually for more than 10 years, but the total number of deaths continued to increase because of the growing and aging population (Stobbe, AP/Washington Examiner, 1/17).

Findings
The overall drop in the number of cancer deaths was driven by a decrease in deaths among men and women for three of the four most common types of cancer -- breast, prostate and colorectal -- although there was an increase in deaths from some other types of cancer, according to the report. Deaths from lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer death among both men and women, declined among men but increased among women. The report found:

• The largest decline in death was seen in colorectal cancer, with 1,110 fewer men and 1,094 fewer women dying from the disease;
  
  
• Women's deaths from breast cancer decreased by 666, and men's deaths from prostate cancer declined by 552;
  
  
• Lung cancer deaths declined by 333 among men and increased by 347 among women (Washington Post, 1/18); and
  
  
• There was an increase in deaths from some types of cancer, including esophageal cancer in men and liver cancer in men and women (New York Times, 1/18).
  
  

The report also identified racial disparities in cancer rates and deaths. Black women had a 9% lower cancer rate than white women but an 18% higher death rate. Black men had a 15% higher cancer rate and a 38% higher death rate than white men (Manning/Sternberg, USA Today, 1/18).

Common Cancers, Causes
The report also examined cancer rates by type and the causes of cancer. The report found:

• Leukemia was the most common cause of cancer death among males younger than age 40 and females younger than age 20;
  
  
• Lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death among men age 40 and older and women age 60 and older;
  
  
• Breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer death among women ages 20 to 59 (Bavley, Kansas City Star, 1/18);
  
  
• Nearly one-third of cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use;
  
  
• About one-third of cancer deaths are linked to obesity, poor nutrition and inactivity;
  
  
• Five percent of cancer deaths are from hereditary causes; and
  
  
• Other cancer deaths result from infections, sun exposure or other environmental factors (Harper, Washington Times, 1/18).
  

Authors' Comments
Elizabeth Ward, a managing director in epidemiology and surveillance at ACS and an author of the report, said the overall decline in deaths from cancer "really reflects the years of effort and investment in tobacco control, programs for early detection and screening, and programs in clinical and basic research." Ward said the decrease in deaths from colorectal cancer was largely driven by increased screenings, including colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, which can detect the disease in its earliest and most treatable stages (New York Times, 1/18). Report co-author Ahmedin Jemal, a cancer epidemiologist, said that lung cancer deaths among women have not declined because "[w]omen lag about 10 to 20 years behind men in their smoking patterns," also noting that women's lung cancer deaths could decline in future years (Washington Post, 1/18). Ward said deaths from lung cancer appear to be plateauing among women now as they did among men about 15 years ago. She said the increase in esophageal cancer in men likely was linked to obesity, which increases the risk of acid reflux that can cause the disease. The increase in liver cancer cases likely was the result of hepatitis infections, although obesity also might have played a role, Ward said (New York Times, 1/18). Ward said the higher cancer death rates among blacks than whites is concerning, adding, "[W]e have to figure out a way to make sure to reach all populations with the information they need to prevent cancer, and make sure that all populations have access to early detection and treatment ... so that 10 to 20 years from now we don't see the same big differences." (New York Times, 1/18).

Additional Comments, Funding Outlook
ACS CEO John Seffrin said, "This second consecutive drop, ... much steeper than the first, shows last year's historic drop was no fluke" (Maugh/Gellene, Los Angeles Times, 1/18). President Bush, who visited NIH on Wednesday to mark the release of the report, said funding for cancer research is "up about 25%" since 2001 (CQ HealthBeat, 1/17). Bush said of the report, "These are tangible results as a result of the research that takes place around the country" (Lite, New York Daily News, 1/18). Martin Abeloff, director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, said, "There is no doubt that there has been a substantial investment in this research." He added, "What is ironic about (the drop in cancer deaths) is that at exactly this time the federal funding is not only flat, but it's decreasing. That is something of great concern to those of us who are looking at what we can do with advances in the future" (Emery/Rockoff, Baltimore Sun, 1/18). Doug Ulman, president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, said, "The president and the Congress have clearly not prioritized cancer during the past several years and that is a major problem," adding that Bush and Congress "must keep this nation's research momentum moving forward or we run the risk of going backwards" (Herman, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/18).

The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report.

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs reported on the report. Summaries appear below.

• NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes comments from Michael Thun, who tracks data for ACS; Tim Byers, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center; and Bernard Levine, vice president for cancer prevention and population science at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas-Houston (Knox, "All Things Considered," NPR, 1/18). In addition, "All Things Considered" included an interview with Allen Lichter, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 1/17).
  
  Audio and a transcript of the first segment is available online. Audio and a transcript of the second segment also is available online.
  
  
• PBS' "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer": The segment includes comments from Harmon Eyre, chief medical officer at ACS (Warner, NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," PBS, 1/17).
  
  Audio of the segment is available online.
  
  
• NBC's "Nightly News": The segment includes comments from Eyre (Bazell, "Nightly News," NBC, 1/17).
  
  Video of the segment is available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Novel Computed Imaging Technique Uses Blurry Images To Enhance View

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a novel computational image-forming technique for optical microscopy that can produce crisp, three-dimensional images from blurry, out-of-focus data.

Called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Microscopy, ISAM can do for optical microscopy what magnetic resonance imaging did for nuclear magnetic resonance, and what computed tomography did for X-ray imaging, the scientists say.

"ISAM can perform high-speed, micron-scale, cross-sectional imaging without the need for time-consuming processing, sectioning and staining of resected tissue," said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of bioengineering, and of medicine at the U. of I., and corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in the journal Nature Physics, and posted on its Web site.

Developed by postdoctoral research associate and lead author Tyler Ralston, research scientist Daniel Marks, electrical and computer engineering professor P. Scott Carney, and Boppart, the imaging technique utilizes a broad-spectrum light source and a spectral interferometer to obtain high-resolution, reconstructed images from the optical signals based on an understanding of the physics of light-scattering within the sample.

"ISAM has the potential to broadly impact real-time, three-dimensional microscopy and analysis in the fields of cell and tumor biology, as well as in clinical diagnosis where imaging is preferable to biopsy," said Boppart, who is also a physician and founding director of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill.

While other methods of three-dimensional optical microscopy require the instrument's focal plane to be scanned through the region of interest, ISAM works by utilizing light from the out-of-focus image planes, Ralston said. "Although most of the image planes are blurry, ISAM descrambles the light to produce a fully focused, three-dimensional image."

ISAM effectively extends the region of the image that is in focus, using information that was discarded in the past.

"We have demonstrated that the discarded information can be computationally reconstructed to quickly create the desired image," Marks said. "We are now applying the technique to various microscopy methods used in biological imaging."

In their paper, the researchers demonstrate the usefulness of computed image reconstruction on both phantom tissue and on excised human breast-tumor tissue.

"ISAM can assist doctors by providing faster diagnostic information, and by facilitating the further development of image-guided surgery," Boppart said. "Using ISAM, it may be possible to perform micron-scale imaging over large volumes of tissue rather than resecting large volumes of tissue."

The versatile imaging technique can be applied to existing hardware with only minor modifications.

###

In addition to previously mentioned affiliations, Boppart, Carney, Marks and Ralston hold positions within the department of electrical and computer engineering and are affiliated with the U. of I.'s Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Boppart also is affiliated with the university's Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory and the Institute for Genomic Biology; Carney also is affiliated with the university's Coordinated Science Laboratory.

The National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Beckman Institute funded the work.

Contact: James E. Kloeppel
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

60 Miles Closer To A World Without Breast Cancer

Registration is now open for the 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day Series, a three day, 60-mile walk to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer programs. Registering in January and February ensures every participant will have ample time to train and raise funds in hope of creating a world without breast cancer.

The 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day Series includes events in Boston (August 3-5), Chicago (August 10-12), Cleveland (August 17-19), Twin Cities, Minn. (August 24-26), Seattle (September 7-9), Michigan (September 28-30), Philadelphia (October 5-7), Atlanta (October 12-14), Tampa Bay, Fla. (October 19-21), Dallas/Ft. Worth (October 26-28), Arizona (November 2-4), and San Diego (November 9-11).

The Breast Cancer 3-Day is not for everyone. It is unlike other events in that, for many, it is a life-changing journey that starts months in advance with training and fundraising. The journey culminates in a challenging weekend that requires participants to walk nearly the length of a marathon three days in a row, sleep in tents and eat under the stars. Sometimes it's hot. Sometimes it's rainy. In the end, the challenge they undertake not only lends invaluable visible and financial support to the breast cancer movement, participants find the camaraderie the event fosters helps strengthen old friendships or create new ones that last a lifetime.

"The [Breast Cancer 3-Day] is just an amazing experience. It's three days of people being the way people should be. Everyone just makes you feel wonderful," said a 2005 Breast Cancer 3-Day participant.

According to a 2006 Breast Cancer 3-Day survey(1), participants confirmed the event leaves an indelible mark.

-- Half of the respondents said signs along the route and in camp gave them new information about breast health. Of those people, two-thirds said they would change their behavior based on the new breast health information.

-- Nearly 75 percent of survey respondents say they want to participate in their cities' Breast Cancer 3-Day in 2007.

-- Seventy percent said actually participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day was more fulfilling than giving money.

About the 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day Series

The Breast Cancer 3-Day is an opportunity to educate tens of thousands of people about breast health, including the importance of early detection. Participants spend months training and raising the $2,200 required fundraising minimum in preparation for the event. Online support and coaches are provided when each participant registers to ensure a safe and memorable experience from start to finish.

On event, participants travel an average of 20 miles a day during each Breast Cancer 3-Day, raising awareness for breast cancer throughout the streets. All participants are provided meals, snacks, liquids, mobile showers, tents, safety guidelines, and 24-hour medical support. The events generate millions of dollars to fund critical breast cancer research and community outreach programs. Many people choose to travel outside of their hometown with a group of friends or family members to make the journey even more meaningful.

Proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Day are used for breast cancer research and community outreach programs. As the primary beneficiary of the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure receives 85 percent of net proceeds and the remaining 15 percent goes to the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure(R) and the Breast Cancer 3-Days, the organization has invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill its promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

About the National Philanthropic Trust

The National Philanthropic Trust, the event manager of the Breast Cancer 3-Day Series, is an independent public charity dedicated to promoting and facilitating charitable giving by individuals, families and organizations while expanding their knowledge in the field of philanthropy. Founded in 1996, NPT is one of the 150 largest charities in the United States with $625 million in assets under management. Since its inception, NPT has raised over $1 billion in charitable assets and made more than 19,000 grants to U.S. and international charities totaling $540 million.

(1) 2006 Breast Cancer 3-Day Post-Event Survey of nearly 18,000 participants conducted in Fall 2006

National Philanthropic Trust
http://www.komen.org

Tailoring The Therapy To The Cancer

A single receptor molecule can perform different functions in different cancer types, thereby complicating approaches to therapy. This was the key finding of a study recently published in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC)*. The study compared the functionality of the HER2/neu receptor in the cancer cells of breast and ovarian cancer tissue. Supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the team of scientists involved have shown that the cellular process regulated by this receptor vary greatly between different cancer types. As HER2/neu is the target of successful breast cancer therapy, this result is of major significance for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Breast and ovarian cancers can both be hereditary, can both be traced back to the same genetic defect and consequently can both possess a large number of HER2/neu receptors. Why therefore do both cancer types not react in the same way when this receptor is blocked? An approach that has proved to be the biggest success of the past 20 years in the treatment of breast cancer has proved unsuccessful in therapies for ovarian cancer. Dr. Dietmar Pils, a member of the laboratory headed by Prof. Michael Krainer, an oncologist at the Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, has achieved a major breakthrough in finding an answer to this puzzling question.

One Receptor. Two Effects.

The team compared tissue samples from 148 ovarian cancers with results from breast cancer tissue samples and the available patient data. This comparison uncovered interesting differences between the two tissue types. While around 25% of ovarian cancer samples also exhibited a high occurrence of the HER2/neu receptor (a known fact), a different signal molecule (CXCR4) was unaffected in the ovarian cancer tissue. However, breast cancer cells, which exhibit elevated levels of HER2/neu, also produce greater amounts of CXCR4 than healthy cells. The CXCR4 molecule has been linked to the formation of metastases and it is assumed that HER2/neu induces the formation of CXCR4 while simultaneously protecting the molecule against degradation caused by enzymes, thus enabling the cancer to become more aggressive (i.e. metastasising). The results from the Medical University of Vienna now show that the signalling effect produced by HER/2neu is not involved in ovarian cancer.

Molecular Diagnostics Optimise Therapy

Prof. Krainer on the significance of these results: "For almost ten years we have been able to identify hereditary breast cancer using molecular diagnostics and rely on monoclonal antibodies for therapy. The first antibody to be approved for use as a medicine blocks precisely the HER2/neu receptor, thus impeding the cancer's growth. This is a perfect example of a tailor-made approach to therapy. Our work now reveals just how important it is to carry this differentiation further forward in the development of cancer therapies. After all, in the case of ovarian cancer cells, although the same monoclonal antibody fits this receptor, it has little effect. My laboratory is using findings such as these to create a basis for optimizing the treatment of cancer and to discover where therapies are going wrong. We are very grateful for the support we have received from the FWF, particularly since the potential including the financial potential that fundamental research offers for the health system seems not to have been fully recognized yet."

This study, supported by the FWF Austrian Science Fund, clearly demonstrates just how important results from fundamental research can be for state-of-the-art cancer therapy. Furthermore, studies such as this also enable health professionals to choose the optimum treatment for each individual patient from a vast range of therapies. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for cancer.

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Swedish Cancer Institute First In The World To Offer GPS For The Body(R) To Assist With Precision-Guided Prostate Cancer Treatments

Swedish Cancer Institute today announced it is the first cancer-care program in the world to provide prostate cancer patients commercial access to the Calypso(R) 4D Localization System for precision-guided radiation therapy delivery to the prostate with continuous, objective, organ-motion tracking accuracy.

Radiation therapy is used to treat about one million cancer patients in the United States each year and is very effective in destroying cancer cells. However, in prostate cancer treatment the most common side effects arise when the radiation beam misses the prostate but irradiates adjacent healthy organs causing complications like impotence, urinary incontinence and rectal bleeding. Therefore, doctors must guard against damaging healthy tissues that surround the tumor caused by misalignment and unpredictable tumor motion.

The Calypso(R) 4D Localization System is now enabling Swedish Cancer Institute physicians the ability to pinpoint a prostate tumor's location with greater accuracy and continuously monitor its position in a real-time fashion during radiation treatment. This technology, which has FDA 510(k) clearance, uses tiny electromagnetic sensors, called Beacon(R) transponders, that are each about the size of a small grain of rice. Transponders are implanted in the prostate prior to treatment. Subsequently, the Calypso System continuously monitors the position and motion of the organ by tracking transponder positions during therapy delivery and alerts clinicians when the prostate is not properly aligned with the radiation beam.

"Patients are well educated in prostate cancer treatment options and seek the best treatment approach possible. We expect the Calypso(R) 4D Localization System to factor into the patient's decision when selecting Swedish for their radiation treatment. In fact, almost half of the initial patients implanted with Beacon(R) transponders have traveled more than 100 miles from their home to receive treatment at the Swedish Cancer Institute," said John Sylvester, M.D., radiation oncologist with the Seattle Prostate Institute at Swedish Medical Center. "That's quite a testimony to the value patients place on accurate treatment."

"This 4D monitoring technology is a key building block in the Swedish Cancer Institute's commitment to provide patients access to a complementary array of leading-edge radiation therapy delivery options through the Center for Advanced Targeted Radiation Therapies," said Albert B. Einstein Jr., M.D., executive director of the Swedish Cancer Institute. "We're honored to be the first program in the world to offer the Calypso System to prostate cancer patients."

The Swedish Cancer Institute's radiation oncology staff understood the importance of organ motion and its impact in radiation therapy delivery early on. That is why this collaborative relationship with fellow Seattle-based organization Calypso made sense and worked well.

"Over the last several years early product concepts were evaluated by Swedish Cancer Institute staff and contributed to the product design and operation," said Eric R. Meier, Calypso Medical president and CEO. "As a result, Calypso Medical was able to develop a very robust application, designed to improve the accuracy, efficiency and, for the first time, enable continuous, real-time tumor tracking. We believe this will pave the way for expanded treatment delivery options in radiation therapy and enable clinicians to better manage organ motion during therapy. By partnering with clinical experts at the Swedish Cancer Institute, we expect to see unprecedented advancements in radiation therapy management and expanded treatment delivery options."

Frazier Healthcare Ventures founded and significantly participated in every financing round involving Calypso Medical for the development of early technology concepts. "The Swedish Cancer Institute's appreciation for the importance of organ motion and its impact on radiation therapy delivery combined with Calypso Medical's technical expertise and funding from Frazier Healthcare enabled this collaborative relationship between fellow Seattle-based organizations to produce excellent results," said Trevor Moody, general partner with Frazier Healthcare Ventures.

About Calypso(R) Medical Technologies, Inc.

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. ("Calypso") is a Seattle-based, privately held medical device company. The company's proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon(R) electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately and objectively pinpoint the location of tumors for improved accuracy in radiation therapy. Calypso addresses two major issues in modern radiation oncology: errors in treatment set-up and tumor motion during treatment. In addition, the Calypso(R) 4D Localization System's non-ionizing electromagnetic guidance has the potential to improve work flow efficiency and treatment-room utilization. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy, including prostate, breast, lung, head, neck and other radiation therapy target organs. FDA 510(k) clearance for use in the prostate only was received July 2006. For more information, visit http://www.calypsomedical.com.

About Swedish Medical Center

Swedish Medical Center is the largest, most comprehensive, nonprofit health provider in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1910, Swedish now encompasses three hospital campuses -- First Hill, Cherry Hill (formerly Providence) and Ballard -- totaling 1,245 licensed beds, a new freestanding emergency room and specialty center in Issaquah, Swedish Home Care Services and Swedish Physicians -- a network of 12 primary-care clinics located throughout the Greater Seattle area. In addition to general medical and surgical care, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cancer care, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, neurological care, sleep medicine, pediatrics, organ transplantation and clinical research. For more information, visit http://www.swedish.org.

About Swedish Cancer Institute

The Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) opened in 1932 as the first dedicated cancer-care center west of the Mississippi. Today, it is the largest and most comprehensive cancer treatment program in the Pacific Northwest, caring for more people with more types of cancer than any other provider in the region. The Institute has a presence on all three of Swedish's hospital campuses -- First Hill, Cherry Hill (formerly Providence) and Ballard -- as well as in East King County via a new medical oncology clinic near Issaquah. A true multidisciplinary facility, the SCI offers a wide range of advanced cancer-treatment options in chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery -- backed by extensive diagnostic capabilities, patient education and support-group services. The SCI's clinical-research arm encompasses industry-sponsored and cooperative group therapeutic trials, cancer screening and prevention trials, and investigator-initiated trials. Breast-cancer screening and diagnostics are available through the Swedish Breast Care Centers and mobile mammography units. Swedish radiation therapy is also offered at area hospitals including Stevens Hospital (Edmonds); Valley Medical Center (Renton); Highline Community Hospital (Burien) and Northwest Hospital (North Seattle). For more information, visit http://www.swedish.org.

About the Center for Advanced Targeted Radiation Therapies

The Swedish Cancer Institute's Center for Advanced Targeted Radiation Therapies encompasses the comprehensive and complimentary array of advanced and emerging radiation delivery tools available to patients for both approved therapies and clinical research efforts. They include a variety of technologies, including Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image- Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), linear accelerator-based stereotactic radio surgery, Calypso(R) 4D Localization System, Xoft Axxent(TM) Electronic Brachytherapy System, MammoSite(R) Radiation Therapy System, the Seattle CyberKnife Center(TM) at Swedish Medical Center, and Northwest Hospital Gamma Knife Center.

About the Seattle Prostate Institute at Swedish Medical Center

The Seattle Prostate Institute was established in 1997 by a group of physicians who, in the mid-80's, had pioneered the introduction and development of ultrasound-guided prostate implantation in the United States from their base at Seattle's Northwest Hospital. After relocating to Swedish Medical Center, these physicians sought to expand and improve upon the work they had started with an emphasis on the highest standards of patient care, medical research, and clinical education. To date, SPI physicians -- who include Drs. John Blasko, Peter Grimm, John Sylvester and Stephen Eulau -- have performed more that 10,000 prostate implants. The leadership role and professional reputation of the SPI medical team has firmly established the Institute as the leading center of expertise in the area of prostate brachytherapy. Not only do patients come from around the nation and around the world for consultation and treatment, but physicians and other health professionals from the U.S. and abroad are also drawn to Seattle to participate in SPI's highly respected clinical education and training programs. For more information, visit http://www.seattleprostateinst.com.

About Frazier Healthcare Ventures

Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of venture capital and growth equity to emerging health-care companies. It has more than $1.2 billion of capital under management. Having invested in more than 100 emerging health-care organizations, Frazier Healthcare is well known for its depth of experience and the technical expertise of its investment team. This experience encompasses product development and launch, clinical trial implementation and design, industry operating experience, academic research and clinical practice. For more information, visit http://www.frazierhealthcare.com.

Swedish Cancer Institute
http://www.swedish.org/

Cancer Therapy Based On Missile Detection Outlined In New Book

A breast cancer treatment based on MIT research originally intended for detecting missiles is documented in a new book by Alan J. Fenn, an MIT researcher and inventor of the technique.

The book, "Breast Cancer Treatment by Focused Microwave Thermotherapy" (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2007), includes a discussion of promising results from the latest clinical trials of the therapy.

Treating cancer with heat is not a new idea, but "researchers were having trouble using it to treat tumors deep within the body," said Fenn. Further, it's difficult to deliver the heat only to cancer cells without overheating normal tissue.

The microwaves in the new technique heat-and kill-cells containing high amounts of water and ions, or electrically charged atoms. Cancer cells typically have a high content of both, while healthy breast tissue contains much less. The outpatient procedure uses a single tiny needle probe to sense and measure parameters during treatment. Side effects appear to be minimal.

The first clinical study of the treatment involved 75 patients with early-stage breast cancer. Of the 34 patients who received the treatment prior to lumpectomy, none had viable cancer cells remaining at the surgical margins. Of the 41 patients who had a lumpectomy but did not receive the MIT treatment, four had cancer cells at the surgical margins.

This result is important for two reasons. First, additional breast surgery is often recommended for patients with cancer cells close to the edge of the lumpectomy surgical margin. Second, there is a higher risk of local recurrence of the breast cancer when cancer cells are found at the surgical margins. Fenn noted that all patients in both arms of the study received postoperative radiation therapy to reduce the risk of local recurrence.

Also presented in the new book are preliminary results for a study of the treatment in combination with preoperative chemotherapy for breast cancer patients with large tumors. "In this small feasibility study of 28 patients, one of the principal objectives was to increase tumor shrinkage with the combined use of focused microwave thermotherapy and preoperative chemotherapy," Fenn said.

In this study tumors shrunk by approximately 50 percent more in women treated with both the MIT technique and chemotherapy, versus women treated with chemotherapy alone.

The results of both clinical studies will be presented at the 17th Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference in Las Vegas, from Feb. 25-28.

Another, larger clinical study for patients with large breast cancer tumors is expected to begin later this year at six institutions in the United States and Canada.

Other potential clinical studies for treating recurrent breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ and benign breast lesions with the MIT thermotherapy treatment, as well as its use to enhance anti-estrogen therapy for breast cancer prevention, are also described in the book.

Celsion (Canada) Ltd. exclusively licenses the technology from MIT. The company developed the clinical thermotherapy system and is funding the clinical studies. The Air Force funded Fenn's original radar research at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

For further information please go to:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Europe's Aging Population Causing Major Increase In Cancer Burden Experts Warn

Between 2004 and 2006, the number of new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in Europe has increased by 300,000 according to new estimates published in a report in Annals of Oncology [1]. It is estimated that in 2006 there were 3.2 million new cases of cancer (up from 2.9 million in 2004) and 1.7 million deaths from the disease in the whole of Europe.

Professor Peter Boyle, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, who prepared the report with IARC colleagues, warned that despite better prevention and treatments, Europe faced a major increase in the cancer burden because of the ageing population. He said urgent action was needed now to tackle cancer, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, through measures such as tobacco control and more widespread screening for breast and colorectal cancer, as well as efforts to improve people's diet and exercise and reduce levels of obesity.

"With an estimated 3.2 million new cases (53% occurring in men, 47% in women) and 1.7 million deaths (56% in men, 44% in women) each year, cancer remains an important public health problem in Europe, and the ageing of the European population will cause these numbers to continue to increase, even if age-specific rates of cancer remain constant," he said. "Evidence-based public health measures, such as screening, exist to reduce deaths from breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, while the incidence of lung cancer, and several other forms of cancer, could be diminished by tobacco control."

The 25 EU countries accounted for nearly 2.3 million of the new cases and over one million cancer deaths [2].

Lung, colorectal, breast and stomach cancers are the top four killers

Lung cancer remains the biggest killer, with an estimated 334,800 deaths in 2006 (19.7% of the total number of deaths from cancer), followed by colorectal cancer (207,400 deaths), breast cancer (131,900 deaths) and stomach cancer (118,200 deaths).

"Lung cancer retains its status as the leading cause of cancer death in Europe in 2006," said Prof Boyle. "The overwhelming majority of lung cancer is caused by tobacco smoking, and tobacco control is clearly a number one priority in Europe, not only aimed at men, particularly the male populations of Central and Eastern Europe, but increasingly targeted towards women, especially in Northern Europe."

Breast, colorectal and lung cancers have the highest incidence

Since the previous estimates for 2004, breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the commonest cancer to be diagnosed overall, with 429,900 new cases in 2006 (13.5% of all cancer cases). It was followed by colorectal cancer (412,900 cases, 12.9%) and lung cancer (386,300 cases, 12.1%).

Prof Boyle said the rise in the number of breast cancer cases could be attributed partially to the introduction of organised mammography screening programmes, which meant that more cancers were detected, and at an earlier stage. "These programmes have the short-term consequence of increasing the incidence, which has risen by 16% since our latest 2004 estimates." Despite the benefit of screening programmes, he said that deaths from breast cancer were continuing to rise (130,000 in 2004, 131,900 in 2006) because of the ageing population.

In women, after breast cancer, colorectal cancer (195,400, 13.1% of the total) and cancer of the uterus (149,300, 10%) were the most commonly diagnosed cancers.

In men, the widespread use of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests was also having an effect on the numbers of prostate cancers being detected; prostate cancer was the most frequent cancer diagnosed (345,900, 20.3% of the total), followed by lung cancer (292,200, 17.2%) and colorectal cancer (217,400, 12.8%).

Prof Boyle said: "Despite the widespread use of PSA testing in many European countries, the number of deaths from prostate cancer has increased by around 16% since 1995 due, in large measure, to the rapid increase in the numbers of men reaching older ages."

Screening programmes needed

The second most common cause of cancer death in both men and women was colorectal cancer. "There remains hope that dietary modifications, increased physical activity and avoidance of obesity could lead to reductions in the incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer," said Prof Boyle. "However, progress has been very slow; the number of deaths has increased by 1.8% since our previous 2004 estimates. Screening for colorectal cancer has been shown to be effective, and clearly there is a need for organised colorectal cancer screening programmes throughout Europe."

Deaths from stomach cancer are continuing to decline in men and women throughout Europe, although it still accounts for 5.6% of all new cases of cancer (5.9% in 2004) and 7.4% of all cancer deaths (8.1% in 2004). "However, higher incidence and mortality rates occur in the Central and Eastern European countries, possibly reflecting a lower level of affluence, a diet lower in fresh fruits and vegetables and higher rates of Helicobacter pylori infection," said Prof Boyle.

Significant differences in the chances of surviving other cancers existed between the Eastern and Baltic European countries and other European countries. In the 25 member countries of the European Union an estimated 23,600 women died from cancer of the uterus in 2006 and 46,600 died in the whole of Europe.. "The number of years of life lost could be reduced in women living in Central and Eastern European countries if efficient national cervical cancer screening programmes were in place," said Prof Boyle.

He concluded: "The increased burden of cancer incidence in Europe between 2004 and 2006, which is estimated to have risen by 300,000 to 3.2 million, demonstrates the impact of the ageing of the European population and underlines the need for active and effective tobacco control measures and screening programmes in Europe."

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[1] Estimates of the cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdl498 [2] In 2006 the European Union comprised: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and United Kingdom. Europe comprised the 25 EU countries plus Albania, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Contact: Emma Mason
European Society for Medical Oncology