March 30, 2012

Announcements

Yale Cancer Center Members Present at AACR

I am pleased that Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital will have good representation at the annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Chicago this weekend. Please take time to attend the presentations by your colleagues while at the meeting.

Presentations and Symposiums 

Saturday, March 31

Educational Session: Cancer Survivorship: Role of Nutrition, Dietary Supplements, Physical Activity, and Weight Loss

10:15 AM -12:15 PM

McCormick Place West (Level 1), Room W178

Session Chair: Susan T. Mayne

Nutrient supplements for cancer prevention: Friend or foe?  10:15 AM -10:40 AM

Susan T. Mayne

Beneficial effects of exercise after a cancer diagnosis   

10:45 AM -11:10 AM   

Melinda L. Irwin

Sunday, April 1

Science Policy Session: Challenging Conventional Cancer Care: The Untold Story of Tobacco's Effect on Cancer Biology, Treatment Response, and Survival

3:15 PM - 4:45 PM

McCormick Place West (Level 1), Room W178

Session Chair: Roy S. Herbst

Assessing tobacco use in clinical trials and research: current status and policy

4:05 PM - 4:20 PM

Benjamin A. Toll

Monday, April 2

Professional Advancement Session: Career Mentoring

8:30 - 10:30 AM

Hilton Chicago Hotel, Continental Ballroom B-C

Daniel C. DiMaio

Minisymposium: miR-34 prevents in vivo lung tumor initiation and progression in the therapeutically resistant Kras;p53 mouse model

4:05 - 4:20 PM

McCormick Place South (Level 1), Room S103

Andrea L. Kasinski, Frank J. Slack

Tuesday, April 3

Science Policy Session: Early Phase Testing of Two Drugs - Practical Challenges

11:05 - 11:25 AM

McCormick Place West (Level 1), Room W178

Roy S. Herbst

Forum: What Can We Learn About Cancer From Nonmammalian Models?

5:00 - 6:30 PM

McCormick Place South (Level 1), Room S103

Tian Xu

Wednesday, April 4

Plenary Session: Cell signaling by receptor tyrosine kinases: From basic principles to cancer therapy

8:00 - 8:30 AM

McCormick Place South (Level 1), Room S100 (Grand Ballroom)

Joseph Schlessinger

Poster Sessions

Sunday, April 1; 1:00 - 5:00 PM; Hall F

In vivo targeting of CD44+ ovarian cancer stem cells (CSC) by Clostridium Perfringens Enterotoxin binding domain (CPE-peptide) conjugated to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NP)

Emiliano Cocco, Stefania Bellone, Dana Roque, Federica Guzzo, Sara Gasparrini, Sergio Pecorelli, Dan-Arin Silasi, Masoud Azodi, Elena Ratner, Thomas Ruterford, Peter Schwartz, Caroline E. Weller, W. Mark Saltzman, Alessandro D. Santin

Poster Section 13

Induction of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) by dendritic cells leads to genomic instability in human myeloma

Srinivas Koduru, Ellice Wong, Till Strowig, Ranjini Sundaram, Lin Zhang, Matthew P. Strout, Richard A. Flavell, David G. Schatz, Kavita M. Dhodapkar, Madhav V. Dhodapkar

Poster Section 11

Synergistic interplay between long-term overweight and long menstrual years in endometrial cancer

Lingeng Lu, Shanming Lee, Susan Mayne, Melinda Irwin, Brenda Cartmel, Harvey Risch, Herbert Yu

Poster Section 23

Indoor tanning and risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma

Leah M. Ferrucci, Brenda Cartmel, Annette M. Molinaro, David J. Leffel2, Allen E. Bale, Susan T. Mayne

Poster Section 23

Estrogen receptor mRNA level in breast cancer predicts response to tamoxifen

Jennifer Bordeaux, Huan Cheng, Allison Welsh, Bruce Haffty, Donald Lannin, Xingyong Wu, Nan Su, Xiao-Jun Ma, Yuling Luo, David Rimm

Poster Section 25

HER2 assessment to define outcomes for breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy

Huan Cheng, Yalai Bai, Willliam Sikov, Natalie Sinclair, Maysa Abu-Khalaf, Lyndsay N. Harris, David L. Rimm

Poster Section 25

Loss of miR-34a as measured by quantitative in situ hybridization on a tissue microarray is associated with poor outcome in breast cancer

Seema Agarwal, Jason A. Hanna, David L. Rimm

Poster Section 25

Implementing CAD cells quantify the relationships between Ig-CAM-mediated adhesion, force transduction, and actin dynamics

Miles H. Fuller, Andrew Schaefer, Cecile Mejean, Paul Forscher

Poster Section 2

Flavonoid intake and risk of pancreatic cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort

Hannah Arem, Gerd Bobe, Joshua Sampson, Amy F. Suba3, Yikyung Park, Harvey Risch, Albert R. Hollenbeck, Susan T. Mayne, Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon

Poster Section 23

Tobacco assessment in actively accruing Cooperative Group clinical trials

Graham W. Warren, Erica N. Peters, Essie Torres, K. Michael Cummings, Ellen R. Gritz, Andrew Hyland, Roy Herbst, James R. Marshall, Benjamin A. Toll

Poster Section 23

Validation of antibodies to Estrogen Receptor β and quantitative assessment of ERβ1 and ERβ5 expression in breast cancer

Hallie Wimberly, Leigh C. Murphy, Bruce Haffty, David Rimm

Poster Section 25

Monday, April 2; 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM; Hall F

Targetome profiling and genetic association analyses implicate miR-202 in follicular lymphomagenesis

Aaron E. Hoffman, Ran Liu, Tongzhang Zheng, Alan Fu, Frank Slack, Yong Zhu

Poster Section 23

Monday, April 2; 1:00 - 5:00 PM; Hall F

Triapine sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to platinum drugs and PARP inhibitors

Z. Ping Lin, Elena S. Ratner, Alan C. Sartorelli

Poster Section 29

Genetic association analysis of the AMP dependent protein kinase complex and NHL risk

Aaron E. Hoffman, Kathryn C. Demanelis, Tongzhang Zheng, Yong Zhu

Poster Section 23

Characterization of the effects of PLX4720 in the immunocompetent BRAF/PTEN mouse melanoma model

Alexander Marzuka, Marcus Bosenberg

Poster Section 31

Tuesday, April 3; 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM; Hall F

Paclitaxel selects and enriches for CD44+/MyD88+ ovarian cancer stem cells

Ayesha B. Alvero, Vinicius Craveiro, Jennie Holmberg, Yang Yang, Gil Mor

Poster Section 18

Circulating sEGFR arises through a fibronectin/integrin-regulated proteolytic cleavage event: Analogy to HER2 shedding?

Jason A. Wilken, Marianela Perez-Torres, Rene Nieves-Alicea, Elsa M. Cora, Trace A. Christensen3 Andre T. Baron, Nita J. Maihle

Poster Section 23

Quantitative analysis of microRNAs by in situ hybridization reveals prognostic value of miRNAs in melanoma and breast cancer

Jason A. Hanna, Hallie Wimberly, Salil Kumar, Seema Agarwal, David L. Rimm

Poster Section 23

Stem cell-associated gene Lin-28B genotype and phenotype in epithelial ovarian cancer and their associations with disease survival outcomes

Lingeng Lu, Dionyssios Katsaros, Harvey Risch, Herbert Yu

Poster Section 24

Tuesday, April 3; 1:00 - 5:00 PM; Hall F

Ultrasmall gadolinium-loaded polymer nanoparticles for imaging in glioblastoma

Benjamin Himes, Jiangbing Zhou, Toral Patel, Daniel Coman, Fahmeed Hyder, Mark Saltzman

Poster Section 14

Hypoxia-induced BRCA1 phosphorylation and degradation

Yuhong Lu, Peter Michael Glazer

Poster Section 1

Redirecting the endogenous immune response against prostate cancer using an antibody-recruiting small molecule

Andrew X. Zhang, Christopher J. Hoimes, Ryan P. Murelli, W. Mark Saltzman, David A. Spiegel

Poster Section 34

The function of histone demethylase RBP2 in breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance

Jian Cao, Zongzhi Liu, Minghui Zhao, Don Nguyen, Qin Yan

Poster Section 37

Occupational exposure to benzene and leukocyte telomere length

Bryan Bassig, Luoping Zhang, Richard Cawthon, Songnian Yin4 Guilan Li, Stephen Rappaport, Wei Hu, Martyn T. Smith, Nathaniel Rothman, Roel Vermeulen, Qing Lan

Poster Section 22

Wednesday, April 4; 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM; Hall F

Identification of effective genotype-selective drug combinations in melanoma

Matthew Held, Casey Langdon, James Platt, Tisheeka Steed, Ashok Chakraborty, Antonella Bachiocchi, Zonghzhi Liu, Marcus Bosenberg, David F. Stern

Poster Section 9

In the News 

Immune system turning on itself may trigger melanoma growth

A new study by researchers from Yale and Johns Hopkins reveals the molecular pathway by which the body's inflammatory immune response may trigger its own inhibition, protecting tumor cells from destruction and allowing the growth of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer. The study currently appears in Science Translational Medicine.

Although it occurs less often than other skin cancers, melanoma causes the majority of skin cancer deaths. It is often curable in its early stages, but once it has spread invasively, it is very difficult to treat.

Led by Lieping Chen, Co-Director of the Yale Cancer Center Cancer Immunology Research Program, the researchers focused on a specific immune-inhibiting molecule in melanoma tumors known as B7-H1.They found that in patients whose tumors expressed B7-H1, suppression of the inflammatory immune response promoted the growth and aggressiveness of their melanoma tumors.

Read More >>

Notables

Dr. Ronald Salem

has been awarded the 2011 Leffell Prize for Clinical Excellence at Yale School of Medicine.

Each year, the award recognizes a faculty member who best exemplifies clinical expertise, a commitment to teaching and the highest standards of care and compassion for patients. Dr. Salem has been a member of Yale Cancer Center and an oncology surgeon at Yale for over 20 years.

Read More >>

Dr. Raymond Russell recently presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions. The title of the talk was "Cellular basis of myocardial injury and left ventricular dysfunction with cancer chemotherapy."

Dr. Maysa Abu-Khalaf served as the guest editor for the November 2011 issue of Current Cardiology Reviews highlighting Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiotoxicity.

Employee Profile: Monica Fradkin

The Employee Profile recognizes the diverse contributions made by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital staff have to meet our patient care, research, education, and outreach goals. The staff profiled are examples of the great work being done here, and the dedication and values we possess. To suggest someone to be profiled, please contact Emily Fenton.

Oncology Nursing Education Coordinator, Monica Fradkin, RN, MPH, is responsible for the education of the oncology nurses within Smilow Cancer Hospital. Through planning and scheduling of oncology programs as well as hospital recommendations, Monica moves the education of the nurses forward in order to improve patient care.

Monica coordinates in-services, lunch & learns, and Journal Clubs to make sure everyone is on the same page. Oftentimes it is difficult to find a time when everyone is available, since Smilow is a 24/7 facility. Therefore, she must make use of technology to reach out to those that might not be able to attend the programs. Webinars and video conferencing are tools that she utilizes. These are especially helpful in reaching out to the new Smilow Cancer Hospital Cancer Care Centers and keeping them educated and informed. In addition, incorporating simulation into practice has been valuable for staff. Smilow nurses utilize simulation for chemotherapy administration and management as well as annual competency validation for chemotherapy recertification. It gives nurses a chance to practice different scenarios in a controlled setting and feedback is very positive.

"It is great to be a part of helping our nurses grow professionally, seeing them advance on the clinical ladder or go on to receive their certifications and then pass that knowledge onto patients. This job gives me the opportunity to work with all the different areas in Smilow, and the field is constantly changing and advancing," said Monica.

Monica's supervisor, Catherine Lyons, RN, MS, Clinical Program Director of Smilow Cancer Hospital, commented, "Monica has changed the landscape of oncology staff education and development in Smilow.  She is constantly striving for innovative ways to provide educational content in ways that are meaningful and memorable.  We are lucky to have her as part of our leadership team."

Funding Opportunities 

Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Grant Program

The Breast Cancer Alliance invites clinical doctors and research scientists who have been appointed to a position equivalent to Assistant Professor within three years of the appointment, and whose primary focus is breast cancer research, to apply for funding for the Young Investigator Grant.

Grant applications will be available on the BCA website on May 4, 2012.

Learn More >>

Breast Cancer Alliance Education/Outreach Grant Program

The Breast Cancer Alliance offers grants to support programs directly related to outreach and case managerial breast cancer services, including education, counseling and mammograms for the uninsured/underserved. The programs must be located in mid to southern Connecticut and/or Westchester County, New York.

Learn More >>