Second Statewide Research Summit Focuses on Addressing Pennsylvania’s Cancer Burden
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 28 – Top leaders and cancer researchers from across the state will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 30, at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, Pa., to highlight new Pennsylvania-based research which addresses the burden of cancer across the Commonwealth. The experts, who represent more than 250 public, private, academic and volunteer organizations, are members of the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium (PAC3) – a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of all Pennsylvanians touched by cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, almost 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer by the end of 2006. Cancer causes approximately 30,000 deaths in Pennsylvania every year.
“The 2006 PAC3 Research Summit is based on a vitally important principle — only by working together can we implement an effective plan for cancer control across our state,” said Ronald Herberman, MD, chair of the PAC3 board of directors and director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. “This type of approach is necessary in order to make real progress in cancer care and to bring renewed hope to the thousands of Pennsylvanians and their families coping with cancer.”
Summit participants will present key research findings in four primary areas: cancer prevention and healthy lifestyles, early detection and screening, treatment and care delivery, and quality of life and survivorship.
The following are highlights of the presentations:
- Fox Chase Cancer Center reports results from a survey of 823 college students that found 64 percent had smoked at least one cigarette in their lifetime and 25.3 percent had smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime. Current smoking was reported by 24.2 percent of the students, with 50 percent reporting that they smoked daily and 50 percent reporting that they smoked occasionally. Occasional smokers cited the presence of other smokers as the greatest barrier to quitting, while daily smokers reported greater symptoms of depression and stress.
- A University of Pittsburgh study confirms that there is a high risk of breast cancer in disadvantaged communities. In the study, outreach workers with hand-held or laptop computers at community and church-based health fairs calculated a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. The survey included 463 women whose risk for breast cancer was assessed by age, race, family history of breast cancer, personal history of breast cancer, date of first menstrual period and date of first live birth. They found that the participants’ risk of developing breast cancer within five years was 22.3 percent, and that their technique could serve as an effective means to engage women at high-risk by encouraging screening mammography in disadvantaged communities where screening rates are low.
- Scientists from the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research in Wynnewood, Pa., will report on preliminary results from a gene-therapy strategy for ovarian cancer that used nanoparticles to deliver a diphtheria toxin (DT-A) gene to ovarian tumor cells. DT-A is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis and, when expressed, causes tumor cells to die. The researchers conclude that using nanoparticles to deliver a toxin gene to tumor cells, combined with a strategy for targeting gene expression to ovarian tumor cells, holds promise as an effective therapy for advanced-stage ovarian cancer.
- Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania report findings from interviews conducted with 32 cancer patients and family members to identify their psychosocial needs during diagnosis and treatment. They found that unmet psychosocial needs are high and may be related to access problems, lack of awareness of resources, the development of new needs in a changing health care climate and patient preferences for types of service. They suggest that psychosocial services may be most useful in a primary-care setting to which cancer patients return after their initial cancer treatment.
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