Archive for January, 2013

Dr. Augusto Ochoa, Director of LSU Health Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

Augusto Ochoa, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Adjunct Associate Professor, Biochemistry
Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center

DegreesM.D. – 1982

Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia

Bio Post-doctoral Fellowship – Immunology, Immunobiology Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1982 – 1986
Assistant Professor, Immunobiology Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1986-1989
Head, Immunotherapy Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, MD, 1989 – 1996
Head, Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, MD, 1996-1997

Residency in Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, 1997- 2000
Fellowship – Allergy/Immunology, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, 2001-2003

Board Certification:
Pediatrics, 2000

Research Interests T cell function
Cytokine production
Macrophage-T cell interaction
Immune regulation
Immune dysfunction and disease
Tumor Immunology

 

Dr. Augusto Ochoa, Director of LSU Health Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Dr. Paul Bunn, University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

In 1984, Dr. Bunn was recruited to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center as a Professor of Medicine in Medical Oncology and Head of the Division of Medical Oncology. In 1986 Dr. Bunn became the Director of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Bunn has been President of ASCO, IASLC, and AACI, chairman of the FDA Oncology Drug Advisory Committee, and is currently the Executive Director of the IASLC.
Research
Dr. Bunn’s research interests focus on novel therapies for lung cancer. He has published more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 122 reviews and 90 book chapters on lung cancer. Dr. Bunn’s studies have set standards for the treatment of lung cancer, have identified issues of natural history and have identified bio markers of prognosis and therapy selection. Dr. Bunn is the principal investigator on numerous national and local therapeutic trials and is also the principal investigator for the SPORE grant in lung cancer that is designed to conduct transnational research.

Dr. Paul Bunn, University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

15 year old Lung Cancer Survivor Abby Wilson

Monday, January 21st, 2013

I’m Abby. I am 15 yrs. old. I have a rare form of pediatric lung cancer. But cancer is not who I am. I am a brave and strong girl. God has given me the BEST family & friends. I love to play with my little brother, Ian. He is 6 years old. He makes me laugh & forget that I have sick lungs. I get scared sometimes. But I know that I have to trust God no matter what.

Background Story

Abby is amazing!! She makes me want to be the mother that God has called me to be. We found out that Abby was born with a rare disorder, C.C.P.M., Congenital Cystic Pulmonary malformation. In most cases this type of cyst is large enough to see and is discovered very early on in pregnancy(between 7-34 weeks gestation). It is removed after birth and the child is fine. This is not the case for Abby. She was born with a tumor that was small enough to go undetected and until 5 years ago, didn’t cause any problems. The asthma that we had been treating since she was 3 was actually this disease. C.C.P.M. is normally removed and there are no further problems. In even more rare cases, like Abby, when C.C.P.M. is not found and treated it can then become Bronchoalveolar Carcinoma or B.A.C. (that’s what the doctors call it). In order for B.A.C. to appear, C.C.P.M. has to be present. B.A.C. in children appears favorable, meaning they should only need surgery to cure it. However, that is not the case for Abby. Here is where the complications come in. Our oncologist, Dr. Rapkin, had all the pathology samples sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, AFIP, in Washington, D.C. for review and they found that the larger mass is actually another form of cancer called Mucinous Adenocarcinoma. This is more aggressive than B.A.C. Meaning that this one mass has moved from a stage 1 non aggressive type of cancer to a stage 4 more aggressive type. It has started to infiltrate the surrounding tissue of the lung. This infiltration was found to be minor, in the beginning stage. But the cancer has spread to the right lung resulting in more than 30 tumors in both lungs. Abby has undergone several surgeries since April 2007,one in which her lower left lung was removed leaving her with only 1/4 of a functioning lung and in October 2007 she began intensive chemo treatments and continues to this day. In 2008 we found out that Abby’s cancer is caused by the K-Ras mutation gene which just complicates our journey more. This gene makes her Lung Cancer more resistant to treatment. The road ahead is long and confusing for us all. Abby is a trooper. Her smile reminds us that God is good. He is the one who holds our future and our hope. Abby’s life verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a HOPE and a future.” We live by these words… God’s promise of a HOPE & a FUTURE for our Abby!

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:33-34). *** A friend has set up a medical fund for Abby at Piedmont Community Bank. All donations are to help with travel to Scottish Rite in Atlanta & medical cost that insurance doesn’t cover. If you feel lead, donations can be made checks payable to ‘Abby Wilson Medical Fund ‘ to- 315 River North Blvd Macon, GA. 31211. Thank you in advance for your gifts of love!!!!!

Abby Wilson is Changing the Face of Lung Cancer! from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Tackling Lung Cancer with Survivor Linda Wortman and the Mayo Clinic

Sunday, January 20th, 2013

Lung cancer survivor LInda Wortman represented Team Draft’s “Survivor at Every Stadium” at the Minneapolis Metrodome.

Tackling Lung Cancer with Survivor Linda Wortman and the Mayo Clinic from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Dr. Robert Kratzke, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center

Saturday, January 19th, 2013

Dr. Kratzke received his M.D. from the University of Washington in 1983. He conducted an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1983-1986 and was Research Fellow at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, 1986-1988. He was on the medical staff of the National Cancer Institute from 1988-1994. He joined the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in 1999 and is currently the Skoglund Professor of Lung Cancer Research and an associate professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota.
Research Interests

My laboratory conducts research into the role of genetic and epigenetic alterations in the development of thoracic cancers. We have looked extensively at the nature and consequences of mutations involving either the retinoblastoma susceptibility (Rb) or the p16INK4a gene in both lung cancer and mesothelioma. We have identified that the p16INK4a gene product, for example, is absent in virtually all cases of mesothelioma. This appears to be an attractive target for gene replacement therapy in this relatively infrequent disease. Previously, we have been using viral transfer vectors in vitro to investigate this potential.

Recently, we have changed to recombinant protein vectors for gene therapy in an attempt to avoid the potential toxicities of viral vectors. In addition, our lab has become interested in cap-mediated translation as a target for cancer therapy. We hare participating in a novel drug design program that hopes to manufacture a new class of drugs targeting this mechanism. Our lab has also finished a large project to develop molecular assays for micrometastatic disease in patients with early stage (resectable) lung cancer and colon cancer, results of which we are beginning to analyze and report.

Dr. Robert Kratzke, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center NIH

Friday, January 18th, 2013

The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with a multisite presence. Its three campuses — in Scottsdale, Ariz., Jacksonville, Fla., and Rochester, Minn. — give the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center a broad geographic reach, enabling it to serve diverse patient populations around the world. The campuses are also home to outstanding, internationally recognized physicians and scientists who collaborate across the full spectrum of cancer research, from basic biology to treatment, as they seek ways to reduce the burden of cancer.

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center NIH from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Team Draft, Indianapolis Colts and IU Health are Changing the Face of Lung Cancer

Monday, January 7th, 2013

Just over three and half years ago, when Gregg Baumbaugh of Noblesville, Ind., came down with a runny nose and scratchy throat, a lung cancer diagnosis was the last thing he expected. But after antibiotics failed to clear a suspected case of pneumonia, a chest X-ray revealed a 5 cm tumor on his left lung and Gregg was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (Adenocarcinoma).

Having never smoked, Gregg was shocked. Though it’s a common misconception that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease,” between 20,000-30,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Breaking the stigma against lung cancer and encouraging more research funding are two primary goals of the Chris Draft Family Foundation. As part of a national campaign to change the face of the disease, the Draft foundation invited lung cancer patients and physicians to NFL games across the country this fall.
On Dec. 30, as Indianapolis Colts Coach Chuck Pagano headed back to the field after battling a cancer diagnosis of his own, Gregg cheered on the team from the stands. He was also joined by Dr. DuyKhanh Ceppa, a thoracic surgeon and director of IU Health’s lung cancer screening program.

Surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy treatment at IU Health – home to the state’s only NCI- designated patient care cancer center – allowed Gregg to achieve remission for nearly three years. When a scan in August 2012 showed it had returned and spread into the other lung, he started a new regimen on Xalkori (crizotinb), an oral ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) growth inhibitor following his daughter’s wedding in September.

Roughly a month later, on Halloween, a new scan showed no detectable tumors. “I’m not sure his doctor didn’t do a cartwheel in the hall,” said Gregg’s wife. “He was just beaming!”
Despite dramatic increases in overall cancer survival rates, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is less than 25 percent – a rate that has changed very little since the 1970’s. But recent research advancements are inspiring hope, said Dr. Ceppa.

For instance, lung cancer screening using low dose helical CT scans have been shown to reduce mortality rates by up to 20 percent in heavy smokers. And thanks to molecular tumor mutation testing, physicians are able to tailor chemotherapy regimens to specific mutations present in some lung cancers.

However, there remains a lot that needs to be investigated and discovered about lung cancer detection and treatment, which requires funding that is largely impacted by the “smoker’s disease” stigma. For current and future lung cancer patients across the country, Team Draft and IU Health are campaigning to change the face of lung cancer.

Eva Borsi is Changing the Face of Lung Cancer

Sunday, January 6th, 2013

“I have never smoked a day in my life,” begins Eva Borsi, a Seattle resident who is being treated at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for stage IV lung cancer.

“I am a vegetarian. I ride my bike to work every day. An outdoor enthusiast and all around athletic person, I never imagined hearing the words ‘stage IV lung cancer,’” she says.

Eva was a healthy 46-year old mother of three daughters in March 2011 when she heard those words.

“When I experienced shortness of breath while biking a hill I had biked every day for the past six years, I tried to dismiss it, but at the urging of my friends, I went to see my primary care provider of 20 years, Karen Carlson, at the UW Medicine Roosevelt Clinic,” Eva says.

“Given our long history as patient and provider, she knew I rarely complained and took my concern very seriously,” Eva says.

Thanks to Karen’s swift action, the ball was rolling immediately. That day a chest X-ray revealed fluid around Eva’s lung, and she knew it was serious.

“Karen was worried, too,” Eva says, “and she referred me to pulmonology where the fluid was drained the next day.”

Karen’s worries were validated when pathology found cancer cells in the drained fluid.

“Dignity and pride are very important to me,” Eva says. “I needed to be emotionally ready for whatever news I was to receive. I had to prepare myself for the appointment that ultimately gave me the diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer.”

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Hope
After hearing “lung cancer,” Eva was referred to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to see medical oncologist Laura Q. M. Chow, MD, the following day. At SCCA, Dr. Chow gave Eva her first tiny ray of hope.

“Thanks to Dr. Chow’s devotion to clinical research, I have been receiving state-of-the-art care since the beginning,” Eva says. “Three weeks after my initial diagnosis, I began chemotherapy. Due to my overall health, Dr. Chow correctly thought I could handle the heavy hitters of cisplatin, Alimta, and Avastin for five rounds. I responded well to initial chemotherapy while still working and commuting on my bike. By the end of round five, the fluid around my lungs disappeared and the tumors shrank, but I was exhausted every day. I learned firsthand what it meant to deal with chemo and all its side effects.”

After three months of initial chemo treatment, Eva was put on Alimta maintenance in hopes that the cancer cells would not grow or spread. Tolerating Alimta alone was much easier than the platinum-based therapy of cisplatin for Eva, but it was certainly not the life she envisioned for herself at age 46.

Treatment on a Clinical Study
“Many people stay on a maintenance therapy drug as long as it works, ” Eva says. “In my case after three rounds, a change needed to happen. Because Dr. Chow believes in the advances of clinical trials, I started a study drug MDX-1105 on October 14, 2011. Not knowing exactly what to expect from this preliminary drug trial, we hoped for the best.”

“Eva is on an exciting new Phase I clinical trial looking at a novel immunotherapy that re-stimulates the body’s own immune system to recognize and kill the lung cancer,” Dr. Chow says.

This trial has kept Eva stable ever since. “And stable is good in the late stages of cancer,” Eva says. “Importantly, it has given me back the quality of life I had prior to diagnosis.”

Very minor side effects allow Eva to feel like her normal spunky self. She receives her “life juice,” as Eva calls it, every two weeks at SCCA. “Physically I have been doing very well, but dealing with the emotional side of cancer is a day-to-day thing. I have been exceptionally strong as Dr. Chow says. One day at a time…”

Caring Network
Eva’s network of friends is large. She used to bring a gang of people with her on chemotherapy days to help her get through it emotionally.

“My coworkers have generously donated their leave time to me so I do not have to face more financial hardship due to treatment,” Eva says. “The outpouring of support from friends, coworkers, and even strangers has been tremendous.”

Eva has also found support from an online forum for people dealing with lung cancer in their lives. Through them, she has discovered that not all treatment centers are like SCCA. “I have received prompt, proper attention and cutting-edge care, and Dr. Chow has even taken the time to call me just to see how I am doing,” Eva says. I have never had to chase anyone or any information down. If you have to be sick, SCCA is the place to be.”

Remove the Stigma
“My greatest hopes for lung cancer, besides a cure, are to decrease the stigma surrounding it and to increase funding for lung cancer research. I wish people did not ask me if I smoked. The stigma and under funding are discouraging,” Eva says, citing the example that far fewer people are aware that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month than are aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“And many more women are affected by lung cancer than breast cancer,” Eva says.

She is now involved in Breathe Deep Seattle, a local organization that raises support and funds for lung cancer research and awareness through the national organization of LUNGevity.

Living with Lung Cancer
“When you have cancer, you may change your views on life, but you still have the everyday struggles,” Eva says. “Living every day to the fullest can be difficult, and the idea of a bucket list can be impractical. My reality is that I have to take myself to work to keep my insurance to pay for my treatment. Of course I still find time to have fun, but not always in bucket list kind of ways.”

Eva finds pleasure in small things… her friends, her children, her dog, and a good workout in the gym or the occasional sunshine inside and outside.

“I hope to be able to ride my beloved pink bike a little while longer….it has been a year since the start of this new normal…I celebrated it with a weekend of skiing fun with friends,” Eva says.

David K Madtes, MD, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Friday, January 4th, 2013

David K. Madtes, MD

Dr. Madtes is a pulmonary and critical care specialist whose expertise is in lung injury repair process, cell biology, and respiratory system. He also sees patients in the Lung Cancer Early Detection & Prevention Clinic.
Patient Care Philosophy:
It is very important to me that every patient receive courteous, compassionate, and state-of-the-art medical care, just as I would want for members of my family. Our team approach to the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer enables me to provide the very best care for my patients.

Title

Associate Member, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Associate Professor, Medicine Department, University of Washington School of Medicine
Director of Critical Care Medicine; Director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory; Director of Lung Cancer Early Detection & Prevention Clinic, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Clinical Expertise
Lung injury repair process, Cell Biology, Respiratory System

Experience

Dr. Madtes has more than 20 years of experience in pulmonary problems among cancer patients. He understands the importance of early diagnosis of lung cancer and has a special interest in using minimally invasive methods for early lung cancer detection. In addition to his clinical expertise, his research focuses on the identification of gene expression profiles in lung cancer and in radiation-induced lung injury.

Education And Training

University Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1979

David K Madtes, MD, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Team Draft Tours OHSU

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -

A former NFL linebacker came to Portland to see how researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are bringing new hope to cancer patients.

Chris Draft lost his wife to lung cancer in 2011. Before she died, the couple launched Team Draft to raise money and awareness to fight the disease.

Keasha Draft was not a smoker. Experts say nearly 60 percent of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients are former smokers or have never smoked.

Chris Draft said he was inspired by what he saw at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute Thursday.

He talked to scientists who are working to test DNA so they can determine which cancer drugs work best for each patient.

“It really brings a lot of hope to patients right now and to future patients,” he said.

Chris Draft played in the NFL from 1998 to 2009 on six different teams, including the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

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