Rhode Island Hospital is one of only four sites across the country to participate in a new clinical trial called the DIGNITY Study. The study will investigate the effectiveness of a chemotherapeutic agent, ThermoDox, used in conjunction with mild hyperthermia (a form of heat therapy) for treating recurrent chest wall breast cancer.

Recurrent chest wall (RCW) breast cancer is a return of breast cancer on the chest wall, most commonly presenting in the skin overlying the mastectomy scar, affecting approximately 20,000 to 30,000 women each year in the United States. Following a mastectomy, RCW disease will usually present as a small lump in the mastectomy scar or under the skin of the chest or abdominal area. It may be visible or can be felt under the skin, and often goes undetected for some time as it may be mistaken for a leftover stitch or scar tissue from the mastectomy surgery. A significant number of women who are diagnosed with RCW disease frequently cannot be treated with further surgery, radiation or chemotherapy because their available treatment options have been exhausted. As a result, these women often face a poor prognosis.

Rhode Island Hospital is the only hospital in New England to participate in the DIGNITY study that will test 100 patients nationally with an encapsulated chemotherapeutic agent called ThermoDox combined with hyperthermia treatment. ThermoDox is a heat-activated version of an approved and frequently used oncology drug for the treatment of a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer.

Rhode Island Hospital was the first to enroll and treat a patient. That patient has undergone the first three of a 6-cycle course of treatment. Brigid O’Connor, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist at Rhode Island Hospital, is the principal investigator for the trial in Rhode Island.

According to O’Connor, “We treated our first patient recently and she tolerated the procedure well. I am excited to see her response to this new treatment.” She continues, “The rapid development of ThermoDox is warranted so we can provide these women who are experiencing recurrent chest wall cancer with a better treatment for this devastating disease. We look forward to the outcomes of this trial in the hope of gaining increased local tumor control and improved quality of life for our patients.”

To be eligible for participation in the trial, patients must have a confirmed diagnosis of RCW disease, had prior radiation to their chest wall and received two chemotherapy regimens.

The study is sponsored by Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLSN), http://www.celsion.com. Recruitment for the study is ongoing. For more information, contact Brigid O’Connor, MD, PhD, in Rhode Island Hospital’s radiation oncology department at 401-444-8311.

Source
Celsion Corporation

A community-based Cancer Council advocacy campaign has motivated 10,000 Australians to call for expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, amid new research showing 93 per cent of bowel cancer patients can survive if diagnosed early.

Cancer Council Australia Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said there was a stark gap between what was achievable in bowel cancer detection and current survival outcomes in Australia - something the community increasingly viewed as unacceptable.

“New research from the UK shows 93 per cent of bowel cancer patients would be alive after five years if diagnosed early, yet Australia’s five-year survival rate is only 62 per cent,” Professor Olver said.

“The sooner Australia’s bowel cancer screening program goes from one-off screening for people turning 50, 55 and 65 to two-yearly screening of everyone 50 and over, the sooner the potential to prevent deaths will be realised.”

The research, by the UK’s National Cancer Intelligence Network, showed 93 per cent of bowel cancer patients diagnosed at the earliest stage (stage A) were alive five years later. The prognosis for those diagnosed at later stages was progressively worse: stage B - 77%, stage C - 48%, stage D - 7%.

“These findings are even more compelling in light of data from Biogrid Australia that shows screening in Australia is detecting double the number of cancers in their earliest, most treatable stage compared with those diagnosed through symptoms.

“In a tight economic climate, bowel cancer screening is one of the best health investments available to Government - as it is cost-effective as well as having the potential to save 30 lives per week.

“Bowel cancer has neither the profile nor the funding it deserves, but with 10,000 voices calling on Government to expedite its screening program through our online campaign within just a few weeks, awareness of the lost opportunities to prevent bowel cancer death is rapidly growing.”

Cancer Council’s ‘Get Behind Bowel Screening’ campaign , launched in June, asks Australians to email their local parliamentarian and urge them to support full implementation of the screening program by 2012.

Source
Cancer Council Australia

The American Cancer Society, the Official Sponsor of Birthdays, joined forces with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the world’s premier culinary college, to reinvent the birthday cake. Because healthy living is key to creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays, the Society and the CIA challenged CIA’s baking and pastry students to create a better-for-you birthday cake. CIA Alumni and star of Food Network’s TV’s “Ace of Cakes” Chef Duff Goldman joined the Society and the CIA to select the winner, Alexandra Mudry’s new take on red velvet cake, from a pool of five talented finalists. The winner is now the official birthday cake of the American Cancer Society.

“Birthday cakes help people celebrate important milestones in meaningful ways. We see a significant opportunity to use the American Cancer Society’s new official birthday cake to inspire people to stay well and lead healthier lives through simple lifestyle changes,” said Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, M.P.H, Dr.P.H., national volunteer president, American Cancer Society. “Who better to help create a healthier birthday cake without sacrificing fun and flavor than The Culinary Institute of America and Chef Duff?”

The Society’s official birthday cake is a healthier version of a red velvet cake that delivers plenty of taste but much less sugar and fat than a traditional recipe. In addition to cutting back on sugar, eggs, oil and butter, Mudry’s inventive additions - including roasted beets, dried cherries, applesauce and whole grain flour - help kick the nutrients up a notch. The result: a better-for-you cake that tastes great and still has the fun, celebratory feel of a traditional birthday cake.

To help promote healthier birthday celebrations throughout the country, students from The Culinary Institute of America were challenged to create an easy-to-replicate cake recipe that incorporates ingredients that reduce some of the not-so-healthy ingredients typically found in cakes. Students submitted recipes that included an original cake recipe and a description of how the recipe used more healthful baking ingredients and/or substitutions to improve on the traditional birthday cake. The CIA deans evaluated the recipes and selected five finalists. The other finalists included:

- Arthur Battistini, runner up, Hyde Park Campus
- Tamara King, Hyde Park Campus
- Lorraine Tran, Greystone Campus
- Laura Sansone, Hyde Park Campus

“Our students are encouraged to include ingredients with high nutritional value in their recipes,” said Thomas Vaccaro, associate dean for baking & pastry arts at The Culinary Institute of America. “When we were presented with an opportunity to work with the American Cancer Society to reinvent the birthday cake we were thrilled because the collaboration truly showcases our emerging chefs’ commitment to producing more healthful recipes. We’re also pleased to be part of the Society’s efforts to raise awareness of healthy living to fight cancer as the disease has touched so many of our students in very personal ways.”

Chef Duff selected the Official Birthday Cake of the American Cancer Society at his studio bakery, Charm City Cakes, where he tapes his popular Food Network show, “Ace of Cakes.” The finalist judging will be featured in an upcoming “Ace of Cakes” episode.

“The idea of having an official birthday cake and celebrating more birthdays is a very positive way of looking at cancer and dealing with cancer,” said Chef Duff. “If people are baking better-for-you cakes at home, then they are taking a step in the right direction to live longer, healthier lives and celebrate more birthdays. Baking isn’t as scary as you think and the winning recipe is a prime example of just how easily more nutritious baking can be done at home.”

To download the recipe for the official birthday cake of the American Cancer Society and more information on the finalists, visit http://www.morebirthdays.com.

Eating a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and limited in processed and red meats is one important component of staying well to reduce your risk of cancer. In addition, it is important to get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on five or more days a week; to get the cancer screenings that are appropriate based on your age and family history; and to avoid cigarette smoking.

The American Cancer Society invites people to join the movement to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays by visiting morebirthdays.com where they can declare the American Cancer Society the official sponsor of their birthday, download a healthy “how to” birthday kit and send e-cards to friends and family. People can also spread the word on Facebook or by visiting http://www.OfficialBirthdayBlog.com.

Source
American Cancer Society