Inside the Tulane Cancer Center
June 2005 Newsletter
Headlines in this Issue
Schwartz Center Rounds(R) Offers Support to Caregivers
Tulane Assists Louisiana Cancer Control Partnership
Basic Research:
  • Dr. Hemenway Studies Leukemia-Killing Molecule
  • Dr. Zou Published in Nature Reviews Cancer
    Clinic Welcomes New Faculty
    LCRC Welcomes New Faculty
    Supporting Our Mission:
  • Cancer Crusaders Breaks Fundraising Record
  • NOPBRR Golf Tournament Raises $30,000
  • Save the Date for Key to the Cure 2005
  • Tulane's 'Crafty Ladies' Bring Comfort to Cancer Patients
    • A Message from the Director
    Accolades: Faculty honors and awards
    Index to all archived issues
    Index to archived articles by topic
    Editorial Staff & Contacts



    Schwartz Center Rounds(R) Allow Caregivers to Care For Each Other
    "The more you give, the more you get," said Timothy Pearman, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology and Director of Tulane's Patricia Trost Friedler Cancer Counseling Center. He was discussing the benefits for caregivers who actively participate in Schwartz Center Rounds(R), a series of workshops designed to allow those who care for patients with debilitating illnesses the opportunity to discuss the many emotional issues faced on a day-to-day basis.

    "I have been very impressed by both the attendance and the participation we've seen so far," said Raja Mudad, M.D., Associate Professor Of Medicine and Director of Tulane's Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Training Program. Dr. Mudad serves as the physician leader at each Schwartz Center Rounds(R) workshop, which is strictly structured in order to insure maximum participation by all who attend. He worked with Theresa Sauceda-LePage of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals to bring Schwartz Center Rounds(R) to Tulane as part of the program which trains young oncologists. Tulane is the first academic medical institution outside of the northeast to offer these workshops.

    Drs. Mudad & Pearman
    Raja Mudad, M.D. and Timothy Pearman, Ph.D.

    Held bi-monthly, Schwartz Center Rounds(R) features discussion on a variety of topics important to caregivers, like treating young cancer patients and dealing with patients who have mental illnesses in addition to their medical problems. "I thought at first that my job as facilitator might be difficult, that people might find it hard to open up," said Mudad, "but so far the job is pretty easy. Everyone wants to chip in." Dr. Pearman points out that this level of participation illustrates the basic need for such a forum. "Until now, our caregivers haven't really had the opportunity to discuss with one another the emotional issues that come with their jobs," said Pearman. He went on to explain that this venting process is not only good for the emotional health of our caregivers, but it is also an effective teambuilding tool. "These workshops allow all members of the caregiving team the opportunity to relate to one another on a basic human level rather than strictly a professional level," said Pearman. "This should ultimately translate into better working relationships outside of the workshop." Dr. Mudad emphasizes the importance of workshops like these in the training experience of young physicians. "Our goal is to produce more than smart physicians; we want to also turn out good human beings. Schwartz Center Rounds(R) will help us to do that."

    Louisiana Cancer Control Partnership
    Tulane Participates in a Statewide Plan to Reduce Cancer Rates in Louisiana
    map The burden of cancer in Louisiana is enormous.
    * Of the 1,372,910 new cancer cases predicted to be diagnosed in the United States this year, 23,280 patients live in Louisiana.
    * Of the 570,280 Americans predicted to die of cancer this year, 9,670 are Louisianans.
    [From the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts and Figures 2005.]

    In general, the incidence rates for all cancers combined in Louisiana tend not to exceed the national average. However, Louisiana consistently ranks at the top of the cancer mortality rate list. More people die of cancer here. It's a huge problem, with an enormous economic cost. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates the cost of cancer in 2004 was $189.8 billion nationally: $69.4 billion for direct medical costs (total of all health expenditures); $16.9 billion for indirect morbidity costs (cost of lost productivity due to illness); $103.5 billion for indirect mortality costs (cost of lost productivity due to premature death).* Because of its high cancer mortality rate, Louisiana shoulders a large proportion of this economic burden

    Easing the burden of cancer in Louisiana will take an organized, unified approach by all segments of society, and that's exactly what the Louisiana Cancer Control Partnership (LCCP) is all about. The LCCP is a statewide effort funded through a national grant from the Centers for Disease Control and involving over 180 individuals and 64 agencies across the state, including Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the Louisiana Cancer and Lung Trust Fund Board. Recognized by the state legislature in 2003, the goal of the LCCP is to create a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated approach to cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, palliation, and survivorship across Louisiana.

    How? "We divided the state into nine regions and assigned a cancer control officer to each," said Donna Williams, M.S., M.P.H., director of the LCCP and an instructor at LSU's School of Public Health. "In this way, each region could create its own model for approaching the issues unique to that region, like access to care, screening opportunities, the number of underinsured or uninsured, the available resources in each area, etc." Great emphasis is placed upon having each region involve thought leaders from all segments of the local community in the effort. The local medical community, business leaders, clergy, government agencies and elected officials, interested citizens -- all segments are represented in local Steering Committees which guide the effort and mobilize resources in that region. "Each cancer control officer also works with a dedicated regional coordinator from the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, the regional American Cancer Society affiliate, and, most recently, Office of Public Health regional epidemiologists. Together, these individuals serve as a leadership team to coordinate programs," said Williams. It's a highly integrated, comprehensive approach. For more than five years prior to the establishment of the LCCP, Tulane Cancer Center faculty and staff had been working with the medical community in Alexandria under a Rapides Foundation grant to augment access to clinical trials for cancer patients in Central Louisiana. "In the course of that experience, the realities of late diagnosis and excessive cancer deaths in the region became painfully apparent and prompted an assessment of health services needs that could have a significant impact on cancer mortality," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., Director of the Tulane Cancer Center. "Over the course of five months and utilizing seed funds provided by the Tulane Cancer Center, we had personal interviews and small group discussions with thought leaders from many segments of the Alexandria community. The problems -- high cancer mortality, lack of screening, lack of access, and lack of resources to care for the underserved population -- were expressed universally, and the need for a program that 'works for Alexandria' was recognized by everyone," said Dr. Weiner.

    With support from Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital / The Christus Fund and the Rapides Foundation, Tulane then partnered with the LCCP to provide the cancer control officer for Region 6, the Alexandria Region. Theary Oum, M.D., M.P.H., was recruited and is charged with comprehensive cancer control planning and implementation activities for the area.

    "There is evidence in the medical literature that community-based screening programs are effective," said Dr. Oum. "Therefore, our first priority has been to increase public education and awareness about the necessity for screening and early detection of cancer." Dr. Oum's team has conducted fecal occult blood testing for colorectal cancer, provided early screening opportunities for prostate cancer, and taught breast self-exams. They have also been invited to speak at meetings of local community organizations and have participated in numerous health fairs. So far, she is thrilled with the involvement and support her team has experienced from all areas of the local community. "In addition to our Steering Committee members, we've worked with the local hospitals, the local Council on Aging, federally qualified health clinics, other non-profit organizations, and even the local newspapers in order to spread the word about what we're trying to accomplish," said Dr. Oum.

    When asked how she plans to measure the success of the programs being implemented in Region 6, Dr. Oum admits that changing behavior can take time. "Ultimately, what we're hoping to see are increased opportunities for and participation in screening programs, as well as a decrease in the numbers of cancers being diagnosed in their later stages in this region," said Dr. Oum. "If this happens, the mortality rates in Region 6 should begin to decrease over time as well."

    "Using a regional, integrated, comprehensive approach to cancer control, we hope to recruit and encourage many more providers to join in our efforts and make a difference in communities at a local level," said Daphne LeSage, LCCP's program manager.

    Tulane Cancer Center Pediatrician Studies Leukemia-Killing Molecule
    Dr. Hemenway
    The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently awarded a grant of more than $350,000 to Charles S. Hemenway, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Tulane University School of Medicine, to study a molecule that kills the leukemia cells of individuals who have an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

    Leukemia is a malignant disease of the bone marrow and blood. In Louisiana there are approximately 500 new cases of leukemia diagnosed each year and approximately 400 deaths each year attributed to leukemia, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In fact, leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. Scientists believe that ALL can arise when genetic material contained in chromosomes of developing blood cells is broken and rearranged, a condition referred to as a chromosome translocation.

    "In up to 10 percent of ALL cases, a break occurs in chromosomes 4 and 11 and a portion of 4 is joined to a fragment of chromosome 11," Dr. Hemenway says. As a consequence, the genes located at these break points are fused together to produce a "chimera" -- named for the mythical entity whose head is derived from one animal and whose tail is from another. In the case of t(4;11) leukemia, the chimeric gene is designated MLL-AF4. Unfortunately, t(4;11) ALL is associated with a very poor prognosis, even in children for whom ALL tends to be more easily cured. The outcome is particularly grim in babies with leukemia, in whom the majority have t(4;11) ALL," says Dr. Hemenway.

    Dr. Hemenway's lab has developed a molecule that blocks one of the important activities of the MLL-AF4 chimera, effectively killing t(4;11) leukemia cells grown in the laboratory, while sparing healthy bone marrow cells. He will use the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society grant to refine, test and optimize this molecule for the treatment of t(4;11) leukemia.

    In 2003, Dr. Hemenway received the 2003 Mauvernay Research Excellence Award presented by the Tulane Cancer Center for his research into the "Rational Development of an Inhibitor of t(4;11) Leukemia." He is a program member of the Tulane Cancer Center and a member of its Steering Committee.

    The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. Since its founding in 1949, the society has invested more than $360 million in research, $45 million in 2004 alone.

    Tulane Cancer Center Researcher Published in Nature Reviews Cancer
    Dr. Zou Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Cell And Molecular Biology and a program member of the Tulane Cancer Center, had a review article published in the April 2, 2005, edition of the highly prestigious journal Nature Reviews Cancer. His review article, entitled "Immunosuppressive Networks in the Tumour Environment and their Therapeutic Relevance" (5, 263-274, 2005), discusses the current status of research into tumor immunity.

    Dr. Zou was invited by the editorial board at Nature to write this review article. Nature Reviews Cancer boasts an ISI impact factor of 34, making it one of the most prestigious and influential of the medical journals. ISI impact factors measure the frequency with which a journal has been cited in a particular year or period and provides a systematic, objective way to evaluate the world's leading journals and their impact and influence in the global research community.

    Dr. Zou received his medical degree from Tongji Medical School in Wuhan, China, in 1990. Following medical school, he became a clinical fellow at Tongji Hospital, serving as a lecturer on immunopharmacology, a physician specializing in infectious diseases, and a researcher concentrating on pharmacokinetics and immunopharmacology.

    From 1993-1994, Dr. Zou was a visiting scientist at Institut Pasteur; Institut Paris-Sud ser les Cytokines, France. There he worked on developing a technique to quantify cytokine mRNA and performed research on autoimmune diseases, HCV, and HIV. He received his Ph.D. in immunology from Paris University in 1997 and then served as a post-doctoral fellow at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, Dallas, TX, 1999-2001.

    He joined the faculty of Tulane University Health Sciences Center in 2001 as assistant professor of medicine. Dr. Zou's major area of interest is tumor immunity, particularly dendritic cells in tumors, regulatory T cells, immune cell trafficking and novel animal models for cancer.

    "Publication of this review article is an honor for both Dr. Zou and the Tulane Cancer Center," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., Director of the Tulane Cancer Center. "It highlights Dr. Zou's leadership in the area of immunologic research and puts our Cancer Center in the international spotlight."

    The Tulane Cancer Center Comprehensive Clinic Welcomes New Faculty:
    Erik P. Castle, M.D.
    Assistant Professor of Urology
    Dr. Castle earned his M.D. at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and completed his urology residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His fellowship in laparoscopic / reconstructive urology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, focused on laparoscopic renal, prostate, bladder, and adrenal surgery, as well as bladder and urethral reconstructive procedures for cancer and stricture disease. An avid researcher, his basic research interests include novel hormonal and intravesical therapies for prostate and bladder cancer He is also involved in clinical research on prostate cancer, male incontinence, and laparoscopic bladder and kidney procedures. Dr. Castle has received several awards, including the Pfizer Scholar in Urology Award and the SLS Outstanding Laparoendoscopic Resident Surgeon award. He co-authored two book chapters and over fifteen journal publications and served as faculty for laparoscopic surgery courses in both Kansas City and Scottsdale.

    John K. O'Connor, M.D.
    Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
    Dr. O'Connor earned a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine. He served his internship at Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, Michigan, and completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he served as chief resident. Dr. O'Connor is board-certified in radiation oncology by the American Board of Radiology. He is a member of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), the American College of Radiology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. His research has been presented at national meetings, and his current interests include prostate cancer, prostate brachytherapy, gastro-intestinal and breast cancer.

    Edgardo S. Santos, M.D.
    Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology
    Dr. Santos recently joined Tulane's Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology. He also serves as staff physician at the New Orleans Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he supervises the hematology-oncology outpatient facility, the chemotherapy unit, and the in-patient service. In addition to his patient care activities at the V.A. Hospital and the Tulane Cancer Center Comprehensive Clinic, Dr. Santos is involved with the training of medical students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Santos brings with him special fellowship training in medical oncology and hematology with an emphasis on the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma patients. He is very involved in our clinical research efforts and has worked with his peers here at Tulane not only to enroll patients into current trials, but also to introduce innovative new trials to patients in the New Orleans area and beyond. Since his arrival, Dr. Santos has become very involved in the local community, especially the local Hispanic community. Dr. Santos received his medical degree in 1994 at the University of Panama School of Medicine. He completed his internship at Complejo Hospitalario Metropolitano, Panama (1994-1995) and Hospital Regional de Santiago, Veraguas (1995-1996). He was ranked first in his Internal Medicine residency program at Complejo Hospitalario Metropolitano (1997). Dr. Santos completed his training in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami, Florida (1998-2001). During his fellowship (2001-2004), Dr. Santos participated actively in the development of several clinical and translational research projects at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, Florida. His major interest has been the development of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials for hematologic malignancies, such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma. Dr. Santos has also been involved in several clinical projects focusing on lung cancer. Dr. Santos is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology and is an active member of several medical societies, including the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

    Alan Stolier, M.D.
    Clinical Professor of Surgery
    Following his surgical internship at the University of Virginia Hospital, Dr. Stolier completed his general surgical training at Louisiana State University. He then completed fellowships in surgical oncology at both the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston, Texas, and at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, England. Beginning in 1993, he limited his practice to breast surgery and at that time became the first medical director of the Breast Center at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans as well as the Lieselotte Tansey Breast Center at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Breast Disease, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and past president of the James D. Rives Surgical Society. Dr. Stolier's most recent publications and research interests have centered on hereditary breast cancer and accelerated partial breast irradiation.

    Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium Welcomes New Faculty
    Tulane Cancer Center has been very fortunate to recruit excellent new faculty into the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC) research programs over the past year. "These successful recruitments are rewarding and lay the foundations that will make us more attractive to additional new faculty members," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., Director of the Tulane Cancer Center and Co-Director of the LCRC. "These new scientists will benefit from working with the strong, dedicated corps of LCRC scientists already in place. Establishing this critical mass of researchers will build our expertise to the level necessary to raise our scientific programs to national prominence. Our expanded programs will enable focused study on critical areas, spark new collaborations and impact other areas of biomedical research through new discoveries. This expanded faculty will also generate innovative new programs that will further enhance teaching, patient care and community outreach." The LCRC and the Tulane Cancer Center welcome the following new faculty to our basic research programs:

    Michelle Lacey, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor of Mathematics
    Dr. Lacey received her A.B. in mathematics from Bryn Mawr College in 1994. After working in industry for two years, she returned to graduate school in 1996 in the Department of Statistics at Yale University and earned her Ph.D. in 2003. While completing her dissertation, she gained considerable experience in microarray analysis as a part-time research assistant in Dr. Paul Lizardi's lab in the Department of Pathology at the Yale University School of Medicine. She joined the Department of Mathematics at Tulane University as an assistant professor in the fall of 2003 and was appointed adjunct assistant professor of biostatistics at the Tulane University School of Public Health in January 2004. Dr. Lacey's research is rooted in statistical genetics, focusing on problems related to phylogeny reconstruction, and she is generally interested in the development of statistical methods for the analysis of biological data.

    Meera S. Ramayya, M.D., M.S.
    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Endocrinology
    Dr. Ramayya received her MBBS from Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, in 1970, and her Diploma in Child Health from The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bombay the next year. Following her postgraduate work in Bombay, she served as senior house surgeon (pediatrics) at the Institute of Child Health in Hyderabad, India (1973), and as senior house officer (pediatrics) at the Sorrento Maternity Hospital (1974) and at the Selly Oak Hospital (1975) in Birmingham, UK. She started her pediatric residency in the United States in 1976 at Cook County Children's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, and continued her residency the following year at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Her residency was followed by a five-year fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the University of Washington in Seattle (1978-1983), and three years as a clinical associate at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health (1993-1996). She also functioned as a consultant in pediatric endocrinology on the MEDCON team of University of Washington (1980-1992). In 1994, she received a masters degree in Administrative Medicine from the University of Wisconsin. Immediately prior to joining the Tulane faculty, she practiced general pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology in the Greater Seattle area and was a consultant in pediatric endocrinology at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. In addition, she worked as a Research Scientist in the Department of Surgery at the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle (1998-2000), and collaborated with investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle as a visiting scientist in the Division of Human Biology Program in Cancer Biology (2000-2004). Dr. Ramayya's research interests are in the biology of endocrine-related tumors. She had excellent research training at the NIH, and while there she cloned the human Steroidogenic Factor-1 (hSF-1) gene and studied its expression in human tissues. She is a recipient of travel grant awards from The Endocrine Society and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society for her work in the area of hSF-1. At Tulane, she plans to develop an independent research career in molecular signaling in breast and ovarian cancers.

    Brian G. Rowan, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor of Structural and Cellular Biology
    Dr. Rowan received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and cancer therapeutics from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1994. His thesis research involved Structural and Functional Characterization of Glucocorticoid Receptors in the P1798 Mouse Lymphosarcoma. From 1994-2000, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. In 2000, he joined the faculty of the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo as an assistant professor in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. Dr. Rowan has several awards to his credit, including the Sigma Xi Award for Excellence in Research, 1988, and the American Association for Cancer Research Young Investigator Scholar Award, 1999 and 2000. He is a reviewer for several medical journals, including Cancer Research, Endocrinology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Cell, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Molecular Endocrinology and Steroids, and is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research and the Endocrine Society. Dr. Rowan's research seeks to define the molecular mechanisms governing steroid receptor action in normal and disease states of female reproductive tissues with the aim of developing new therapies and improving existing therapies for breast cancer, gynecological malignancies, contraception and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy.

    Jeremy M. Stark, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
    Dr. Stark received his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington in December 1998. His doctoral research was performed in the laboratory of Dr. Mark B. Roth at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and centered on a mechanism for alternative pre-mRNA splicing involving a direct role for SR proteins in promoting specific exon/exon associations. Most recently, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Maria Jasin at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, where his research involved the mechanisms of DNA repair pathways and their role in the etiology of genetic alterations associated with cancer. At Sloan-Kettering, Dr. Stark was also very involved in the supervision and training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

    Hua Zhao, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
    Hua Zhao received his Ph.D. in epidemiology from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where he used a molecular epidemiological approach to study genetic susceptibility markers of cancer and their interactions with environmental exposures. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center immediately prior to his faculty appointment within the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium. He is a member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, as well as the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Society of Public Health, the American Society of Preventive Oncology, and the American Society of Human Genetics. He has authored several publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is a reviewer for the journal Carcinogenesis. Dr. Zhao's research is focused primarily on genetic variations which alter an individual's inherited predisposition to cancer risk. He has a broad interest in all cancer sites, but his current research is focused on smoking-related cancers, including lung, bladder and head and neck cancers.

    Cancer Crusaders Breaks Fundraising Record
    On Wednesday, January 19, 2005, at their annual Salute to Survivors Luncheon, the 2004 co-presidents of Cancer Crusaders, Anne Gauthier and June Cognevich, presented Roy S. Weiner, M.D., Director of the Tulane Cancer Center, and Oliver Sartor, M.D., Director of LSU's Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, with a check representing the results of their fundraising efforts for 2004 -- a phenomenal $200,000 and a new Cancer Crusaders record!

    "The Cancer Crusaders honor and support cancer's victims and rejoice with cancer's survivors," said Dr. Weiner. "Their work and spirit are motivational to all of us who teach, care for patients and seek new knowledge through research. I thank them on behalf of the academic cancer community at Tulane and the greater community of cancer researchers of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium."

    photo
    Roy S. Weiner, M.D. (center), with Marjorie Weiner (left) and Anne Gauthier, 2004 Cancer Crusaders co-president, at their Salute to Survivors Luncheon.

    Cancer Crusaders was founded in 1976 and incorporated in 1978 for the sole purpose of raising funds for cancer research in the Greater New Orleans area. Cancer Crusaders is a non-profit, all volunteer organization with over 500 members and no administrative overhead. It is not affiliated with any other cancer fundraising organization. Since 1978, the organization has raised in excess of $1,700,000. These funds have been divided equally between the Tulane Cancer Center and LSU's Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center (now partners in the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium) for the express purpose of cancer research. Since 1994, all Cancer Crusaders grants to Tulane have been used as Matching Fund Awards to support the research of worthy post-graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. "These bright young trainees will go on to make advances we cannot even dream of today," said Dr. Weiner. To insure that Cancer Crusaders support is invested wisely, each dollar donated to Tulane by Cancer Crusaders is used only to match a dollar awarded to our faculty for trainee support by the National Institutes of Health or other national agencies which grant funds on the basis of peer-reviewed competition. Over the years, 136 matching fund grants totaling $1.31 million have been awarded to Tulane Cancer Center trainees, thanks in great part to Cancer Crusaders fundraising efforts.

    New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Golf Tournament Raises $30,000
    The Second Annual New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) Golf Tournament was held on Monday, April 11, 2005, at English Turn Golf & Country Club. Over eighty golfers turned out to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and to golf for a good cause -- the cancer research programs of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium. This year's tournament raised $30,000, bringing the two-year total for this event to $55,000. "The tournament was a tremendous success in every sense of the word," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D. "The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad's wonderfully generous contribution to our cancer research programs is vital to our progress. We can't thank them enough for helping to elevate cancer research here in Louisiana to an even higher level of importance, and we pledge to put every penny of their support to good use as we move closer to providing an NCI-designated center to our citizens." photo
    Vince LaRussa, Ph.D. (standing) directs Alan Miller, Ph.D., M.D., (left) and Roy S. Weiner, M.D., at the 2nd Annual New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Golf Tournament.

    On behalf of the cancer researchers of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, the Tulane Cancer Center thanks the incomparable team of volunteers at the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad for their tremendous efforts in planning the NOPB's Second Annual Benefit Golf Tournament.

    Save the Date for Key to the Cure 2005!
    photo
    Dr. Oliver Sartor, Director of LSU's Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center; Carolyn Elder, vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans; and Dr. Roy S. Weiner, Director of the Tulane Cancer Center, at Saks Fifth Avenue's Key to the Cure 2004 charity shopping gala, held October 14, 2004.

    Saks Fifth Avenue's 2005 Key to the Cure Charity Shopping Kickoff Gala is scheduled for Thursday, October 27, 2005, 6-9 p.m., at Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans, 301 Canal St. This year, Saks will donate 5% of all sales at their New Orleans store on Friday, October 28, through Saturday, October 29, to the cancer research programs of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC). Five percent of sales made at the Gala on the evening of Thursday, October 27, will also go toward the fundraiser. In 2004, Key to the Cure generated over $80,000 for the LCRC's cancer research programs, thanks in great part to our dedicated committee members, our tireless co-chairs, and our generous corporate, foundation and individual sponsors. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this year's Gala, which will once again offer food, beverages and incomparable entertainment on all three levels of the store. For more information on Key to the Cure 2005, please call Melanie Cross at (504) 988-6592 or Keadren Green at (504) 988-6064.

    Tulane's "Crafty Ladies" Bring Comfort to Cancer Patients
    The Crafty Ladies, a subcommittee of the Tulane University Women's Association (TUWA), has adopted a service project that will bring comfort to cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at the Tulane Cancer Center Comprehensive Clinic. "This project was inspired by an article in the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine," said Marjorie Weiner, a member of TUWA and Crafty Ladies. "The article outlined a program called Knit For Her Cure, which encouraged people to knit or crochet shawls to comfort cancer patients receiving chemotherapy." The Crafty Ladies, who were in search of a service project for 2005, thought this was a perfect fit - a "By Tulane/For Tulane" type of project in which a Tulane service organization could directly benefit a Tulane cause.

    The Crafty Ladies teamed up with Diana Johnson, owner of Garden District Needlework Shop, located at 2011 Magazine St. in New Orleans. Johnson offered to create a free pattern as well as provide a special selection of yarns that would be most appropriate for this type of shawl. The Crafty Ladies suggest the yarns be soft, warm, brightly colored and machine washable. Johnson also offered to provide a free refresher lesson at the time of purchase to anyone participating in this service program. Completed shawls can be returned to Johnson at Garden District Needlework Shop, at which time she will provide the participant with: Johnson will accept shawls from anyone wishing to participate in the program, but will only provide the donation receipt, the 10% coupon and the free refresher lesson to those who purchased their yarn from Garden District Needlework Shop. All shawls turned in to Johnson will be collected and distributed to the Tulane Cancer Center. If it is inconvenient to drop the shawls off to Garden District Needlework Shop, alternate arrangements can be made by calling Marjorie Weiner at 504-398-1669.

    Shawls may be either knitted or crocheted. There is no deadline for turning them in, as the project will continue on an ongoing basis. It might even be expanded in the near future to include comfort blankets for male chemotherapy patients as well.

    The Crafty Ladies meet the first Tuesday evening of each month, September through April, in the faculty lounge of Newcomb Hall on Tulane's Uptown campus. Members share their crafts and craftmaking techniques with attendees. Crafts are not limited to knitting and crocheting; members have also shared their needlepoint and jewelry making projects as well. All female Tulane employees or spouses of Tulane employees who would like to join Crafty Ladies are encouraged to call April Brayfield, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology at Tulane and the group's chair, at 504-862-3001. Potential new members will be asked to join TUWA as well at a cost of $15 per year.

    However, you don't have to be a member of the Crafty Ladies in order to participate in the shawl project. Anyone can participate, as long as they return the completed shawl to Diana Johnson or coordinate the return of the shawl by calling the number listed above. Even those who do not knit or crochet can lend their support by purchasing a shawl kit from Garden District Needlework Shop and donating it to the Crafty Ladies for one of the members to complete. For more information on the shawl program, contact Dr. April Brayfield at 504-862-3001, Marjorie Weiner at 504-398-1669, or Diana Johnson at the Garden District Needlework Shop, 504-558-0221.
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    A Message from the Director
    Roy S. Weiner, M.D.
    Director of the Tulane Cancer Center
    Co-Director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium
    I dedicate this column to the incomparable faculty of the Tulane Cancer Center.
    Dear Friends,
    In the world of academic medicine, recognition comes in two forms -- from academic colleagues both within and outside of your home institution, and, if you're very fortunate, from the community you dedicate yourself to serving. Both forms are equally invaluable, and I'm proud to report that Tulane Cancer Center faculty members have received large portions of both forms recently. The pursuit of excellence in the academic arena and subsequent peer recognition is characteristically a quiet activity for which there may not be much public attention, and yet it profoundly affects and reflects an academic medical center and the community it serves. Tulane Cancer Center faculty were honored with peer recognition on many levels recently:

    Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals:
    Academicians strive to have the results of their basic and/or clinical research published in scientific journals. Most of these journals require that submitted manuscripts go through a rigorous process of peer scrutiny and revision before they are accepted for publication. In the past fifteen months, Tulane Cancer Center faculty have had in excess of 100 articles published in prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals. When you consider that our faculty's manuscripts are competing for page space against thousands of other manuscripts submitted by researchers across the globe, the impressiveness of that number becomes very clear. Some of our more notable recent publications include: Invitations to Speak at Annual Meetings
    When our faculty are invited by their peers to address gatherings of world experts in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and prevention at regional, national and international meetings, it's an indication of the esteem with which they are held by their colleagues and of the legitimacy of their work. In any given week over the past year, several of Tulane Cancer Center's 120 faculty members were busy answering invitations to present their research at these prestigious meetings of their colleagues. In fact, at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held in April 2005, 13 presentations were given by Tulane Cancer Center faculty, and three of our faculty -- Tyler J. Curiel, M.D., M.P.H.; Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D.; and Brian Barnett, M.D. -- were all asked to present at the same mini-symposium. It's rare to have more than one faculty member from the same institution present at the same mini-symposium; it's a particular honor to have all three come from the same lab at the same institution!

    Elected Offices and Academic Awards
    Several of our faculty have been elected to hold offices in these international organizations of medical experts. When elected to leadership roles in professional medical organizations, it's an indication that our faculty are trusted to help guide the organization in fulfilling its role in professional development and the advancement of medicine. It's also an opportunity for our faculty to be decision makers in determining research worthy of presentation at national or international meetings. Academic awards are also feathers in our cap. One award in particular, the Mauvernay Research Excellence Award, provides the Tulane Cancer Center with a prestigious showcase for its cutting-edge, translational research. Not only does the award allow Tulane to recognize many of its most accomplished researchers, but it shines a spotlight on the high level of work and important advances being made by all faculty researchers here. In 2003, it was the Center's privilege to present the first Mauvernay Award to Charles S. Hemenway, M.D., Ph.D., whose work addresses childhood leukemias; and, in 2004, the Center recognized co-honorees Tyler J. Curiel, M.D., M.P.H., and Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., both of whom work in the field of tumor immunology. Our Mauvernay Research Excellence Award recipients have had continued success after receiving the award. For example, since receiving his award in 2003, Dr. Hemenway has been awarded two major grants (one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the other from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). He has also accepted a leadership role within the university as director of the MD/PhD program. Both 2004 co-winners are also expanding their roles as leaders in the field of hematology. Dr. Tyler Curiel was recently awarded a prestigious NIH grant, and Dr. Zou was invited to submit a review article to the acclaimed journal Nature Reviews Cancer. In addition, he was named scientific director of the Cell Analysis Core, a centralized resource for all of the Center's cancer research programs.

    Study Section Participation
    Federal grants are allocated based upon careful review of grant applications by groups of academicians considered to be experts in a particular area of research. Invitations to sit on study sections allow our faculty the power to determine the projects the dwindling pool of available grant dollars will fund. In a very meaningful way, Study Section participation means our faculty can influence the course of cancer research for decades to come. More and more of our faculty are being invited to participate in or lead Study Sections, an indication that they have risen to the top of their respective fields.

    Increased Grant Funding
    In recent months, there has been a significant reduction in the amount of grant dollars awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In fact, the pay line for federal grants at the NIH was recently reduced from the 23rd percentile to the 18th percentile. This means that only those grant applications ranked in the top 18 percent of grants submitted have a chance of being funded. Despite this era of declining dollars and stiffer competition, Tulane Health Sciences Center faculty have enjoyed a 33% increase in funding. As of April 2005, the Cancer Center's total annual research funding from the NIH reached $21.1 million. Of particular note is our recent $10.7 million award from the NIH to establish a Cancer Genetics Training Program for junior faculty studying genetic mutations that lead to cancer. Prescott L. Deininger, Ph.D., is co-principal investigator on this prestigious grant, which will support junior faculty from both Tulane and LSU. Tulane's junior faculty members being supported by this grant are listed in Accolades.

    Great victories in the academic realm are not always trumpeted to the community. However, I am proud to say that as our faculty have expanded their sphere of influence locally, regionally, and nationally, our community has taken notice and has delivered its own forms of recognition. For instance: I dedicate this column to the incomparable faculty of the Tulane Cancer Center. As our academic productivity increases, we anticipate that the public will find more occasions to recognize the contributions our faculty are making to the well-being and quality of life in our region. And as our partnership with LSU in the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium continues to prosper, we anticipate even more opportunities for national and international peer recognition as well We enjoy being held to the standards of peer review. We appreciate the public's recognition, and we pledge to continue to live up to the standards of excellence our supporters have come to expect.
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    Inside the Tulane Cancer Center is a quarterly publication of the Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans.
    Executive Editor: Roy S. Weiner, M.D.
    Editor: Melanie N. Cross
    Art Director: Kathy O. Barbazon
    Web Design: Mark Brian O'Bannon

    Address inquiries regarding this newsletter to: Melanie N. Cross
    (504) 988-6592, fax (504) 988-6077, mcross@tulane.edu

    To inquire about cancer research and treatment programs at Tulane
    please call one of these toll-free numbers:
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    Tulane Cancer Center
    http://www.som.tulane.edu/cancer or http://www.canceriscurable.com
    Box SL-68, 1430 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana 70122-2699
    (504) 988-6060, fax (504) 988-6077
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