Inside the Tulane Cancer Center
Summer 2002 Newsletter
Headlines in this Issue
Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium: Tulane/LSU Partner to Benefit State
Tulane Lab Unraveling the Mysteries of Leukemia/Lymphoma
 National Cancer Survivors Day Celebrates Life
Look Good...Feel Better Program Comes to Tulane
Gearing Up for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
CAB Welcomes New Members
A Message from the Director
Welcome to new faculty member Ralph L. Corsetti, M.D.
Accolades: Faculty honors and awards
Index to all archived issues
Index to archived articles by topic
Editorial Staff & Contacts


Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans
Tulane / LSU Partner to Benefit State

Louisiana has the highest cancer mortality rate in the nation. Approximately 180 of Louisiana's citizens die each week from cancer.
--American Cancer Society

These are sobering statistics for every Louisiana resident. But the state legislature, urged on by Senators John Hainkel and Diana Bajoie, Representative Mitch Landrieu and others, made bold, unprecedented moves in the most recent legislative sessions that will change these facts by enhancing cancer research in the state.

Creation of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium
During the 2002 Special Session, Senator John Hainkel introduced and the Louisiana Legislature passed Senate Bill 73, which created the Louisiana Cancer Research Center of LSU Health Sciences New Orleans and Tulane Health Sciences Center. It's a mouthful; but its importance to our state cannot be underestimated. This Center will provide a structure in which Tulane and LSU New Orleans-the state's two leading medical research institutions-will work together and coordinate cancer research development. It also facilitates pooling and coordination of the research talent of the two institutions in preparation for eventual recognition as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center -- the recognized gold standard for excellence in cancer research, treatment and prevention.

Funding the New Research Consortium
While the Special Session allowed for the creation of a 501c3 corporation that could accept public and private funds to support cancer research, the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium was pretty much an empty box going into the Regular Session earlier this summer. In an effort to provide much-needed funds for the new cooperative venture, Representative Mitch Landrieu introduced House Bill 157, which called for a 12-cent increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes, five cents of which would fund infrastructure, cancer research program development, and a statewide smoking cessation initiative for the new Consortium in New Orleans. An additional two cents per pack would fund cancer research in Shreveport, with the potential for productive collaboration. The remaining five cents would fund a variety of worthwhile special needs, including LSU and Southern University's agriculture programs, state hospital substance abuse programs, the D.A.R.E. program, and a pay increase for the state police. (Each 1 cent of tax is expected to yield $3.7 million annually.) The twelve-cent increase raises the cigarette tax in Louisiana to 36 cents a pack, still well below the national average of 49 cents a pack. With the help of an extensive legislative telephone and e-mail campaign by friends and supporters of both Tulane and LSU, the Louisiana Legislature approved House Bill 157 by a vote of 84 to 18 on June 10, 2002, and Governor Foster signed it into law soon afterward. Additional funding for the Consortium is expected as a bond issue, perhaps part of the Governor's Economic Development Package, goes before the Bond Commission. The bond issue is expected to provide $35 million in capital, beginning July 1, 2003, for a Cancer Research Building and sophisticated core equipment.

Louisiana Senate President
John J. Hankle, Jr. 		State Representative
Mitch Landrieu 		State Senator
Diane Bajoie
Spirit of Cooperation Benefits the State on Many Levels
With the enabling and funding legislation falling into place, it is now time to accelerate planning for the future growth and development of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium. "This collaboration has tremendous potential," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., director of the Tulane Cancer Center. "Tulane and LSU scientists have met several times and have preliminary plans for which Cores to develop and which research programs to support." If the bond issue passes the state Bond Commission, plans can also move forward for the design and location of the new Cancer Research Building. Use of funds by the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium will be overseen by a Board of Directors, consisting of representatives from both Tulane and LSU, the Board of Regents, and the Department of Economic Development. The research cooperative will also benefit from the guidance of an External Scientific Advisory Board, as well as the Community Advisory Boards of each cancer center. House Bill 157 also calls for a Smoking Cessation Program Advisory Board to oversee the funds allocated to this statewide effort. Many see this as the beginning of a new era in Louisiana. And the hope is that the success of this new cooperative will mean much more than improved cancer research for the citizens of our state. The Consortium will also There are 60 such centers in the United States, but none in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Arkansas. NCI designation will bring with it additional federal funding for the state's new cancer Consortium as well. The goals of the new Consortium fit in well with the current political emphasis on the state's economic development, specifically the coveted shift toward more technology intensive industries. One of the Consortium's major goals is to develop a joint program in cancer drug discovery that will permit innovative and more effective patient care, but also provide major revenue from intellectual property rights, and further the productive interactions between the universities and the pharmaceutical industry.

Clearly we have entered a new era. The bar of expectations has been raised; our institutions will be ablaze with intellectual excitement. Discovery will flow and translate to better health and a new level of economic prosperity...
--Roy S. Weiner, M.D., Director, Tulane Cancer Center

Basic Research:
Unraveling the Mysteries of Leukemia/Lymphoma:
Tulane Lab is Making Progress
Researchers in the laboratory of Laura Levy, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, are attempting to shed light on the causes of leukemia/lymphoma, and they're making headway.

The first of two major areas of effort involves work with a Rhesus monkey model through the Tulane National Primate Research Center. This model controllably and predictably develops AIDS when infected with SIV -- Simian Immunodeficiency Virus -- the monkey equivalent of HIV. Human AIDS patients often suffer from a number of malignancies, including a rapidly fatal type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma which is very difficult to treat. "In fact, AIDS patients have about a 100-fold higher risk of developing this type of lymphoma," said Dr. Levy. "What we've found through our research is that the SIV-infected monkeys develop lymphoma as well." That makes the Rhesus monkey model an excellent vehicle for studying the development of this type of lymphoma in AIDS patients as well as other immuno-compromised individuals. Made possible by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ladies Leukemia League, Dr. Levy's primate research over the last five years presents a rare opportunity. "We can now identify predictors of this type of lymphoma long before the disease is evident," said Dr. Levy. "This is not possible with any other type of cancer, except perhaps colon cancer." With five years of additional funding from the NIH, Dr. Levy's team will diligently begin collecting a large variety of data on a regular basis from the time of infection with SIV until the onset of lymphoma. "Our biostatistician, Sudesh K. Srivastav, Ph.D., will help us interpret the data so that we can identify which factors are statistically linked to the appearance of lymphoma. We feel this information will directly translate to treatment advances for humans."

Dr. Levy's team is also looking at the causes of leukemia/lymphoma using the feline model. "Domestic cats are prone to a type of leukemia that results from infection with the feline leukemia virus," said Dr. Levy. This virus induces tumor growth in domestic cats by activating oncogenes. Oncogenes are genes which function normally in cells, controlling growth and proliferation, but they also have malignant potential if their structure or function is disrupted. "We're on a hunt not only to identify new oncogenes," said Dr. Levy, "but also to isolate factors in nature that cause malignant changes to oncogenes." Because oncogenes are "evolutionarily conserved," they appear across species making research in the feline model directly translatable to other animals, including humans

Reaching Out:
National Cancer Survivors Day 2002
A Celebration of Life!
On Sunday, June 2, Tulane University Hospital & Clinic and the Tulane Cancer Center joined the Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans (CAGNO) in honoring local cancer survivors, their family, friends and caretakers at the National Cancer Survivors Day festivities at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. This 15th Anniversary Celebration of Life was a day for honoring all people around the world who are living with a history of cancer -- including America's 8.9 million cancer survivors. "This was also a time for thanking healthcare professionals, family members and friends for their unending help and support," said Tammy Louk, health education coordinator for CAGNO and organizer of the New Orleans event. Dubbed the World's Largest Cancer Survivor Event, this year's festivities were celebrated by thousands of people in more than 700 communities throughout North America and elsewhere. Over 200 survivors and family members attended the local celebration to enjoy the live music and refreshments, visit with healthcare professionals and advocacy organization representatives at the informational booths, enjoy the comradery of other cancer survivors, and simply celebrate life!
Cancer survivors, their family members, and friends celebrate life New Orleans style with a "second line" at this year's National Cancer Survivor's Day festivities.
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a "survivor" as anyone living with a history of cancer -- from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. National Cancer Survivors Day affords each community an opportunity to demonstrate that it has an active, productive cancer survivor population. "We are very fortunate to have a very dedicated group of local survivors who attend our festivities each year," said Louk. "We invite anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer to mark their calendars and join us again next year -- the first Sunday in June -- for our 2003 celebration."



Patricia Trost Friedler Cancer Counseling Center
Look Good...Feel Better Program Comes to Tulane
"Participants walk away from this program feeling good about themselves, armed with tips and techniques to make themselves look and feel better," said Darlene Santana of the American Cancer Society (ACS) about the Look Good...Feel Better program, offered recently at Tulane's Patricia Trost Friedler Cancer Counseling Center (PTFCCC). A positive self-image is often very difficult for female cancer patients to maintain during chemotherapy or radiation; however, its importance cannot be underestimated. Look Good...Feel Better is a two-hour program which tries to combat the poor self-image of illness by teaching female cancer patients beauty techniques to restore their appearance and self-esteem.

At their August meeting, Tulane Cancer Center's Gynecological Cancer Support Group members experienced the Look Good...Feel Better group program. Two volunteer cosmetologists ran the two-part program. In the first session, attendees learned about makeup techniques, skin care, and nail care; in session two, hair loss options, such as wigs, turbans, and scarves were discussed. Plus each participant received a free kit of cosmetics for use during and after the workshop. "I think this program is important because it chips away at the stigma of being concerned about appearance," said Timothy Pearman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology and Director of the ">Patricia Trost Friedler Cancer Counseling Center. "There seems to be a guilt associated with worrying about appearance, but seeing changes in appearance is a tangible, everyday reminder that one is going through cancer treatment and it brings up all sorts of other fears -- Will my appearance return to normal? Will my cancer by cured? Will my spouse still find me attractive? This program legitimizes these feelings and provides practical and helpful advice."

The Look Good...Feel Better program was founded and developed by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA) Foundation, a charitable organization supported by the cosmetic industry, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Cosmetology Association. All cosmetology volunteers attend a four-hour certification class in order to become a Look Good...Feel Better volunteer. "Our cosmetologists love participating in this program," said Santana. "Many have had cancer touch their families or are cancer survivors themselves. It gives them a sense of satisfaction that they can use their skills to help others in such a meaningful way."

Santana adds that the ACS also offers one-on-one sessions with a volunteer cosmetologist to anyone who cannot attend a group session. For more information on individual or group sessions, call the ACS Kenner office at 469-0021 or visit the Look Good...Feel Better web site at www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org. The American Cancer Society's Kenner office, at 2200 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 214, has a large selection of wigs, hats, and scarves offered free to local cancer patients. For more information, contact Darlene Santana at 465-8412.

Supporting Our Mission:
Serious Shopping ...
at Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2002!
Dust off your credit cards and mark your calendars! Everyone is invited to begin their holiday shopping September 18 - 21 at the fourth annual Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans "Fashion Targets Breast Cancer" Charity Shopping Weekend. Two percent of all sales at Saks through close of business on Saturday, September 21, will be donated back to the Tulane Cancer Center for breast cancer research. It all gets started with a fabulous complimentary kickoff gala on Wednesday, September 18, 6 - 9 p.m. at Saks, 301 Canal St. Come and enjoy mouthwatering hors d'oeuvres from many of New Orleans' most famous restaurants; a huge variety of spirits and beverages generously donated by Glazer's Companies of Louisiana; as well as the best of New Orleans' musical entertainment, including the incomparable Jeremy Davenport, Deacon John and the Ivories, and the Executive Steel Band. There will be a special appearance by fashion designer David Dart; a raffle for a wonderful selection of items, many of them donated by cancer survivors or the families of local cancer patients; tarot card readers and more. And, of course, there's the shopping! Every person attending the kickoff gala on September 18 will receive a Saks gift card good toward $25 off a purchase of $100 or more that evening only!

The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer event is held simultaneously at all 65 Saks Fifth Avenue locations throughout the nation over the same four days. Each location chooses a local beneficiary to receive the proceeds from that area's event. For the second year in a row, Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans chose the Tulane Cancer Center. Last year's event attracted 1,500 people to the kickoff gala (more than twice the expected number) and raised over $42,000 for breast cancer research. We're hoping to raise the bar several notches this year. Want to do your part to benefit breast cancer research in New Orleans? Bring five friends and shop at Saks September 18-21. Individuals, businesses, or organizations interested in supporting the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer event should contact Keadren Green at the Tulane Cancer Center at (504) 988-6064 or kgreen2@tulane.edu for more information on sponsorship opportunities.

Community Advisory Board
Tulane Cancer Center Welcomes Five New Community Advisory Board Members
The faculty and staff of the Tulane Cancer Center are pleased to welcome five new members to the Community Advisory Board (CAB):

Patricia Brooks
Patricia Brooks moved to New Orleans from South Florida with her husband 16 years ago to pursue an opportunity to become Burger King franchisees. Their company, Brooks Restaurants, Inc., currently owns four Burger Kings in New Orleans and several others in Mississippi and Tennessee. Brooks, a former teacher, taught elementary school for many years in Jamaica, Saudi Arabia and Florida. While in New Orleans, she has been the coordinator for EvenStart, a federally funded parenting program organized by the Education Department at Dillard University to help single mothers and their children. Brooks is a former board member of Big Brothers and Sisters. She has volunteered with the Louisiana Breast Cancer Task Force and St. Jude Community Center. She is currently on the board of the New Orleans Scholarship Foundation. Brooks has a strong interest in theater and has given her time over the years to producing and directing plays in the New Orleans elementary schools. She hopes to use her CAB post to help educate and encourage women to take charge of their health.

Carolyn Elder
Carolyn Elder has been vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans for the past 14 years. In this position, she has graciously hosted the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Charity Shopping Weekend benefiting the Tulane Cancer Center for the past two years. She is also an active member of the Women's Guild of the New Orleans Opera Association and Save Our Cemeteries, and was inducted into the Men of Fashion Hall of Fame in 1997. Elder feels she can impact the Tulane Cancer Center most in the area of market development.

Representative Mitch Landrieu
Currently in his fourth term as Louisiana state representative for District 89, Mitchell "Mitch" Joseph Landrieu is also an attorney in private practice and a small business owner, operating a firm called International Mediation and Arbitration, Ltd., Inc. Landrieu is a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and was instrumental in the passage of House Bill 157 during the 2002 Regular Legislative Session. HB 157 provides much-needed state funding to the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium formed earlier this year during a Special Legislative Session. Landrieu is also a member of several civic boards, including the Saints Advisory Board, the Saints Naming Rights Board, the LSU Board of Psychiatry, Hope House and Bridge House.

Walter J. Leger, Jr.
A 1976 graduate of Tulane School of Law, Walter Leger is now managing partner of Leger & Mestayer, LLP, specializing in personal injury law, admiralty law, and corporate law. He is also president and co-owner of the New Orleans Zephyrs Triple A Professional Baseball Team. Leger has received numerous civic and public honors, including St. Bernard Parish's Citizen of the Year award and the Economic Development Volunteer of the Year award from the Southern United States Economic Development Council and the Louisiana Industrial Developers Executive Association. He has been named to Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law and has been named by New Orleans Magazine as one of the "People to Watch" in both 1982 and 2000. Leger is former chairman of the board of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce and served three terms as chairman of the St. Bernard Chamber Council. He is currently in his fifth year as chairman of the St. Bernard Parish Economic Development Commission.

Stephen L. Sontheimer
A lifelong resident of New Orleans and 1964 graduate of Tulane's School of Business, Stephen Sontheimer has been an area funeral director since 1964. He is also active in the community, serving as a board member of the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Foundation and KIDsmART, as well as a board member emeritus of the Contemporary Arts Center. He was one of the founders of Hospice New Orleans, is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Archbishop's Community Appeal, and a former board member of the Jewish Family Service of New Orleans. Sontheimer feels the most important role CAB members fulfill for the Tulane Cancer Center is to use their talents to increase awareness of Tulane in the local community and nationally, as well as to influence funding and improvements in services.

With the addition of the five community leaders listed above, Tulane Cancer Center's Community Advisory Board now boasts 42 members from the New Orleans area and around the state who guide the Cancer Center in its mission to serve the needs of its surrounding community. CAB was formed when the Tulane Cancer Center was founded in 1993. "This group began as a forum to help community leaders learn about the value and potential of academic cancer centers," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., director of the Tulane Cancer Center. "Since then, it has evolved into a pro-active group, functioning in support of the Tulane Cancer Center and enhancing our ability to achieve our full potential." The Board's first chairperson was Catherine Pierson; she was succeeded by local attorney Sam LeBlanc. They are still active, vital members of CAB today. The Board is currently chaired by local businessman Ted Laborde. "It gives me great pleasure to welcome each of the new members to CAB," said Laborde. "I have had the privilege of observing firsthand how an advisory board can actively and successfully assist its parent organization in the pursuit of its overall mission, while maintaining a constant vision of its responsibilities within the community as a whole. We look forward to each new member's vital input."

A Message from the Director
The friends of Tulane deserve thanks and congratulations for the forward-looking actions of the state legislature this spring. During the winter of 2001, the Tulane Cancer Center Community Advisory Board began a campaign to raise community awareness and to gain legislative attention to the potential for good that exists within the medical schools in New Orleans.

Tulane Cancer Center and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center of LSU each has been developing cancer research programs, and each has a goal of being recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and funded as an NCI-Designated Cancer Center. Both institutions are responding to the critical health care needs of this region, a region which leads the nation in deaths from cancer. Both institutions have made significant investments in developing their cancer research programs, and both programs have grown admirably as a result of the investments made. However, neither the Tulane Cancer Center nor the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center has yet grown sufficiently to reach the NIH-funded research base of the lowest 10% of the 60 cancer centers recognized and funded by the NCI. The investment in faculty and research infrastructure required to be competitive as an NCI-Designated Cancer Center today exceeds $70 million -- far beyond the capability of either institution. The infrastructure of sophisticated equipment needed for modern cancer research and required in order to attract top-quality faculty could not be justified based on the small number of research faculty at each institution independently.

Enter 2002, with broad-based recognition that Tulane and LSU working together to coordinate development of their cancer research programs and sharing sophisticated and expensive instruments could produce for the state what neither could achieve independently. The legislature, led by Senator John Hainkel, Senator Diana Bajoie, Representative Mitch Landrieu and others, passed two pieces of landmark legislation-one forms the corporate framework within which Tulane and LSU will coordinate their cancer research programs, and the other increases the tax on cigarettes, providing state funding to recruit the best of the best and provide them with the tools they need to excel here in Louisiana for the benefit of our citizens. Clearly we have entered a new era. The bar of expectations has been raised; our institutions will be ablaze with intellectual excitement. Discovery will flow and translate to better health and a new level of economic prosperity as this new partnership in cancer research joins the partnerships formed recently in gene therapy and neurosciences. We are now national pacesetters in academic partnerships. It is gratifying to be part of a partnership of public and private academic institutions, academia and government, and community and academia, all in the interest of improving the health and quality of life of Louisiana's citizens.

Roy S. Weiner, M.D.
Director of the Tulane Cancer Center
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Welcome to new faculty: Ralph L. Corsetti, M.D.
The Tulane Cancer Center welcomes an outstanding oncologic surgeon to the Tulane University Health Sciences Center faculty: Ralph L. Corsetti, M.D. While he is trained and experienced in all aspects of surgical oncology, Dr. Corsetti's special areas of interest are gastrointestinal and abdominal tumors, laparoscopic surgery, and thoracoscopic surgery. Dr. Corsetti attended Boston University School of Medicine, receiving his M.D. in May 1991. He completed his surgical residency at Tulane University School of Medicine in June 1996. He was the Tulane Surgery Best All-Around Resident awardee that same year. Following residency, Dr. Corsetti completed a two-year surgical oncology fellowship at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island. He has been in private practice at MidState Medical Center in Meriden, Connecticut, since January 2000. "Dr. Corsetti is a tremendous surgeon with great personal attributes. I'm thrilled to see him join Tulane's faculty and the Tulane Cancer Center," said Roy S. Weiner, M.D., director of the Tulane Cancer Center.
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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

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:
(800) 588-5300 (Physicians) 24 hours a day
(800) 588-5800 (Patients and others) 8:00 am to 8:00 pm US Central Time
Tulane University Hospital & Clinic (http://www.tulanehospital.com)

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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