A Space of Their OwnA Space of Their Own Fox Chase’s new Women’s Cancer Center brings research, prevention, and treatment programs for breast and gynecologic cancers together under

N E W S F R O M T H E V A N G U A R D O F C A N C E R C A R E A N D R E S E A R C H

Oncology Gets Personal I Going Global to Combat Cancer I One Scientistʼs ʻBig Questionsʼ

A Space of Their OwnWomen’s Cancer Center Opens

Fall 2009

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:50 AM Page a1

MICHAEL V. SEIDEN, M.D., Ph.D.President and Chief Executive Officer

ROBERT G. WILKENS JR.Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer

FRANKLIN HOKEAssistant Vice President for Communications

Fox Chase Cancer Center is one of the leadingcancer research and treatment centers in theUnited States. Founded in 1904 as one of thenation’s first cancer hospitals, it was also amongthe first institutions to earn the prestigiouscomprehensive cancer center designation fromthe National Cancer Institute. Today, Fox Chaseprovides leading-edge treatment, conductsworld-class research, and offers special programsin cancer prevention, detection, and survivorship,as well as community outreach.

for•ward:1. situated in the front

2. moving ahead

3. pertaining to the future

FALL 2009

EDITOR

Abbey J. Porter

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

George Beschen

Thomas W. Durso

Jill M. Ercolino

Megan Othersen Gorman

Jill Horne

Greg Lester

Diana Quattrone

DESIGN

Karlyn Rosen Aires

Cover by AcquireVisual.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jessica Hui

Joe Hurley

Tommy Leonardi

Jim Roese

Tim Sylvia

Scott H. Spitzer

Forward magazine is published twice a year by the communications

department of Fox Chase Cancer Center for friends of Fox Chase.

Inquiries: E-mail [email protected] or call 215-728-3699.

A Comprehensive Cancer Center Designated by the National Cancer Institute

Fox Chase Cancer Center • 333 Cottman Ave.• Philadelphia, PA 19111-24971-888-FOX CHASE (1-888-369-2427) • www.fccc.edu

National ComprehensiveCancerNetwork®

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:50 AM Page a2

Fal l 2009 forward 1▲

{menu}

▲

15

2 FORWARD THINKING: A message from the president

FEATURES

3 Student scientists enjoy hands-on learning

4 Women’s Cancer Center opens12 Institute for Personalized Medicine

tackles cancer at individual level15 Fox Chase joins overseas partners

to battle cancer18 Patient takes message to White House

DEPARTMENTS

19 PLAYBACK: Fox Chase in the news

20 FOCUS: Five minutes with scientistBeatrice Mintz

22 REVIEW: A call for a funding overhaul,Fox Chase gets social online, and morenews of note

27 INTRO: New faculty and promotions

29 ADVANCE: An unusual breast cancerdrug, talking to kids about genetictesting, and other research highlights

32 CLOSE-UP: From London to Philadelphia: one patient’s journey to Fox Chase

33 REWIND: How a pioneering woman may have saved Fox Chase—three-quarters of a century ago

▲20

Original ResearcherIn five decades of asking big questions,

do-it-yourself scientist Beatrice Mintz hastransformed the field of developmental

genetics—and she’s not done yet.

A Space of Their OwnFox Chase’s new Women’s CancerCenter brings research, prevention,and treatment programs for breastand gynecologic cancers togetherunder one roof, with the goal oftreating “the whole woman.”Story on page 4

Pictured on the cover is “Echo,” a sculpture by John Magnan, part of a collection he created to reflect his wife Mary’s experience with ovarian cancer. The sculpture is on display at the Women’s Cancer Center, alongwith other pieces from the collection. To readmore of the story behind “Echo,” see page 6.Cover photo by Tommy Leonardi

ON THE COVER

Fall 2009

Colleagues a Continent ApartTackling the global problem of cancer

means partnering with physicians and researchers in other countries.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:50 AM Page 1

{forward thinking}

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

2 forward Fal l 2009▲

ew would question that FoxChase is a leader in cancer careand research. Over the courseof its century in existence, theCenter has amassed a long listof laudable accomplishments,

from Nobel prizes to national “Top Docs”rankings to prestigious awards for excel-lence in nursing.

But true leadership requires morethan a list of achievements. True leader-ship means having the courage to facethe unknown, do something new, and tryto help where one sees a need. In thisissue, as we celebrate the launch of ourWomen’s Cancer Center,we honor some of the pio-neering women, past andpresent, who have helpedto make Fox Chase what itis and, in the process, af -fected countless lives.

There’s Anna Gray, thewhite-gloved socialite who, more than 70years ago, organized some of the firstpublic forums to educate people aboutcancer. And Fox Chase scientist BeatriceMintz, who, after decades of ground-breaking genetics research, looks to thenext experiment, the next opportunity tohelp cancer patients. And then there’sMary Magnan, a woman whose own can-cer journey lives on in artwork thatspeaks to the patients who succeed her.

These women embody the spirit thattruly makes Fox Chase a leader: a spirit ofinnovation, backed by a dedication tocontinually pursue new and better waysof fighting cancer. The Women’s Cancer

Center itself embodies that spirit with itsunique, comprehensive approach towomen’s cancers. So too does our newInstitute for Personalized Medicine, whichaims to leverage the latest technology toprovide patients with customized treat-

ments based on theirgenetic profiles. And Fox Chase physiciansand scientists find freshperspectives and newresources for grapplingwith the cancer problemby partnering with their

colleagues around the globe.The courage and hope displayed by

the women featured in this issue, and byso many others who have dedicatedthemselves to the fight against cancer,serve as an inspiration and a reminder ofwhat is possible. We must always lookforward as we strive to understand thisdisease and stop the suffering it causes.

The importance of our missiondemands nothing less.

Michael V. Seiden, M.D., Ph.D.President and Chief Executive Officer

Scot

t Nib

auer

True leadership means having thecourage to face the unknown.

F

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 2

By Megan Othersen Gorman

SCIENCE, in its purest form, is the search for answers.Which makes it not unlike adolescence. Combine the two,and you have Fox Chase’s perfect jewel of an initiative: thePartnership for Cancer Research Education, which placesPhiladelphia-area high school students in Fox Chase labs towork elbow-to-elbow, petrie-dish-to-petrie-dish, with topscientists on leading-edge cancer research.

“Working on their projects, the students learn firsthandthe excitement of doing meaningful biomedical research,”says program directorSusanne C. Johnston,who notes that the teenshave produced valuableresults, including contri-butions to peer-reviewedpublications. The stu-dents spend four hours a week at Fox Chaseduring the school yearand participate full-timeover the summer, givingpresentations on theirre search at summer’send.

The decade-long ini-tiative, which targetsacademically motivatedstudents with a stronginterest in science, aimsto be inclusive by encour aging participation by minority stu-dents—including females, who are underrepresented inscience—and those attending inner-city schools.

Lauren Johnson, a senior at Philadelphia’s GermantownAcademy, was among 17 students who graduated from the2008/2009 program in August. Perched on a stool in the labof her faculty “host,” immunologist Glenn F. Rall, the 17-year-old giggles, eyes crinkling, when asked how workingat Fox Chase differs from high school chemistry lab. “Inchem lab, you already know what’s supposed to happen,”she says. “Here, you might have an idea, but no one actuallyknows what will happen. You’re a part of figuring that out,so you’re a part of something much larger.”

Which, in a way, is the reason Rall embraces the program.“It is, without question, a great way to reach out to new gen-

Fal l 2009 forward 3▲B E Y O N D B U N S E N B U R N E R S

PROGRAM FOR STUDENT SCIENTISTS IGNITES YOUNG MINDS, ADVANCES SCIENCE

Joe

Hurle

y

Student scientist Lauren Johnson works on an experiment asher faculty mentor, immunologist Glenn F. Rall, looks on.

erations of scientists,” he says, warning that if he sounds a lit-tle “soapy,” it’s only because he finds the program “hugelyimpactful” to the students, of course, but also to science ingeneral.

“I see my job as doing more than just the science,” saysRall, who is co-leader of the Immune Cell and Host DefenseProgram. “It’s also educating future generations of scientists.Because even if my colleagues and I do a good job with whatwe do, we’re not going to answer all the questions that needto be answered. This is a way to get young people trainedand interested in the field so they might at least consider itas a career.”

For now, Lauren need only answer that time-honoredquestion that high school seniors face so many times: Whatdo you want to be? “I used to think I wanted to be a lawyer;I come from a whole family of them,” she says. “Butnow… Now, I’m not so sure. I’m interested in continuing topursue biology, but I also want to study Spanish. I’m think-ing Doctors without Borders, that sort of thing.”

Glenn Rall just beams. ❖

“Being a scientist ishard. It’s hard to keep

your lab moving forward andget funded and published. You can lose sight of why you got into the field in

the first place. Having highschool kids in the lab reminds

me why, as a young person, I was thrilled by science. When

you show them something for the first time—primary neurons growing in a dish,

for instance—you get to experience, vicariously,

that ‘gee-whiz’ moment all over again.”

Glenn F. Rall, immunologist

The Partnership for Cancer Research Education has received funding fromthe Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the JackBerry Fund, and the Henske Family Fund and is now seeking new sources ofsupport. For more information on the program, contact Susanne Johnston [email protected] or 215-728-5682.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 3


THE MANY FACES of Mary Magnan make up“Survivor,” a collage created by Mary’s husband, John Magnan.The photos—most of them taken during Mary’s treatment forovarian cancer—testify to a challenge many cancer patientsface: the struggle to maintain a sense of self as one’s bodychanges. Part of an exhibit John created to document Mary’s experience, “Survivor” now greets patients at the new Women’s Cancer Center.

John

Mag

nan

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 4


Cancer spreads. It’s the nature of thedisease to reach into as many places, both bodily and emo-tional, as it can. To infiltrate the bloodstream, to inhabit thesubconscious, even to subsume its host’s identity. It’s theimperative of Fox Chase’s newly opened, state-of-the-artWomen’s Cancer Center to do the opposite—as directorRobert A. Burger puts it, “to displace the disease—to dis-lodge it, to make it other than the woman, and then to doeverything humanly possible to eradicate it.”

It is perhaps a subtle butsignificant shift, this notion of“containing” cancer in such away that women with breastand gynecological cancers feellarger than the rogue cells mul-tiplying within them and,therefore, empowered to fightthem. But this idea pervadesevery aspect of the center,which brings together not onlyclinicians and researchers butalso wellness and mental health experts—the idea being thatoverall wellness, not just eradication of disease, is the goal.

Best-selling self-help author Stephen Covey might call thisa paradigm shift—a change in the perception and interpre-tation of how something should work. In this case, that“something” is how women with cancer are best treated andcared for. “At the Women’s Cancer Center, the idea is to treatthe whole woman, not just the disease,” explains Burger, anovarian cancer specialist. “Cancer demands clinical attention,

The Women’s Cancer Center:

Provides comprehensive, state-of-the-arttreatment for women with breast andgynecologic cancers.

Treats “the whole woman”—not just herdisease—by providing wellness and sup -port services.

Brings together researchers and cliniciansin a collaborative effort.

▲▲

▲

PREVIEW

With the recent opening of

Fox Chase’s new Women’s

Cancer Center, clinical services

and research for breast and

gynecologic cancers are housed in

a brand-new space conceived of

and designed specifically to

contain women’s cancers—

figuratively as well as physically.

Fox Chase is, quite literally, putting

women’s cancer in its place.

continued on page 7

in Its PlacePutting Women’s Cancer

Comprehensive New Center Treats ‘Whole Woman’ By Megan Othersen Gorman

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 5

Sculptor John Magnan’s late wife Mary was diag-nosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 1999. In theseven years from Mary’s diagnosis to her death,Magnan created a series of sculptures that serve asa powerful witness to his and Mary’s journey. Aselection of those works will be permanently dis-played at Fox Chase’s new Women’s Cancer Center.

The final work in sculptor John Magnan’s 16-piece seriesdepicting his late wife Mary’s journey with ovarian can-cer is called “Echo.” The 3 ½-foot wooden sculpture ofa woman in an athlete’s stance, head tipped skyward,strong arms raised in a “V” of triumph, was, he says,

inspired by Mary’s undaunted spirit—but also that of the manywomen similarly struggling with ovarian cancer with whom heshared countless doctor’s offices and waiting rooms over the years.

“In ‘Echo’s’ stance of power and determination, I see thestrength and spirit of all women fighting ovarian cancer,” saysthe Massachusetts-based artist. “They find meaning through theirbravery and determination to hang on to a new nor-malcy, and that is their victory.”

The victory of Magnan’s collection, called “BodyImage/Body Essence,” is that it artfully depictsexactly that—the “new normalcy” of living withcancer: the hair loss, the loss of fertility, the IV pole asconstant companion. And the honesty and humor of thework (one piece, called “Chemo Brain,” features a blanksection of wall with the inscription, “I had a great idea

for this sculpture, but now I can’t think of what itwas”) resonate with women who have walked

the same path as Mary.

“When Mary and I first considered bringing the early pieces inthe series to the public, we were thinking of raising awareness ofovarian cancer,” Magnan says. “But the real power we’ve seen inthe series is in people who already have cancer, connecting withthe sculptures. I’ve had many women say to me, ‘This, finally, is thething that tells my story.’”

Mary’s own story ended with a death too soon, at age 59. ButMagnan insists that hers is ultimately a story of triumph, nottragedy. “We talked many, many times about what it means tohave a shortened but more meaningful life,” he says. “Many peo-ple live very long but aimless lives. Mary’s life was shortened bycancer, but it was also enriched by it. She became a spokespersonfor the sculptures and her experience of her disease. She con-nected with people; she helped them.”

After a national tour that included 17 cities, “Body Image/Body Essence” has found a permanent home at Fox Chase. Mag-nan chose the Center because of president and CEO Michael V.Seiden, who, while leading the gynecologic cancer program atMassachusetts General Hospital, served as Mary’s oncologist fromher diagnosis until her death.

Magnan’s hope is that his sculptures continue to serve as aconduit for the women who view and commune with them at theWomen’s Cancer Center. “My fondest wish for my art is that itvalidates the cancer patient’s experience,” he says. “In times ofstress, we all want to be validated, to know that we’re not weirdor different, and that our trials and tribulations are valid. Cancerpatients deal with huge loss and with compromise; they need toknow that we know it. That in and of itself is empowering.”

For more information on “Body Image/Body Essence,” includinga link to exhibit images and the artist’s commentary, visitwww.bodyimage-bodyessence.com.

The art of cancerSculptures tell story of illness—and triumph

THEY SAY ITNEVER GROWSBACK THE SAME(a.k.a. “Bobby”), a 52-inch sculpturebristling with bobbypins, reflects the humor Magnan often

hears expressed by women whohave undergonechemotherapywhen they discussthe topic of hair.

WIG, a wearablewalnut carving,resulted from Mary’s request of her husband, in the midst of her chemotherapy,

to make her a wigfrom wood.


TEAL MADONNA,with its 2,000 ribbons of “hair,” exhibits thewidening part oftenseen on women who are beginningchemotherapy—an

outward sign of cancerthat may drive home

the reality of a journey just beginning.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 6


of course, but because cancer isn’t all of who the patient is, it won’t be thesole focus of her care.”

Burger pauses. “It’s in this way,” he says, “that cancer becomes viewedas a manageable entity.”

The paradigm shifts—and cancer is put in its place.

A SPACE OF ONE’S OWNThe Women’s Cancer Center brings every aspect of cancer care forwomen, from risk assessment and prevention to actual treatment andsupport for survivors, together under one roof. At present, the centerprovides diagnostic imaging services and outpatient clinical care, withplans to add a recovery and resource center designed to support patients’quality of life, as well as other wellness resources, in the coming months.The facility is expected to be fully functional by spring.

Located in the newly expanded Robert C. Young, M.D., Pavilion,the center provides a physical space designed to support healing, withwarm colors, natural lighting, and waiting areas that allow for both pri-vacy and interaction. It is in this environment that expert surgeons,medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists work side-by-side to provide patients with comprehensive, individually tailoredtreatment plans.

In addition to providing patient services, the center works in part-nership with Fox Chase research programs, including the recentlylaunched Institute for Personalized Medicine. (See story on page 12.)This integrative approach, a hallmark of Fox Chase, is one that seniorvice president and chief scientific officer Jeff Boyd says the center willaugment. “Laboratory scientists have to be informed by cliniciansabout what the bedside concerns are,” he explains. “Theirs is a yin-yang relationship.

continued on page 8

John Magnan’s sculptures offer what

he calls a “visual vocabulary” for

ovarian cancer. “Art offers a unique

pathway to the psyche,” he explains.

“Through it, you can communicate in

ways that you can’t often manage

verbally, especially when what you

have to talk about—like cancer—is so

painful. Art can speak more deeply in

those circumstances, and it can touch

you in ways you never anticipated.”

SHARPS!—a wooden egg covered with46,000 pin heads, atop a prickly nest of the cut-off ends—took seven months to make. Itscreation became a calming practice for Magnan during his wife’s convalescence.

DAY 17, a mirror framed in carved cherrywood, is dedicatedto a woman whotold Magnan thestory of how she lost all her hair, all atonce, while shampooingand shuddered to think what she would see when she looked in the mirror.

continued from page 5

Phot

os: T

im S

ylvia

, Jim

Roe

se

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 7


Farber/Harvard Cancer Center prior to coming to FoxChase. “So care for these cancers typically becomes ‘siloed,’ orhoused in separate departments in separate areas of hospitals,even though the cancers themselves share many commonthreads.”

The genetic link between the two is well-established: A woman with an alteration in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genesis at heightened risk of developing both breast and ovariancancer. There also are hormonal links between the cancers’

causes, and they respond to many ofthe same preventive strategies. Butthe cancers’ connection doesn’t endthere. Treatment for breast canceroften leads to early menopause,which can, in turn, cause gyneco-logic problems. And strategies todecrease a woman’s risk of ovariancancer—say, by removing herovaries—subsequently decrease herrisk of breast cancer. Women withbreast and ovarian cancers also sharea vulnerability to issues with bodyimage and sexuality.

Beyond that, Burger says,“there’s a unity that we’ve observed

among women with gender-specific cancers, both breastand ovarian, but there’s never been one organization thatdeals with both cancers in the same space, with a common

“The vast majority of cancer researchers in the UnitedStates go to work every day and don’t ever see a cancerpatient,” Boyd adds. “It’s extraordinarily beneficial for every-one—clinicians, researchers, and patients alike—to integratethe lab and the clinical components. It’s an approach thatmakes absolute sense, and yet it’s rare, even unique.”

A UNIFIED APPROACHPerhaps even more rare is anotherintegration represented by the cen-ter: that of breast and gynecologicalcancers. Despite commonalitiesbetween the two, cancer centerstend to treat them separately. FoxChase is thought to be the firstNCI-designated cancer center tounify its research and treatmentapproaches in an entity thataddresses the full spectrum ofwomen’s cancers.

“Breast cancer care tends to fallunder the domains of medicaloncology, radiation oncology, andsurgery, while care for gynecologiccancer typically falls under the departments of obstetrics andgynecology,” explains president and CEO Michael V. Seiden,who led the gynecologic cancer program at Dana-


ROBERT A. BURGER, director of the Women’sCancer Center, discusses the center’s integratedservices during a consultation.

Joe

Hurle

y

“Because cancer isn’t all of who the patient is,

it won’t be the sole focus

of her care.”—Robert A. Burger, director,

Women’s Cancer Center

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 8


approach. There’s a breast cancer coalition, a cervical can-cer coalition, an ovarian cancer coalition. …But there isn’t,as yet, a collective, woman-specific organization out there,and there’s a need for it. It’s my hope that the Women’sCancer Center will provide a beacon for the formation ofsuch a group.”

It is, at the very least, a place to begin.

BUILDING ON HISTORYEven as it breaks new ground, the Women’s Cancer Centerbuilds on Fox Chase’s historical strength in women’s cancers.Fox Chase is one of only five institutions in the country toreceive a prestigious National Cancer Institute-sponsoredgrant for a Specialized Program of Research Excellence in theprevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ovarian cancer. Long

UNDER ONE ROOF: Located in Fox Chase’s newly expanded Robert C. Young, M.D.,Pavilion, the Women’s Cancer Center brings research, prevention, and treatmentprograms for women’s cancers together in a space that provides both leading-edgetechnology and a comfortable, supportive environment. Already providing diagnosticimaging services and outpatient care, the center is expected to be fully functional—and the final phase of construction complete—by spring.

continued on page 10

Rend

erin

gs: E

win

g Co

le

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 9

STRONGER TOGETHERA landmark University of California, Los Angeles study sev-eral years ago found that a woman’s reaction to physical andemotional stress—such as that of living with cancer—isutterly distinct from a man’s. Less fight-or-flight than whatthe researchers call “tend-and-befriend,” women under stressare inclined to reach out to other women to soothe them-selves. And thanks to a rush of the neurotransmitteroxytocin, that strategy works. Specifically, women who reachout to other women in times of stress feel less out of controland more, well, themselves.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you walked in the door ofyour doctor’s office or hospital and felt empowered asopposed to weak and diminished?” Burger asks. “That iswhat the Women’s Cancer Center, girded by Fox Chase’slong tradition of clinical and research expertise, is endeavor-ing to do—to set women with cancer apart from men withcancer so women can find support in each other, and to setwomen’s cancers apart from the identities of the women whohave them.”

To make the cancers “other.”To contain them, to eradicate them.And that work starts with giving women a space of their

own. ❖



ON THE WEBFor more information on the Women’s Cancer Center,

visit www.fccc.edu/wcc. �

known for its robust clinical trials program, Fox Chase leadstwo dozen clinical trials involving breast or ovarian cancer,providing patients with access to the latest treatments.

In addition, nearly two decades ago, medical oncologistLori Goldstein founded the Breast Evaluation Center, ofwhich she is now director. Newly diagnosed breast cancerpatients can consult with an entire team of specialists anddevelop a treatment plan during a one-day visit to the cen-ter, now part of the Women’s Cancer Center. And thepioneering Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Pro-gram was founded in 1991 to provide personalizedprevention strategies and early detection services for womenwith a family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

However, as Burger puts it, “While we certainly havelongstanding strengths in the areas of breast and ovarian can-cers, there hasn’t been, until now, what I’d call a ‘neuralnetwork’ that connects those strengths in a significant way—in our institution or any other. I see the Women’s CancerCenter as the body that will create and nurture that neuralnetwork.”

SPACE FOR HEALING: The newly constructed centerfeatures warm colors, natural lighting, and waiting areasthat allow for both privacy and interaction. At right, medicaloncologist Ramona F. Swaby, a member of the center’sbreast cancer team, examines a patient.

Jess

ica H

ui

Paul

Coh

en

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 10


When she was diagnosed with cervical cancer inher early 30s, Pam Strisofsky saw 10 oncolo-gists in the space of a week at prestigiousinstitutions up and down the East Coast. “Invirtually all of those places, I felt like a num-

ber,” she recalls. One doctor told her, less than 30 seconds intoher consultation, that she needed a radical hysterectomy.

At Fox Chase, she says, “my case was reviewed by a team …and they said things like, ‘Here’s what we think is best, and here’swhy.’ They took the time to explain everything in detail. It madea huge difference.”

Today, Pam draws on her experience as a cancer patientmore than 10 years ago to inform her role as afounding member of the Leadership AdvisoryCouncil for Fox Chase’s new Women’s CancerCenter. The center provides comprehensiveservices for women with breast andgynecologic cancers in a newly con-structed facility. (See story on page 4.)Made up of more than 40 thought leaders from the business and civiccom munities who offer ideas and adviceto center leadership, the volunteer coun-cil focuses on raising funds and visibilityand enhancing the patient experience.

A good investmentLike Strisofsky, many of the council’s members are cancersurvivors. Strisofsky says her story illustrates the special dimen-sion of treatment that the center embodies—comprehensive,seamless care provided by a coordinated team.

As managing director and chief financial officer of TL Ventures,a venture capital firm based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, Strisofskyoversees a portfolio of more than $1.5 billion. She knows a goodinvestment when she sees one, and she sees one in Fox Chase.

“Fox Chase isn’t just a research facility, and it isn’t just a hos-pital,” she says. “It’s like an ecosystem unto itself, and everyonethere has this incredible passion for their core mission. They’repooling all of their strengths in the Women’s Cancer Center.”

The council is led by Margot Keith, a longtime member of FoxChase’s board of directors who, along with husband Bob Keith, is

among Fox Chase’s most generous supporters. “I’m most inter-ested in exposing a larger constituency of women to the Women’sCancer Center,” she says. “Fox Chase offers world-class care anda personal, reassuring touch that larger institutions often do not,and now we’re able to do it in beautiful new surroundings.”

The council began to coalesce at a dinner the Keiths hosted inApril. The event included some 25 women interested in the newcenter, along with president and CEO Michael V. Seiden. “Theirenthusiasm for this entire effort was really remarkable—theywere full of suggestions and ideas,” Keith recalls. (One idea—forFox Chase physicians to lead monthly lunchtime webinars on

women’s cancers—is among the initiatives planned for nextyear.) Members also offer their own considerable

business acumen and experience when it comesto realizing the ambitious vision for the cen-

ter. “This is a group of professional womenwho are accustomed to getting thingsdone,” Keith says.

On the “raising visibility” front,council members have been busy organ-izing outreach events at communityvenues and for professional women’s

groups in the Philadelphia region. Recog-nizing the significant role of spouses and

partners in women’s cancer experiences—and how the male perspective can strengthen

the work of the Women’s Cancer Center—the coun-cil is recruiting men, too.

Sharing stories“Since our dinner, I have talked with many people whose storiesamaze me with the strength, vitality, and hope that is so much apart of the cancer experience,” Strisofsky says. “This is what wedo—we share our stories to get stronger and to help each other.”

Raising the regional and national profile of the Women’s Can-cer Center is Job One, she says: “There are too many women whoget diagnosed and don’t know what to do next or get referred toa hospital that isn’t the right fit. I want people to recognize theWomen’s Cancer Center as the place to come. I want to be aresource for making that happen in any way I can.”

—George Beschen

Strong togetherAdvisory council spreads word about Women’s Cancer Center

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:51 AM Page 11

Two women: Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith. Each suffering from advanced ovarian cancer, they arrive

for treatment and embark upon the same regimen.Surgery.Then chemotherapy: carboplatin and taxol.Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith likely will survive for a period

of time with no evidence of their disease, but eventually theircancers probably will return. They will be treated—again,in identical ways. They will beat the cancer for a while, andthen the cycle will begin anew until, finally, the disease wins.

Today, says Jeff Boyd, senior vice president and chief sci-entific officer, “every breast cancer, every colon cancer, everyovarian cancer, every brain cancer gets the same therapy,regardless of what we know to be different molecular, geneticprofiles of these tumors.”

That is about to change, and Fox Chase is playing a keyrole in that transformation. In May, the Center announcedthe launch of its Institute for Personalized Medicine, whichseeks to match emerging targeted drug therapies to the uniquegenetic profiles of individual patient tumors on a much largerscale than previously possible, in hopes of making today’s one-size-fits-all approach to treatment a thing of the past.

Setting the stage “Personalized medicine is truly transformational,” Boyd says.“It’s impossible to overstate this inflection point that cancermedicine is entering. The whole premise of how cancers aretreated becomes not the tissue of origin, or how it looks undera microscope, how it looks to the surgeon, how it looks tothe pathologist, but how it looks to the DNA sequencer.”

A number of factors make Fox Chase an ideal place tomove forward with such an approach. For starters, the Cen-ter long ago earned a reputation for its expertise in cancergenetics, and its already substantial biosample repository pro-vides a wealth of genetic information about individual patienttumors to build on. And Fox Chase’s highly regarded clinicaltrials program, which tests a broad spectrum of novel thera-peutics in patients with advanced cancers, has enabled it tobuild strong relationships with pharmaceutical firms, setting


INSTITUTE FOR PERSONALIZED MEDICINE TACKLES CANCER AT INDIVIDUAL, GENETIC LEVEL

By Thomas W. Durso Illustration by AcquireVisual.com

CUSTOMIZED

DNA sequencing: A process for determining the sequenceof nucleotides, the building blocks that make up the “back-bone” of a DNA strand. Once laborious to carry out, thisprocess can now be performed rapidly by machines calledDNA sequencers.

TERM DEFINED

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 12

the stage for future joint efforts as those companies seek to testtherapies targeting cancer’s genetic roots.

“This initiative will significantly expand our under-standing of cancer at the individual and the genomic level,”says Biao Luo, who joined Fox Chase as the institute’s direc-tor in September after five years with the Broad Institute ofthe Massachusetts Institute of Technology and HarvardUniversity. “We will then use that comprehensive knowl-edge to rationally develop personalized cancer therapies.

“Personalized medicine has been talked about for sometime, but now we are at a stage where we can develop per-sonalized therapies in a systematic way, thanks tobreakthroughs in areas like DNA sequencing technology.”

George Simon, director of thoracic oncology, is one ofthe field’s pioneers. Simon, who joined Fox Chase in 2008,is among a group of researchers whose preliminary workstrongly suggests that designing chemotherapy treatmentsbased on the genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor greatlyincreases response and survival rates. Fox Chase is now tak-ing part in a multi-institution international trial designed toconfirm those preliminary findings. At the same time, Simonand his team are developing improved methods of cus-tomizing treatments that take into consideration a widerrange of clinical and genetic information, with the aim of

more precisely pinpointing which combination of therapieswill be most effective in a particular patient.

While Simon works in lung cancer, he notes that theinstitute will seek to apply his principles in treating othertypes of tumors. Theinstitute’s focus, after all,is on a tumor’s DNA,not where in the body itforms.

“What’s good for Joemay not be good forMary,” he explains. “Adifferent cocktail ofdrugs might work betterfor one person than foranother. Currently, atmost treatment centers,everyone gets the samecocktail. This ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is going to change.At Fox Chase, we are able to design an individualized treat-ment strategy for each patient. This is not a technology of thefuture; it is happening here and now.”


ONCOLOGY


Fox Chase’s new Institute for PersonalizedMedicine seeks to replace “one size fits all” cancertreatment with individually tailored therapies by:

Using leading-edge technology to expand theunderstanding of cancer genetics.

Partnering with the pharmaceutical industryto conduct clinical trials of experimental therapies.

Matching emerging, targeted drug therapiesto the unique genetic profiles of individual patienttumors.

▲▲

▲

PREVIEW

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 13

Behavioral researcher Suzanne M. Millerwants to put the person in personalizedmedicine.

While her colleagues embark on theirpromising work to link genetic research toclinical therapies through the new Institutefor Personalized Medicine, Miller, who is direc-tor of the Psychosocial and BehavioralMedicine Program, is researching how apatient’s psychological reaction to her diag-nosis and treatment affects the effectivenessof that treatment.

“My work, since before the advent of ‘per-sonalized medicine,’ has been about tailoringpsychosocial and counseling interventions tothe individual patient,” she says.

In a commentary published in the Septem-ber 10 issue of Oncology Times, Millerargues that personalized medicinemust take into account notonly a patient’s genetic profile, but also her psy-chological profile, if trulypersonalized treatmentis to take place.

She describes twotypes of patients, “blun -

ters” and “monitors,” whose differing ap -proaches to their health can significantly affectthe success of cancer treatment. Bluntersdownplay the impact of potentially threaten-ing personal health issues and avoidconfronting them. Monitors, on the other hand,are hypervigilant about their health, prone toextreme health-related worry, and tend toexperience more symptoms and treatment sideeffects than blunters do. Miller estimates thatmost patients fall into one of these two cate-gories. One goal of personalized medicine, shemaintains, should be to foster in patients a bal-ance between willful ignorance and obsessivedwelling.

“The differences that are expressed in indi-vidual personalities and mental states are asmuch a factor in the quality of cancer treat-

ment as are genetic differences,” shewrites in her commentary.

Fox Chase psychosocial andbehavioral researchers are work-

ing to take psychological dif ferences into account indeveloping tools for cancerpatients. For example, they arecreating computer programs

that would provide patients with varyingamounts of information depending on theirpersonality types. These multimedia, virtualhealth centers would guide patients throughthe decision-making process and educate themin clear, understandable terms about their con-ditions.

Miller notes that while her work has focusedon cancer, it applies throughout medicine andshould be considered as President Obama andCongress struggle to reform what mostacknowledge is a broken health-care system.

“As we move through health-care reform,there’s more of a focus on access to care,which is important but also implies volume—seeing a lot of patients in a short time,” shesays. “The challenge is how best to includeeveryone in the system while at the sametime personalizing their treatment, not onlymedically but also psychologically.”

BEYOND GENETICSThe role of personality in personalized treatment

ON THE WEBFor more information on

Suzanne Miller and to link to hercommentary in Oncology Times, visitwww.fccc.edu/research/pid/miller.

�

A time of opportunityThe Institute for Personalized Medicine is no mere virtualprogram. It has dedicated space and a dedicated staff, ledby Luo, and has acquired the kind of high-end sequencingtechnology required to evaluate tumors at the genetic level.And it is already gearing up to demonstrate to the phar-maceutical industry that it is a viable partner to conductclinical trials of the targeted therapies the companies aredeveloping.

“The Institute is really a research and development entitythat feeds in, ultimately, to a clinical entity,” Boyd says.“We’re going to spend the first year using the technology,staff, and instrumentation to show that we can sequence alarge number of tumors in a short period of time and pub-lish a peer-reviewed paper on the results. At that point,corporate and academic partners will be much more inter-ested in talking to us than if we hadn’t shown we can do whatwe say we can.”

And what does that mean for Mrs. Jones and for Mrs.Smith? In five or 10 years, when they show up at Fox Chase,the first thing each of their physicians will do is order a fullgenome sequencing. Then, instead of undergoing the same,cookie-cutter treatment, the women will be categorizedbased on the genetic abnormalities that caused their tumorsto begin forming. And they will be treated with therapiesthat have been shown—thanks to trials conducted under theauspices of the Institute for Personalized Medicine—to havethe greatest efficacy against those abnormalities.

“We are at a time of great opportunity to advance cancertreatment,” Luo says. “Many drug companies are developingpotent inhibitors of the molecules essential to cancergrowth. This is an ideal time to leverage our strength intranslational medicine to take full advantage of the genomicinformation becoming available to us.

“The opportunity at Fox Chase that appealed to me mostwas to join this integrated approach to fighting cancer.” ❖



1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 14


and it will take the combined strength and ingenuity of sci-entists and clinicians worldwide, working together, to defeatit. At least, that’s the perspective of medical oncologist PaulF. Engstrom. He should know: a veteran Fox Chase physi-cian, Engstrom also plays a key role in an initiative thatreaches across an ocean to share knowledge and save lives.

Engstrom, a specialist in gastrointestinal cancers, is pro-gram director for the American Russian Cancer Alliance.The collaborative venture brings together some of the topcancer physicians and researchers in the United States andRussia—an effort Engstrom finds well worthwhile.

“The United States is a leader in cancer care and research,yet our colleagues throughout the world can provide valuableinsight in the quest to understand risk factors and developnew therapies,” he says. “International partnerships can offerfresh perspectives and greater understanding of factors suchas environment, culture, and genetics in cancer.”

Breaking down barriers

Formalized in 2001, ARCA includes Fox Chase, the N.N.Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center (the Russian coun-terpart to the National Cancer Institute), the RussianNuclear Industry Network, and the University of Maryland

CENTER PARTNERS WITH GLOBAL CANCER COMMUNITY

By Jill Horne and Abbey J. Porter

Fox ChaseInternationalCancer is a global problem,


1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 15

Biotechnology Institute. Its aim: to pool members’ expertiseand experience to advance cancer research and its clinicalapplication.

Engstrom points to ARCA’s work in lung cancer as acrowning achievement. With one of the highest smokingrates in the world, Russia offers a unique environment forstudying tobacco use. Research by the alliance has identifiedgenes related to nicotine dependence and will help cliniciansin Russia and the United States to provide intervention andtreatment for smokers. ARCA efforts also have led Russia toadopt anti-smoking policies. In addition, the collaborationbenefits the United States by giving U.S. scientists access toan additional sample population that can help to shed lighton important research questions.

Partnerships like ARCA promote not only information-sharing, but also something more fundamental, says RichardE. Greenberg, chief of urologic oncology at Fox Chase andsurgical director for ARCA.

“Building relationships with physicians in other coun-tries is very helpful,” he says. “It breaks down barriers that areput up just because of differences in politics and language.Medicine can be a universal language. The fact that we havedifferent backgrounds doesn’t seem to matter when we’retalking about helping our patients.”

Greenberg has been instrumental in establishing a groupthat began as an ARCA offshoot. In 2001, he showed col-leagues at the Blokhin center how to perform a nerve-sparingprostatectomy, a procedure that can preserve sexual functionin prostate cancer patients. The physicians’ relationship con-tinued to grow, and four years ago, theRussian Association of UrologicOncologists held its inauguralmeeting, with Greenberg as thesole U.S. representative. Sincethen, Greenberg has spent a weekin Moscow each fall, givinglectures and sitting in onpanel discussionsat the association’sannual conference.

Greenberg seeshis role primarilyas sharing techno-

logical advances with his Russian peers. “They’re a littlebehind us,” he says, “but they’re good at catching up fast.”

An international training ground

Fox Chase participates in the global cancer community inanother way as well: by bringing young scientists fromabroad to train in its laboratories. Just ask Ilya Serebriiskii.

Serebriiskii left his native Russia in the mid-1990s to pur-sue his postdoctoral training at Fox Chase. Almost 15 yearslater, Serebriiskii—now a staff scientist in the lab of molec-ular biologist Erica A. Golemis—is helping to forgeconnections between the Center and other young scientistsin his home country.

Graduate students and postdoctoral research associatesrepresent a critical component of institutions like Fox Chase,performing important work in the laboratories of senior sci-entists while at the same time gaining valuable experience.

“Since Fox Chase does not have its own graduate school,we always have to be looking for promising young scientiststo work here,” Golemis says. More than a decade ago, sheand Serebriiskii decided to expand their trainee pool byreaching out to institutions in Russia.

At the time, a downturn in the Russian economy wasmaking it difficult for researchers there to fund the resourcesneeded for bench training. But the financial crunch helpedjump-start a partnership: Fox Chase gained trainees with afirst-rate education and fresh ideas, and the youngresearchers gained the opportunity to continue their trainingwith access to modern technologies and equipment. Theprogram began with the Russian State Medical Universityin Moscow and later expanded to include other top Russianresearch institutes.

About 50 Russian students havetrained at Fox Chase to date. “Students

who trained here have gone on to dovery well,” Golemis notes. “They

have been listed on publica-tions in very high-profile

journals, which we judgeas a significant success.”

The program ben -efits not only theCenter, Serebriiskiiadds, but also the



“Medicine can be a universal language.The fact that we have different backgrounds doesn’t seem to

matter when we’re talking about helping our patients.”

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 16

students’ home country, to which many return. “We are pro-viding something back to Russia that helps to raise a newgeneration of scientists there,” he says.

The program depends partly on U.S. grant funding topay trainees’ expenses and stipends, and with the current stiffcompetition for grants, finances are a challenge. “We reallywant to continue,” Golemis says, but the initiative faces anuncertain future.

Israel: connection and collaboration

The Center’s collaboration with Ben-Gurion University ofthe Negev in Israel has gone even further than attractingtrainees. “Our relationship has focused not only on attract-ing Israeli students, but also on fostering scientificcollaboration,” says vice president and deputy scientificdirector Jonathan Chernoff, who has been instrumental indeveloping the partnership, formalized in 2003.

Located in Israel’s southern negev, or desert, region, theuniversity focuses on study and research in areas includingenvironmental science, biotechnology, and medicine. Israelistudents who train at Fox Chase are mentored jointly by sen-ior scientists at both institutions. The scientists, in turn,collaborate on research into important cancer questions,from genetic risk factors to the role played by viruses and thebasis for cancer progression. A project involving the studyof the “natural killer” cells involved in immune responseearned joint funding from the United States-Israel BinationalScience Foundation—a development that, Chernoff hopes,might lead to published papers and future joint projects.

The institutions also co-sponsor a seminar series thatalternates between the university and the Center, and fac-ulty members at both Fox Chase and Ben-Gurion areseeking adjunct appointments at their respective partneringinstitutions.

Even as he, too, faces the ongoing challenge of findingsufficient funding for the program, Chernoff works toexpand the effort. “We would like to increase participation,so I make it my business to search out potential collabora-tors,” he says. “You might say I’m a matchmaker.”

His efforts are likely needed. When the problem is can-cer, the saying “There’s strength in numbers” seems especiallyfitting when it comes to finding a solution. ❖

PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL MEDICINEA clinical connection to the world

While Fox Chase scientists and physicians collaboratewith peers in other countries to advance cancer

research and treatment, the Center provides world-classcare to people in need from around the world, thanks inpart to an organization called Philadelphia InternationalMedicine.

Through PIM, Fox Chase and several other Philadelphia-area hospitals provide specialty treatment to patients wholack access to such care in their home countries. The non-profit helps patients and their families choose appropriatetreatment providers based on their needs and assists themwith travel and accommodations, translation services, andother issues associated with their traveling to Philadelphia.

Requests for help can come from physicians, as well asfrom patients and their families.

“PIM lets us expand Fox Chase’s mission by reachingout to patients and health-care providers around theworld,” says Susan H. Tofani, senior vice president of clini-cal services and business development, who has beeninvolved with PIM since its inception in 1999 and serves onits board of directors.

PIM also offers training and education programsthrough which Fox Chase physicians travel to hospitalsabroad to share information about the services they pro-vide. In addition, the Center hosts PIM seminars forhealth-care leaders from other countries who want to learnabout cutting-edge Fox Chase programs such as risk assess-ment and clinical genetics and how they might start similarservices at their own institutions.

To date, PIM has established relationships with health-care agencies in parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asiaand is seeking to develop new relationships in Canada andSouth and Central America.

“Fox Chase has a wealth of resources to offer,” Tofanisays, “and PIM has given us an organized way to provideaccess to these services to a much wider audience.”


ON THE WEBFor more information on Fox Chase’s collaborative

training programs with institutions in Russia and Israel, visitwww.fccc.edu/research/graduateProgram.

�

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 17

eth Corkery doesn’t often seek the spotlight, butwhen she was handed a once-in-a-lifetime oppor-tunity to be on TV and possibly meet PresidentBarack Obama in June, she and her husband

packed their bags, jumped on a train, and departed Philadel-phia for Washington, D.C.

The 43-year-old mother of two, who with the help ofFox Chase doctors and investigative drugs is living withadvanced breastcancer, was among164 people selectedby ABC News topepper the presi-dent with questionsduring a “Prime-time” forum onObama’s health-carereform plan.

Not long after,the Corkerys foundthemselves in theEast Wing of theWhite House, sur-rounded by glaringlights and cameras,rubbing shoul derswith moderators Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. Thepresident, who entered just mo ments before taping began,ventured in to the audience during commercial breaks.

“He was within touching distance at one point,” Cork-ery says, “but just as he neared our row, they called, ‘Thirtyseconds!’ and he was gone.”

‘It was all very positive’

Even making the trip to Washington wouldn’t have seemedpossible a few years ago when, severely weakened by a can-cer that had spread to her lungs, bones, and liver, Corkerycould barely get off the sofa. She made an amazing rebound,however, after participating in a Fox Chase clinical trial in

which she was treated with an experimental drug that hasstabilized her disease.

“It was a rebirth for me,” she says.Corkery’s life has been full of surprises—some good,

some bad—since she learned she had the disease in 2001.Her VIP trip to the White House, she says, was one of thebetter ones.

“It was a wonderful experience to see the president,”Corkery says, adding that she was impressed with the manand his message. “He didn’t have a teleprompter, and heanswered everyone’s questions from the heart. He told us hewas going to make the plan work.”

Although she didn’t get the chance—only a handful ofparticipants were called on during the 90-minute Q-and-A—Corkery wanted to quiz Obama on whether his planwould limit patients’ access to experimental treatments,which have given hope to her and many others diagnosedwith chronic, life-threatening diseases.

Was she disappointed that she didn’t get a turn? Not at all.“I wasn’t alone,” Corkery says. “A lot of people didn’t get

to ask their questions. When we left, I didn’t see an unhappyface in the bunch. It was all very positive.” ❖

F O X C H A S E PAT I E N T T R AV E L S T O W H I T E H O U S E

F O R N AT I O N A L H E A LT H - C A R E F O R U M

By Jill M. Ercolino

Beth Corkery is living with advanced breastcancer, with help from an experimentaltreatment received at Fox Chase.

B

ON THE WEBFor more information on Fox Chase’s clinical trials

program, visit www.fccc.edu/cancer/clinicalTrials. To read moreabout Beth Corkery’s story, see www.fccc.edu/topics/corkery.

�

Jess

ica H

ui


1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 18

Radiation Oncologist Joins Expert Panel on ‘Today’

Eric M. Horwitz, chairman and clinicaldirector of the department of radiationoncology, appeared in June as a guest

on NBC’s “Today” show, which dominates the morning news arenawith an average of 5.9million daily viewersnationwide.

Horwitz joined anexpert panel to discussthe future of cancer careand new treatmentsunder development. The show was the finalepisode in a four-part series that also lookedat the cost of cancer care, survivorship chal-lenges, and other cancer-related questions.

”We’re understanding much more aboutthe genetics … but there are lots of parts westill don’t know about what causes cancers,”Horwitz said.

To view the “Today” segment, visitwww.fccc.edu/physicians/directory.html andclick on “Eric M. Horwitz, MD.”

Associated Press Reportson New Prostate CancerScreening Guidelines

In April, Associated Press reporter MarilynnMarchione spoke with Robert G. Uzzo,chairman of the department of surgical

oncology, about new prostate cancer screen-ing guidelines issued by the AmericanUrological Association.

According to an expert panel, many mendo not need yearly screening after age 50, ashad been previously recommended. In recentyears, annual screening has been associatedwith unnecessary biopsies and treatment,with insufficient proof that it saves lives.

“Many doctors are already advisinglonger testing intervals,” Uzzo said, addingthat, depending on initial test results, “I don’tinsist on yearly screening.”

The story was published by prominentmedia outlets across the country.

Scientist Discusses Stem Cell Research in ‘U.S. News & WorldReport’

Deputy scientific director JonathanCher noff was featured in July in a U.S.News & World Report article about

research involving embryonic stem cells, aswell as other types of stem cells that showpromise to advance medical treatments.

“I’ve never been in a field that is movingat this pace,” Chernoff noted.

The article was published several monthsafter the Obama administration lifted certainrestrictions on government funding of stemcell research.


FOX CHASE STAFF MEMBERS often are called upon by the media to share their expertise in cancer care and research. Following are highlights of recent Fox Chase media coverage.

ON THE WEBTo read more about how Fox Chase

is making news, visit www.fccc.edu/news. �

F O X C H A S E I N T H E N E W S

{playback}

head-shot ?

‘Cancer Conversations’ Airs on Radio

Surgeon Robert G. Uzzo is hosting an ongoing series of 60-second educa-tional messages about cancer on KYW Newsradio 1060 AM, Philadelphia’smost popular radio station. The series, dubbed “Cancer Conversations with

Dr. Robert Uzzo,” is intended to create a dialogue with listeners, who can visitwww.fccc.edu/cancer/conversation.html to listen to archived messages, postquestions about cancer, and read answers to previous questions.

In April, former president Robert C. Youngtalked with New York Times reporter GinaKolata about the nation’s struggle to

defeat cancer, setting the stage for two sub-sequent front-page articles.

The first article, published in April, pointedout that the death rate for cancer had droppedby only about 5 percent from 1950 to 2005,while the death rate for heart disease droppedby 64 percent, and for flu and pneumonia, 58 percent.

Kolata argued that there has never beenenough funding for the kind of innovativestudies that could fundamentally change the

way scientists think about cancer or doctorstreat it. Young agreed: “Every organizationsays, ‘Oh, we want to fund high-risk research.’And I think they mean it. But as a matter offact, they don’t do it.“

In June, in an article featuring both Youngand researcher Eileen K. Jaffe, the newspaperfurther explored the limitations of the federalgrant system in funding research likely totake significant steps toward curing cancer.The article referenced Jaffe’s proposal to pur-sue an entirely new class of drugs that coulddisable certain proteins that fuel cancercells—one of a number of novel proposals

rejected by reviewers due to a lack of prelim-inary data.

“They said I don’t have preliminaryresults,” Jaffe said. “Of course I don’t. I needgrant money to get them.” Although Jaffepersists with her research, her situation showswhy people with bold new ideas often justgive up, Young said. “You can’t prove it willwork in advance,” he said of plans like Jaffe’s.“If you could, it wouldn’t be a high-risk idea.”

To read about a hearing convened to discussfederal funding following publication of theNew York Times article, see page 22.

‘New York Times’ Covers Struggle to Defeat Cancer

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 19

Q You have said your experimentsalways begin with a big question.

What was the first of these questions?

A I was still a graduate student at theUniversity of Iowa when I asked

myself the question that would still becentral to my research when I came toFox Chase in 1960: “How can a complexindividual arise out of a small number ofcells in an embryo, and how do the cellsbecome so widely diversified and special-ized?” The question had been asked fordecades, but it was still being approached


The Iconoclastand Her ‘Big Questions’

By George Beschen

FOX CHASE’S BEATRICE MINTZ has been at the forefront of

developmental genetics for nearly 50 years. Her groundbreaking

contributions to science include the recognition of the central

role of stem cells in cell development and cancer, as well as the

introduction of techniques that allow scientists to transfer genes

from one species to another. Mintz characterizes her career as

pursuing “a series of big questions” that she has had “a good

time” answering. Here, she considers (smaller) questions posed

by Forward.

F I V E M I N U T E S W I T H F A C U L T Y

{focus}

Phot

os: T

omm

y Le

onar

di

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 20

more direct approach for getting theDNA of specific genes into a fertil-ized egg, so that an animal is actuallyborn with the desired gene. Animalmodels of human diseases could beproduced in this way, giving scientistsnew opportunities for study. Themost important mouse model gener-ated in my lab is one with malignantmelanoma.

Q How has science changed overthe course of your career?

A Research funding today is suchthat you are expected to have a

very precise idea of what you want todo; there is inadequate opportunity forexploration. In my view, one of themost important advances is the in -creased appreciation that a gene canexpress itself in many different ways,even without undergoing mutation.But the things I have always valuedmost—originality, bravery, thinkingoutside the box—are still the premium.

Q What aspect of your careerhave you found the most

rewarding?

A Having the freedom to go fromone really tantalizing question to

the next, and to recognize and followclues along the way. New questions,and experimental ways to try andanswer them, continue to fascinate me.

Q What questions are you focus-ing on most in your current

research?

A One important emphasis inresearch today is to identify how

specific cancers are unique at themolecular level. I feel I can contributeto a different question: whether allcancers are similar in some ways.Uncovering the similarities couldhelp us understand why many can-cers return after initially effectivetherapy. I feel that finding even a par-tial answer will be the most importantwork of my life. ❖


▲

with classical methods, such as addingdye to “mark” a cell and track its path.I thought the only really relevantmarker for tracing how cells diversi-fied was the gene.

Q How did you go about an -swering this fundamental

question?

A I first made composite mouseembryos by essentially gluing

together early-embryo cells fromgenetically different mouse strains. Ifound that they still developed intosingle, normal-sized mice. These ani-mals, which contained multiple,genetically identifiable populations ofcells, became known as “chimeric”mice. The experiments showed thatcomplexity originates from only a few

irreversibly abnormal, opening thedoor to a new generation ofresearch in this area. How did youreach this insight?

A That experiment grew out of mynext question: “Is cancer basically

an aberration of development inwhich stem cells often opt for multi-plying rather than differentiating?” Icreated a chimeric mouse out of nor-mal embryo cells combined with stemcells of a tumor called a teratocarci-noma, which contained manydifferent kinds of tissues. I surmisedthat there must be a stem cell in thetumor that had once had much incommon with the stem cells of a nor-mal embryo.

Normal, tumor-free mice resulted,with both genetic cell strains present

developmentally flexible “stem cells,”which can divide and also give rise toa branching hierarchy of more spe-cialized stem cells. Recognizing thatthese cells could generate a completeorganism not only told us a lot aboutdevelopment but also pointed to thepossibility of using such cells toreplace defective cells in humans.

Q How unusual was this re -search at the time?

A This was the first successful workof its kind. Very few labs at the

time were attempting to performexperiments on mammalian embryos.That required new technology. I camefrom a do-it-yourself family—youdidn’t buy things that you couldmake—and I enjoyed the fact that Ihad to work out everything myself.

Q Your later work challengedthe assumption among scien-

tists that malignant cells are

in all tissues. The experiment showedthat the tumor stem cells could beconverted to normalcy in a normalenvironment. This discovery hasinspired many scientists to investigatethe role of the “microenvironment” intumor stem cell behavior. The workhas exciting implications for thedesign of cancer therapies.

Q How did this research lead youto develop transgenic tech-

nologies that allow scientists tointroduce into mice—or otherspecies—genes they want to study?

A Since I knew that both normalembryo stem cells and stem cells

of some tumors could contribute tonormal development, I wonderedwhether they could also be used asvehicles to transfer specific genes intoa mouse for study. We showed thatthis could be done.

Later, at the same time as labs atthree other institutions, we found a

NEW QUESTIONS, and experimental ways to try and answer them, continue to fascinate me.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 21

Arguing that the National Institutesof Health’s current funding struc-ture stifles innovation in cancerresearch, Fox Chase leaders recently

urged lawmakers at a special congressionalhearing to overhaul the federal grant system.

In July, president and CEO Michael V. Seiden and researcher Eileen K. Jaffe joinedrepresentatives of the Philadelphia area’sleading cancer research organizations for afield hearing convened by U.S. Sen. ArlenSpecter at the National Constitution Center.Seiden and Jaffe distinguished themselvesfrom their colleagues in the degree of funda-mental change for which they advocated.

“For some perfectly understandable rea-sons, the process tends to support the statusquo and encourage a systemic cautiousnessthat has the unintended consequence of dis-carding some of the most promising researchproposals being offered up by some of ourmost creative scientists,” Seiden testified. “Sothe question before us today is this: What canbe done to intelligently identify and supportpotentially game-changing new ideas in the

fight against cancer?” He suggested that fed-eral funding agencies:

• Shift their emphasis toward “high-quality,multi-functional teams that have a themebut not necessarily specific aims.”

• Rely more on investigators’ prior accom-plishments than a proposed project’spreliminary findings.

• Use “multi-disciplinary and perhaps multi-agency review teams” comprisingresearchers from different fields to bringunbiased consideration to novel ideas.

In her testimony, Jaffe suggested that it ishuman nature for “different” ideas to fosterfeelings of discomfort. In the case of peer-reviewed research, she said, that discomfortoften leads to unwillingness to fund workthat is based on novel concepts and has agreater chance of advancing the field rapidly,in favor of more familiar research that movesin incremental steps. She called for newmeasures to evaluate proposals that would“identify chances worth taking.”

“This discussion is pertinent to all scientificresearch, and not just cancer,” Jaffe added.“The public generally does not understand thatsupporting basic science can lead to importanttherapies for a myriad of diseases.”

Specter, the senior member of the Senatesubcommittee that oversees the NationalCancer Institute, convened the hearing after a front-page New York Times story, whichquoted Jaffe and former Fox Chase presidentRobert C. Young, pointed to the federal grantsystem’s limitations in funding research likelyto take significant steps toward curing can-cer. “For all the money poured into cancerresearch,” read the story, which was pub-lished in April, “there has never been enoughfor innovative studies, the kind that can fun-damentally change the way scientistsunderstand cancer or doctors treat it.”

A Call for a New Funding Paradigm


N E W S O F N O T E

{review}

Hope Lodge, a facility located less than a mile from Fox Chase’s main campus,opened its doors in May to cancer patients

needing a place to stay while receiving treatment.Officially named the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge ofthe American Cancer Society, the facility providestemporary lodging for patients undergoing treat-ment at Philadelphia-area hospitals who aretraveling from more than 40 miles away. Ownedby the American Cancer Society and located onland donated by Fox Chase, the lodge provides 37guest rooms, as well as kitchen and laundry facil-ities, for patients and their caregivers. Patientsmust be referred by their physicians or social work-ers. More information is available by contactinglodge manager Byron Barksdale at 267-622-6002or visiting www.fccc.edu/patients/resources andclicking on “AstraZeneca Hope Lodge.”

ON THE WEBFor more information on the

research conducted by Eileen K. Jaffe,visit www.fccc.edu/research/pid/jaffe.

�

Home Away from Home

Lisa

God

rey

Phot

ogra

phy

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 22

When it comes to dealing withhereditary cancers, the familytree can be almost as importanta tool as the X-ray or the mam-

mogram. Its importance is reflected in theCenter’s recent creation of the department ofclinical genetics, which provides comprehen-sive risk assessment services for people witha hereditary risk of cancer.

The new department is chaired by med-ical oncologist Mary B. Daly, a pioneeringfigure in family genetic counseling. In 1991,Daly began the Margaret Dyson Family RiskAssessment Program, which focused onwomen with a family history of breast orovarian cancer. The Fox Chase program wasone of the first in the nation to offer screen-ing, education, and counseling to healthypeople at increased genetic risk for cancer.Since then, the Center has added risk assess-ment programs for melanoma, gastro-intestinal, and prostate cancers.

The department consolidates the clinicalcomponents of the Center’s risk assessmentprograms into a comprehensive service thatincludes screening, genetic testing, counsel-ing, and clinical intervention geared towardpreventing cancer in people at high risk. Itsstaff of 30 includes physicians,physician assistants, geneticcounselors, nurses, andhealth educators.

“We have gottento the point as aninstitution whereour risk assessmentprograms warrant afull-fledged clinicaldepartment, allow-ing us to expand theservices we can offerand, in time, the types ofhereditary cancer disorderswe assess,” Daly says.

At present, there are 20 to 40 genes sus-pected to be involved in inherited cancerdisorders, from the mutations associatedwith the rare Li Fraumeni disorder to themore common BRCA1 and BRCA2 vari-

ants linked to breast and ovarian cancer. Thedepartment of clinical genetics encompassesthe full range, with plans to expand its scopeeven further.

Genetic testing is only oneaspect of cancer risk assess-

ment and prevention, Dalynotes. Fox Chase’s com-

prehensive approachalso includes geneticcounseling, whichcan help patientsand their familiesunderstand and cope

with having an inher-ited risk of disease.

“We have demon-strated the effectiveness of,

and indeed the basic need for,providing counseling along with

genetic testing for high-risk families,” Dalysays. “We feel that it is a responsibleapproach that combines the power ofgenetic research with the best in cancer pre-vention and medicine.”


New Department of Clinical GeneticsBuilds on Rich Pedigree

After 20 years of distinguished serv-ice and leadership at Fox Chase,former president Robert C. Young

stepped down as chancellor July 1. Speaking at a ceremony commemo-

rating the occasion, president and CEOMichael V. Seiden noted, “Dr. Young hasserved as a compassionate and generousmentor and advisor as I have worked toserve the Center during these challeng-ing economic times and as we navigatenumerous transitions and develop ourplans for growth. I know I speak onbehalf of many at the Center when Iextend my heartfelt gratitude for hisinvaluable counsel.”

Young served as Fox Chase’s presi-dent for 18 years, resigning in 2006 andtaking up the role of chancellor. Hislegacy includes the creation of the firstcomprehensive program of cancer pre-vention research, the Research Institutefor Cancer Prevention.

This transition does not representretirement for Young, who plans toremain active as an advisor to theNational Cancer Institute and a numberof NCI cancer centers, as well as biotech-nology and health-care companies thatcontribute to reducing the burden ofhuman disease.

Young is internationally known for hiswork in the treatment of lymphoma andovarian cancer and has received multiplenational awards for his contributions toscience and medicine.

Young Steps Downas Chancellor

Reviewing patient records are genetic counselorAndrea Forman and medical oncologist AngelaBradbury, director of breast and ovarian cancer riskassessment, members of the new department ofclinical genetics.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 23

Leaders in the field of gynecologic cancerfrom around the globe gathered at theCenter in September for “Gynecologic

Cancers—the Next 25 Years,” a symposiumhonoring longtime Fox Chase faculty memberRobert F. Ozols. A leader in advancing chemo -therapy research, Ozols is internationallyrecognized for his expertise in ovarian cancer.

The symposiumprovided a forum for discussion of treat-ment ad vances thatcould help oncolo-gists, gynecologists,and advanced prac-tice clinicians toevaluate and recom-mend appropriatestrategies for man-aging patients withovarian, endometrial,and cervical cancers.

While at FoxChase, Ozols led aresearch team that

developed new clinical approaches to treatingovarian cancer, including a chemotherapy reg-imen that has become the worldwide standardfor treating the disease. In recent years, heserved as senior vice president and chief clini-cal officer, overseeing all patient care andclinical research at the Center. He steppeddown this summer and adopted the role ofsenior advisor to the institution.

Ozols’ research focused on how cancercells develop drug resistance and strategiesfor overcoming it. Resistance to chemother-apy, which often occurs in patients withovarian cancer, is a major treatment obstaclein a number of adult cancers.

Gynecologic Cancer ExpertsGather for Symposium F

ox Chase has received an $8 milliongrant from the National Center forResearch Resources of the NationalInstitutes of Health to expand its lab-

oratory animal research facilities. The newfacility will support advanced research intothe biological processes underlying cancer,paving the way for the development of newtreatments. The funds were made availablethrough the American Recovery and Rein-vestment Act.

Construction of the four-story, 25,300-square-foot expansion, which will housemouse “models” of cancer vital to research, isexpected to begin within a year.

“While the current facilities are entirelyadequate for the care and feeding of the ani-mal models they house, they are simply notlarge or sophisticated enough to meet theneeds of Fox Chase’s expanding research fac-

ulty,” notes Harry Rozmiarek, laboratory ani-mal facility director. Upon joining Fox Chase in2004, Rozmiarek initiated a long-range planto expand and improve the facilities. “Thisexpansion is essential to complete the planand will permit the high-quality research atFox Chase to continue to improve andexpand,” he says.

President and CEO Michael V. Seiden adds:“We are grateful that the NIH recognizes theneed to strengthen basic science infrastruc-ture, and that it has the funding to do so.Without such facilities, biomedical researchwould be impossible and advances in medi-cine would simply stop moving forward.”

The animal care and use program at FoxChase has received full accreditation from the Association for the Assessment andAccreditation for Laboratory Animal CareInter national continuously since 1969.


{review}

Fox Chase Receives $8 Million Grant to Expand Laboratory Animal Facility

The Pennsylvania Veterinary MedicalAssociation has presented its LifetimeAchievement Award to laboratory ani-

mal facility director Harry Rozmiarek. He wasrecognized for a “lifetime of dedicated serv-ice to the advancement of veterinary medicine,animal health and welfare, and lab-oratory animal medicine during hisvast and unparalleled career,”according to the association.

“We are fortunate to havesomeone of Harry Rozmiarek’s cal-iber administering our laboratoryanimal facilities,” notes Jeff Boyd,senior vice president and chief sci-entific officer. “His wealth of experience andkeen scientific mind has enabled him to makegreat progress in expanding and modernizingour facilities, which serve as the engine formost of our research.”

Rozmiarek earned his veterinary degreefrom the University of Minnesota College ofVeterinary Medicine in 1962 and embarked ona distinguished career that began with 20

years’ active duty with the U.S. Army Veteri-nary Corps. By the time he retired from theArmy as a colonel in 1983, he was board-cer-tified in laboratory animal medicine, hadcompleted a master’s degree and residency inlaboratory animal medicine, had earned his

doctorate in immunology from theOhio State University, and had beenelected national president of theAmerican Association for LaboratoryAnimal Science.

An accomplished scientist, Roz -miarek has published extensively onimmunology, toxicology, virology, andinfectious disease, as well as labora-

tory animal management and husbandry.Among his numerous national and interna-tional scientific leadership roles, he wasappointed by the National Research Councilin 2003 as the U.S. representative to the Inter-national Council for Laboratory AnimalScience. In addition to his most recent honor,he has received several national awards forexcellence in laboratory animal science.

Animal Facility Director Honored by State Veterinary AssociationRobert F. Ozols, in whose honor a

symposium on gynecologic cancerwas held, has led development ofnew treat ments for ovarian cancer.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 24

Program in Head and Neck Cancer Added to Keystone Roster


Fox Chase recently announced the latest addition to its innovative, team-based Keystone Programs forCollaborative Discovery: the Keystone

Program in Head and Neck Cancer, whichbrings clinicians and scientists together toapply knowledge about the genetics andmolecular biology of head and neck cancer tothe treatment of the disease.

The program will bring emerging researchinto cancer growth and targeted therapeuticsto bear in the treatment of head and neckcancer, an illness that includes cancers of thenasal cavity, mouth, throat, and voice box. Thedisease affects more than 45,000 people inthe United States alone and has a survivalrate of about 50 percent.

Fox Chase is known for its strength intreating head and neck cancer, and its doc-tors are recognized leaders in the field. Theirexperience in leading clinical trials for eachstage and type of the disease also adds depth

to the program’s research component. The ini-tiative is led by an interdisciplinary team:medical oncologist Barbara Burtness, molec-ular biologist Erica A. Golemis, and head andneck surgeon John A. “Drew” Ridge.

“I congratulate the team leaders for build-ing a cohesive and compelling scientificprogram that makes tremendous use of ourexisting research and clinical strengths,” sayspresident and CEO Michael V. Seiden. “Theprogram reaches broadly across the Center tocapture the creativity and efforts of an arrayof constituents who bring a myriad of talentsand expertise to the problem of head andneck cancer.”

Like the four founding Keystone Programs,launched in 2008, the new addition wasselected after a competitive external peer-review process, making the program eligiblefor at least $5 million in support over fiveyears. The Keystone Programs are funded pri-marily through private philanthropy.

Satellite Radiation Facility OpensPresident and CEO Michael V. Seiden addresses the nearly 200 communitywell-wishers and members of the Fox Chase faculty and leadership whogathered in July to celebrate the opening of Fox Chase Cancer CenterBuckingham, the Center’s satellite radiation treatment facility in BucksCounty, about 20 miles north of Fox Chase’s main campus. After remarks bySeiden and Eric M. Horwitz, chairman and clinical director of radiationoncology, guests toured the 12,500-foot facility to see the latest in radiationtechnology, including a CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System and a TrilogyLinear Accelerator with Rapid Arc. For more information on the Buckinghamfacility, visit www.fccc.edu/buckingham.

Jim R

oese

Longtime FundraiserJoins Center

Robert G. Wilkens Jr., a veteranfundraiser for cancer centers and otheracademic medical institutions, recently

became Fox Chase’s new senior vice presidentand chief development officer. He succeeds

Jill A. Marsteller, whodeparted the Center inSeptember for a posi-tion at Ursinus College.

Previously, Wilkens led the development programs at MemorialSloan-Kettering CancerCenter in New York Cityand the Ohio State Uni-versity’s Comprehensive

Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital andSolove Research Institute. Most recently, hewas executive director for development andphilanthropy for Memorial University MedicalCenter in Savannah, Georgia, where heworked closely with the Curtis and ElizabethAnderson Cancer Institute.

HEADING FOX CHASE CANCERCENTER BUCKINGHAM is ShellyB. Hayes, who joined Fox Chase in July asthe facility’s director.Hayes, who completedher residency at FoxChase, returned to the Center this sum-mer from Richmond,Virginia, where sheworked with VirginiaRadiation OncologyAsso ci ates.

“I am thrilled to bedirector of this beauti-ful facility,” she notes, “and I am eager tobring the latest radiation technologies toBucks County.”

Hayes has a particular interest inbreast, gynecologic, prostate, and lungmalignancies, as well as brain and spinalcord tumors. She earned her M.D. at Tem-ple University School of Medicine.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:52 AM Page 25


{review}

More and more often, people lookingfor information turn first to theInternet—and in particular to the

rapidly developing communications channelsknown collectively as “social media.” Inter-net-based tools such as Facebook, Twitter, andYouTube let users stay up to date andengaged on a whole new level, and theseinteractive tools provide users with newopportunities to connect with Fox Chase.

Facebook members can receive Fox Chasenews updates, learn about upcoming events,read patient stories, and participate in discus-sions by becoming a “fan” of Fox Chase onFacebook. Membership in the social network-ing site, which is free, is required forparticipation.

Twitter is a free service that allowsusers to post and read short messagesknown as “tweets.” Fox Chase uses itsnewly developed Twitter page to posttimely updates on news and events.

YouTube is a Web site that allowsusers to upload and share videos that canimmediately be accessed by millions ofpeople. The Fox Chase YouTube channelincludes videos that provide an overviewof the Center, as well as physician profilesand information on research programs.

With hundreds of millions of peopleworldwide engaged in various ways withsocial media, it seems that the tools are hereto stay, and the Center plans to expand itssocial media presence as opportunities arise.

To access Fox Chase’s social media sites,visit www.fccc.edu/news/follow-us.html.

Byers’ Choice Joins Fox Chase in Fight AgainstBreast Cancer“The Days of Wine and Roses and You,”designed by Barbara Blankenship of Angle-ton, Texas, was among the one-of-a-kind“art bras” featured at an exhibit designedto raise awareness of breast cancer andsupport Fox Chase research. Byers’ ChoiceLtd., a maker of handcrafted gifts, hostedthe exhibit in October at its headquartersin Chalfont, Pennsylvania, to honor BreastCancer Awareness Month. The show’sgrand opening, which drew nearly 100 peo-ple, kicked off the company’s first annual“Think Pink” program, which also includeda benefit walk and health and craft fair,with proceeds benefiting the Center.

‘Social Media’ Outlets Offer New Opportunities to Connect with Fox Chase

• ERIC M. HORWITZ, chairman of radi-ation oncology, has assumed the position ofpresident of the American Brachytherapy Soci-ety. Founded in 1973, the nonprofit societyseeks to provide insight and research into theuse of brachytherapy—radiation treatmentgiven by placing radioactive material directlyin or near the target or tumor—for malignantand benign conditions.

The organization strives to benefit patientsby providing information directly to them andpromoting the highest standards of practice,and to benefit health-care professionals by

encouraging improved and continuing educa-tion for radiation oncologists.• SURGEON JOHN A. “DREW”RIDGE’S national leadership in head andneck cancer has been recognized by the leadingprofessional society in the field. At the annualmeeting of the American Head and Neck Soci-ety, held in May in Phoenix, he was elevatedto society president. The American Head andNeck Society is the largest organization inNorth America dedicated to the advancementof research and education in head and neckoncology.

Fox Chase Physicians Assume National Leadership Positions

Artistic Support

Scot

t H. S

pitz

er

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 26


CLINICIANS

Yun Shin Chun is a surgical oncologist whospecializes in treating patients with gastroin-testinal cancers, including cancers of the liver,pancreas, colon, and rectum, as well asmelanoma. A recipient of the Janet M. Glas-gow Memorial Achievement Citation from theAmerican Medical Women’s Association,Chun earned her M.D. at New York MedicalCollege. A member of many professionalorganizations, she serves on the Hepatobil-iary Task Force of the American JointCommittee on Cancer. Chun completed herfellowship in surgical oncology at the Univer-sity of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center inHouston, where she also served as a clinicalspecialist in the department of critical care.

Jeffrey M. Farma, a surgical oncologist,treats patients with melanoma, sarcoma, andgastrointestinal cancers. His expertiseincludes minimally invasive, laparoscopictechniques, as well as traditional surgery.Farma received his M.D. from Temple Univer-sity School of Medicine. He came to Fox Chaseafter completing his fellowship in surgicaloncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

& Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. Farmais a recipient of the ASCO Foundation MeritAward. His volunteer service includes partici-pation in Temple’s Cradle to Grave program,an educational anti-violence program for at-risk youth.

Karen S. Gustafson, a pathologist, cameto Fox Chase from Johns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Medicine and the Johns HopkinsHospital, where she served as assistant pro-fessor of pathology and cytopathologist,respectively. She has provided editorial reviewfor journals including Cancer Cytopathologyand Gynecologic Oncology. Her teachingexperience includes regular continuing med-ical education instruction on the pathology ofcervical cancer and cervical cancer screening.Gustafson earned her M.D. and a Ph.D. in bio-medical sciences at the University ofMinnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.She has completed fellowships in surgicalpathology and cytopathology at the Hospitalof the University of Pennsylvania.

Sarah H. Kim, a gynecologic surgical oncol-ogist, has expertise in minimally invasivesurgery—specifically, using robotics and

advanced laparoscopy for uterine and cervicalcancers, as well as for radical procedures fordebulking ovarian tumors. Kim earned her M.D.from the State University of New York UpstateMedical University College of Medicine in Syra-cuse. She came to Fox Chase from the Hospitalof the University of Pennsylvania and Univer-sity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, whereshe served as attending physician and instruc-tor of gynecologic oncology, respectively.

Amy R. MacKenzie helps coordinate inpa-tient medical care as a member of theCenter’s hospitalist service. She earned herM.D. from Drexel University College of Medi-cine and is a recipient of the school’s SamuelLevit Award for Outstanding Skills andHumanitarianism in Medicine. Most recently,she completed her residency in internal med-icine at Temple University Hospital.

Anthony J. Olszanski is a medical oncol-ogist who specializes in Phase I clinical trialsand treating patients with gastrointestinalcancers. He earned his M.D. from the Univer-sity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jerseyin Newark and completed his residency in

Fox Chase recently welcomed the following clinicians and researchers to its staff.

Beck Assumes Role of Chief Medical Officer

In June, J. Robert Beck assumed the role of chief medical officer. He also continues in his role aschief academic officer.

“As chief medical officer, Dr. Beck will have the opportunity to work with physicians andnurses to improve the delivery of clinical care in both the inpatient and outpatient departments,”notes president and CEO Michael V. Seiden. Beck also works with clinical department chairs andsenior administrative leaders to improve processes, quality, and safety in all patient-related areas.

Prior to becoming chief academic officer, Beck served as deputy director of the population sci-ence division and as vice president for information services and chief information officer. Heholds grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, andthe National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid, or caBIG™.

A pathologist by training, Beck has authored nearly 200 publications in the fields of labora-tory medicine, informatics, and medical decision-making.

N E W F A C U L T Y A N D P R O M O T I O N S

{intro}


1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 27

internal medicine, as well as fellowships inhematology/oncology and clinical pharma-cology/toxicology, at Dartmouth HitchcockMedical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.Olszanski came to Fox Chase after serving asclinical leader and director of Pfizer Oncologyin New London, Connecticut.

Neeta Somaiah, a medical oncologist,treats patients with bone cancer, soft tissuesarcomas, and lung cancer. She recently com-pleted her fellowship in hematology andoncology at Fox Chase. A member of theResearch Review Committee since 2007,Somaiah also has worked in the Center’stumor cell biology program. She earned hermedical degree at Maulana Azad Medical Col-lege, Delhi University, India. She is a memberof Vidyavikas, an initiative aimed at providingscholarships to children in rural India.

Matthew B. Zook, a dermatologist, treatspatients with melanoma, pigmented lesions,and nonmelanoma skin cancers. He receivedhis M.D. from Jefferson Medical College andcame to Fox Chase after completing his resi-dency at Thomas Jefferson University, wherehe also earned his Ph.D. in microbiology andmolecular virology. Zook’s volunteer work hasincluded caring for underserved populationsin the Philadelphia area through the JeffHOPEprogram, and for patients in rural Indiathrough Youth With A Mission.

RESEARCHERS

Elizabeth Hopper-Borge, a molecular bio-physicist, studies the cellular mechanisms thatenable cancer cells to resist chemotherapy. Herlaboratory focuses on a family of so-calledmultidrug resistant proteins, which act likemolecular pumps to remove toxic substancesfrom cells. An understanding of how thesepumps work in cancer cells could allow formore effective use of chemotherapeutics. Sheearned her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsyl-vania. Prior to becoming a faculty member,she was a postdoctoral fellow at Fox Chase.

ON THE WEBTo learn more about Fox Chase

doctors and researchers, visit www.fccc.eduor call 1-888-FOX CHASE (1-888-369-2427).

�

Daly Heads New Clinical Genetics Department

Medical oncologist Mary B. Daly has been namedchairwoman of the newly created department of

clinical genetics, which consolidates the clinical services ofthe Center’s existing risk-assessment programs. (See storyon page 23).

Building on the success of the Margaret Dyson FamilyRisk Assessment Program, which Daly founded in 1991,the department focuses on the clinical use of genetic andmolecular information and tools to more effectively pre-vent, diagnose, and treat cancers.

Previously, Daly led the Cancer Prevention and Con-trol Program. She also leads the Keystone Program inPersonalized Risk and Prevention, a collaborative effortthat brings together scientists and clinicians.

Fang Leads Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Behavioral researcher Carolyn Y. Fang assumed leader-ship of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program in

July, stepping into the role vacated by Mary B. Daly as sheassumed leadership of the new department of clinical ge-netics.

Fang also is a member of the new Keystone Programin Head and Neck Cancer.

“The Cancer Prevention and Control Program has longbeen a scientific strength of the Center, as well as integralto our continued recognition as an NCI-designated com-prehensive cancer center,” says president and CEO MichaelV. Seiden. “I have great confidence that Dr. Fang has theexperience, knowledge, and vision to contribute to the con-tinued success of this program at a leadership level.”

Hall Directs Gastrointestinal Risk Assessment Program

Michael John Hall was appointed director of the Gas-trointestinal Tumor Risk Assessment Program in

June. He succeeds program founder Neal Meropol, whodeparted the Center for a position at the Case Compre-hensive Cancer Center in Cleveland.

Hall joined the faculty in October 2008 after complet-ing medical oncology training at the University of Chicagoand additional epidemiology and biostatistics training atthe Columbia University School of Public Health. He hasreceived an American Society of Clinical Oncology YoungInvestigator Award and an American Cancer Society Men-tored Research Scholar Grant.

P R O M O T I O N S

▲▲


{intro}

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 28


R E S E A R C H H I G H L I G H T S

{advance}

Given the time it takes for scien-tific discoveries to travel from“bench” to “bedside,” labora-tory scientists rarely get to seetheir work directly affect

patients—but that is exactly what happenedthis summer when Fox Chase became one ofjust two sites in the country to take part in aclinical trial of a unique drug shown to slowthe growth of breast cancer.

Known as MM-111, the drug is based ona similar molecule, ALM, developed at FoxChase in collaboration with researchers at theUniversity of California, San Francisco. (Seepage 32 of the spring 2009 issue of Forward.)The two institutions partnered with Merri-mack Pharmaceuticals Inc., which furtherrefined ALM for use as a drug in humans. Theresult was MM-111.

“It is a rare and wonderful thing to see aclinical trial begin at the place where the con-cept underlying the drug was initiallyconceived,” notes oncologist Crystal Den-linger, who heads the MM-111 trial at FoxChase.

MM-111 resembles an antibody—a pro-tein the immune system uses to confrontinvading pathogens such as viruses or bacte-ria. However, unlike most antibodies, whichbind to only one target at a time, MM-111—like ALM before it—attaches to two targetssimultaneously: the signaling proteins ErbB2and ErbB3. According to researchers, the twoproteins work in tandem on the surface ofmany cancer cells, including those involved inhead and neck cancer and drug-resistantbreast cancer, to promote cancerous cellgrowth. The drug works by latching on to

ErbB2 and using that connection as afoothold to block ErbB3 from transmittingmolecular signals within the cell.

MM-111 is believed to be the first drugthat operates as a “bispecific” antibody toenter clinical development.

Experimental Breast Cancer Drug Owes Origins to Fox Chase Lab

With more than 225 clinical trials underway at any given time, Fox Chase offersaccess to the latest lifesaving medicaladvances, sometimes years before theybecome widely available. For more infor-mation on the Center’s clinical trialsprogram, visit www.fccc.edu/cancer/clinicalTrials or call 1-888-FOX CHASE (1-888-369-2427).

CLINICAL TRIALS

Sections of proteins previously thoughtto be useless may have an unexpect-edly important biological role,providing certain proteins with a wayto deactivate themselves, according

to structural biologist Heinrich Roder. In the May issue of the journal Structure,

Roder and his colleagues described this phe-nomenon in a vital protein called NHREF1,which is crucial to the ability of cells toreceive chemical signals. By understandingthe protein’s structure, Roder believes scien-tists will understand how the proteinfunctions—or malfunctions—in diseasessuch as breast cancer and cystic fibrosis.

“Here we have a molecule that serves animportant role in how cells function and sur-vive, but it contains these puzzling ‘junk’sequences that don’t have any apparent pur-pose,” Roder says. “Our work suggests thatthis disorder is really a way of creating flexi-bility, allowing the protein to function as amolecular switch, a process that goes wrongin certain diseases.”

NHREF1 serves as an adapter that allowsmolecular messages from outside the cell totrigger changes within the cell. The “disor-dered” sections of the protein allow it to flexand block its own active site as a means ofregulating itself. The discovery, made throughan innovative application of nuclear magneticresonance spectroscopy and other biophysi-cal techniques, was the first successfulattempt to determine the structure of thistype of protein.

In general, proteins are composed of oneor more modular sections with a particularshape and amino acid sequence that havebeen conserved through evolution. More thana third of human proteins, however, containdisorganized, seemingly random sequencesthat don’t match any of these known struc-tures. Often, these disordered sequences aredismissed as mere evolutionary detritus.

The longest of NHREF1’s disordered seg-ments consists of a chain of 100 amino acids,the chaotic nature of which has prevented sci-entists from creating an accurate model of

the entire protein. Roder and his colleaguesused an innovative approach that combinednuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy—a technique that determines a protein’s shapeby measuring how individual atoms interactwith an intense magnetic field—with opticalspectroscopy—a less powerful method thatuses light instead of a magnetic field—toform a more complete picture of the moleculeand understand the role of the disorderedregion. This breakthrough enabled them tosee what NHREF1 looks like both when it isactive and when it is “turned off.”

Roder found that the protein’s suppos-edly disordered region allows the protein toblock its active site, like biting one’s lip tokeep from talking. This ability to flex, hesays, is an essential part of the protein’sarchitecture.

Funding for this research was provided by theNational Cancer Institute, the National Insti-tutes of Health, and the American CancerSociety.

‘Disorder’ within Proteins Is Anything But

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 29


{advance}

Fox Chase researchers have demonstratedthat a protein called NEDD9 may berequired for some of the most aggressive

forms of breast cancer to grow—a findingthat could aid the development of improvedtools for diagnosing and treating the disease.

The study, published in October in CancerResearch, showed that reduced levels ofNEDD9 in mice limit the appearance of ag -gressive metastatic breast cancer.

“This was the first study to address thequestion of what happens in breast cancer ifthis gene isn’t around,” says molecular biol-ogist Erica A. Golemis. “And the answer is thatwe see more moderate cancer development,which speaks volumes about the role of theprotein in aggressive breast tumors.”

The protein could serve as a biomarker, orindicator, of aggressive forms of breast cancer,Golemis says. It also may provide the basis forthe development of new drugs against thedisease.

The Golemis laboratory first identifiedNEDD9 in 1996. In recent years, scientistsaround the world have contributed toresearch showing how excess amounts of theprotein contribute to metastasis in a numberof cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer,and a type of brain tumor called glioblas-toma.

A so-called “scaffolding protein,” NEDD9forms part of a complex of molecules justinside the cell membrane that collectively actas transmitters, relaying signals from the cell

surface to the interior to control cancer cellgrowth and movement.

“By their nature, cancer cells are evolu-tionary machines, constantly looking for waysto exploit the vast networks of signaling path-ways that are an inherent part of cellfunction,” Golemis notes. “The more weunderstand these pathways, the better we willunderstand the ways cancer cells evolve to usethose pathways, and how to stop them.”

Funding for this research was provided by theNational Cancer Institute, National Institutesof Health, Israel Cancer Association, StanleyAbersur Research Foundation, Ben-Gurion Uni-versity of the Negev, Pew Charitable Trusts,and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Protein Shown to Support Aggressive Breast Cancer

“The Talk” is a traditional rite of pas-sage by which parents pass onwisdom about delicate subjects

such as sex. But should “The Talk” extend tochildren’s risk of hereditary cancer?

Medical oncologist Angela Bradbury,director of breast and ovarian cancer riskassessment, queried parents who were testedfor the hereditary BRCA1 and BRCA2 genemutations associated with breast and ovar-ian cancer to better understand how childrenreact when parents communicate such resultsto them. She presented her findings in Mayat the annual meeting of the American Soci-ety of Clinical Oncology.

“We know that many people who carry theBRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations share theirgenetic test results with their children,” sheexplains. “According to our preliminaryresearch, most parents do not perceive theirchildren to have strong adverse reactions to thisinformation, although children who learn theirparent tested positive for a mutation may bemore susceptible to initial negative reactions.”

Of the 163 parents surveyed, 52 testedpositive for the mutations. Just over 100 par-ents, or 66 percent, shared their results withat least one of their children, representing atotal of 201 offspring ages 5 to 24. Parentswho had tested positive reported their child’s

response as “upset—strong emotional reac-tion” in 18 percent of cases, compared to 2percent of cases of parents with negativeresults.

In 13 percent of cases, parents reportedoffspring concern for self and family—reac-tions that also were more frequent amongthose with positive tests. Most parentsreported that the communication had eitherno significant impact (39 percent) or a posi-tive impact (36 percent) on their offspring.

“This is exploratory data,” Bradburynotes, “that we will evaluate further withfuture studies.”

Bradbury and her colleagues plan to fur-ther study the psychosocial and behavioralresponses to learning of hereditary cancer riskduring childhood and adolescence, with thehope that such research could aid the devel-opment of models that parents could use toconduct “The Talk”—at least as far as cancerrisk goes.

Parents are on their own for the birds andthe bees.

Should Parents Tell Children About Results of Genetic Testing?Study Looks at Offspring Reactions

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 30

The use of magnetic resonanceimaging, or MRI scans, follow-ing breast cancer diagnosisdoes not improve how well apatient fares, according to a

recent study by Fox Chase researchers. Infact, women who receive MRI scans aremore likely to receive a full mastectomywhen they might have otherwise beeneligible for a less invasive procedure.

There is no demonstrated benefit ofusing MRI in such cases, says Richard Bleicher, breast surgeon and lead authorof the study, especially in light of thethree-week delay in patient evaluationtypically associated with its use. Bleicherand his colleagues examined the recordsof 577 breast cancer patients andreported their findings in August in Jour-nal of the American College of Surgeons.

Bleicher believes many of thewomen who received mastectomiesafter their MRIs could have been candi-dates for a less invasive procedureknown as a lumpectomy. An MRI scanis very sensitive, he says, and could leadphysicians to overestimate the severityof some cases. “Rather than having abiopsy to see if those findings are real,women and their doctors may choose

mastectomy out of an abundance ofcaution,” he adds.

The study demonstrates that routineuse of MRI scans in women newly diag-nosed with breast cancer increasedsignificantly between 2004 and 2005, andagain in 2006. While MRI might be valu-able as a screening tool for some women,

such as those with genetic mutations thatpredispose them to breast cancer, there isno evidence that it improves care whenused routinely to evaluate a previouslydiagnosed case, Bleicher says.

This study was supported by the U.S. Public Health Service.


Study Challenges Routine Use of MRI Scans to Evaluate Breast Cancer

People at an elevated risk for gastroin-testinal cancers overestimate theiractual degree of cancer risk and, there-

fore, their true need for support in preventingthe disease, according to a study presented inMay at the annual meeting of the AmericanSociety of Clinical Oncology.

The findings are particularly important forconsidering how risk assessment programsdirect educational, counseling, and diagnosticresources, says oncologist Michael John Hall,who directs the Gastrointestinal Tumor RiskAssessment Program.

“Preventing cancer is as important astreating cancer,” Hall says. “The goal of ourstudy was to improve how we think aboutand direct our prevention resources.”

Hall led a study that evaluated 398 indi-viduals from 278 families enrolled in theGastrointestinal Tumor Risk Assessment Pro-gram over a nine-year period. The researchersestablished participants’ risk through familyand personal histories of gastrointestinal can-cers and/or colorectal polyps, as well asgenetic testing. Results showed that morethan 17 percent of participants were at high

risk; 70 percent were at moderate to high risk;and 12 percent were at low risk. However,prior to counseling, individuals in the low-riskgroup estimated their cancer risk as equal tothat of the high-risk group.

“Clearly, the first step in offering clinicalprevention tools to all of the individualsentering our risk assessment program is tohelp them to understand their actual level ofrisk,” Hall says. “Only then can we recom-mend the appropriate prevention support.”

Perception of Cancer Risk Might Not Mirror Reality

MRI scans could lead physicians to overestimate the severity of some cases.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 31

othing was going to stop Ola peju Ferreira—not an ag -gressive form of cancer, not adim prognosis, not even dis-tance.

From her home in London, themother of three, whose uterine sarcomahad recurred in less than a year despitesurgery and intensive chemo therapy, didwhat most people in her position woulddo. She went on the Internet and didsome digging.

Ferreira found hope inFox Chase surgeon JamesC. Watson. A specialist ingastrointestinal cancersand sarcomas, he had suc-cessfully treated otherswith her disease, leiomyo -sarcoma, a rare cancer that most oftenattacks the uterus and stomach.

Not long after discovering Watson,Ferreira rearranged her life. She took aleave of absence from her job helping wel-fare recipients, put her children in arelative’s care, and boarded a plane forPhiladelphia with her husband, Sola.

“When my cancer came back, it wasquite a shock,” recalls Ferreira, a native ofNigeria, “but I was determined that I wasgoing to beat it. I’ve always felt that if Ican’t control something, I won’t panic. Iwill come up with a plan and I will dealwith it.”

That meant that, no matter what, shewas going to meet Watson.

Finding hope in the States

Still, as she made her way to the UnitedStates, Ferreira was filled with anxiety.

Recent surgery had revealed that shehad five new cancerous masses in heruterus, and her doctor, declaring there wasnothing more he could do, had stitchedher up and sent her home. Ferreira won-dered: Could Watson be the answer to hermany prayers?

As it turned out, he was. After review-ing her X-rays, the surgeoncalled her with good news.“He told me he could oper-ate, and that’s all I needed tohear,” Ferreira says. “I wasvery relieved and happy.”

Six months later, Ferreirawas back with her family,

back to work, and cautiously optimistic.While recent tests have come back nega-tive, she remains keenly aware that, likebefore, her cancer could return.

“I don’t fret, though. If it comes back,I will deal with it,” Ferreira says. And fornow, life goes on. “In Nigeria, we have asaying: ‘Why die before death actuallycomes?’ There is always some hope, some-where.”

Olapeju Ferreira is living proof ofthat. ❖


{close-up}

A P A T I E N T ’ S P E R S P E C T I V E

Jess

ica H

ui

Olapeju Ferreira

N“He told me

he could operate,and that’s all I

needed to hear.”

Philly or Bust

ON THE WEBTo read more about

Ferreira and other survivors, visitwww.fccc.edu/topics/ferreira.

�

Woman Leaves London Home for Lifesaving Surgery at Fox ChaseBy Jill M. Ercolino

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 32

nna Gray brewed up some tea ather home outside Philadelphia andinvited a few friends to join her for

a cup. But she had more on her mindthan friendly conversation.

The year was 1933, and the GreatDepression gripped the country. ButGray, a mover and shaker in Philadelphiasociety, wasn’t looking for help. Instead,she was hoping to give it: to a friend,oncologist Stanley P. Reimann.

Gray had learned that Reimann’sLankenau Hospital Research Institute forthe Promotion of Cancer Research wasnearly penniless, and if something wasn’tdone soon, years of painstaking study tofind a cause and cure for cancer wouldcrumble with it.

True to form, Gray mustered hertroops. Between sips of tea, a powderedcontingent of doctors’ wives and fellowchurchgoers anted up enough money torescue the institute, which would laterbecome one of the building blocks of FoxChase. They also organized Lanke-nau’s first women’s auxiliary. Indoing so, the society ladiesjoined a growing faction ofwomen nationwide, manyaffiliated with social clubsand universities, dedicated tofighting cancer with knowledge.Often, the auxiliary’s mem-bers mixed socializing withfundraising by throwingelaborate dances, intimaterecitals, and oceanside cardparties that generated hun-dreds of thousands ofdollars for cancer research,scholarships, and treatmentsfor the needy.

“Women play bridgeanyway,” Gray reportedlycommented, “so why notcontribute some money for

the benefit of the institute while enjoy-ing matching wits across the table?”

The right woman at the right timeThroughout it all, the commanding fig-ure of Anna Gray, a banker’s wife andwell-known singer, was front and center.

Photos of Gray, who served as the aux-iliary’s president for two decades, show awoman with a kind face who fanciedsmart suits, dainty hats, pearls, and whitegloves. However, snippets culled from yel-lowed newspaper clippings reveal ahard-charging steel magnolia who wasfiercely devoted to the cancer cause.

“As president of the women’s auxiliary,Mrs. Gray has done more against cancerthan any other person in this state, notexcluding those in the medical profes-sion,” a well-known doctor was quoted assaying in 1951.

While Gray’s knack for fundraisingearned her accolades, her efforts to edu-cate the masses about cancer at a time

when it bordered on being a dirty wordwere just as important. She pioneered theauxiliary’s tradition of hosting annualcancer forums, groundbreaking publicevents that focused on scientific break-throughs and encouraged early detectionand treatment.

“Cancer is a great menace,” Gray oncetold a reporter, “and only public under-standing of it can result in its ultimateelimination.”

Anna Gray wasn’t the only woman tohelp Stanley Reimann on his way tobuilding a world-class cancer research andtreatment facility, but when he was downand nearly out, she emerged—the rightwoman at the right time.

—Jill M. Ercolino

M I L E S T O N E S I N F O X C H A S E H I S T O R Y

Anna Gray to the Rescue{rewind}

A

Pioneering cancer educator and fundraiserAnna Gray, far right, and other members of the auxiliary

she founded welcome Eve Curie, second from left,daughter of “Madame” Marie Curie, to

the Institute for Cancer Research in 1948.

P ioneer ing Woman Fought Cancer wi th Knowledge

Photo: Fox Chase Cancer Center archiveFa l l 2009 forward 33▲

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 33

333 Cottman Ave.

Phi ladelphia, PA 19111-2497

www.fccc.edu

Getting PersonalThe “cookie cutter” approach to cancer

treatment may soon be a thing of the past.

Fox Chase’s new Institute for Personalized

Medicine focuses on analyzing each patient

at the genetic level and customizing her

therapy based on her individual profile.

See story on page 12.

1899W1:1899W1 11/10/09 9:53 AM Page 34

A Space of Their OwnA Space of Their Own Fox Chase’s new Women’s Cancer Center brings research, prevention, and treatment programs for breast and gynecologic cancers together under

Documents