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FEATURED
ARTICLE
LLS Researchers Help
Cancer Patients Avoid Heart Problems
Long-term health
problems, including heart disease, can develop
in children many years after curative cancer
treatments.
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FUNDRAISING
UPDATES
Free Summer Gas
Promotion
The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society (LLS) is happy to announce the
third year of its national Light The
Night® Walk gas promotion, Light The
Night Save at the Pump.
READ
MORE
Coast Golf Tourney
Raises $230,000
for
Cures READ
MORE
TNT's Hoppin' in
June
READ
MORE
Texas Is
Rockin'
READ
MORE
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PATIENT
SERVICES
My Personal CML
Journey Launched READ
MORE
LLS Co-Pay
Reimbursements Now Up to $5,000
READ MORE
Upcoming
Teleconferences READ
MORE
RESEARCHER
Q&A
eNewsline Introduces the
work of Danilo Perrotti, M.D.,
Ph.D.
READ MORE
ADVOCACY
Veterans and Blood
Cancers READ MORE
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LLS Researchers Help Cancer Patients Avoid
Heart Problems
Despite
increasing survival rates for children with
leukemias and other cancers, long-term health
problems, including life-threatening heart
disease, can develop many years after curative
cancer treatments. Heart ailments are often
caused by high doses of anthracycline drugs such
as daunomycin and
doxorubicin/adriamycin.
LLS-funded
researchers are looking at ways to help patients
overcome the side-effects of cancer drugs. Elly
Barry, M.D., of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is
testing the efficacy of dexrazoxane, a drug that
can pull iron away from the iron-anthracycline
complexes that damage heart cells. Clinical
trials have shown that dexrazoxane protects the
hearts of adult cancer patients and reduces
biomarkers of cardiotoxicity in children with
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who were
treated with high doses of doxorubicin.
Dr. Barry and her team have now followed
100 ALL children for more than six years
following doxorubicin plus dexrazoxane
treatments. They found that the treatments were
safe as well as effective. Other findings
suggest dexrazoxane is not the only drug that
might effectively block anthracycline-related
cardiotoxicity. In addition, Dr. Barry and
LLS-funded researcher Eileen Dolan Ph.D., of the
University of Chicago, are testing whether gene
differences can be used to predict
cardiotoxicity in children.
A third
LLS-funded researcher, Smita Bhatia, M.D.,
M.P.H., of City of Hope National Medical Center,
recommends comprehensive monitoring for all
patients treated with high anthracycline doses.
When heart problems are detected early, she
says, healthy lifestyles may help patients down
the road.
Because of their work,
patients may soon be able to receive the
curative treatments they need without the risk
of long-term and late cardiac side effects.
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| | |
 Free
Summer Gas Promotion
LLS
is happy to announce the third year of its
national Light The Night Walk gas promotion,
Light The Night
Save at the Pump. The program is
available for all registered Light The
Night participants from July 1 through Aug. 31,
2008.
Here's how it
works:
Participants who raise money
online receive free gas cards that can be
redeemed at most major gasoline providers. Each
participant who raises $250 to $499 will receive
a $15 card, or for every $500 raised
online, they will get a card worth $50. There is
also a great Grand Prize, details of which will
be announced later.
"LLS wants to help
its dedicated Light The Night fundraisers during
these times of rising gas prices," said Nancy
Klein, chief marketing and revenue officer. "We
are grateful for their support."
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West Coast Golf
Tourney Raises $230,000 for
Cures
The recent
Jack Wagner Celebrity Golf Classic in Valencia,
CA drew scores of sports and entertainment
luminaries and raised $230,000 for LLS's
mission.
Hosted by Jack Wagner, star of
the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the
Beautiful, the event is now in its second
year. Celebrity golfers included football star
Marcus Allen, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky,
Olympian Bruce Jenner and Oscar®
winner Joe Pesci.
"By all measures this
event was a success," said Serena Mollendorf,
campaign manager, Greater Los Angeles Chapter.
"We are very fortunate to work with
Jack."
Wagner, who was named the No. 1
celebrity golfer by Golf Digest,
approached LLS to create a golf event to support
LLS's research and patient services programs.
Over the past two years, the Jack Wagner
Celebrity Golf Classic has raised more than
$550,000 for these programs.
In honor of
Wagner's commitment to finding cures, LLS
presented him with a Chairman's Citation
Award. The award honors individuals who
have demonstrated significant dedication and
commitment to their LLS chapter and are
deserving of national recognition.
"I
lost my father in 1990 to multiple myeloma, and
in 1999 my brother Dennis was diagnosed with
leukemia," Wagner said at the awards dinner.
"Dennis is still with us today because of new
lifesaving treatments, and I'd like to thank
each and every person for their contribution
that enables us to push for a cure."
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 June's
Hoppin'
June is one of
Team In Training's busiest months.
On
Sunday, June 1, TNT will shine at the Rock 'n'
Roll Marathon, in San Diego, and at the
America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, in Lake
Tahoe, CA. More than 3,200 TNT participants are
signed up to run or walk the San Diego event and
have raised more than $12.5 million for blood
cancer research and patient services, said Donna
Grogan, vice president, LLS Sports Training
Programs.
"This is another great season,"
Grogan said. "These events have long been among
our most popular destinations, and this year is
no different."
As for America's Most
Beautiful Bike Ride, 1,800 TNT riders are signed
up, and they've raised more than $7 million for
the LLS mission, said Lissa Greenlee, national
director, Team In Training.
Another
popular race, the Mayor's Marathon and Half
Marathon, is scheduled for June 21, in
Anchorage, AK. More than 950 runners and walkers
will participate, and they've raised more than
$4.5 million to help LLS cure leukemia, lymphoma
and myeloma, said Brandon Wilmoth, senior
national manager, TNT.
"The summer TNT
season is such a strong and vibrant time for the
program," added Grogan. "There's purple
everywhere."
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 New Rock
'n' Roll Race in
Texas
There's a new
rock 'n' roll marathon on the block. Rock 'n'
Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon will
join Elite Racing's popular rock-themed events
on Nov. 16, 2008.
"I'm very excited,"
said Deborah Barker, senior campaign director of
LLS's South Texas Chapter in San Antonio. "It
will be great for the city of San Antonio and
for Team In Training.
Indeed, 18 LLS
chapters are recruiting for the event and are
expected to prepare at least
500 participants for the inaugural race,
Barker said.
Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio
replaces the earlier San Antonio Marathon, a
non-Elite race. The course is flat and fast and
takes in many of the city's famous sites,
including the Alamo and the River Walk, Barker
added. And of course, there'll be plenty of
bands and entertainment to keep participants and
spectators hoppin'.
For more information,
contact
your local LLS chapter to see if it
is recruiting for a local TNT
team.
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| | |
 My Personal CML
Journey Launched
Patients
and their families impacted by a diagnosis of
chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) have a new
LLS resource to turn to: My Personal CML
Journey.
This free, interactive
Web program, available 24/7, features filmed
interviews with Jack, a newly diagnosed patient
on Gleevec®, and Paul, a CML survivor
taking the drug Sprycel®.
By learning from their experiences, patients can
better understand their own situation and derive
hope, explained Hildy Dillon, M.P.H., senior
vice president, LLS Patient
Services.
"My Personal Journey
lets people learn about CML through the
words and experiences of patients who've been
there," said Dillon. "Both Jack and Paul (their
last names withheld) are doing great
."
My
Personal CML Journey, supported by a
grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb, also offers
information on CML diagnosis and treatment and
the many LLS services for patients and their
loved ones. Users can personalize their
experience and return to the program where they
left off. Registration is easy.
The
program is similar to the earlier My Personal Lymphoma
Journey, which is supported by Genentech
and Biogen Idec. Click here for My Personal CML
Journey and here for My
Personal Lymphoma Journey.
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LLS Co-Pay
Reimbursements Now Up to
$5,000
Qualified
patients with specific blood cancers are now
eligible for up to $5,000 in reimbursements from
LLS's Co-Pay
Assistance Program through June 30, 2008.
The program assists with insurance premiums and
co-pay obligations for patients with the
following diseases:
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Waldenstrom
macroglobulinemia
- Acute myelogenous leukemia
- Myeloma
- Myelodysplastic
syndromes
For more
information, please visit www.LLS.org/copay, call (877)
557-2672 or email copay@LLS.org
.
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Upcoming
Teleconferences
(all events are
free and open to the public; participants can
ask the presenters questions.)
This
month
Thursday,
29th: Childhood Cancer Survivorship: The
Family's Journey Forward
Time: 1 p.m.
to 2 p.m. ET
Guest speaker: Nancy Cincotta,
M.S.W., L.C.S.W., A.C.S.W., B.C.D., psychosocial
director, Camp Sunshine,
Maine
Register
online
June
Wednesday,
11th: Tomorrow's Therapies Today: Clinical
Trials for Leukemia, Lymphoma &
Myeloma
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
ET
Guest speakers: Selina Luger, M.D.,
associate professor of medicine, and David L.
Porter, M.D., professor of medicine, both from
the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania;
and Mitchell Smith, M.D., Ph.D., director,
Lymphoma Service, Fox Chase Cancer Center,
Philadelphia
Register
online
Thursday,
12th: CML Therapy: News from the American
Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
ET
Guest speaker: Stephen Nimer, M.D., vice
chair, Faculty Development, Department of
Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center, and professor of medicine and
pharmacology, Weill Medical College of Cornell
University
Register
online
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| | |
 Danilo Perrotti, M.D.,
Ph.D.
Danilo Perrotti, M.D., Ph.D., is an
assistant professor in the Division of Human
Cancer Genetics, Department of Molecular
Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics,
Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State
University. He is a recipient of an LLS Career Development
Program grant, specializing in chronic
myelogenous leukemia.
Dr. Perrotti, what are
you working on?
The development,
maintenance and progression of chronic
myelogenous leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia
chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia
(Ph1-ALL) are driven by the unrestrained
activity of the BCR-ABL
oncoproteins.
Most Ph1-ALL patients and
CML patients in the acute phase (blast crisis)
of the disease do not show long-term response to
Gleevec and similar drugs. The focus of my
laboratory is to find therapeutic tools for the
treatment of blast crisis CML and Ph1-ALL
patients.
What's novel or
innovative about this approach?
We
recently discovered that the activity of PP2A, a
tumor suppressor, is markedly inhibited by
BCR/ABL in Ph1-ALL and during blastic
transformation of CML. In fact, PP2A is an
enzyme that, if re-activated, antagonizes the
leukemia-promoting activity of BCR/ABL itself.
Moreover, pharmacologic PP2A activators like
forskolin or FTY720 remarkably inhibit leukemia
in animal models of CML-BC and Ph1 ALL. They
also suppress growth of patient-derived blast
crisis CML and Ph1-ALL bone marrow cells,
regardless of their sensitivity to Gleevec-type
drugs.
How will your work one
day help patients?
Our published and
ongoing work not only supports the introduction
of these drugs in the therapeutic protocols for
blast crisis CML and Ph1ALL patients who have
failed ABL inhibitor therapies, but it also
suggest that phosphatase activators have the
strong potential to eradicate the
leukemia-initiating CML stem cell and to prevent
disease progression. Moreover, they might also
be used together with kinase inhibitor in order
to prevent the selection of
imatinib/dasatinib-resistant leukemic cells
induced by the continuous exposure to kinase
inhibitors.
Are you close to
clinical trials?
Yes, we are
currently contacting different U.S. and
international cancer centers and pharmaceutical
companies to explore their interest in the
clinical development of our
studies.
What are some of your
hobbies and non-research interests?
In
the small fraction of time in which my mind is
not occupied in thinking of new projects and
experiments, I am usually spending time with my
wife (another scientist) and my kids. Among my
hobbies, I love music, reading and I have a
strong interest in coins and freshwater tropical
fish.
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| | |
 Veterans
and Blood Cancers
Active-duty
military personnel and veterans may be at a
higher risk for blood cancers, regardless of
family history. Multiple studies have
linked blood cancers to exposure to the
following biological, chemical and nuclear
agents used in modern wars fought by U.S.
soldiers:
- Ionizing
radiation exposure from atmospheric
nuclear testing between 1945 and 1962 has been
linked to multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL) and leukemias other than chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
- Agent
Orange and other herbicides used in the
Vietnam War have been linked to NHL, Hodgkin
lymphoma, CLL and multiple
myeloma.
- Benzene,
carbamates and other organophosphorous
insecticides have been linked to acute
leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma in
Gulf War veterans.
Since there is
a link between modern warfare and blood cancers,
LLS supports the inclusion of a dedicated,
stand-alone research program for all blood
cancers in the Congressionally Directed Medical
Research Program at the U.S. Department of
Defense. Veterans may be eligible to receive
benefits and treatment from the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA).
LLS also
advises veterans to share their military history
with their doctors as a part of any detailed
medical history, including where and when they
served.
For more information,
contact the VA's Special Issues Helpline at
(800) 749-8387. Conflict-specific
resources are also available by contacting the
Vietnam Veterans of America at www.vva.org
or (800)
882-1316; and the Veterans of Modern Warfare at
www.modernveterans.com or (888)
445-9891.
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Society®
Home Office • 1311 Mamaroneck Avenue
• White Plains, NY
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914.949.5213 • www.LLS.org
© 2008 The Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society
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America's Premier Health Charities in the
Combined Federal Campaign, the National
Coalition for Cancer Research and Blood Cancer
Coalition. This publication is designed to
provide information in regard to the subject
matter covered, and is distributed as a public
service by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,
with the understanding that LLS is not engaged
in rendering medical or other professional
services.
The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society is headquartered in White
Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United
States and Canada. Its mission: Cure leukemia,
lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and
improve the quality of life of patients and
their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS
has invested more than $550 million in research
specifically targeting blood cancers.
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