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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 11, 2006 Cancer researcher: Field gets ‘smarter’ in 21st century By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Family trees and molecular biology are changing the way physicians think about cancer and treat it, a Duke University researcher told the Chamber Forum Monday. Dr. Kelly Marcom said family history can tell physicians whether a patient might be more likely to have certain types of cancers, and a person’s genes can influence the efficacy of some cancer treatments. Marcom said death rates are declining for many kinds of cancers, but the incidence of lung cancer helps keep the overall death rate high. He said long-term investments in molecular biology and medical technology are helping physicians see "all the pieces" of cancer — from how breast cancer cells multiply to how patients’ genes affect their ability to use anti-cancer medicines such as tamoxifen. Genes affect how humans metabolize drugs, said Marcom, a medical oncologist who specializes in breast cancer at Duke University Medical Center. "If you have the gene to activate the drug, you do better." Marcom came to the forum sponsored by the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County to talk about breakthroughs in cancer treatment. In a presentation that tested the audience’s memory of high school biology, he explained that decades of research in molecular biology are beginning to help physicians understand and treat breast cancer. Advertisement "The whole idea is to understand breast cancer biology," he said. He said each person has genetic factors that determine their relative susceptibility to cancer and how their body responds to treatment, but there are also genetic changes that occur in the body as the cancer cells multiply. "You have to take the whole (disease) in concert," he said. Marcom noted that all cells manufacture proteins, but cancer cells produce too much of just a few kinds of proteins. As researchers learn more about cancer’s biology they can tailor treatments to specific aspects of cells metabolism. To illustrate, he noted that researchers have identified a gene that gets amplified in about one-fifth of breast cancer cases. A drug that disables the protein from that gene was used in combination with other treatments to improve patients’ survival rates by 50 percent. Marcom said physicians’ increased understanding of breast cancer’s biological processes helps them choose the most appropriate treatments. Patients who are at high risk of getting cancer, for example, get more benefit from chemotherapy than patients who were at relatively low risk. "We’re getting a lot smarter" about breast cancer, Marcom said, which gives him hope that treatments will continue to improve. "When my daughter grows up, breast cancer will still be there," he said, "but it won’t be the overarching fear it is today. We’ll know how to handle it." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail Cancer researcher: Field gets �smarter� in 21st century ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Email Security Advertisement s Advertisement