FYI—PAPANICOLAOU CORPS for CANCER RESEARCH--Jan, 2010

(Please note---all of the physicians listed are with the University of Miami School of Medicine)

We are very fortunate in South Florida to have the only University based Comprehensive Cancer Center in our midst. As members of the Pap Corps each and every one of us has access to these fine physicians. Getting an appointment at Sylvester is a perk of membership but having the knowledge that the doctors and scientists are on the cutting edge of medicine answers the question of “where is our money going?”

An exciting new development is a saline mouthwash test that detects head and neck cancer in its earliest stages. Elizabeth Franzmann, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology and member of the Head and Neck Cancer Site Disease group at Sylvester developed this inexpensive mouthwash which can detect cancer in the saliva within 48 hours. Dr. Franzmann and her team are working toward FDA approval of this test.

Floriano Marchetti, MD., assistant professor of surgery and member of the Colorectal Cancer Site Disease Group reports about a blood test that could soon be used to detect colon cancer. This will bring huge savings in health care costs.

Eckhard Podack, MD., professor and chairman of microbiology and immunology had remarkable results from a novel therapy used on a 21 year old student at the University of Miami who has a rare form of lymphoma. This therapy is in a Phase 2 clinical trail at Sylvester, led by Joseph Rosenblatt, MD., professor of medicine and associate director of clinical and translational medicine.

Murugesan Manoharan, MD, associate professor of urology and a member of the Prostate, Bladder and Kidney Cancers Site Disease Group at Sylvester, is using robotic surgery to remove cancerous bladders and rebuild them using the patient’s own tissue.

Doctors at Sylvester have found that smoking, as well as second hand smoke, are now linked to colon and breast cancers, making a total of 17 malignancies now linked to tobacco use.

Neurosurgeons at Sylvester performed the first intra-arterial cerebral infusion of Avastin directly into a patient’s malignant brain tumor. This technique exposes the cancer to higher doses of the drug therapy, while sparing the patient common side effects.

MILLER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS

Joshua Hare, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute is leading a study to prove the safety of using adult stem cells in repairing heart damage in heart attack patients.

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Camillio Ricordi, MD., scientific director of the Diabetes Research Institute created a “miracle” on Thanksgiving Day by performing long-distance surgery on a 21 year old wounded soldier, in Afghanistan. Dr. Ricordi did breakthrough surgery by performing the first islet cell transplant on the soldiers’ damaged pancreas. Army surgeons then inserted these islets into the airman’s liver to produce insulin. Because of this the soldier is alive and free from diabetes.

Lillian Abbo, MD., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases is part of a team program aimed at controlling the use of antibiotics. Doctors and hospitals should realize that antibiotics are not the solution for viral infections such as the common cold and the flu. Only those who truly need antibiotics should get them. Proper usage of these medicines will save on health care costs. At Jackson Memorial Hospital about 10% of the budget was cut by not prescribing these unnecessary drugs.

Xue Zhong Liu, MD., associate professor of otolaryngology, led a study which found a gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males. The gene, PRPS1 is crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. This form of deafness appears to be genetic.

William O’Neill, MD., executive dean for clinical affairs has reported that the life expectancy in the U.S. has reached a new high of 78 years. One of the reasons is fewer deaths from heart disease and the many advances in cancer survival.

OTHER NEWS

Researchers have discovered that restricting consumption of glucose, the most common dietary sugar, can extend the life of healthy human lung cells and speed the death of precancerous human lung cells, reducing cancer’s spread and growth rate. The research has wide-ranging potential in age related science, including ways in which calorie-intake can benefit longevity and help prevent diseases like cancer that have been linked to aging.

Research teams have sequenced the entire genome of two deadly cancers, malignant melanoma and lung cancer, revealing for the first time almost all of the tens of thousands of mutations in the DNA of cancer cells that occur during a person’s lifetime.

New research suggests that the less invasive “core needle biopsy” procedure is nearly as effective in diagnosing breast cancer as an open surgical procedure is, with fewer complications than the surgical version.

These are only a few of the cutting edge research developments happening today at Sylvester. Hundreds of clinical trials and scientific experiments are conducted to “find the cure”. Remember—it is not about the money we raise, but where the money goes!!

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

Naomi Prever---naomirltr@bellsouth.net