[/caption]By Jesse Regis
An event to raise funds for cancer research brings hundreds of people together at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Saturday night in what became a celebration of survivors and those working towards making the disease more manageable. Senator Ted Kennedy, GW professor and cancer researcher Dr. Rachel Brem, and survivor Jeanette Michael were honored at the event for their dedication to the cause.
The proceeds from the event primarily benefitted the GW Cancer Institute and the Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Cancer Research Center. 550 Tickets were sold at $500 dollars each, though the total amount of money raised has not yet been announced by the GW Medical Center.
Researchers, many from within GW's own medical community, were anxious to raise awareness and educate the public about the many types of cancer, treatment options, prevention and control, survivorship, health policy, community outreach and education programs that provide those diagnosed access to a network of care that was previously unavailable. CNN's Wolf Blitzer emceed the black tie event.
While the event was designed to raise money and honor dedicated individuals, researchers were anxious to discuss advancements in the field.
According to Dr. Steven Patierno, the Executive Director of the GW Cancer Institute, cancer affects one out of every ten people on the planet. He said that the community has made, "huge headways in the last 10 years beginning to unravel what's actually wrong inside of a cancer cell and we're hopeful that over the next ten to fifteen years we'll be able to design more and more specific drugs to stop the progression of cancer."
Dr. Patricia Berg, a GW professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is among those who have contributed towards breakthroughs in cancer cell research. Berg and her colleagues discovered and cloned a gene that is active in 80% of breast cancers, 63% of myeloid leukemia, and 70% of prostate cancers. Dr. Berg believes the gene is "very important" in the beginnings of cancer and is now working towards a method that would suppress the gene, in addition to developing a blood test for early detection. "It is coming to the point of personalized medicine where a person with cancer could have some DNA taken and examined to tell which genes are involved with their particular cancer and then have individual treatment," Dr. Berg said.
[caption id="attachment_2070" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen join President and Mrs. Knapp. The Katzen's previous donated of $10 million allowed for the expansion of patient care at the Cancer Research Center in the Medical Faculty Associates building. Photo provided by Medical Center Marketing and Communications"]
[/caption]Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Siegel, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Director of the Katzen Center, who treats patients with different types of diseases including leukemia, breast, and lung cancers is optimistic based on the progress made in understanding the workings of cancer cells in relation to healthy cells and the ability to "exploit the differences whether it's different markets on the surface of cancer cells, or different weakness in the metabolism of cancer cells," and designing drugs to target cancer cells, while retaining healthy cells. Dr. Siegel tells cancer patients, "We are here to help you. Strives toward curing cancer are significant but not as fast as any of us would like to see them, but meanwhile many cancers are curable now and that’s what we have to do, making the best use of the tools that we have while keeping the pressure on the research to make cures possible for cancers that aren’t curable now."
Doctors and researchers were quick to dispel the myth that the community will be able to cure cancer any time soon. Dr. Kimberly Russo, the Chief Operating Officer of GW Hospital said she "absolutely agrees" with the assessment that it is impossible to know when cancer will be cured. Dr. Russo said, "We can’t put a number on that. Cancer touches all of our hearts, and all of us have been affected in some way shape or form with cancer in our lives and there’s not a number on it because there’s so many different types of cancer."
Instead, funding is being directed towards community, survivorship and long-term health programs that make cancer easier to live with.
Mobile screening vans are among the community programs in the D.C. area. Three vans, dubbed "Mammovans" visit Southeast D.C. once a week to screen women, regardless of their ability to pay. Karen Marino, the executive coordinator of the program says that that Southeast portion of the city is one of the "most medically underserved areas in the District of Columbia with D.C. having one of the highest rates of cancer in the nation. Marino focuses her work in wards 5, 6, 7, and 8, where because of financial or time restraints individuals are normally unable to seek care. Areas within these wards include Anacostia and Navy Yard. She also runs programs that screen for prostate cancer, which according to the American Cancer Society is among the leading causes of death for men.
GW Student Allie Rubin urged college students to get involved with Camp Kesem, a week-long summer camp run by college students. Rubin, the co-chair, said it allows parents to rest and gives children the opportunity to have fun and meet others in the same situation.
[caption id="attachment_2069" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dr. Rachel Brem receives her award from Dr. Robert Siegel. Photo provided by Medical Center Marketing and Communications"]
[/caption]Pfizer, the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company, was on hand to announce a three year grant totaling $1.2 million dollars for The Center for the Advancement of Cancer Survivorship, Navigation, and Policy.
Mandi Chapman, Director for the Office of Cancer Survivorship and Co-director for Center for the Advancement of Cancer Survivorship and Patient Navigation and Health Policy said that the grant will help launch a comprehensive analysis of national healthcare reform, while also promoting training and support programs for cancer patients because as Chapman said, "Cancer care doesn’t end when you’re finished with treatment it really lasts for the rest of your life," and these programs are ways of, "ensuring that patients are able to get he care that they need."
GW President and event co-chair Stephen Knapp was pleased with the turnout and the passion of the GW faculty. Relaying a sense of gratitude, Knapp said GW is focusing on cancer research in particular because, "Everybody's family is touched by cancer and we happen to live in a city that is among the highest cancer rates in the world with a great disparity between different parts of the city and how they’re affected. It's one of the things were trying to address as part of our commitment to the greater Washington community."
Dr. Patierno agrees. He said, "Public awareness is absolutely huge and the more people that understand the importance of cancer research to move us forward, the better.
"There's enormous hope....it's not a death sentence"
- Honoree Dr. Rachel Brem
Dr. Rakesh Kumar, the new chair of Biochemistry and Microbiology at GW Medical School said that while GW is not yet at the forefront of cancer research, the medical center was a motivating force behind his decision to transfer from the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dealing primarily with breast cancer research, Kumar was at the event to raise awareness because, "Education is responsible for making people go for prescreenings and lots of cancers can be caught and treated if detected early on."
One of the expected highlights of the night never occurred, with Senator Ted Kennedy unable to attend because of his deteriorating health. He received the Cancer Compassion Award for his "dedication to improving access and quality of care among medically underserved communities," according to event literature. However, two other prominent individuals were honored.
Dr. Rachel Brem, the Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention, GW professor of Radiology, and Vice-Chair for research and faculty development in the Department of Radiology at GW Medical Center received the Commitment to Overcoming Cancer Award, presented to Brem based on her commitment to patient care, outreach education , and policy work. Dr. Brem is optimistic about the future of cancer research saying, "There’s enormous hope. That the difference between the cancer that we knew and the cancer that’s here today is that it can often be a chronic disease, that’s it’s not a death sentence, that there’s an enormous amount of hope given the research and all the work that’s been done."
[caption id="attachment_2068" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Jeanette Michael speaks to the gala. She personally thanked members of the GW community for their support in her battle against cancer. Photo provided by Medical Center Marketing and Communications"]
[/caption]GW Alum, Trustee, and cancer survivor, Jeanette Michael received the Spirit of Life Award, given to an individual whose own survival story inspires others to fight cancer. Her condition made it difficult for her to express her thoughts. Michael was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2002. Eight months ago her cancer spread to her bones, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and she had cancer tumors around her chest. Her ongoing treatment meant she had no hair, and she struggled to speak. Her voice coarse and low she said, "Everyone knows that you don’t have to have cancer to travel a difficult journey in life, so I want everyone tonight to take a minute to realize just how blessed you are because when I wake up in the morning I thank God that I am still here today."
After all the pain that cancer brought her she stood before the crowd and said, "I’m standing here today to tell you, I’m blessed."
For more information:
GW Cancer Institute: http://www.gwumc.edu/gwci/
Mobile Mammography Programs: http://www.gwdocs.com/MobileMammographyProgram.html
Phone (202) 741-3252
Camp Kesem: http://www.campkesem.org/
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