Director's Message: Sept. 2, 2008

Members,

This Friday evening, nearly 50 Cancer Center members and staff will be at the Anschutz Cancer Pavilion from 6 to 8 pm to talk about the collaborative, translational cancer researcher underway in Colorado during the Stand Up to Cancer event.

We invite you and your family members to come to this free, public event.

The Stand Up to Cancer national broadcast event—which aims to raise $20 million for translational cancer research, to be given out through AACR—includes lots of Hollywood stars and musicians. It airs at 7 pm on Channel 4, 7 and 9 simultaneously. However, if you can’t come to our party and watch the event from home, you’ll catch a couple of live shots of the ACP if you watch Channel 4. Here is a list of who will be on hand:

• Breast Cancer: Anthony Elias, MD, Jennifer Richer, PhD, Ginger Borges, MD, Heide Ford, PhD, Pepper Schedin, PhD
• Companion Animal Cancer: Steve Withrow, DVM, Doug Thamm, DVM, Dan Gustafson, PhD
• Developmental Therapeutics: Natalie Serkova, PhD, Chuan Li, PhD, Colin Weekes, MD, PhD, and Ross Camidge, MD, PhD

• GYN Cancer: Kian Behbakht , MD , and Andy Bradford, PhD
• Lung Cancer: Bob Keith, MD, Raphael Nemenoff, PhD, Rob Winn, MD, Laurie Gaspar, MD, and Ross Camidge, MD, PhD
• Pediatric Cancer: Steve Hunger, MD, Lia Gore , MD , Arthur Liu, MD, PhD, and Doug Graham, MD, PhD
• Prostate Cancer: Scott Lucia, MD, Mike Glodé, MD, Adrie Van Bokhoven, PhD, Jim Lambert, PhD, Priya Werahera, PhD, Kathleen Torkko, PhD, Al Barqawi, MD
• Cancer Survivorship: Al Marcus, PhD, Andi Dwyer, Betsy Risendal, PhD, Kristin Kilbourn, PhD, Linda Overholzer, MD, and Kerry Moss, MD
• Thyroid Cancer: Bryan Haugen, MD, Rebecca Schweppe, PhD, Madeleine Kane, MD, PhD, Bev McLaughlin, RMA
• General Cancer Information:   Michael Papworth, CU Foundation, Lynn Gorham, PR/Communications Manager, Alison Jones, RN, ND, Cancer Resource Center
• Colorado Cancer Coalition and CDPHE, Sara Miller and colleagues

If you watch TV news this week, you’ll also see many of your fellow Cancer Center members being interviewed and working the phone banks. Keep a particular eye on Channel 7 on Friday, where Colin Weekes, MD, will be interviewed live about GI and pancreatic cancer at 11 am, and Kian Behbakht, MD, will be interviewed live about GYN and ovarian cancers at 4 pm. People from our survivorship programs will work the Call 7 for Help phone bank during those same broadcasts. We'll send you links to all of the stories that air (and get put online) next week.

This has been an all-hands-on-deck effort. About two dozen of you have been interviewed for TV news stories, and another 20 are participating in phone banks. About 10 staff members from the Cancer Center , UC Denver media relations, UCH marketing and the CU Foundation have worked hard to pull of the event.

In the end, all of this effort will be worthwhile to further cement public awareness of the Cancer Center and the important work our members do in Colorado. And hopefully, the national event will raise the $20 million they’re looking for. I know that a few of our members are submitting ideas for the Cancer Dream Team program, and I’m sure others will apply for grants when they become available later in the year.

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The HMO Cancer Research Network has a new publication that may be of interest: The HMO Cancer Research Network:  Capacity, Collaboration & Investigation. You can read a pdf here.

The publication describes the CRN’s research agenda, accomplishments, capacity, and future research potential. Secondly, it aims to serve as a “user’s guide” for potential collaborators.

In the 10 years since the CRN was initiated as a cooperative agreement, the network has provided a framework for leading and working with others to address some of the most perplexing cancer research challenges. The CRN has evolved to encompass research organizations affiliated with 14 large health care delivery systems covering nearly 11 million individuals, conducted dozens of joint research projects, and published over 100 peer-reviewed papers. It has become a national cancer research resource by increasing support for data standardization and dissemination that facilitates collaboration with researchers outside the network.

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Congratulations to Colin Weekes , MD, PhD, associate professor of Medical Oncology and associate member of the Cancer Center Developmental Therapeutics Program. He recently received an NCI Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. The two-year funding will provide salary support. Dr. Weekes is a pancreatic cancer expert.

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An item of interest in the news last week:

Cells Change in Identity Promising Breakthrough  (AP, Aug. 28, 2008)

Also, if you're wondering what's going on with the Cancer Letter, there will be a new issue on Friday. We will include a link to it in next week's Director's Newsletter.

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Finally, the 2nd Annual Colorado Cancer Day is Sat., Sept. 20. This informative day includes a track for patients running next to a track for primary care physicians and allied health professionals. This cancer update covers the basics of cancer treatment for breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer for both audiences, with the addition of new discussions about lymphoma, benign heme, melanoma and GYN cancers on the professional track. Both audiences will hear keynotes of a sort about cancer survivorship this year.

The course is available for up to 7 CME credits for professionals. Cost is $100 for physicians, $50 for allied health professionals and free for the public. Lunch is included. You can learn more and register online at www.uccc.info/ccd.

Thanks to Wells Messersmith, MD, for leading this effort this year.

Have a great week!

Paul A. Bunn, Jr., MD
James Dudley Chair in Cancer Research
Professor and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center