CANCER CENTER NEWS
Eliezer Van Allen , MD , responds to a question from the audience as Alexander “ Scanner ” Cheung , MBHL , stands by .
2019 Quest for a Cure event focuses on genetics and cancer
At the 9th Annual Quest for a Cure : Progress in Cancer Research public education event on September 28 , an audience of over 100 learned about research being conducted in genetics and cancer . Researchers from the UH Cancer Center , Herbert Yu , MD , PhD , Haining Yang , MD , PhD , and Jessica Rhee , MD , MS , spoke about the relationship between genes and cancers of the liver and breast and the BAP1 gene ’ s predisposition for causing cancers including malignant mesothelioma .
Visiting scientists Eliezer Van Allen , MD , and Alexander “ Scanner ” Cheung , MBHL , from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard , introduced the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project and other DNA-related cancer research studies being conducted by The Broad Institute ’ s patientpartnered and – empowered non-profit research organization Count Me In . Both emphasized the need for participation by patients of diverse ethnicities in genetic studies to expand global understanding of how genetic differences are related to cancer causation and patients ’ responses to prescribed treatments .
Patients who consent to participate in these studies submit their medical information , personal experiences , and tumor and saliva samples for genetic analysis . This information is rapidly processed , de-identified and made available to researchers around the world .
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THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE ( NCI ) AWARDED AN $ 8 MILLION SIX-YEAR GRANT TO CONTINUE THE NCI COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM ( NCORP ) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI ‘ I CANCER CENTER , DESIGNED TO PROVIDE THE BEST CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS TO AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION OF HAWAI ‘ I ’ S MINORITY , RURAL AND UNDERSERVED PATIENT POPULATIONS .
“ The UH Cancer Center , by providing these cancer clinical trials and cancer patient care for both adults and children , gives Hawai ‘ i residents the opportunity for the most effective treatments without having to leave the islands ,” said Jeffrey Berenberg , MD , NCORP study principal investigator .
The UH Cancer Center is one of only 14 designated NCORP Minority / Underserved Community Sites among the 46 NCORP granted sites , where the patient population is comprised of at least 30 percent racial / ethnic minorities or rural residents . The Cancer Center has been a member of this program since 1994 .
“ An NCORP Minority / Underserved Community Site designation helps the UH Cancer Center increase cancer clinical trial accruals of underrepresented populations in Hawai ‘ i ,” said Jared Acoba , MD , NCORP study principal investigator . “ Native Hawaiians , Pacific Islanders and Asians represent a small fraction of patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials nationwide . It is critical to enhance access to the highest level of quality cancer care to these patients .”