NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers: Why they matter
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota is designated by the National Cancer Institute as a comprehensive cancer center. The NCI awards this highest-level designation only to institutions that make ongoing, significant advances in cancer research, treatment, and education.

Putting ovarian cancer into remission
(Minnesota Medical Foundation)
With a clinical trial, Peter Argenta, M.D., and his colleagues at the University are finding better ways for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer to control their disease.

An altruistic attitude: Health-care professionals and patients partner up to advance medical knowledge through clinical research (Minnesota Medical Foundation)

A powerful look at prostate cancer
Masonic Cancer Center researcher Greg Metzger, Ph.D., is studying the use of high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the location, extent, and aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

Immunology discoveries spark medical advances in cancer prevention and treatment
In a beautifully complex and orchestrated manner, the cells and tissues that constitute the human immune system work together to fight infection and disease. At the Masonic Cancer Center, members of the Immunology Research Program are at the forefront of research to advance understanding of the basic biology of the immune system.

Translational research and pancreatic cancer—from bench to bedside and back again
Pancreatic cancer is tough to treat and nearly impossible to cure, according to Masonic Cancer Center researcher Selwyn Vickers, M.D., but important translational research—the kind designed to take breakthroughs in basic research and turn them into effective treatments available for use by physicians to treat patients—is taking place. Currently, a number of phase I and phase II clinical trials to treat pancreatic cancer are underway.

Beyond the Cure: New Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship Program
As more people live longer after their cancer diagnosis, it has become clear that they may face a host of other issues and illnesses because the toxic treatments needed to kill cancer can take a toll on normal cells and organs, too. These issues have given rise to a whole new area of medical study and specialization know as survivorship, which is the focus of the Masonic Cancer Center's new Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship Program, co-lead by Beth Virnig, Ph.D.

Cabbage, broccoli, green tea, and cancer prevention
Two new clinical trials planned by the Masonic Cancer Center will test the efficacy of naturally occurring substances in preventing two of the most common kinds of cancer—lung cancer and breast cancer. In one, Jian-Min Yuan, M.D., Ph.D., is researching the possibility that PEITC—a chemical found in abundance in watercress as well as in other cruciferous vegetables like bok-choy, Napa cabbage, and broccoli—can inhibit the action of NNK, a carcinogen found in tobacco smoke.

Closing the gap through research
Low participation of minority and underserved participants in clinical cancer research detrimentally increases cancer disparities. Kolawole Okuyemi, M.D., M.P.H., is focusing tobacco cessation research primarily among underserved populations in order to close that gap.

Invaluable resources facilitate all aspects of research
Advancing research in significant ways requires both cutting-edge technology and sophisticated instrumentation. However, the complexity and cost of these resources often prevent their inclusion within individual laboratories. To address such needs on a center-wide basis, the Masonic Cancer Center supports its investigators with 13 separate core facilities, referred to as shared resources.

Bridging the human-animal divide: We have a lot in common
Humans and dogs have been linked in a mutually beneficial relationship since the Stone Age, when man and dog first joined in the hunt. Dogs share our homes, food, and affection. As it turns out, they also share much of our genetic code and suffer from many of the same kinds of cancer. That's why the clinicians and scientists of the Animal Cancer Care and Research (ACCR) program are joining with dogs in another type of hunt—the search for a cure for cancer in both dogs and humans.

Vigilantly ever after (Medical Bulletin, Minnesota Medical Foundation)
As they help more children conquer cancer, University physicians are also identifying and managing the spectrum of health challenges these survivors tend to encounter as adults.

Growing Up After Cancer
This guide to minimizing the late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment includes articles about late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment, who's at risk, what University of Minnesota researchers today are doing to prevent and minimize late effects, and why long-term follow-up care is important. The series includes the stories of four childhood cancer survivors who share how late effects are affecting—and not affecting—their lives.

Dream team
The new Minnesota Pancreas and Liver Center brings together experts in gastroenterology, surgery, radiology, pathology, and oncology to diagnose and treat complex cancers and other diseases of the pancreas, liver, and biliary system.

Cause for paws
Jaime Modiano, V.M.D., Ph.D., joined the University in July 2007 as director of the Veterinary Medical Center's Animal Cancer Center and Alvin S. and June Perlman Endowed Chair in Animal Oncology. He studies naturally occurring cancer in dogs in hopes of improving cancer prevention, treatment, and cures for pets and people alike.

A conversation with Dr. Douglas Yee
An interview with Douglas Yee, M.D., who became director of the Masonic Cancer Center in March 2007.

Banking on DNA: Scientists pool genetic information for myeloma research
The University of Minnesota is one of two sites in the world for Bank on a Cure, an innovative endeavor to collect DNA from patients with multiple myeloma to advance research on the cancer and enhance treatment for patients.

Improving the odds
The Masonic Cancer Center's transplant biology and therapy researchers are exploring the spectrum of the stem cell transplantation process, from investigating new approaches to preparing patients for transplantation. Their goal: improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies by making more options available for treatment.

Can a treatment for leukemia and lymphoma work for breast cancer?
Sarah Cooley, M.D., represents the newest generation of researchers making discoveries at the Masonic Cancer Center. In her research, she is taking an innovative approach to treating breast cancer by applying a cell-based therapy that has previously been used primarily in patients with hematological malignancies.

New center will move laboratory findings into clinical testing faster
The University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center has created the Center for Translational Medicine to help investigators get innovative therapies that are identified through basic research into clinical trials more quickly.

Exploring the role of lifestyle choices in cutting cancer risk
What changes to your lifestyle could help reduce your cancer risk? According to the National Cancer Institute, lifestyle choices, including poor diet, excess exposure to sunlight, and cigarette smoking, are environmental factors that can increase cancer risk. In the Masonic Cancer Center's Population Sciences research programs, the role of "healthy lifestyle" choices—including diet and exercise—in cancer prevention is being intensely studied through collaborative research work.

Researchers' perspectives on nutrition and cancer
Lists of "top ten foods to fight cancer" often featured in publications and on Web sites are a bit premature, according to Cancer Center researchers. Beyond advocating for increased consumption of fruits and vegetables in the Western diet, researchers are not at the point of recommending specific foods that the public should be consuming for cancer prevention.

New Chemoprevention Consortium launched
A new venture is uniting cancer researchers from four Minnesota institutions to tackle chemoprevention strategies.

Breakthrough research for breast cancer
University of Minnesota cancer researchers have gained international recognition for their work on figuring out how to meld two sophisticated technologies—magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRI/MRS)—to achieve more accurate diagnoses and better treatment for breast cancer. Their research over the past eight years has culminated in a recently opened national clinical trial involving women with breast cancer.

Mouse Work
The cover story of the Summer 2007 issue of Invention & Technology Magazine quotes Cancer Center researcher David Largaespada, Ph.D., about the importance of mouse studies in understanding human disease. The article, titled "Mouse Work: How a small animal made it big in research," traces the mouse's interesting journey from being bred extensively by Victorian mouse 'fanciers' to its use in laboratories today. Read the article on the AmericanHeritage.com Web site.

Screening does save lives
As a surgeon, David Rothenberger, M.D., speaks plainly about colorectal cancer and staunchly advocates screening to prevent unnecessary deaths from the disease. As a researcher, he is working with other members of the Masonic Cancer Center to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat colorectal cancer.

Nationally recognized expert increases emphasis on pancreatic cancer research
Selwyn Vickers, M.D., is one of the newest members of the Masonic Cancer Center. He's also one of a handful of experts on pancreatic cancer in the country.

Training the next generation of researchers
Part of the mission of the Masonic Cancer Center is to train future cancer researchers. Cancer Center faculty mentor graduate students and postdoctoral associates who work on research projects in their laboratories. Among these trainees are Lisa Jasperson and Jeannette Zinggeler, who decided to obtain both an M.D. and a Ph.D. degree.

Meeting of the minds
The sarcoma program at the Masonic Cancer Center is a collaboration of physicians, researchers, and their patients. Physican-researcher Denis Clohisy says, "As we gain real-life understanding of what's really happening to patients, we ask 'What improved approaches can we develop to better understand what causes the problem and stop it?'"

Blocking bone cancer pain at the source
Masonic Cancer Center member Patrick Mantyh, Ph.D., believes he has found a better approach to treating bone cancer pain, which can be especially intense and difficult to treat because it goes to so many areas of the body.

Cancer Center is a national leader in childhood cancer survivor research
In the United States today, about 270,000 people are survivors of childhood cancer. Researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center have been leaders in investigating the longterm health effects of their cancer treatment as children.

Researchers, donors collaborate to improve treatment
At the Masonic Cancer Center, researchers work together to bring research from the laboratory into clinical care for patients. An example is Linda Burns, M.D., a hematologist-oncologist, who is conducting promising clinical trials with a drug developed by her colleagues.

Researchers develop long-awaited mouse model for infant leukemia
John Kersey, M.D., a physician and researcher specializing in childhood cancers and the director of the Masonic Cancer Center, led the laboratory research team that produced the first genetically engineered mouse with the MLL-AF4 fusion gene. The abnormally formed gene is considered the predominant source of infant ALL. "This mouse model will be used as the vehicle for further research to better understand ALL and develop new treatments for it," Kersey says.

University, Israel medical exchange program in gynecologic cancer treatment, research provides enriching educational experiences
Gynecologic oncology physicians and nurses with the University of Minnesota, its Cancer Center, and Poriya Government Hospital in Israel have built a dynamic exchange program of medical and nursing education, mentorship, and outreach that enriches everyone involved.

Cancer: Meeting the challenge on many fronts
The cover article in the Fall 2006 issue of the Academic Health Center's Pictures of Health describes how multidisciplinary research efforts at the Masonic Cancer Center are producing impressive advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. Members featured in the article include Patrick Bolan, Ph.D.; Tim Church, Ph.D.; Levi Downs, M.D.; Michael Garwood, Ph.D.; David Largaespada, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Miller, M.D.; and Mimi Yu, Ph.D. Read the Pictures of Health article on the Academic Health Center Web site .

Clinical trial finds surgery followed by IV/IP therapy greatly improves survival for advanced ovarian cancer
Women with advanced ovarian cancer and physicians who treat them received important news in 2006. The National Cancer Institute, the Gynecologic Oncology Group, and five other medical societies and women's advocacy groups jointly recommended IV/IP therapy following surgical treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. Cancer Center member Linda Carson, M.D., was the principal investigator at the University of Minnesota for the national IV/IP therapy clinical trial.

Translating scientific discoveries into medical treatments
Skin and kidney cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials at the University of Minnesota fight recurrences of their cancers with material from their own tumor cells. "We're manipulating natural processes to activate killer cells and direct them toward the cancer," says Matthew Mescher, Ph.D., director of the U's Center for Immunology. And ultimately, he'd like to direct the power of these killer cells beyond individuals to target populations of patients.

Pioneering treatment for leukemia
Developing new and improving existing drug therapies to enhance the care of people with cancer is one of the primary goals of the Masonic Cancer Center. To be successful, this effort requires collaboration between laboratory scientists and clinical physician-researchers.

Thank you, Dr. Kersey
After 15 years as the founding director of the Masonic Cancer Center, John Kersey, M.D., is stepping down to return full time to another passion: laboratory research on childhood leukemia and lymphoma. For many people, Dr. Kersey and the Masonic Cancer Center are synonymous; the center is a reflection of him and his personality.

Research inroads against melanoma
Peter Lee, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Minnestoa Cancer Center are able to perform a unique variation of Mohs micrographic surgery to remove cancer that has not penetrated deeply in cosmetically sensitive areas. Arek Dudek, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues conducted trials of the Large Multivalent Immunogen (LMI) vaccine, and plans to continue trials in order to make the treatment a viable option for all of those suffering from inoperable melenoma.

Waking Sleeping Beauty genes
Researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute have discovered a new method that could accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found and could lead to a more accurate identification of the genes.

Work that is filled with promise
For more than 15 years, hematology oncologist Jeffrey Miller, M.D., has been investigating the ability of natural killer (NK) cells to fight cancer. Beginning with basic research to better understand how natural killer cells defend the body against infection and some cancers, Miller and his team recently hit on a potential new therapy for acute myelogenous leukemia, a highly fatal form of leukemia.

Tobacco researchers find cancer-causing chemicals in urine of infants; lead national clinical trials on nicotine vaccine
Through clinical trials, education and advocacy, researchers with the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center focus on smoking prevention and cessation strategies, harm-reduction for smokers unwilling or unable to quit, and investigating the impact of secondhand smoke exposure.

Smoking out a killer: University researchers are demystifying tobacco's role in causing cancer
From the Fall 2005 Medical Bulletin, published by the Minnesota Medical Foundation.