Seek Fall 2008 by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Agnes and Lee Bass inspired the idea for patient camp sites. Page 14

BREAST CANCER VACCINE

Another Step Closer to Reality

Separating Cancer Fact from Fiction

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Editor Susan Van Dusen Art Director Laurie Shell Managing Editor Liz Caldwell Writers Liz Caldwell, Nate Hinkel, Jon Parham, David Robinson, Susan Van Dusen Creative Director Keith Runkle Photographer Johnpaul Jones Production Manager Angi McDaniel Database Manager Kelly Pollnow Executive Director Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Peter D. Emanuel, M.D. Chancellor University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. Vice Chancellor of Communications & Marketing Pat Torvestad Associate Vice Chancellor of Communications & Marketing Leslie Taylor Seek is published quarterly for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute by the Office of Communications & Marketing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St. #890, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199; phone (501) 686-5686; Fax (501) 686-6020.

Thanks A Million! That was the headline in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporting on our 13th Annual Gala for Life, and it could not have been more fitting. The “thanks” part was to Drs. Kent Westbrook, Bart Barlogie and James Suen for their visionary leadership in the formative phases of the Cancer Institute. The “million” part referred to the fact that this Gala shattered the record books by every stretch of the imagination, raising more than $1 million, which was then matched dollar for dollar thanks to the gracious generosity of Gov. Mike Beebe and the state Legislature. Herren and Susan Hickingbotham were absolutely wonderful chairmen for the event, and the entertainment from the Commodores was fantastic. Truly, this Gala sets a new “gold standard” by which we will judge future fundraising events. This issue of Seek highlights Marge and Tom Schueck in an article titled “The Spirit of Giving.” Marge has logged more than 4,000 hours during her 12-year tenure as a volunteer! And her excitement has rubbed off on Tom as well. We are proud to say they are both major cheerleaders for us. Also in this issue you can read about the development of a breast cancer vaccine from one of our most exciting scientists, Dr. Tom KieberEmmons. As Tom puts it, this vaccine is “the culmination of my life’s work.” You also will learn in-depth about one of our busiest oncologists, Dr. Anne-Marie Maddox, and how her sister’s cancer led her to her chosen field. I write this as we are gearing down from an incredibly inspirational “topping out” ceremony for our new expansion tower. We thank Gov. Beebe and several legislators for their attendance. During the week prior to “flying” the last steel beam to its location atop our new 12-story tower, patients, families, staff and employees had an opportunity to sign the beam. Countless notable sentiments were inscribed, but perhaps the one that struck my heart the deepest stated, “Fight it with all the genius we have for as long as it takes.” The person who penned that statement can rest assured that that is exactly what we will do.

Peter D. Emanuel, M.D. Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

contents

FALL 2008

features The Breast Cancer Bluff

A Cancer Institute researcher prepares to open clinical trials for a breast cancer vaccine.

The Spirit of Giving Marge and Tom Schueck share a devotion to the Cancer Institute

Inspired Medicine Sisterly devotion led Anne-Marie Maddox, M.D., to a career in oncology.

Back to Nature

A partnership with the Corps of Engineers is making camp sites for long-term cancer patients a reality.

Rumor Has It Our experts separate cancer fact from fiction.

.in

every issue

Profile .............................................................. 6 A multiple myeloma diagnosis put Mona Morgan’s plans for a dream vacation on hold, at least temporarily.

Medicine Bag............................................... 8

Miracle Stars Shout About the Disease that Whispers Breast cancer research grants UAMS Family Home donation Blue Distinction

Expansion........................................................ 21 Building the new Cancer Institute tower poses some unique challenges.

Lee Bass Agnes and idea for the inspired sites. patient campPage 8

Cover photo by Johnpaul Jones

Spotlight.......................................................... 24 13th Annual Gala for Life Topping Out

“It was luck of the draw that I was fortunate enough to be born a Rockefeller. But with that comes the additional obligation, or I should say opportunity, to do some good.”

BREAST CANCER VACCINE

p Another Ste ality Re Closer to

Winthrop P. Rockefeller 1948-2006 Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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The Breast Can

Thomas Kieber-Emmons, Ph.D., has a few tricks up his sleeve. For one, the UAMS researcher has been trying to deceive the body into producing an immune response to breast cancer cells. And it’s working. By spring of 2009, he and fellow researcher Laura Hutchins, M.D., will be conducting Phase 1 of a clinical trial to test the safety of a breast cancer immunotherapy he and his team have developed. If all goes well, four months later he will begin Phase 2, a year-long clinical trial to prove to the world what he has been meticulously working toward for decades. “It’s exciting. This is the culmination of my life’s work,” said Kieber-Emmons, a professor of pathology in the UAMS College of Medicine. He holds the Josetta Edwards Wilkins Chair in Breast Cancer Research. Kieber-Emmons and Hutchins, director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, were

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awarded a $2.9 million federal grant in 2006 to study a new type of vaccine to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. The women — pioneers he calls them — will receive a vaccination once a week for three weeks. After a rest period, they will receive one

“I love the exquisite beauty of how the immune system decides when to fight disease.” more vaccination. Hutchins will administer the vaccine and monitor the patients. Results will be measured against historical control data. Kieber-Emmons’ research has been federally funded since 1992, and the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program is supporting the clinical trial. With this clinical translational award, he beat out 39 other applicants nationwide. Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

ncer Bluff

Deception is the key to developing a breast cancer vaccine. By Liz Caldwell

A breast cancer vaccine developed by Thomas KieberEmmons, Ph.D., uses a scientific “sleight of hand” to elicit a response.

But the story of this amazing discovery really began in 1977 when he was working on his doctorate in biophysics at Roswell Park Memorial Institute, part of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Then came postdoctoral training in molecular immunology at Roswell Park, where he stayed until 1986. About six years ago he was recruited to UAMS from the University of Pennsylvania.

Making it Work “I love the exquisite beauty of how the immune system decides when to fight disease,” he said. The surface of a cancer cell is covered with carbohydrates. If Kieber-Emmons could trigger an immune response to carbohydrates, it would destroy cancer cells. But there are several problems. Carbohydrates are very tough to work with and it is difficult to get the immune system to recognize carbohydrates on cancer cells. Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

This led Kieber-Emmons to deploy immune deception — he would mimic a carbohydrate with a peptide and hope the body would be fooled. A peptide is a chemical compound composed of a chain of two or more amino acids. Unlike carbohydrates, the immune system can process peptides efficiently. The body would create an immune response to the peptide that cross-reacts with the carbohydrate on the tumor cell. “It’s not quite a bait and switch, but you’re trying to elicit a set of responses you just don’t see with carbohydrates.” And that’s what he got — a first-of-itskind carbohydrate-targeting vaccine shown to stimulate the killing of tumor cells. “The true test will come during the clinical trial, but we believe our little deception has worked to the advantage of breast cancer patients everywhere,” he said. seek

ickets were bought, reservations T were made, an itinerary was planned and all that was left to do was say, “adios, America” and “hola, Spain and Portugal.” There was just that fateful routine check-up with her physician in Shreveport, La., that was left to fit in before Mona Morgan and her husband, Eddie, jetted off to Europe for the vacation of a lifetime.

Unexpected Change of Plans

A multiple myeloma diagnosis substitutes Little Rock for Europe on Mona Morgan’s itinerary.

By Nate Hinkel

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

profile “I thought we had planned for everything, but wouldn’t you know it …,” Morgan said as the words trailed off. “Everyone always says it’s the last thing you expect to hear, but it was especially hard to take in such short notice before our big trip.”

“It’s the last thing you expect to hear.” Abnormally high protein levels, a common symptom, that were detected that day ultimately led to a multiple myeloma diagnosis that put the brakes on the Morgan family’s European vacation. Instead it created a home away from home in Little Rock for treatment at the UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy. Though there’s no mistaking central

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Arkansas for the majestic backdrop of Spain and Portugal, Morgan says the unexpected detour has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. “We were no different than the thousands of other patients from around the world who were surprised to learn that Dr. Barlogie’s office at UAMS was the place to be if you were diagnosed with multiple myeloma,” she said. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the quality of care we’ve gotten and the hospitality we’ve received.” Morgan refers to Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Myeloma Institute who founded the program in 1989 and has seen more than 8,000 patients from every state and more than 40 foreign countries. She also credits the institute’s Bonnie Jenkins, R.N., for her expertise in handling the various situations that have arisen during her treatment. “Our experience at UAMS has been excellent, and we can’t say enough positive things about the treatment we’ve received and the time we’ve spent in Little Rock.” As for that trip to Spain and Portugal, Morgan says she’s determined to fight through the disease and reschedule. “It’ll be even better after all this,” she said.

Passing on the Gift W hile at UAMS for treatment, Mona Morgan visits the Cancer Institute Auxiliary Gift Shop to escape the often challenging days she has as a cancer patient. “It’s such a unique gift shop. It puts a smile on my face just being there,” Morgan said.

During her

frequent visits, she befriended Vickie Gill, manager at the gift shop, and it wasn’t long before a third mutual party entered the picture. W hile at a routine market trip to Dallas to scout new products for the shop, Gill met Niven Morgan, who was there promoting his line of bath, body and home aromas. He asked if Gill knew his Aunt Mona, and the rest is history. “ Niven’s products are some of our top sellers,” Gill said. “It’s a small world, but that’s a good thing when you meet good people like the Morgan family.”

Etc.

Finding a group of Louisiana State Tigers fans in the Little Rock area has made missing their favorite team’s football games a little easier for the Morgans.

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MedicineBag C AN C E R

INS T I T U T E

N E WS

Support Network

Breast Cancer Research

Cancer Institute researchers

Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., and Jerry Ware, Ph.D., were each awarded breast cancer research grants from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kelly’s Synergistic Idea Award

recognized his research project focusing Each September, women from across the state gather at the Cancer Institute for “Shout About the Disease that

Whispers,” a retreat honoring ovarian cancer survivors and their support people.

This year’s retreat welcomed about 60

on the role of fibroblast activation proteinalpha (FAP) in breast cancer metastasis. Metastasis refers to the transference of cancerous cells from their original site to another location in the body. Out of 134 proposals submitted, Kelly’s project was one of only 14

participants for sessions titled “Recurrent

selected for funding. The award includes

Ovarian Cancer” by Pamela J.B.

a two-year grant of $361,203 and is a

Stone, M.D., assistant professor in the

collaborative effort between Kelly’s group

UAMS Division of Gynecologic Oncology,

at the Cancer Institute and a research

and “Journaling for Health” by Paulette

group at the University of Oklahoma

Mehta, M.D., professor in the UAMS

Health Science Center in Oklahoma City.

Department of Hematology/Oncology.

three-year $425,960 grant and focuses

Breakout sessions included relaxation

Ware’s Idea Award includes a

techniques, therapeutic oncology massage

on the role of blood platelets in promoting

and a discussion of hereditary breast

cancer metastasis. Of 767 proposals

and ovarian cancer.

submitted for Idea Awards, Ware’s was one of only 69 to receive funding.

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

Blue Distinction UAMS has been named Arkansas’ only Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. All cancer-related research and treatment at UAMS are conducted by the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. UAMS was recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for six types of cancer: bladder cancer, brain cancer – primary, gastric cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and acute leukemia (inpatient, non-surgical). To receive the designation, UAMS met several criteria, including the treatment of a large number of patients with rare cancers, use of subspecialty trained health care teams, ongoing quality management and improvement programs,

Help for Families

A $10,000 donation from Moose Lodge No. 942

of North Little Rock is benefiting cancer patients and their families. The donation was presented to the UAMS Family Home, a nonprofit facility that provides affordable lodging in a home-like setting for cancer

and participation in research studies.

Believe in

Miracles

UAMS Family Home, visit

In the summer of 1992, a patient at the Cancer Institute began distributing star-shaped buttons that read, “I believe in miracles.” Later that year, the Miracle Star Project was born. Each holiday season, trees decorated with Miracle Stars are placed in the waiting rooms at the Cancer Institute. Stars may be purchased starting Nov. 17 for $2.50 in honor or in memory of a loved one, or simply as a special holiday greeting. Proceeds benefit the Cancer Institute Patient Support Fund. The Cancer Institute Volunteer Services and Auxiliary sponsor this annual project. For

http://guesthouse.uams.edu.

information, call (501) 686-8286.

patients and parents of premature infants being cared for at UAMS Medical Center.

commitment to using clinical data registries

Representatives of the Moose Lodge presented

the check to UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., and Robin Dean, coordinator of the Cancer Institute Auxiliary’s Cancer Support Center, which is located at the Family Home. For information about the

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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Marge and Tom Schueck Devote Their Time and Resources to UAMS.

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Looking Beyond Cancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Limits

The Spirit of Giving

For the last 12 years, customers at the Cancer Institute Auxiliary’s gift shop have discovered a treasure that probably wasn’t on their list: volunteer Marge Schueck. In 1996, Schueck’s son had just finished his first battle with testicular cancer when a friend asked if she would like to volunteer at the Cancer Institute. “They needed help in the new gift shop, and I thought, ‘Well, I think I can do this,’” Schueck said. “So I did, and I have really enjoyed it.” To her longtime friends and fellow volunteers at the Cancer Institute, Schueck is a stalwart of one of the largest volunteer teams in central Arkansas. For needs as varied as cleaning the gift shop’s shelves to hosting luncheons at her home, Schueck approaches them all with equal zeal. “We know we can always count on her enthusiasm and thoughtful suggestions,” said Janie Lowe, who directs all Cancer Institute volunteer activities. “She’s a real jewel in our crown.” The busy pace in the gift shop suits Schueck, and when she talks to the patients’ families and friends, she can empathize, having watched her son, Patrick, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

By David Robinson

fight his cancer. An abundance of downtime for families and patients means they often wander into the gift shop to pass the time — plenty of opportunity for Schueck to visit with them and make them feel welcome.

“The whole atmosphere of the Cancer Institute really energizes me.” “I leave there most days feeling encouraged and optimistic because the people have such a positive attitude,” she said. “The whole atmosphere of the Cancer Institute really energizes me.” Schueck has accumulated about 4,000 volunteer hours at the Cancer Institute and also serves on the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging Community Advisory Board. She serves on the Cancer Institute’s Foundation Fund Board and is a member of its auxiliary, of which she was president in 2002-2003. Tom Schueck, chairman and CEO of Lexicon Inc., credits Marge with getting him involved at UAMS in more recent years. Tom, a member of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board, and Marge recently contributed about $725,000 to support the hospital addition and about $275,000, which

was matched dollar for dollar by the state of Arkansas, to support construction of the Cancer Institute addition. Their gifts will support a new office suite for the Cancer Institute Auxiliary and finish part of the eighth floor of the hospital, which opens in January 2009. These gifts are in addition to their more than $225,000 in previous donations. “I just can’t wait,” Marge said as she discussed the numerous patient-focused improvements at the Cancer Institute addition set to open in 2010. “It’s overcrowded now, and the new facility is going to be so much more comfortable and convenient for our patients. Technology is going to play a big role in making it easier for our patients.” Tom said he also believes the expansion is vital to the cancer health care needs of Arkansans. “Anything we can do to grow that part of UAMS can only help.”

Etc.

Marge Schueck was the Cancer Institute Volunteer of the Year in 2003.

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As a child, Anne-Marie Maddox, M.D., wanted to be either a doctor or a teacher. Today the UAMS professor of internal medicine gets to be both. Even as young as 11, Maddox had an inkling that she might someday be a doctor. “I think it was because I like to look after people,” said Maddox, a soft-spoken native of Canada.

leukemia and lymphoma. Part of her advanced study was at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston, before accepting a faculty appointment at the University of Texas at Houston. She was on the University of Texas faculty for 12 years and worked with Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D., the world-renowned multiple myeloma physician and researcher who came to UAMS from

Inspired Medicine

Watching her sister survive lymphoma helped shape Anne-Marie Maddox’s oncology career.

By David Robinson

After receiving her undergraduate degree, she taught high school biology, history and political science for a year. She enjoyed it but decided to pursue a medical degree. Her choice of a specialty after medical school became clear after her sister, Grace, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1975. Grace is alive today, Maddox believes, because of her early treatment guided by the late Vera Peters, M.D., a widely distinguished pioneer in radiation oncology and one of the foremost experts in the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and breast cancer. Peters was at Princess Margaret Cancer Hospital in Toronto at the same time Maddox was serving an internal medicine internship. Maddox’s concern for her sister, her medical curiosity, and Peters’ innovative care all led Maddox to medical oncology. “Things just came together. As I saw my sister doing well, I became more and more interested in oncology,” Maddox said. “In the mid 1970s, I was seeing people die of Hodgkin’s disease because many patients at that time got their chemotherapy much later in their course of treatment than my sister.” By 1980, Maddox had completed the extra years of study and clinical work necessary to become an expert in hematology and oncology, with a special interest in the treatment of

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M.D. Anderson in 1989. Her career has been marked by teaching awards and selection to the Best Doctors in Arkansas list. Maddox is director of research in the UAMS Division of Hematology/Oncology and works closely with doctors pursuing fellowships in hematology/oncology. Much of her work also involves providing chemotherapy for head and neck cancer patients seen by UAMS surgeons James Y. Suen, M.D., and Brendan C. Stack Jr., M.D. Maddox these days is excited about the future of her primary clinical interests at UAMS — leukemia and lymphoma — whose programs are growing in conjunction with the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s 12-floor building addition. In the years to come, UAMS will develop more comprehensive leukemia and lymphoma programs under the direction of Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., who also is a leukemia specialist. Eventually, like UAMS’ worldleading multiple myeloma program, leukemia and lymphoma will incorporate groundbreaking research, including more clinical trials, into its treatment program. “The promise of a more integrated leukemialymphoma program is very exciting,” Maddox said. “It’s something that Arkansas can look forward to having.” Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

Etc.

When sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not caring for patients, Maddox enjoys traveling overseas; China and Antarctica are next on her list. Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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Back to

Nature F By Susan Van Dusen

New camp sites offer long-term cancer patients a comfortable home away from home.

For many people, camping is the perfect way to relax and escape. With Arkansas’ rolling hills, rivers and lakes, it’s easy to see why campers flock to the area, if only for a day or two, before returning to the reality of their daily routine. However, for a few people, camping is hardly a vacation. Instead, it’s a place to call home while they undergo live-saving treatment for cancer.

An Idea is Born Lee Bass has known for several years that cancer patients regularly camp at central Arkansas’ Maumelle Park. In his post at the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Bass heard stories of campers who would arrive at the park, begin cancer treatment and then be required to move when the park’s two-week camping time limit was reached. At home, Bass — whose wife, Agnes, works at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer u What started as a discussion between Agnes and Lee Bass has developed into camp sites designated for long-term cancer patients.

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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“My job was just to put the hearts together.”

The Basses hope that more community groups will get involved with the camp sites.

Institute — would hear stories of the housing concerns that out-of-town patients face when they must set up a residence in Little Rock during lengthy cancer treatment. Then, one day, the idea clicked. “I knew we had patients staying at Maumelle Park, but I didn’t know where they were being treated,” said Lee, who is chief of operations with the Corps’ Little Rock District. “It made sense when Agnes started talking about how people come from out of town and have to stay for six weeks or more that some of them were probably UAMS cancer patients.” Because Maumelle Park, which is located about eight miles west of Little Rock, is a public facility operated by the

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Corps, federal requirements state that visitors can only reserve a camp site for a maximum of two weeks at a time. Lee and the park rangers have worked within the existing system to allow patients the maximum amount of time possible, but even that has usually not been enough. “If the campground starts to fill up, we have to ask them to move, even if they are in the middle of their treatment,” Lee said. Accommodations can usually be found at another Corps campground nearby in North Little Rock, but for people experiencing cancer, even that short of a move is challenging. “We have rangers who have gone out on the weekend and helped people who don’t feel like they had the strength to pack up their RV to move,” Lee said. “The

rangers also have been known to help people set up their camp — which is really their home — because they know they are going to be there a while.” Knowing that he might be in a position to help, Lee had Agnes put him in touch with advocates at the Cancer Institute familiar with the housing challenges of long-term patients. After the patient advocates confirmed that they indeed knew of people using Maumelle Park, Lee and his staff set out to document the need to establish unlimited-stay camp sites designated for patient use. An informal survey during the next nine months revealed that 81 campers freely identified themselves as UAMS cancer patients. “Due to privacy issues, we didn’t ask outright if people

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

were in town to receive medical treatment. However, when we asked if they were here for business or pleasure, many of them shared that they were here receiving treatment at the Cancer Institute.”

Putting it Together With the need firmly established, work began securing funds for the new patient-designated camp sites. A $10,000 grant from the U.S. Corps of Engineers kicked it off, followed by a commitment of $90,000 divided evenly between the Cancer Institute, the UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, and the UAMS Medical Center. Pledges of $10,000 from both the Cancer Institute Auxiliary and the UAMS Medical Center Auxiliary are included in the total amount. The Corps’ Little Rock District is donating money, labor and design work. As assistant director of volunteer services at the Cancer Institute, Agnes is especially proud that the Cancer Institute Auxiliary has embraced the project, calling it an extension of their original dream. “The idea for this campground really started in 1989 with the forming of the auxiliary,” she said. “The members of the auxiliary have always wanted a special place for our patients to stay. Cancer is hard enough. They should have someplace nice to go at the end of the day.” The UAMS Family Home, a nonprofit facility located across the street from the campus, provides one such place for both cancer patients and parents of

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

infants in the UAMS neonatal intensive care unit to stay. However, due to limited space, the Family Home can’t always accommodate everyone in need. The camp sites will provide another low-cost alternative for patients with access to a recreational vehicle. “There is definitely an RV population among our patients,” said Sonja Thornes-McCohn, customer service and intake office manager at the UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy. Myeloma is a cancer that affects the blood’s plasma cells. “We want them to have a comfortable place where they can stay for the duration of their treatment. Using their RV lets them be in their own environment, which can help decrease anxiety and disruption in their daily lives,” ThornesMcCohn said. UAMS myeloma patients require daily outpatient treatment for several weeks. She plans to tell patients about the camp site option during her twice-weekly patient orientation sessions, as well as including it in the new patient information packet. A referral system will be established to ensure equal access to the sites, which will require a minimal nightly fee.

Looking Ahead Lee and Agnes see the camp sites as the start of a valuable partnership between the Cancer

Institute and the Corps of Engineers, but it doesn’t have to stop there. With a goal of opening up to 10 sites, Lee wants to encourage the community to jump on board by adding amenities such as trails, gazebos and gardens. “People come here to try to rebuild their lives. This is the start of a vision, but the dream would be for the rest of the community to pitch in and make this the best possible place for these campers,” Lee said. He added that while it may have taken a conversation with his wife to get things rolling, many others have embraced the idea as well. “The people who work at the Cancer Institute and at the Corps both have the heart for making this happen. My job was just to put the hearts together.”

Etc.

Corps of Engineers staff members from across the country have contacted Lee Bass about how to set up their own campgrounds for cancer patients. seek

When it comes to cancer, don’t believe everything you hear.

You know how rumors get

Like the story

you heard about a neighbor’s sister’s boyfriend who read

about the kid who died from the explosive effects of mixing Pop Rocks candy with a carbonated soft drink. There are many medical-related stories that get passed by word of mouth or e-mail.

Some have a basis in fact or are the actual truth. Some are complete fiction or exaggerated by countless retellings. We talked to some UAMS medical experts to get to the bottom of four cancer-related contentions.

By Jon Parham

Rumor Has It

started.

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

CLAIM: Breast cancer can only be inherited from the mother’s side of the family.

CLAIM: Grilled meats can cause cancer due to harmful chemicals created during the grilling process.

STATUS: FALSE

STATUS: TRUE

Cancer geneticist Kent McKelvey, M.D., called this claim “absolutely false,” pointing to the genetic sources of breast cancer. “The genes that we test for in the clinic that predispose a person to breast and other cancers, are carried on autosomes — these are chromosomes that are inherited through males and females as opposed to the sex chromosomes,” he said. “Because of this, breast cancer can be inherited from either the mother’s or the father’s side of the family.” It is a common misconception, he said, perhaps driven by the fact breast cancer is more common in women than men. McKelvey clarifies it this way: Because men don’t have ovaries and don’t have the same amount of estrogen and breast tissue as women, they are less likely to get breast cancer. But men may indeed get breast cancer, he said, or may pass on that risk to their children. So if your father’s female relatives have experienced breast cancer, you are at an increased risk of inheriting the disease; and any family that has a male with breast cancer is at dramatically increased risk of inherited breast cancer and should consider a genetics consultation.

Cancer surgeon Nicholas Lang, M.D., points to chemicals known as heterocyclic amines that are created when meat is grilled or pan fried. People who are high consumers of grilled meat, especially if it’s well done or burned, run a higher risk of developing colon cancer, Lang said, than those who eat meat that is cooked rare or medium. He said that research into the amount of cancer risk and whether the risk is cumulative over the years is still active and not definitive. He traced the source of this claim back to a Japanese cancer researcher who noticed his eyes would burn or sting when he was exposed to smoke from his wife cooking meat on a hibachi grill. Grilled fish or vegetables produce no or very low levels of heterocyclic amines because their exposure to high temperature is much shorter, noted Lang, who also is chief medical officer of UAMS Medical Center. He recommends limiting grilled meat consumption, and avoiding the burnt parts. Marinating and precooking meats in a microwave before grilling also helps reduce exposure. u

CLAIM: Exposure to microwave ovens causes cancer.

CLAIM: Underarm antiperspirants cause breast cancer.

STATUS: FALSE

In the early days of microwave ovens, many were told not to stand nearby while they were operating because of the supposed cancer-causing microwave radiation. Cancer occurs when DNA, our genetic building block, is damaged, Lang said. “Microwaves do not damage DNA, they heat water, and there is no evidence that microwaves have any specific effect on food composition other than heating it.” Microwaves cause vibration of water molecules, which produce heat. That’s how food cooks in a microwave oven, Lang said. “Like most rumors, the threat is either made up or spread by people who don’t understand the operating mechanism behind it,” he said. Microwave ovens are one source of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) because they transmit or use electric power. The National Cancer Institute points to numerous studies into other sources of EMFs and the risk of cancer. “Most findings have been inconclusive,” Lang said. To limit exposures to EMFs, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences recommends precautions such as discouraging children from playing near power lines.

The American Cancer Society points to persistent e-mail rumors that: “Underarm shaving allows cancer-causing substances in antiperspirants to be absorbed through razor nicks. These substances are said to keep lymph nodes under the arm from removing cancercausing toxins before they get to the breasts.” The rumors add that most breast cancers develop in the upper quadrant of the breast because that area is closest to the lymph nodes exposed to antiperspirants. “I have never heard it discussed as a plausible risk factor,” said Fred Kadlubar, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Epidemiology in the UAMS Boozman College of Public Health, who added that he has seen such claims about deodorants in the past. “Back in 1999, both the American Cancer Society and the federal Food and Drug Administration issued statements that there is no relation between antiperspirants and breast cancer. “There are a few scholarly articles implicating aluminum salts and preservatives in deodorants; however, large epidemiological studies indicate that there is no merit to this claim.” Kadlubar said breast cancer occurs mostly in the upper quadrant of the breast because that is where the most breast tissue is located.

Etc.

Find more cancer myth information at the National Cancer Institute’s Web site, www.cancer.gov/ newscenter/tip-sheetcancer-myths.

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Looking Beyond Beyond Cancer’s Cancer’s Limits Limits Looking

Building From the Ground Up

Not unlike construction in an urban area, builders of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute expansion faced a job site surrounded by existing structures on almost every side. The limited space was one of the challenges that impacted the construction process but not Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

By Jon Parham

Workers let no obstacle slow the Cancer Institute expansion’s progress.

the progress of the project. For the construction contractor, CDI Contractors, LLC of Little Rock — whose work includes the Clinton Presidential Center — overcoming any challenge was all in a day’s work. Their growing list of UAMS projects includes the ongoing hospital expansion

and Psychiatric Research Institute, along with the Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, which opened in 2003. “Working on the UAMS campus is especially rewarding because not only are these facilities used every day to provide top notch health care seek

for so many people, but the groundbreaking research that’s carried out in these buildings literally changes how health care is delivered throughout the world,” said William Clark, CDI chief executive officer. “It’s very satisfying knowing we’re part of something that will make such a big difference in so many people’s lives.”

Reaching the Top The 12-floor, 300,000square-foot Cancer Institute addition celebrated reaching its highest point in a September topping out ceremony and continues on schedule toward a 2010 opening. The location is near the center of the UAMS campus. On one side is the Cancer Institute’s existing Walker Tower, to which it will ultimately connect. On the other sides are: a parking deck that the expansion will build up against; the Magnetic 22

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Resonance Imaging facility; and a street, Dwyer Drive. When it was time to erect the building’s steel frame starting in May 2008, there was not enough space to store the more than 3,000 tons of

“It’s very satisfying knowing we’re part of something that will make such a big difference in so many people’s lives.” steel on site. There also was not enough space for a staging area to prepare the steel beams to be hoisted into place by the tower crane. A total of 3,784 steel pieces are now in place as the expansion’s skeleton. Keith Jacks of CDI said the limited space required more planning in the construction process.

“The steel beams were numbered and then loaded in sequence for delivery to the construction site at night from the staging area at Prospect Steel at the Port of Little Rock,” Jacks said. The beams were raised gently into place using a 263foot tall tower crane set up in the middle of the expansion. A team of workers bolted each steel beam while another followed to weld it tight. By the summer, the steel frame rose around the tower crane. When its work is complete, another crane will be set up to dismantle the first crane piece by piece, bringing it out through a hole in the center of the structure.

Construction Challenges Preparing the construction site involved relocating Dwyer Drive, which originally ran between the Cancer Institute building and the MRI facility. Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

Expansion Progresses Toward 2010 Grand Opening The Sept. 26 topping out ceremony celebrated the highest point of construction for the 12-floor Cancer Institute expansion.

It was moved to the other side Now that the project has reached as high as it of the MRI building as it leads to loading docks that serve the will go, work continues to fill in the middle. With the Cancer Institute and hospital. steel frame and the pouring of floors accomplished, But that was not all that had to be done to prepare utility workers will begin to wire the building and the site for construction. An install plumbing. Builders call it the utility “rough in” underground utility trench ran along Dwyer Drive, providing because it consists of the pipes and wires that will chilled water, steam and deliver service to the building but not the fixtures or telecommunications service to the existing Cancer Institute end points. building and the MRI facility. Curved-glass walls that will cover part of the Starting in January 2008 and finishing up by March, a exterior began being installed shortly after the new trench was dug that runs topping out. By the end of 2008, the building is under the Cancer Institute expansion to replace the old expected to be enclosed. trench. The 200-foot-long trench is about 20 feet deep. By the time summer became fall, the floors were being poured with 10,000 cubic yards of concrete. Just as with the steel delivery, the concrete slabs were poured at night, Jacks said. Clark puts any of the construction challenges into perspective. “One thing about the Cancer Institute expansion that still impresses me is that when the institute was founded, it took a huge leap of faith to build the original building,” Clark said. “Now, just 15 years after that building was completed, we’re The glass walls will be hung expanding the using the same hydraulic facility by more scaffolds used on the new than 125 percent.” UAMS hospital.

Etc.

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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Cancer Institute Expansion Topping Out Who: UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D.; Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D.; Hrand Duvalian, lead design architect; staff members and friends of the Cancer Institute What: The ceremony marked the high point of construction and included the hoisting of a ceremonial white beam to the top of the building’s 12-story frame, as well as placing an evergreen tree on top of the structure to symbolize growth and to bring luck. Staff and supporters were invited to sign the beam prior to the ceremony. When: Sept. 26, 2008 Where: Top floor of the UAMS Outpatient Center parking deck Why: The expansion is expected to open in

2010. It ultimately will bring all of UAMS’ cancer programs under one roof and double the institute’s capacity for research and treatment.

Lisenne Rockefeller and her son, Colin

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Hrand Duvalian of Cromwell Architects Engineers

Workers guide the ceremonial beam into place.

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

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Ginger Wilson and Carolyn Schaufele

University of Arkansas System President Alan Sugg, Ph.D.; Gov. Mike Beebe; and UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D.

James Y. Suen, M.D.; Jo Ellen Ford; and Peter Emanuel, M.D., watch as the beam is raised to the top of the construction.

Maureen Smith, R.N.; V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D.; and Herren Hickingbotham

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., signs the beam.

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13th Annual Gala for Life Who: About 920 Cancer Institute supporters, including co-chairmen Herren and Susan Hickingbotham What: Gala for Life is the Cancer Institute’s premier fundraising event. This year’s Gala shattered previous records by raising about $1.1 million in support of the institute’s 12-story expansion. All proceeds from the Gala will be matched by the state of Arkansas. When: Sept. 5, 2008 Herren, Hayden and Susan Hickingbotham

Where: Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center Why: Not just an opportunity to raise funds,

Gala for Life also provides a chance to recognize individuals for their dedicated service to the Cancer Institute. This year’s recipients of the Pat and Willard Walker Tribute were former Cancer Institute directors Kent Westbrook, M.D.; Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D.; and James Y. Suen, M.D.

Jonnie and Kent Westbrook, M.D.

Ginger and I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., with the Commodores

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Britta, Bart, Eva and Kathy Barlogie and Brenda Siemer Scheider

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

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Christy and William Clark

Jeff and Melanie Fox and Jo Ellen and Joe Ford

James Y. Suen, M.D.; Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D.; Kent Westbrook, M.D.; Herren Hickingbotham; and Pat Walker

Debbie and Johnnie Mike Walker with auctioneer Galen McGhee

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Karen, Brennan and James Y. Suen, M.D.

Jenny, Abby, Carla, Ben and Peter Emanuel, M.D., with the Commodores

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

WINTHROP P. ROCKEFELLER CANCER INSTITUTE

PAID

LITTLE ROCK, AR PERMIT NO. 1973

4301 W. Markham St., #623 Little Rock, AR 72205 Your donation in the enclosed envelope will be matched by the state of Arkansas and will help fund construction of the Cancer Institute expansion.

Health Notes:

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