Uschi Keszler's Pennies-in-Action Cancer Research Fund

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Uschi Keszler's Pennies in Action Cancer Research Fund, [1] holding a full 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation status, exists to support research for breast cancer curative programs, including preventative vaccines and other biological therapies [2] that do not damage the immune system.

Contents

History

This philanthropic organization was founded in 2008 by Olympic figure skater, coach, inventor of the ice-skating term hydroblading , and choreographer Uschi Keszler who is herself a breast cancer survivor. The Pennies in Action fund recognizes, along with many experts, that vaccines, rather than chemotherapy remain the most advantageous avenue for dealing with cancer. [3] It has consequently targeted as its initial project the breast cancer vaccine research of surgeon and researcher in endocrinology and oncology Brian Czerniecki, M.D., Ph.D. on the staff of the Abramson Cancer Center of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Czerniecki has had success in clinical trials [4] and a history of gaining patents on inventions that increase antigens against cancer. [5]

Research

Czerniecki’s extensive research, [6] supported in part by American Cancer Society and National Institute of Health grants, has already shown the safety and efficacy of delivering mature, peptide-pulsed dendritic cell vaccines in a variety of ways. [7] His research also has discovered alternate sentinel lymph node mapping possibilities [8] and opportunities to avoid axillary dissection. [9] He has discovered that immunohistochemical analysis improves the sensitivity of this procedure. [10] Currently the Rena Rowan Breast Center of the Abramson Cancer Center is seeking eligible patients [11] to continue clinical trials of Czerneicki’s alternative approach which focuses on the body's immune system and uses the patient’s own cells to develop a vaccine that will attack the cancer cells to prevent the development of invasive breast cancer. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metastasis</span> Spread of a disease inside a body

Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, are metastases (mets). It is generally distinguished from cancer invasion, which is the direct extension and penetration by cancer cells into neighboring tissues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anal cancer</span> Medical condition

Anal cancer is a cancer which arises from the anus, the distal opening of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include bleeding from the anus or a lump near the anus. Other symptoms may include pain, itchiness, or discharge from the anus. A change in bowel movements may also occur.

In medicine, Breslow's depth was used as a prognostic factor in melanoma of the skin. It is a description of how deeply tumor cells have invaded. Currently, the standard Breslow's depth has been replaced by the AJCC depth, in the AJCC staging system of melanoma. Originally, Breslow's depth was divided into 5 stages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanoma</span> Cancer originating in melanocytes

Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye. In women, they most commonly occur on the legs, while in men, they most commonly occur on the back. About 25% of melanomas develop from moles. Changes in a mole that can indicate melanoma include an increase in size, irregular edges, change in color, itchiness, or skin breakdown.

A cancer vaccine is a vaccine that either treats existing cancer or prevents development of cancer. Vaccines that treat existing cancer are known as therapeutic cancer vaccines or tumor antigen vaccines. Some of the vaccines are "autologous", being prepared from samples taken from the patient, and are specific to that patient.

This is a list of terms related to oncology. The original source for this list was the US National Cancer Institute's public domain Dictionary of Cancer Terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lymphadenectomy</span> Medical procedure

Lymphadenectomy, or lymph node dissection, is the surgical removal of one or more groups of lymph nodes. It is almost always performed as part of the surgical management of cancer. In a regional lymph node dissection, some of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed; in a radical lymph node dissection, most or all of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumpectomy</span>

Lumpectomy is a surgical removal of a discrete portion or "lump" of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or breast cancer. It is considered a viable breast conservation therapy, as the amount of tissue removed is limited compared to a full-breast mastectomy, and thus may have physical and emotional advantages over more disfiguring treatment. Sometimes a lumpectomy may be used to either confirm or rule out that cancer has actually been detected. A lumpectomy is usually recommended to patients whose cancer has been detected early and who do not have enlarged tumors. Although a lumpectomy is used to allow for most of the breast to remain intact, the procedure may result in adverse affects that can include sensitivity and result in scar tissue, pain, and possible disfiguration of the breast if the lump taken out is significant. According to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, lumpectomy may be performed for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive ductal carcinoma, or other conditions.

Adjuvant therapy, also known as adjunct therapy, adjuvant care, or augmentation therapy, is a therapy that is given in addition to the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness. The surgeries and complex treatment regimens used in cancer therapy have led the term to be used mainly to describe adjuvant cancer treatments. An example of such adjuvant therapy is the additional treatment usually given after surgery where all detectable disease has been removed, but where there remains a statistical risk of relapse due to the presence of undetected disease. If known disease is left behind following surgery, then further treatment is not technically adjuvant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel lymph node</span> First lymph node to receive drainage from a primary tumor

The sentinel lymph node is the hypothetical first lymph node or group of nodes draining a cancer. In case of established cancerous dissemination it is postulated that the sentinel lymph nodes are the target organs primarily reached by metastasizing cancer cells from the tumor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulvar cancer</span> Cancer involving the vulva

Vulvar cancer is a cancer of the vulva, the outer portion of the female genitals. It most commonly affects the labia majora. Less often, the labia minora, clitoris, or vaginal glands are affected. Symptoms include a lump, itchiness, changes in the skin, or bleeding from the vulva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axillary lymph nodes</span> Lymph nodes in the human armpit

The axillary lymph nodes or armpit lymph nodes are lymph nodes in the human armpit. Between 20 and 49 in number, they drain lymph vessels from the lateral quadrants of the breast, the superficial lymph vessels from thin walls of the chest and the abdomen above the level of the navel, and the vessels from the upper limb. They are divided in several groups according to their location in the armpit. These lymph nodes are clinically significant in breast cancer, and metastases from the breast to the axillary lymph nodes are considered in the staging of the disease.

A micrometastasis is a small collection of cancer cells that has been shed from the original tumor and spread to another part of the body through the lymphovascular system. Micrometastases are too few, in size and quantity, to be picked up in a screening or diagnostic test, and therefore cannot be seen with imaging tests such as a mammogram, MRI, ultrasound, PET, or CT scans. These migrant cancer cells may group together to form a second tumor, which is so small that it can only be seen under a microscope. Approximately ninety percent of people who die from cancer die from metastatic disease, since these cells are so challenging to detect. It is important for these cancer cells to be treated immediately after discovery, in order to prevent the relapse and the likely death of the patient.

Breast cancer management takes different approaches depending on physical and biological characteristics of the disease, as well as the age, over-all health and personal preferences of the patient. Treatment types can be classified into local therapy and systemic treatment. Local therapy is most efficacious in early stage breast cancer, while systemic therapy is generally justified in advanced and metastatic disease, or in diseases with specific phenotypes.

Breast cancer classification divides breast cancer into categories according to different schemes criteria and serving a different purpose. The major categories are the histopathological type, the grade of the tumor, the stage of the tumor, and the expression of proteins and genes. As knowledge of cancer cell biology develops these classifications are updated.

Glembatumumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets cancer cells expressing transmembrane glycoprotein NMB (GPNMB).

Racotumomab is a therapeutic cancer vaccine for the treatment of solid tumors that is currently under clinical development by Recombio, an international public-private consortium with the participation of the Center of Molecular Immunology at Havana, Cuba (CIM) and researchers from Buenos Aires University and National University of Quilmes in Argentina. It induces the patient's immune system to generate a response against a cancer-specific molecular target with the purpose of blocking tumor growth, slowing disease progression and ultimately increasing patient survival.

ALECSAT technology is a novel method of epigenetic cancer immunotherapy being used by the company CytoVac. It uses a patient's own immune system to target tumor cells in prostate cancer, glioblastomas, and potentially pancreatic cancer. ALECSAT research, directed by Alexei Kirken and Karine Dzhandzhugazyan, has led to several clinical trials.

Souzan El-Eid is a breast surgical oncologist at Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (CCCN), and serves as the medical director of the Breast Care Center at Summerlin Hospital, cancer liaison physician for the cancer program and co-chair of the Breast Tumor Board at Summerlin Hospital. She is also the president elect for Clark County Medical Society. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of General Surgery at Touro University Nevada and has served as principal investigator for several clinical research studies. She is the first breast surgeon in Las Vegas certified in both ultrasound and stereotactic breast biopsies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisa Rush Port</span> American surgery professor

Elisa Rush Port FACS is Associate Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, as well as cofounder and director of the Dubin Breast Center at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Health System, since 2010. She has received four research grants, has served as an investigator or co-investigator on 15 clinical trials, published 44 peer-reviewed articles, and published a total of 12 book chapters and books. She has specialized in sentinel-node biopsy, a diagnostic method that determines cancer stages based on spread to regional lymph nodes, nipple sparing mastectomy, and the use of MRI for breast cancer.

References

  1. ↑ "University of Pennsylvania Developing Breast Cancer Vaccine". Young Coalition of Greater Philadelphia CVG Friends and Family Newsletter. 1 (2): 3. April 2008.
  2. ↑ www.patientcenters.com - Breast Cancer Center
  3. ↑ Danson S, Lorigan P (April 2006). "Melanoma vaccines--they should work". Ann. Oncol. 17 (4): 539–41. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdl055 . PMID   16556849.
  4. ↑ Breast Cancer Information and Resources | Oncolink
  5. ↑ Method for increasing the antigen presenting ability of leukemia cells - Patent Review 6358736
  6. ↑ "Google Scholar".
  7. ↑ Bedrosian I, Mick R, Xu S, et al. (October 2003). "Intranodal administration of peptide-pulsed mature dendritic cell vaccines results in superior CD8+ T-cell function in melanoma patients". J. Clin. Oncol. 21 (20): 3826–35. doi:10.1200/JCO.2003.04.042. PMID   14551301.
  8. ↑ Bedrosian I, Scheff AM, Mick R, et al. (July 1999). "99mTc-human serum albumin: an effective radiotracer for identifying sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma". J. Nucl. Med. 40 (7): 1143–8. PMID   10405134.
  9. ↑ Reynolds C, Mick R, Donohue JH, et al. (June 1999). "Sentinel lymph node biopsy with metastasis: can axillary dissection be avoided in some patients with breast cancer?". J. Clin. Oncol. 17 (6): 1720–6. doi:10.1200/JCO.1999.17.6.1720. PMID   10561208.
  10. ↑ Czerniecki BJ, Scheff AM, Callans LS, et al. (March 1999). "Immunohistochemistry with pancytokeratins improves the sensitivity of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with breast carcinoma". Cancer. 85 (5): 1098–103. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19990301)85:5<1098::AID-CNCR13>3.0.CO;2-N. PMID   10091794. S2CID   27527904. Archived from the original on 2011-08-13.
  11. ↑ Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
  12. ↑ Czerniecki BJ, Koski GK, Koldovsky U, et al. (February 2007). "Targeting HER-2/neu in early breast cancer development using dendritic cells with staged interleukin-12 burst secretion". Cancer Res. 67 (4): 1842–52. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-4038 . PMID   17293384.
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