Scripps Health - All News for Cancer Care

The Family Stone to Perform at Second Annual In Concert for Cancer Sept. 8

2012-05-09T10:01:07-07:00

Legendary recording artist The Family Stone — featuring original members of Sly and the Family Stone — will perform at the second annual In Concert for Cancer on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. aboard the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum. Proceeds from the concert will benefit cancer survivorship programs at Scripps Cancer Center.

The Family Stone includes founding members of Sly and the Family Stone Jerry Martini on saxophone, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet and Greg Errico on drums. The three Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and R&B Pioneer Award winners are renowned for blazing new musical territory by fusing soul, funk, rock and R&B genres.

The band will perform from its deep catalog of psychedelic funk hits, which includes “Everyday People,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Dance to the Music,” “Family Affair,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Sing a Simple Song,” “Thank You,” “Stand!” and “Everybody is a Star.”

Formed in 1967 in San Francisco, Sly and the Family Stone was the first major American band to have an interracial, multigender lineup. The integration shines through on the band’s uplifting, unifying and socially conscious music. The group’s innovative musical style has influenced a variety of artists over the years, including Herbie Hancock, Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Today, The Family Stone continues to tour the world and earn critical praise for its live performances.

Sly and the Family Stone made an indelible mark on American music, with 17 singles making the Billboard Hot 100 – four of which reached No. 1 on the charts. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the group No. 43 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. The magazine also ranked two of the band’s records among the 500 greatest albums of all time – “Stand!” At No. 118 and “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” at No. 99.

Also performing as part of The Family Stone lineup on Sept. 8 will be Alex Davis on lead vocals and keys, Trina Johnson Finn on vocals, Nate Wingfield on lead guitar and Blaise Sison on bass.

Ticket sales begin today for the Sept. 8 In Concert for Cancer performance, at www.scripps.org/inconcertforcancer. General admission tickets are $50. Tickets for premium seating (rows two through six) are available for $75 and front-row seats are $100. Available for an additional $150 is a special preshow “meet and greet” with the band. The USS Midway Museum is located at 910 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101.

In Concert for Cancer is presented by Scripps Health and Cjazz, benefitting Scripps Cancer Center. Concert sponsors include the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, The Walrus 105.7 FM and the California Wine Club.

About Cjazz

Since 1994, Cjazz has promoted and presented recording artists of contemporary music. Cjazz was founded by Michele Abrams, an entertainment industry professional residing in Seattle, Wash. An accomplished special events producer, Abrams has created and produced music events for Grand Hyatt Hotels, the National Basketball Association, the YWCA of Kauai, Yamaha Music, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Kirkland Performance Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Passionate about music and philanthropy, Abrams has a special interest in supporting cancer research organizations. She lost both parents to cancer, which was the impetus to using her experience in the music industry to support the fight against the disease. More information about Cjazz can be found at www.cjazz.com.

Scripps Announces Arrival of San Diego’s First 3-D Mammography Technology

2012-05-01T10:31:31-07:00

Encinitas, Calif. – San Diegans now have access to a new, highly advanced breast cancer diagnostic tool that improves the clarity and reliability of test results, with Scripps Health’s recent acquisition of 3-D digital breast tomosynthesis technology.

Scripps recently began using the software with patients at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and plans to expand it to more of its facilities. Scripps is San Diego County’s only health care provider to offer 3-D mammography technology, which was approved by the FDA in February 2011. In California, only four other health care facilities currently offer this technology.

Used with existing digital mammography equipment, the breast tomosynthesis software utilizes high-powered computing to convert digital breast images into a stack of very thin layers, which creates a 3-D reconstruction of the breast. The 3-D model allows the physician to examine breast tissue 1 millimeter at a time.

This approach stands in contrast to the flat images produced by traditional 2-D digital mammography, which generates overlapping images that can appear cloudy. Overlapping can cause problems such as obscuring signs of cancer, or mimicking signs of a tumor where none exists.

“When it comes to breast imaging, less tissue overlap translates into clearer images of the patient’s tissue, which allows for a more definitive diagnosis,” said Dr. Kris Van Lom, chairman of the department of radiology at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas. “Having a more reliable view of the breast tissue will help us be more effective in discovering early-stage breast cancers, while in some cases reducing the number of ‘false positives’ and the need for additional tests or biopsies.”

Any patient requiring a breast exam can benefit from breast tomosynthesis. The technology is being made available to all breast imaging patients at Scripps Encinitas, and educational materials are provided to all patients in advance.

A tomosynthesis exam is very similar to a traditional digital mammogram in both time and format. The technologist positions the patient, compresses the breast under a paddle and takes images from different angles. During the tomosynthesis portion of the exam, the X-ray arm of the mammography machine makes a quick arc over the breast, taking a series of breast images at a number of angles.

In the United States, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival. If found and treated early while still localized in the breast, the 10-year survival rate for breast cancer is greater than 90 percent.

By June 2012, Scripps also plans to have tomosynthesis technology available for patients at Scripps Polster Breast Care Center at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

The addition of digital breast tomosynthesis is the latest example of technological advances in cancer care at Scripps. Currently under construction are the Scripps Proton Therapy Center (expected to open in April 2013) and the Scripps Radiation Treatment Center (expected to open in August 2012), both of which will featuring the latest technology for patient care.

Cancer care at Scripps is provided through Scripps Cancer Center, a nationally recognized leader in cancer care, providing comprehensive care at Scripps’ four hospitals and various Scripps Clinic locations. With more than 300 affiliated physicians, Scripps Cancer Center seeks to provide the best possible treatment and cutting-edge research trials for patients by coordinating medical expertise in the areas of clinical cancer care, community outreach and clinical, translational and basic research.

Scripps is the only cancer care provider in San Diego to earn network accreditation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Scripps Polster Breast Care Center at Scripps La Jolla and the Breast Care Center at Scripps Green Hospital have earned accreditation from the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancer Centers (NAPBC). The Breast Care Center at Scripps Green Hospital has also earned accreditation in radiation therapy from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR).

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health.

Cancer Screenings Helped Save Loretta’s Skin

2012-04-25T10:28:30-07:00

Like many Southern California teenagers in the late 1980s, Mark Loretta enjoyed bodysurfing, playing sports and basking in the sun. “Back then, getting a sunburn was no big deal,” he said. “Just another part of summer.”

Fast forward to the summer of 2004, when Loretta — then a Padres infielder — was in the midst of his most productive Big League season. He made his first All-Star Game and was en route to posting career highs in batting average (.335), hits (208) and home runs (16).

Around midseason of 2004, doctors noticed a suspicious-looking mole on Loretta’s chest during a routine skin cancer screening. Shortly after the season ended, a biopsy revealed that Loretta had melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer that kills more than 9,000 people annually in the United States.

According to Dr. Hugh Greenway of Scripps Clinic, Loretta’s treating physician, early diagnosis and intervention are key in treating melanoma. “Fortunately, we were able to detect and treat Mark’s cancer early on, when we can have very high cure rates,” Dr. Greenway said.

Dr. Greenway surgically removed a silver dollar-sized section of skin and fat from Loretta’s chest. This included a “safety margin” around the area removed, which doctors analyzed cell by cell to ensure no signs of disease were evident. Further tests came back negative and within weeks Loretta was back to his normal offseason training regimen.

“The care I received from Scripps was outstanding across the board and it played a big part in allowing me to continue my baseball career in a seamless way,” Loretta said.

Indeed, Loretta came back to help the Padres win the National League West title in 2005. He enjoyed five more productive seasons following his surgery — including a second All-Star Game appearance — and retired in 2010 after a successful 15-year career. Loretta now works as a special assistant to baseball operations with the Padres.

He has been active in raising public awareness about the importance of sun protection and yearly skin exams and has participated in several educational forums with Scripps.

Loretta also gives back to the local community through his involvement with two nonprofits. Reality Changers helps inner-city youths from disadvantaged backgrounds become college students. And the Miracle League enables children with disabilities to play baseball as part of a team in an organized league.

Loretta and Dr. Greenway will be honored during pregame ceremonies May 8, 2012, at Petco Park. Scripps has been the official health care provider to the Padres since 1981. To find a Scripps physician, call 1-800-SCRIPPS (800-727-4777).

Scripps Proton Medical Director Cites Flaws in JAMA Article Findings

2012-04-17T11:36:43-07:00

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article today that compared three patient treatment methods for prostate cancer patients: conformal radiation therapy (CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and proton therapy.

In the JAMA article, researchers at the University of North Carolina reached what Scripps believes are misguided conclusions that proton therapy treatment is no more effective than IMRT in treating prostate cancer — and that proton therapy is more likely to cause adverse bowel issues than IMRT.

Dr. Carl Rossi, medical director of Scripps Proton Therapy Center, believes the methodology of this research is seriously flawed and that the conclusions in the article may create public misperceptions about the safety and effectiveness of proton therapy for prostate cancer patients. Important differences in the treatment and follow-up between proton and IMRT patients were not taken into account in this study. For example:

Differences in radiation doses

In this study, no distinction is made regarding the total radiation dose given to the proton patients vs. the IMRT patients. In general (and particularly during the time period that the study patients were treated) proton beam patients routinely receive higher radiation doses than IMRT patients. This is because randomized proton beam trials have proven the benefit (in terms of a better chance of preventing recurrence of prostate cancer) of higher radiation doses.

One consequence of this higher dose is an increased risk of minor bowel side effects. However, published proton beam data (including data published in JAMA in 2010) shows that, unlike IMRT, the higher radiation dose given to the proton patients did not lead to a higher incidence of severe complications.

Differences in Treatment Planning and Delivery

No effort was made in the UNC study to evaluate the possible differences in treatment planning and treatment delivery between proton and IMRT patients. Was the same volume of rectum included in the planning volume? How was the high-dose volume defined? These are factors which are typically analyzed when studying radiation side effects and attempting to compare different types of radiotherapy.

Differences in Patient Follow-up Protocols

Unlike IMRT, the vast majority of the proton beam patients treated during the UNC study period received their treatment at one or two academic centers. Proton patients were being treated on protocols which, by design, subjected them to regular, rigorous follow-up and which mandated referral to a GI specialist at the least sign of any bowel issues. This means that the proton patients were far more likely to be referred for GI evaluation than the IMRT patients. Since the UNC study only evaluated whether or not the patients were ever seen by a GI doctor, not on the severity of their complaints, the “difference” seen between the groups is likely of little if any clinical consequence.

The UNC study stands in direct opposition to the published results of a multi-institutional prospective, randomized trial of proton beam treatment of prostate cancer which showed far less bowel toxicity than that experienced by IMRT patients who received a radiation dose equivalent to that of the proton beam patients.

Further investigation required

In conclusion, the UNC study does not prove that IMRT treatment of prostate cancer is superior to proton beam therapy. Rather, as its authors point out, it demonstrates that further investigation of both treatment methods is warranted. Such trials are already under way at several institutions in the United States.

Cancer Journey Helps Scripps Provider Raise Game

2012-04-04T10:52:03-07:00

Bruce Buttermore is no stranger to cancer. As a longtime manager of radiation therapy for Scripps Health, Buttermore has helped provide compassionate care to thousands of cancer patients over the years.

But in July 2010, life took an unexpected turn for Buttermore when the care provider suddenly became the care recipient.

After a routine checkup, Buttermore’s blood test showed an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Such results are common and can be attributed to age, minor infections or even excessive bike riding—a favorite pastime for the Scripps Ranch resident.

So Buttermore didn’t think much about it until the results of a second PSA and then a biopsy confirmed he had prostate cancer.

Even with decades of experience working with cancer patients, Buttermore was overwhelmed with concerns of how this diagnosis would affect him physically and psychologically.

“Would I be able to walk the talk I had been giving others?” Buttermore asked himself.

Buttermore consulted with three different specialists. Each physician outlined the pros and cons of the multiple prostate cancer treatment options available to him: surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, or just wait and watch to see what happens.

Buttermore struggled with his treatment options. But in the end, he opted for surgery with Dr. Carol Salem at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, where he underwent a radical prostatectomy—the surgical removal of his prostate gland.

“Fortunately for Bruce, he was able to undergo a robotic prostatectomy which was much less invasive than a traditional open prostatectomy,” said Dr. Salem. “Because of this technology, Bruce’s scarring was minimal, he experienced less blood loss, and had a faster recovery with minimal side effects.”

The procedure lasted four hours and Buttermore was able to go home the next day.
Now cancer-free and back at work, Buttermore is using his newfound perspective to help others fight cancer. With experience and empathy, he guides patients through the decision-making process and shares the knowledge he has acquired through his own personal journey.

“Getting this diagnosis was a gift. I have a greater appreciation for my life, my family and my friends,” said Buttermore. “Also, I am better equipped to help others get through the emotional ups and downs that they will be facing as they come to grips with the reality of having to deal with a life-changing diagnosis.”

Buttermore and Dr. Salem will be honored during pregame ceremonies April 19 at Petco Park. Scripps has been the official health care provider to the Padres since 1981. To find a Scripps physician, call 1-800-SCRIPPS (800-727-4777).

Breast Care Center at Scripps Green Earns Prestigious Accreditation

2012-02-28T09:35:53-08:00

The Breast Care Center at Scripps Green Hospital has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program of the American College of Surgeons.

NAPBC accreditation is awarded only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.

During the survey process this month, the Breast Care Center at Scripps Green demonstrated compliance with all 27 standards established by NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with breast disease. These standards cover the areas of patient care, quality improvement, center leadership, research, community outreach and professional education.

The NAPBC survey included an inspection of the Breast Care Center at Scripps Green and observation of a multi-disciplinary committee meeting to review current patient cases. The Scripps Green survey also included a medical chart review of breast cancer patients and benign tumor cases at the facility.

The accreditation is the latest accolade for Scripps Green, which last year earned accreditation in radiation therapy from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR). Scripps is the only cancer care provider in San Diego to earn network accreditation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. In 2009, Scripps Polster Breast Care Center also earned accreditation from the NAPBC.

Scripps is currently expanding its comprehensive range of cancer care capabilities with the construction of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center (expected to open in April 2013) and the Scripps Radiation Treatment Center (expected to open in August 2012), both of which will feature the latest technological advancements for patient care.

Team Led by Scripps Research Scientists Demonstrates Effective New 'Biopsy in a Blood Test' to Detect Cancer

2012-02-02T16:25:57-08:00

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Health, and collaborating cancer physicians have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of an advanced blood test for detecting and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — breakaway cells from patients’ solid tumors — from cancer patients. The findings, reported in five new papers, show that the highly sensitive blood analysis provides information that may soon be comparable to that from some types of surgical biopsies.

“It’s a next-generation technology,” said Scripps Research Associate Professor Peter Kuhn, PhD, senior investigator of the new studies and primary inventor of the high-definition blood test. “It significantly boosts our ability to monitor, predict, and understand cancer progression, including metastasis, which is the major cause of death for cancer patients.”

The studies were published February 3, 2012, in the journal Physical Biology.

The new test, called HD-CTC, labels cells in a patient’s blood sample in a way that distinguishes possible CTCs from ordinary red and white blood cells. It then uses a digital microscope and an image-processing algorithm to isolate the suspect cells with sizes and shapes (“morphologies”) unlike those of healthy cells. Just as in a surgical biopsy, a pathologist can examine the images of the suspected CTCs to eliminate false positives and note their morphologies.

Kuhn emphasizes that this basic setup can be easily modified with different cell-labeling and image-processing techniques.

Five new studies, five steps forward

To test the new technology, members of the Kuhn lab at Scripps Research teamed up with pathologists and oncologists at Scripps Health in La Jolla, California; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego; the Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana; the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco; the Center for Applied Molecular Medicine at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles; and the Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The five new studies that resulted from the collaboration not only demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the new test for a number of different cancer types, but also begin to explore the utility of the technology for diagnosing and monitoring patients and improving cancer research in the lab. While other tests for CTCs typically use “enrichment” steps in which suspected CTCs are concentrated—and these methods inadvertently exclude some types of CTCs—the new studies show HD-CTC works well as a no-cell-left-behind process and enables a more complete analysis.

Also striking is the quality of the images. “The high definition method gives a detailed portrait of these elusive cells that are caught in the act of spreading around the body,” said diagnostic pathologist Kelly Bethel, MD, of Scripps Health and Scripps Research, who is the senior clinical investigator on Kuhn’s team. “It’s unprecedented—we’ve never been able to see them routinely and in high definition like this before.”

A cluster of lung circulating tumor cells (in red-blue) interacts with normal blood cells (green-blue) recovered from a blood sample of patient with lung cancer. (Image courtesy of the Kuhn lab.)

In the first study, the research team examined 83 advanced cancer patients using HD-CTC to document the test’s sensitivity and accuracy for different cancer types. The scientists found that the test detected five or more CTCs per milliliter of blood in 80 percent of patients with metastatic prostate cancer, 70 percent of those with metastatic breast cancer, 50 percent of those with metastatic pancreatic cancer, and no healthy subjects. The current gold-standard CTC test, known as CellSearch, was notably less sensitive in detecting tumor cells in these samples.

Most patients whose CTC counts surpassed the detection threshold also showed small aggregates of CTCs, which cancer biologists term “microtumor emboli.” These are widely suspected to be incipient metastatic tumors, as well as triggers for the blood clots that often kill advanced cancer patients. In the second study, the scientists showed that HD-CTC could detect these aggregates in 43 percent of 71 patients with advanced prostate, lung, pancreas, and breast cancers, and in none of a group of 15 healthy subjects. “This tells us that HD-CTC could be helpful in studying the origins of cancer metastases and related blood clots, and for predicting them, too,” Kuhn said.

In the third study, the team used HD-CTC to compare circulating tumor cells from prostate cancer patients with cells from prostate cancer cell lines that researchers often use as convenient models for prostate cancer biology in the lab. The team found significant differences between the two classes of cells, in their cell morphology and in the way they were labeled by HD-CTC’s fluorescent tags. “This underscores the need for studying cancer cells from patients, not just model cancer cells that in some ways may be utterly different from the real thing,” Kuhn said.

In the fourth study, the researchers performed HD-CTC tests on 28 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer over periods of up to a year. The team was able to detect CTCs in 68 percent of samples, and found that the numbers of detected CTCs tended to go up as other measures showed cancer progression.

In the fifth and final paper of the series, the team used HD-CTC in 78 patients who had just been diagnosed with various stages of non-small-cell lung cancer. “We demonstrated that we could sensitively detect CTCs even in patients with early-stage cancer,” Kuhn said.

This result points to the possibility of using the HD-CTC blood test not only to evaluate already-diagnosed cancer, but also to help detect cancer in people who are unaware they have it. “If HD-CTC works on the day after cancer diagnosis, as we’ve shown, then one can easily imagine that it would work the day before diagnosis, too,” Kuhn said.

Kuhn and his colleagues now intend to study the use of HD-CTC as a potential screening test and to develop it further for use in clinical monitoring and cancer research. Kuhn has founded a San Diego-based biotechnology company, Epic Sciences, Inc., to develop HD-CTC commercially for companion diagnostic products in personalized cancer care.

Dena Marrinucci, PhD, of Scripps Research was first author of the study, “Fluid biopsy in patients with metastatic prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer”; Edward H. Cho, PhD, of Scripps Research was first author of “Characterization of circulating tumor cell aggregates identified in patients with epithelial tumors”; Daniel C. Lazar of Scripps Research was first author of “Cytometric comparisons between circulating tumor cells from prostate cancer patients and the prostate-tumor-derived LNCaP cell Line”; Jorge Nieva, MD, of Scripps Research was first author of “High-definition imaging of circulating tumor cells and associated cellular events in non-small cell lung cancer patients: a longitudinal analysis; and Marco Wendel, PhD, of Scripps Research and Lyudmila Bazhenova, MD, of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center were first authors of “Fluid biopsy for circulating tumor cell identification in patients with early and late stage non-small cell lung cancer; a glimpse into lung cancer biology.” For more information on the papers, see http://iopscience.iop.org/1478-3975/.

Kuhn’s laboratory is supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the US National Institutes of Health as the NCI Scripps Physics Oncology Center, which was initially supported through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world’s largest independent, non-profit biomedical research organizations. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and vaccine development, as well as for its insights into autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious disease. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, the institute also includes a campus in Jupiter, Florida.

For more information, see www.scripps.edu.

Two San Diego Research Groups Named to Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team

2011-12-13T17:04:47-08:00

La Jolla, Calif. – Two groups of San Diego researchers — one from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and the other a collaboration between Scripps Health and The Scripps Research Institute — were named today as part of a new “dream team” to find innovative new ways to fight melanoma using a personalized medicine approach.

The dream team researchers will receive three years of funding from Stand Up To Cancer and the Melanoma Research Alliance. The newly funded project, which will receive a grant of $6 million, will not only explore a personalized medicine approach to treating metastatic melanoma, but may also lay the groundwork for fighting many other tumor and disease types.

“This is a test case to determine whether personalized medicine can become a reality. It’s our hope to be able to treat a patient with melanoma based on that person’s own molecular profile — an approach that’s likely to be more effective and have fewer side effects than current treatments,” said Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, Sanford-Burnham’s president and director of the Institute’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, who is leading one of the San Diego groups. “Most importantly, our approach may represent improved survival to this patient group that currently has limited treatment options.”

Nicholas Schork, PhD, professor at Scripps Research, director of research at Scripps Health’s Scripps Genomic Medicine, and director of bioinformatics and biostatistics at Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI), shares the excitement about the project’s potential. “This is big,” he said. “Our group — which I will lead with investigator Ali Torkamani — will focus on developing quantitative methods to determine what information from a tumor matters for drug selection. How do you translate, say, the expression levels of 20,000 genes into insight into the best drug to use?”

Approximately half of all patients with metastatic melanoma have a cancer-causing mutation in a gene called BRAF, while the other half of patients have the normal, mutation-free version of the gene, known as BRAFwt. This Dream Team will be developing new treatments for patients with BRAFwt melanoma.

To do this, team members will compare BRAFwt and BRAF-mutant cells at the molecular level. Then, Vuori’s group at Sanford-Burnham will compare their sensitivities to a carefully selected collection of chemical compounds that are already in the pharmaceutical pipeline—compounds that have the potential to become new melanoma medicines in a relatively short period of time. Schork, Torkamani, and colleagues will use statistical methods to match anomalies in tumors with individual drugs’ effectiveness against them.

All this information will inform clinical trials that will determine whether this personalized approach significantly improves clinical outcome for patients with melanoma. According to the National Cancer Institute, one in 51 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin during their lifetime. One person dies from melanoma every hour in the United States.

The new Dream Team — Stand Up To Cancer’s sixth Dream Team, the first to target melanoma, and the first to partner with another foundation, the Melanoma Research Alliance — is led by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to Sanford-Burnham, Scripps Research, and Scripps Health, the team also includes members from the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Van Andel Research Institute and The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University.

Team advocates include Mark Gorman, J.D., National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship; Derrick Hall, president of Arizona Diamondback MLB League; Connie Mack, U.S. Senator, Ret.; and Jane Perlmutter, Ph.D., Gemini Group. Stand Up to Cancer’s scientific partner is the American Association for Cancer Research.

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif.

How to Prevent Cancer Every Hour of the Day

2011-12-08T12:06:53-08:00

If you spend your day sitting in an office or cubicle, it may surprise you to learn that prolonged periods of inactivity at your desk may be putting you at higher risk for certain forms of cancer.

According to a new report presented in early November at the annual conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research, an estimated 49,000 cases of breast cancers and 43,000 cases of colon cancer in the United States each year are linked to a lack of physical activity.

“We’ve always believed that an active lifestyle is beneficial in cancer prevention, but it’s been difficult to study,” says Carrie Costantini, MD, an oncologist at Scripps Health in San Diego, California. “What we’re seeing now is mounting evidence that lack of activity leads to inflammation, which is a significant component in the development of cancer.”

Inactivity is believed to increase other cancer risk factors such as excessive body fat and insulin resistance. The good news is you don’t have to commit to a gym membership to reduce your chances of getting the disease.

Ways to reduce your risk

At one extreme are radical – and costly – solutions to reengineer the “sedentary” job, like changing the furniture. Workers at Silicon Valley employers like Google and Facebook, for example, are reportedly trading traditional desks for standing desks, which elevate the workstation to a comfortable (and ergonomically sound) elbow height.

A newer and more active variation, the treadmill desk, ups the ante and helps workers burn thousands of extra calories every day as they slowly stroll at a leisurely 1-2 miles per hour while they read, write, calculate, and talk on the phone.

But office workers don’t have to go quite that far, according to Dr. Costantini. “Activity has always been an important piece of the cancer puzzle, and based on this new evidence, I’d advise everybody to try to work in some physical activity into their day.”

If you spend a good portion of your waking hours on your duff, you can make a conscious commitment to move more without radically reconfiguring your workspace – and it doesn’t take much effort. In fact, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends taking one- or two-minute activity breaks every hour.

How to move more at work

Take the stairs, not the elevator. That’s always the first word in workplace exercise advice. Here are more ways to ramp-up circulation, and potentially, reduce your risk of cancer:

Set the alarm on your phone or computer to go off every 60 minutes throughout the workday, and take that as a cue to stand up and move somewhere. (Bonus: You can get those eight glasses of water recommended each day by strolling to the water fountain once an hour).
Don’t just let that dictionary sit untouched on your desk; use it as a hand weight as you read emails or talk on the phone. Switch arms every 30 seconds or so.
Lose your work landline. Reroute work calls to your mobile phone, making sure to free yourself from your desk and walk around anytime you’re talking.
Pretend you’re a character on Sports Night or The West Wing: Take your meetings standing up. When you find you have a need to resolve a quick issue at work, invite a colleague to walk and talk, rather than emailing.
Frequent stretches and leg-lifts can add motion in between walks.
Park a few extra spaces (or even an extra block) away from work.
Take five minutes for a brisk stroll outside in the neighborhood to combine cancer-fighting activity with vitamin-D-producing sunlight and a calming, meditative breath of fresh air.

Download the full size infographic (PDF, 59 KB).

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Dr. William Stanton Discusses Cancer Innovations at Scripps on KPBS-TV

2011-12-08T10:23:50-08:00

Advances in cancer care was the topic of a recent roundtable interview with Scripps Cancer Center Medical Director Dr. William Stanton and Peggy Pico and Joane Faryon of KPBS’s “Evening Edition.”

Dr. Stanton discussed the cutting-edge technology and world-class staff at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center, due to open in early 2013.

He also explored Scripps’ successful cancer nurse navigator program, which helps guide patients through their often-confusing journey through treatment and recovery.

Scripps Health - All News for Cancer Care

The Family Stone to Perform at Second Annual In Concert for Cancer Sept. 8

About Cjazz

Scripps Announces Arrival of San Diego’s First 3-D Mammography Technology

About Scripps Health

Cancer Screenings Helped Save Loretta’s Skin

Scripps Proton Medical Director Cites Flaws in JAMA Article Findings

Differences in radiation doses

Differences in Treatment Planning and Delivery

Differences in Patient Follow-up Protocols

Further investigation required

Cancer Journey Helps Scripps Provider Raise Game

Breast Care Center at Scripps Green Earns Prestigious Accreditation

Team Led by Scripps Research Scientists Demonstrates Effective New 'Biopsy in a Blood Test' to Detect Cancer

Five new studies, five steps forward

About The Scripps Research Institute

Two San Diego Research Groups Named to Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team

About Scripps Health

How to Prevent Cancer Every Hour of the Day

Ways to reduce your risk

How to move more at work

Get a regular dose of health news and information from Scripps

Dr. William Stanton Discusses Cancer Innovations at Scripps on KPBS-TV

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