June 27, 2003 (Vol. 1, No. 2)

Advancing Knowledge, Saving Lives is a quarterly e-newsletter of cancer research and health-care advances from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Read this e-newsletter online at: http://www.fhcrc.org/about/pubs/enews/fhcrc-enews/2003-06/

Fred Hutchinson launches early cancer-detection initiative
With $4.4 million in private donations, Fred Hutchinson will launch an initiative aimed at detecting cancer at its earliest stages. The Paul G. Allen Foundation for Medical Research donated $2 million to the initiative; the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles donated $1.4 million; and businessman Donald Listwin of Woodside, Calif., donated $1 million.Finding cancer early, before it spreads and when it is most treatable, greatly increases the chances for survival. The program will use new technologies to develop tests that use blood-serum proteins to screen for signs of cancer.

For more information, go to:
http://www.fhcrc.org/news/science/2003/06/11/early_detection.html


Parents who kick the habit help their kids, too
Parents who quit smoking before their child reaches third grade will significantly reduce the child's odds of becoming a smoker by the time he or she is a senior in high school, according to a recent Fred Hutchinson study. If one parent quits by the time the child is 8 or 9, the child's odds of being a daily or monthly smoker drop 25 percent. If both parents quit, the odds drop 40 percent.

For more information, go to:
http://www.fhcrc.org/pubs/center_news/2003/may15/sart1.html


Researcher elected to National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Linda Buck received one of the nation's most prestigious scientific honors this spring when she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Buck's original research has revealed the mechanisms underlying the sense of smell. She joined the faculty of Fred Hutchinson in 2002.

For more information, go to:
http://www.fhcrc.org/pubs/center_news/2003/may1/sart4.html


Colon-cancer tests may be needed less often
A common screening test for colon cancer is just as effective if given every 10 years instead of the currently recommended five years. A recent Fred Hutchinson study suggests that flexible sigmoidoscopy significantly reduces cancer incidence for 15 years after screening with little decrease in effectiveness. These findings may encourage more people to undergo the test, which many avoid for fear of discomfort.

For more information, go to:
http://www.fhcrc.org/pubs/center_news/2003/apr17/sart1.html


Customizing chemotherapy for cancer patients
New Fred Hutchinson research shows that differences in how patients metabolize a common chemotherapy drug can determine whether an individual suffers liver damage, a significant side effect. Ultimately, this discovery may allow doctors to tailor chemotherapy doses to each patient's unique abilities to break down the medication.

For more information, go to:
http://www.fhcrc.org/pubs/center_news/2003/mar6/sart2.html



The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home of two Nobel laureates, is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the development and advancement of biomedical technology to eliminate cancer and other potentially fatal diseases.

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ISSN 1541-7433
Copyright 2003
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
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