Fightinglung cancer

Livingsmoke-free 6 One man’s

mission85

Cure is the newsletter for the University of Florida Shands CancerCenter, home to cancer care and research for the Southeast’s mostcomprehensive academic health center. In each issue, we will bringyou stories about the progress and patient-centered care occurringat the center, as well as the partners who help make it happen.

Are you a patient?For more information about care and services offered at theUF Shands Cancer Center, call 352-265-0940.

To support the work of the UF Shands Cancer Center, call DeniseStobbie at 352-273-9080, e-mail dstobbie@ufl.edu, write toP.O. Box 103633, Gainesville, FL 32610, or visit “Make a Gift”at www.cancer.ufl.edu.

To receive or opt-out of receiving this newsletter,email Lindy Brounley at brounley@ufl.edu.

Published by the UF Health Science Center Office of News & Communications

Director, UF Shands Cancer CenterPaul Okunieff, M.D.

Director, News & CommunicationsMelanie Fridl Ross, M.S.J., E.L.S.

Communications Director, UF Shands Cancer CenterLindy Brounley

From the Director’s DeskAdvancing lung cancer care, research

ResearchProton therapy effective in treating lung cancer

Just for patientsThe power of quitting smoking

The lung cancer teamLung Cancer Center offers streamlined care to patients

BreakthroughPotential biomarkers could improve screening, treatment

One man’s missionGenerous donation targets small cell lung cancer

PartnersWhy one couple donates time, funds to fight cancer

Faculty spotlight: William Slayton, M.D.Leading the fight against cancer in children

4

7

5

81011

3

6

About us

Contents

Cover:Physicians and scientists from the UF Shands Cancer

Center are focused on improving and developingbetter treatments for patients with lung cancer.

Cover illustration by Josh Clark

Fightinglung cancer

Livingsmoke-free 6 ne man s

missionFightinglung cancer

Livingsmoke-free 6 ne man s

missionFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFightingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtinglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglunglung cancancancancancancancancancancancancancancancancercercercercercercercercercercercercercercercercercercercerFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFighFightingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingtingFighFighFighFighFighFighFighLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLiviLivingngngngngngngngngngngngngngngng

smoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoksmoke-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-fre-freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeengngngngngngngngngngngngngngngngngngngngng 6666666666666666666666666666 nenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenene manmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanman ssssssssssssss

missmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissmissionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionionion

Fightinglung cancer

Livingsmoke-free 6 ne man s

mission

EditorApril Frawley Birdwell

DesignerMickey Cuthbertson

www.cancer.ufl.eduCure //Summer 20112

Year after year, the number of adults

who smoke in the United States continues to

decline, and according to the American Cancer

Society, rates of lung cancer in men and women

have begun to ebb as well.

But this frightening fact remains: Lung

cancer continues to be the most deadly form of

cancer we face, leading to one-quarter of all the

cancer deaths in the United States each year.

And the number of nonsmokers stricken with

this devastating disease has begun to increase.

Last year, clinicians from the University

of Florida Shands Cancer Center made bold

strides to improve the quality of care we

provide to lung cancer patients with the

establishment of the UF Lung Cancer Center

(story on page 6). Led by Frederic Kaye, M.D.,

experts across multiple disciplines, including

oncology, radiation oncology, surgery and

pulmonary medicine, have united to provide

a comprehensive, streamlined approach to

treating patients with lung cancer.

Our investigators and clinician-scientists

are making discoveries that advance our

ability to provide patients with more effective,

targeted treatments, but also potentially detect

the disease earlier in those patients most at

risk. In May, UF Shands Cancer Center member

David Reisman, M.D., Ph.D., published a study

(story on page 7) that shows when a protein

commonly found in cells is absent or inactive,

the likelihood is 10 times higher that a person

will develop lung cancer when exposed to

carcinogens, like cigarette smoke.

The discovery is valuable. With more work,

we potentially will be able to screen people

for the abnormal gene linked to this inactive

protein. In this way, we will identify people at

highest risk for lung cancer and gain a foothold to

prevent the disease before it strikes.

As a final note, our efforts to end this disease

have gotten a major boost through the extremely

generous support of an anonymous donor who lost

his wife (story on page 8) to small cell lung cancer.

With his support, our researchers will be able to

delve more deeply into the fundamental causes of

small cell lung cancer, with the aim of developing

better treatments and helping patients live longer,

happier lives.

This is a mission we have embarked upon

together — doctors, scientists, patients and

families. And together we are making great strides.

From thedirector’s desk

Paul Okunieff, M.D., is the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Foundationand David B. and Leighan R. Rinker chair and serves asdirector of the UF Shands Cancer Center and chair of theCollege of Medicine department of radiation oncology.

director’s desk

PHOT

OBY

SARA

HKI

EWEL

Paul Okunieff, M.D.Director, UF Shands Cancer Center

www.cancer.ufl.edu Cure //Summer 2011 3

PAUL OKUNIEFF

Welcome

Proton therapy could reduce the side effects of radiation

in some patients with lung cancer, according to new

fi ndings from researchers at the University of Florida

Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville.

Studies published in Clinical Lung Cancer and

Radiotherapy & Oncology show significant benefits of

proton therapy for treating stage 1 and stage 3 lung cancers.

There were significant reductions in the dose of radiation

to the lung, heart and esophagus with the use of proton

therapy compared with conventional radiotherapy, intensity

modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy for

stage 1 and stage 3 lung cancer. These dose reductions with

proton therapy are expected to reduce the risk of side effects

from radiation.

The UF Proton Therapy Institute is conducting two

research studies focused on safely delivering higher doses of

radiation to tumors in the lung.

One study is designed to find out what effects a higher

tumor dose of proton radiation has on patients and their stage

3 lung cancer combined with standard chemotherapy. Due to

the accuracy of radiation given with protons, the dose to the

normal lung tissue that surrounds the tumor will be lower,

which may reduce the frequency and severity of side effects.

A second study aims to see if hypofractionated image-

guided radiation therapy is a good way to treat stage 1 lung

tumors for patients who will not have surgery. This therapy

may be better than conventional radiation for some patients

because it delivers a more lethal dose of radiation to the

tumor, decreases the amount of the patient’s lung and heart

exposed to radiotherapy and takes less time.

Physicians and patients interested in more information

about the UF Proton Therapy Institute clinical trials can call

877-686-6009 or visit www.floridaproton.org.

— Theresa Makrush

A new way to target tumor cellsWhether a tumor flourishes or dies depends, to an extent, on the acidity of the environmentin which it lives, and a certain enzyme plays a key role in that balance, new research from UFShands Cancer Center researchers has shown. An enzyme known as carbonic anhydrase IXinfluences tumor biology by working to keep acidity — or pH — at a level at which normal cellsperish, but cancer cells thrive. “We don’t know why cancer cells can tolerate low pH — but theydo, and we believe that carbonic anhydrase is a significant player in picking the specific pH atwhich the cells are happiest,” said biochemist Susan Frost, Ph.D., who led the research team.The enzyme may serve as a new target for visualizing, diagnosing and treating cancer. Thefindings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. — Czerne M. Reid

www.cancer.ufl.eduCure //Summer 20114

Research

The promiseof protons

Proton therapy effectivein treating early stage and

locally advanced lung cancer

Chingkuang Tu, Ph.D., Susan Frost, Ph.D., and David N. Silverman, Ph.D.

The UF Proton Therapy Institute is located in Jacksonville.

It’s never too late to kick a bad habit, and smoking is no exception.

Cigarette smoke contains toxic and cancer-causing chemicals

that can lead to many serious diseases and conditions, such as

cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and infertility.

UF smoking cessation specialist Gillian Eagle, R.N., C.D.E., said

quitting enhances people’s quality of life at any age — or even any stage of

sickness — by improving their health and helping them feel better.

After just a couple days without cigarettes, former smokers report that

they breathe easier, Eagle says. Within a week, they notice that they have

more energy and cough less. And within two to 12 weeks, circulation

improves and walking becomes easier, she said.

That’s because once they quit, the levels of oxygen and carbon

monoxide in their blood return to the levels of a nonsmoker, she said.

For those who are already diagnosed with cancer, quitting may prolong

their life by reducing their risk of developing a second tumor or having a

recurrence, Eagle said. Research shows that continuing smoking with lung

cancer can affect the behavior of the existing lung tumor.

The most effective approach to quitting is medication combined with

counseling, researchers say. Eagle uses this method in the Quit Smoking

Now program offered through the UF College of Medicine and UF Area

Health Education Centers.

The six-week program is free and open to the public. Participants

attend group or individual meetings each week and receive free nicotine

replacement therapy, including nicotine packets, gum and lozenges.

“We laugh and have fun,” Eagle said.

The program moves through six steps to becoming smoke-free:

education, preparation, quit day, motivation, adjustment and celebration.

To sign up, call Gillian Eagle at 352-392-4541, ext. 239 or email

geagle@ufl.edu. — By Kathryn Stolarz

TIPS FORQUITTINGSMOKING10

Here are 10 ways to help you quitfrom smoking cessation specialistGillian Eagle:

Educate yourself about theeffects of smoking.

Seek supporters.

Get counseling andnicotine therapy.

Throw away your cigarettes.

Remove ashtrays from sight.

Pick a quit day.

Find healthy hobbies to distractyourself and stay busy.

Drink water.

Take deep breaths.

Exercise to relieve stress and releasefeel-good endorphins.

Post a no-smoking sign by your doorto remind yourself and others thatyou are quitting.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATETO QUIT SMOKING

www.cancer.ufl.edu Cure //Summer 2011 5

Patient Care

Gary Love had been retired two years when he first

noticed the strange, draining feeling in his head. He

went to the doctor, thinking it was a sinus infection.

It wasn’t.

An MRI revealed a brain tumor, which doctors

eventually traced back to a type of lung cancer called

adenocarcinoma. The news was shocking for Love and his

family, said his daughter, Katie Love Hobbs. He’d never

smoked. He didn’t drink. The former sheriff’s deputy had

never even been in the hospital before.

Already being treated at Shands at UF for his brain

tumor, Love met with the University of Florida Lung Cancer

Center team, who devised a plan of attack. Between August

and November of 2010, he went through 37 lung radiation

treatments, as well as chemotherapy.

“I never thought I would be going through this with

my dad,” Hobbs said. “They gave us hope. There was

never a doctor we had who did not act like they would do

everything they could to help us. They all work together and

they are amazing every day.”

No patient ever wants to hear a doctor utter the word

“cancer,” and a diagnosis of lung cancer is particularly

scary. Lung cancer is responsible for more than one-quarter

of all cancer deaths, has a five-year survival rate of about 15

percent — for patients with stage 4 disease survival hovers

at just 2 percent — and has few symptoms, often going

undetected in the early stages. Quick, efficient care for these

patients is a necessity.

Established in July 2010, the UF Lung Cancer Center is

a multidisciplinary clinic that brings together all the experts

involved in caring for a patient with the disease. Each week,

pulmonologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation

oncologists, a social worker and other experts meet in one

location to see patients, relieving the need for families to

trek from office to office for appointments. And every Friday,

these experts gather with a radiologist and pathologist at 7

a.m. in a conference room to discuss patients together. As

they look over pathology reports, X-rays and CT scans, they

agree on treatment plans, talk over concerns and weigh in on

different patients’ conditions.

“For cancer patients in general, the two most important

concerns is a lack of communication among doctors and a

lack of streamlined process and timeliness,” said Frederic

Kaye, M.D., medical director of the Lung Cancer Center.

“What the multidisciplinary clinic strives to do, and we

think it is doing a good job so far, is giving us direct lines of

communication and streamlining the process.”

Michael Jantz, M.D., director of interventional

pulmonology, said patients also feel more confident having

seen a multidisciplinary team.

Fighting lung cancer, togetherUF Lung Cancer Center unites experts for patient-focused care

www.cancer.ufl.eduCure //Summer 20116

Patient Care

Lung Cancer Center team membersCharles Klodell, M.D., Michael Jantz,M.D., Andrea Penley, R.N., andFrederic Kaye, M.D., discuss a patient.

“They know their case has been reviewed by multiple

disciplines with a cohesive plan formulated amongst us,”

he said.

A key part of the team, Kaye said, is nurse-coordinator

Andrea Penley, R.N., who works closely with every

family, setting their appointments, referring them to

resources and giving them a familiar person to call

anytime they have questions.

“These people need an informed voice, someone they

can call up who can help them,” Penley said. “Patients are

starting to expect a higher level of coordination. I think all

cancer care is headed in this direction.”

In addition to the clinical care the center provides,

researchers are working diligently to find better ways to

detect, treat and cure lung cancer, specifically looking into

the genetics and molecular basis of tumors and developing

better ways to screen at-risk patients for the first signs of

lung cancer. In Love’s case, a specific genetic mutation

could not be identified, but the lung cancer team hopes

more effective and less toxic treatments based on new

genetic biomarkers will be available for all patients in the

near future.

Almost two years after doctors first found his brain

tumor, Gary Love is feeling about 75 percent back to

normal. He’s traveling again with his wife and spending

time with his family. The couple just got back from a trip

to Las Vegas, said their daughter.

“Cancer is never fair. It never happens to someone

who deserves it,” Hobbs said. “But I cannot say enough

about UF and Shands and what they have done for my

dad.” — April Frawley Birdwell

www.cancer.ufl.edu Cure //Summer 2011 7

Putting thebrake on cancer

When a movie character says, “It’s too quiet,” that’s

usually a sign something bad may happen.

Now, UF researchers have discovered when

variations of a certain protein in our cells are too quiet, it

may add to the risk that someone will develop lung cancer.

When scientists restored the protein to its normal, active

self, its cancer-inhibiting properties reappeared.

These discoveries, published in Oncogene, show that

drugs could suppress tumor growth by restoring cellular

processes rather than inhibiting cancer-causing genes

known as oncogenes.

“Oncogenes are the cancer’s gas pedal,” said prin-

cipal investigator David Reisman, M.D., Ph.D., a UF

associate professor of medicine and a member of the UF

Shands Cancer Center. “What we’ve done is demonstrate

the feasibility of reconstituting the cancer brake.”

The protein, known as Brahma, or BRM, is involved

in the regulation of cellular functions. It also has a role in

telling cells whether to divide and grow or stop dividing

and die. Other studies have found “silenced” BRM in 10

to 20 percent of all solid tumors.

Reisman knew silencing the BRM gene alone did not

cause tumor growth, but when carcinogens were intro-

duced, 10 times as many tumors appeared compared with

mice with normal BRM expression.

More people die of lung cancer every year than of

cancers of the breast, colon, prostate or lymphoma com-

bined, according to the National Cancer Institute. Howev-

er, only 10 percent of smokers develop lung cancer and as

many as 15 percent of those diagnosed with lung cancer

have never smoked. — Lindy Brounley

Research

David Reisman, M.D., Ph.D.

Patient Gary Love with daughter Katie Love Hobbs (left)and wife Susan Love

T he fight to cure cancer

became a personal

mission for a Central

Florida man last year after he

lost his beloved wife of more

than three decades to small

cell lung cancer. His recent

$500,000 gift to the University

of Florida Shands Cancer

Center, made anonymously,

established a research fund

that takes aim at small cell

carcinoma — an aggressive and

deadly form of lung cancer.

“I lost my best friend

and my love,” he said. “I was

devastated to lose my wife and I

don’t want anybody else to have

to deal with this.”

There was no indication

his wife, Janet, was ill in 2009

when the couple set off on

their annual summer road trip.

Midway into the journey, she

began experiencing shortness of breath and nighttime coughing. Janet had a

chest X-ray at a walk-in clinic when the couple reached Oregon, and she was

told to return to Florida as soon as possible.

“We left our car and motor home in Oregon and flew back here,” the donor

said. “She was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, and her doctor told

us the chance for a cure was very, very slim, really none — I don’t think he

wanted to say ‘none,’ but that’s what he was saying — and that he would try to

extend her life as long as possible. That’s when I knew we were in big trouble.”

After 10 months battling the disease without complaint and with more

concern for her husband than herself, Janet passed away. Years before ever

becoming ill, Janet and her husband agreed they would donate their bodies to

science. According to those wishes, Janet’s body was donated for anatomical

research at UF&Shands. Despite this, the donor felt he could do more.

“This cancer destroyed my wife’s and my life totally; I am so angry, and I

wanted to go after it,” he said. “I felt it was my responsibility to do something,

and I saw this as an opportunity to fight back.”

He chose to name the fund created by his gift the “Janet and I Fight Back

with the Small Cell Cancer Research Fund.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is the leading

cause of cancer deaths nationwide, and is responsible for more than 157,000

deaths annually — exceeding the number of deaths caused by colon, breast

and prostate cancers combined. Small cell lung cancer, which accounts for

about 15 percent of all lung cancers, is especially fast-growing and deadly.

Even in patients who at first appear to have early stage disease, the tumor has

One man’s

Anonymous donor helps fi ght disease that took his wife

This cancer destroyed my wife’s and my life totally;I am so angry, and I wanted to go after it. I felt it wasmy responsibility to do something, and I saw this asan opportunity to fight back.” — Anonymous donor

www.cancer.ufl.eduCure //Summer 20118

often spread to other parts of

the body and the chance of

survival is slim.

“Although most patients

initially improve following

standard treatments for this

disease, few can be cured and,

unfortunately, the past 20 years

of clinical trials dedicated to

small cell lung cancer have

failed to reverse this outcome,”

said Frederic Kaye, M.D., a

professor of medicine and

UF Shands Cancer Center

researcher. “One of the reasons

research in small cell lung

cancer has lagged is because it’s

such an aggressive tumor, and

few, if any, patients undergo

surgery to remove it. Because

of that, there are limited biopsy

samples available for research

studies.”

Primary tumor samples

are critical to cancer research

because they allow scientists to

understand the molecular and

genetic mechanisms leading to cancer growth or suppression. Kaye’s lab was

the first to identify a tumor suppressor gene in small cell lung cancer, which

helped define an important gene signaling pathway that underlies all types

of lung cancer. He plans to conduct additional genetic sequencing on those

tumors and derived cell lines for research.

“One of the goals that we hope to achieve with this money is to

undertake a complete genomic analysis of a collection of small cell lung

cancer samples,” Kaye said. “That would enable us to look for recurrent

genetic mutations that might give clues for improved diagnosis, but more

importantly, to use as therapeutic targets to test in new, investigational

clinical trials to treat patients.”

To take advantage of the funds, UF researchers will submit proposals to a

committee, which will evaluate submissions based on originality, feasibility,

quality of science, and potential for future independent funding or product

development. This opportunity to directly advance the most promising

research to improve patient treatments and survivorship is exactly what the

donor had in mind when he made his gift. He has high hopes for small cell

lung cancer patients of the future.

“I want them to have hope. We were basically given no hope; it was just

because the doctor was being frank with us, and we appreciated that, but I

would like to see somebody eventually have some hope and possibly even a

cure,” he said.

To help advance the most promising research and innovative treatment

methods for lung cancer at UF, contributions may be made to either the “Janet

and I Fight Back with the Small Cell Cancer Research Fund” or the “Lung

Cancer Research Fund.” For more information, visit www.cancer.ufl.edu,

“Make a Gift.” — By Lindy Brounley

Lungs for legacyIt’s a difficult decision to make butchoosing to donate lung tissue toresearch could help researchersfight lung cancer. To discuss adonation, email researcher DavidReisman about Lungs for Legacy atdnreisman@ufl.edu.

www.cancer.ufl.edu Cure //Summer 2011 9

Partners

Donationsupports chairPaul Okunieff, M.D., director of the UF ShandsCancer Center, has been named the Marshall E.Rinker Sr. Foundation and David B. and LeighanR. Rinker chair. The chair was established in 2010with a 10-year pledge of $1.2 million from thefoundation and the Rinkers. The gift supports thephysician-in-chief of the Shands Cancer Hospitalat UF and the College of Medicine’s academiccancer program. “We are proud to support thisvery important work and hope the establishmentof this chair will help further advance cancertreatment and research for the people of ourstate,” said David B. Rinker (shown at left withOkunieff and Leighan R. Rinker).

www.cancer.ufl.eduCure //Summer 201110

It is our pleasure to collaborate with Universityof Florida Performing Arts on the second seasonof Chords of Color for a Cause. This year, fourChords of Color performances will showcaseartists who are cancer survivors or havesupported loved ones through experiences withcancer. UF&Shands cancer physician-scientistswill collaborate with these artists in exploringtheir cancer experiences during educationalseminars, which are open to the public. Formore information about the performances, visitperformingarts.ufl.edu/outreach/chords-of-color-for-a-cause/. Two upcoming ‘Lunch andLearn’ sessions include:

Lunch and Learn: CopingAug. 24, noon – 1 p.m.Phillips CenterRSVP by Aug. 22 to 352-273-2703

Lunch and Learn: ReproductiveEndocrinology and InfertilitySept. 22, noon – 1 p.m.Phillips CenterRSVP by Sept. 20 to 352-273-2703

E very couple has their own special story of how they met. For the

Islams, it was the fight for a cure that brought them together.

They crossed paths at an American Cancer Society fundraiser.

Jim’s company, Florida Food Service, was catering, Marilyn was helping run a

casino booth, and the rest is history.

Jim’s and Marilyn’s passion for the cause is personal. Jim, 70, lost his

late wife to cancer; Marilyn, 66, is a melanoma survivor, and many of their

immediate family members have had cancer.

The pair married in 2005. Since then, they have served together on the UF

Shands Cancer Center Leadership Council and have made generous financial

contributions to the center’s research. As advisory board members, they stay

up-to-date on UF&Shands’ latest strides in research and patient care and are

pleased with the center’s continued progress.

Jim says, “I can’t stress enough the marvelous stuff that they’re doing.”

The couple was excited when the center unveiled the Intrabeam,

its newest cancer-fighting machine, in November. It’s just as effective as

conventional radiation but can reduce side effects and dramatically decrease

treatment time from weeks to a single half-hour session. Shands is one of fewer

than 20 centers nationwide to have it.

Also, the Islams are proud of the UF Proton Therapy Center, established

in 2006. It significantly reduces patients’ risk of collateral damage during

radiation treatment.

Beyond the center’s technology, Jim and Marilyn are thrilled with its

quality patient care under the leadership of Paul Okunieff, M.D.

Marilyn says she will never forget the day she got the call telling her she

had melanoma in 1998. Shands got her in for surgery that afternoon.

“That, to me, was worth a million bucks,” Marilyn said. — Kathryn Stolarz

A couple’s fight for a cure

Partners

Jim and Marilyn Islam

Leukemia is one of the most curable forms of

cancer, but for children who have it, the side

effects of treatment often pose a heavy burden.

Many drugs involved in chemotherapy destroy

healthy cells, causing problems such as arthritis,

stroke and deadly infections, says UF pediatric

oncologist William Slayton, M.D.

At the UF Shands Cancer Center, Slayton and

collaborators are looking for other compounds that

could be targeted therapies, which attack the cancer but

inflict less damage on the rest of the body.

“The burden of the cure is pretty heavy in at least

some of the cases, so we are looking for ways to lessen

that burden by discovering more targeted ways to cure

these patients,” Slayton said.

Slayton, who specializes in treating and studying high-risk forms of leukemia, was recently

named chief of the division of hematology and oncology in the College of Medicine department of

pediatrics. He has served as interim chief of the division since 2008.

“I am really excited about being appointed chief here,” Slayton said. “I feel like we have

an excellent opportunity to build on the strengths of our division. We have this rich scientific

environment, and I think there is an opportunity to not only provide great care to our patents but

also make discoveries that will help children in the future.”

Investigators in the department are focused on making discoveries in areas such as bone cancer,

leukemia, lymphoma and blood disorders such as hemophilia. Slayton is also proud of the strides

the division has made in recent years to improve the experiences of its patients and their families.

“Our unit is somewhat unique,” he said. “We have made it a one-stop shop.”

— April Frawley Birdwell

Cureswithout

a cost

Targeted treatmentsSlayton has spent his career looking for

and studying safer therapies for children

with leukemia. He has worked with the

Children’s Oncology Group on clinical trials

studying targeted chemotherapies for pa-

tients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

who have the Philadelphia chromosome,

a mutation found within leukemia cells.

Because of these trials, the cure rate for

these patients receiving chemotherapy

has jumped from 20 percent to 80 percent.

WILLIAM SLAYTON

The burden of the cure ispretty heavy in at least someof the cases, so we arelooking for ways to lessenthat burden by discoveringmore targeted ways to curethese patients.”

— William Slayton

Faculty spotlight

www.cancer.ufl.edu Cure //Summer 2011 11

Visit www.cancer.ufl.edu to access the UF Shands Cancer Center Clinical Trials Study Information Portal.The portal lists open clinical trials by disease site and, for physicians, offers e-mail notification when new oncology trials open.

PO Box 103633Gainesville, FL 32610-3633

Shawna Griggs-Young monitors a table with a powerful message at the NuNu 5K race, which was held to raise money for triple negative breast cancer in April.

Running for NuNuMore than 500 people participated in the third annual NuNu 5K race, held in April at the UF CancerGenetics Research Complex to raise money for triple negative breast cancer research. Recognizing theneed for better support for the study of this form of breast cancer, the Collaboration of Scientists forCritical Research in Biomedicine established the event in honor of Mary Lou “NuNu” Miller. To date, thegroup has raised $32,000, which will be matched with UF Shands Cancer Center funds to establish thefi rst CSCRB research grant. To help support this research effort, visit “Make a Gift” at cancer.ufl.edu.