BREAST CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
ARIZONA WILDCAT
BREAST CANCER RESEARCHERS ARE: leading innovation and fostering transdisciplinary collaboration. They are turning breakthrough discoveries into game-changing tools for prevention,
Because of the important work being done here and now, we continue to see hope on the horizon for patients everywhere facing this terrible disease. In the spirit of our university motto, we invite you to join us in our determination to courageously
BEAR DOWN ON CANCER
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CANCER CENTER IS THE ONLY NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DESIGNATED COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER HEADQUARTERED IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA.
In addition to being part of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, which is the only NCI designated
GINNY L. CLEMENTS
In 2010, Clements said she began to disclose her breast cancer journey after reading a book about a woman who died of breast cancer in 1980, Susan G. Komen by her sister, Nancy Brinker, that inspired Clements to open up to others and to create the institution nine years later.
In late 2020, Ginny Clements, a breast cancer survivor and advocate, donated $8.5 million to establish the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
Breast cancer is one of the Cancer Center’s top five priority cancers, as identified through data gathered by the Center’s about the catchment area population.
The mission of the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute is to provide the best cancer care for breast cancer patients in the state of Arizona and beyond through cutting edge research.
I feel that research is our only answer. For all of you that have breast cancer or are a survivor, you are all sisters and brothers to me.
NEW BREAST CANCER SURGERY: PRECISE, TARGETED, PRESERVING HEALTHY TISSUE
NEW BREAST CANCER SURGERY: PRECISE, TARGETED, PRESERVING HEALTHY TISSUE
Every week, all the doctors at the Breast Program at Banner–University Medicine across specialties –– the surgical oncologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, radiologist, pathologist and ancillary support services––get together for what they call a weekly multidisciplinary treatment conference.
“During that meeting, we review each individual patient with a new breast cancer diagnosis.” said Nova Foster, MD, FACS. “We look at their pathology and imaging slides together, we discuss their diagnosis and general health as well as any anticipated barriers to care. We put everything together and as a team collaborate to determine the best treatment approach for that particular patient before we even start treatment.”
As the medical director for the Breast Program at Banner–University Medicine and a surgeon, Dr. Foster said that multidisciplinary care is key to their treatment plan.
“As a part of a National Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients get the benefit of the whole spectrum, from basic science research, all the way through phase three clinical trials, and then moving into standard of care clinical practice,” she said. “It’s a process, and having everything in the same place under the same roof helps improve our treatment of breast cancer, and in particular our care of that individual patient.”
Dr. Foster said that over the last 20 years, breast cancer outcomes have improved substantially primarily due to successful clinical trials which have improved early detection as well as identified cancer surgery in particular has transformed to be less aggressive and more precise.
“We now have innovative options such as a nipple sparing mastectomy, which is performed through a cosmetic incision often hidden below the breast,” she said. Other surgical innovations relate to management of the lymph nodes in the underarm, which is the first place that breast cancer typically spreads when it leaves the breast.
“Traditionally, we thought we needed to clear out a lot of those lymph nodes to optimize outcome for these patients,” she said. “Through research and clinical trials, we have learned that we can do much less aggressive surgery on the lymph nodes and have the same oncologic outcome. This leaves patients with normal function and minimizes the chance of swelling of the arm that can happen after a more extensive underarm surgery.”
“Personalized treatment is really the funadamental building block of doing the best possible breast cancer treatment for any patient,” she said. “But as we learn more, as we do more research, as we discover more drugs, or learn more about which drugs work better in which situations and for which patients, it will continue to allow us to tailor the care that we provide to patients in even a more personal way.”
You can perform the cancer surgery but leave all of the normal skin, in some cases including the nipple, and really give these women a fabulous cosmetic result that is so important to survivorship and their ongoing life after breast cancer.
BREAST CLINICAL RESEARCH TEAM AND INNOVATIVE WORKING GROUP
Our Breast Cancer Clinical Research Team uses a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition to a team of doctors and specialists, we have a breast cancer nurse navigator who works closely with each patient to provide education, support and guidance from diagnosis, through treatment, and ultimately survivorship.
selors, and we have a robust clinical trials program for access to the newest breast cancer treatments. At the University of Arizona Cancer Center, we strive to provide complete care through our integrated breast cancer team. Breast cancer is diverse. Some patients can safely be treated with surgery -
ing which approach is best in your situation requires a team of specialists who have access to all of the available treatment options.
Each member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center breast cancer treatment team is exclusively dedicated to treating patients with breast cancer. In the rapidly changing world of breast cancer research, this specialization allows our doctors to provide individualized care to every patient, every day. As an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center, our team has access to, and is actively conducting, the newest research. Clinical Research Team Members are also part of the Innovative Working Group.
The Breast Cancer Innovative Working Group translates discovery about fundamental breast cancer mechanisms to the clinical setting. Its three goals are (1) to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis, (2) to promote collaboration among scientists and clinicians with diverse expertise to enhance discovery, diagnosis and treatment, and (3) to promote the translation of discoveries to clinical application in the form of new targeted therapies, biomarkers, and diagnostics.
Breast Cancer Clinical Research Team
Sima Ehsani, MD*
Dr. Ehsani serves as the Breast Clinical Research Team leader at the Cancer Center. Her clinical expertise is breast oncology, treatment of breast cancer, and management of related complications. She is a member of City of Hope Clinical Cancer Genomics Community of Practice, and she sees women in the High-Risk Clinic for counseling and management of their increased risk for breast cancer. She also has an interest in breast cancer survivorship, cancer prevention, and genetic risk assessment of cancer.
Dr. Erdrich is a surgical oncologist and assistant professor with the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Arizona Department of Surgery who specializes in melan oma, sarcoma, and breast cancers. Dr. Erdrich also researches Native American cancer disparities and works with tribal partners to improve
Erdrich, MD, MPH, FACS*
Jennifer
Dr. Foster’s clinical focus is exclusively on the management of breast cancer and breast disease. She has a special interest in the multidisciplinary management of breast cancer. She is an expert in all aspects of breast cancer surgery, benign breast disease, and in management of patients at high risk for breast cancer.
Nova M. Foster, MD, FACS*
Dr. Jiralerspong is recognized for his research on metabolism in breast cancer, with presentations at national oncology meetings in obesity in breast cancer, and the role of the highly promising diabetes drug metformin in the treatment of breast cancer.
Sao Jiralerspong, MD*
Dr. Rozell assists patients in treatment decisions regarding chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, second opinion consultation and survivorship.
Umbreen Arshad Rozell, MD*
Jennifer Segar, MD*
Karen L. Weihs, MD*
Dr. Segar’s primary clinical and research focus is on breast clinical trial program at the Cancer Center involved in developing new therapuetics. Her key interests include studying the breast cancer tumor microenvironment, understanding the role of the immune system, and improving management of toxicities related to therapies administered to treat breast cancer, including peripheral neuropathy.
Dr. Weihs researches psychosocial interventions and maintains an active clinical practice of psychiatric care for cancer patients embedded with her multidisciplinary team. She collaborates with intervention scientists to test innovative psychosocial interventions for breast cancer patients. She has conducted three prospective longitudinal studies to determine the impact of emotional and interpersonal processes on medical, psychiatric, functional, and quality of life outcomes.
ADVANCING EARLY DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF BREAST CANCER THROUGH PATIENT-FOCUSED TRIALS
According to Cancer Center member Sima Ehsani, MD, one of the most important goals of breast cancer research is to improve early detection and prevention in her patients.
A brilliant internist, hematologist and a breast oncologist, Dr. Ehsani is the Cancer Center’s Breast Clinical Research Team leader and has devoted the past seven years of her work to the center’s patient care, advancing future breast cancer clinical discoveries and increasing the center’s available options for treatment of breast cancer, metastasis and resistance to treatment. To assist her patients and to further future discoveries, Dr. Ehsani aims to enlarge the center’s number of breast cancer clinical trials for better access to cutting-edge translational science.
“Taking care of patients, that’s my first priority,” said Dr. Ehsani, who has been a faculty member in the University of Arizona Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology since 2016.
Dr. Ehsani said that in the past 50 years, breast cancer treatment options have significantly
and toxicities to drug therapies, and countless patients remain on treatments indefinitely.
To get to the origins of how these treatments interact with cancer, she and other Cancer Center members have joined forces with the Caris Life Sciences company in molecular testing to study
“We are looking at mutations that help us discover new targeted therapies for patients,” she said. “The University of Arizona Cancer Center is part of a Precision Oncology Alliance through Caris, which gives our scientists access to the Caris datasets, collaborations and interinstitutional research strategy meetings.”
COLLABORATING FOR A CURE
To improve breast cancer treatment acceptance, Dr. Ehsani and Cancer Center member Janet Funk, MD, MS, professor in medicine and nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona, are studying the ESR1 mutation, which is acquired frequently in hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer. They are examining surrogate mutations to discover when breast cancer treatment is becoming resistant to hormonal therapy.
In other research, Dr. Ehsani is working on chemotherapy induced hair loss, or alopecia, with Jennifer Bea, PhD, a physiological scientist, associate professor of medicine and co-lead of the center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program.
“We recently acquired two units of scalp cooling systems to reduce the risk of chemotherapy induced alopecia and we are using them in the clinic for patients who are interested,” she said. “This is mainly used in patients with early breast cancer, but we had an idea to use it in patients with metastatic disease who are indefinitely on treatment.”
The Cancer Center includes a high-risk clinic that is now accepting patients. Dr. Ehsani encourages
“The high risk clinic that I am part of includes medical oncologists, a breast surgery team and genetic counselors who are determined to recognize individuals who are at higher risk for developing breast cancer and monitoring them with high risk screening and if eligible, starting them on chemoprevention therapy,” Dr. Ehsani said. “Our goal is to improve those by bringing in more clinical trials in the future.”
For the Cancer Center’s future, Dr. Ehsani will continue improving cancer treatment and finding
We are here to serve patients and not just by treating their cancer, it’s by looking at them as a person, having that relationship and being there for them.”
Can you envision a world without breast cancer?
Give today
Your donations to our cancer center and the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute support advances in innovative clinical and supportive care, education, early detection. Your contribution can help us recruit and retain the best researchers and clinicians in the fields of cancer research and care.
Breast Cancer Innovative Working Group
Dr. Badger’s team investigates symptom management to decrease psychological distress and symptom severity for English and Spanish-speaking survivors and their families. Dr. Badger has tested telephone-delivered interventions to improve access to care. Her current symptom management and supportive care research includes survivors/families who are currently in or completing cancer treatment.
Dr. Chow’s team conducts translational research to
the potential of using it for breast cancer prevention. She also collaborates with imaging scientists to assess the use of breast CT to determine breast density, a surrogate biomarker of breast cancer risk, in Hispanic women with high adiposity.
cancer prevention.
Hsiao-Hui (Sherry) Chow, PhD
Suwon Kim, PhD
cancer are a major focus of study in Dr. Funk’s research group. Current work clarifies the importance of bone specific metabolism of dietary compounds for bioactivity, and the development of unique and more clinical relevant (ER+) models of breast cancer bone metastases.
Dr. Gurtner is an internationally known plastic surgeon, scientist, inventor and entrepreneur. His focus is on improving the quality of life for patients with breast cancer. Dr. Gurtner has published 350+ papers, received over $27 million in federal grants, and been awarded 60 patents. His work has led to the formation of venture backed companies producing innovative products, many of which have been acquired by industry.
Dr. Kim’s research focuses on oncogenes and tumor suppressors that play a role in the emergence and therapyresistant recurrence of breast cancer. One of her main projects is to characterize the ING4 tumor suppressor related to its functions in chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation, and tumor immune microenvironment modulation metastasis.
Terry Badger, PhD, RN, FAPOS, FAAN
Janet Funk, MD
DISCOVERING PAIN MEDICATION THAT DOES NOT LEAD TO DRUG TOLERANCE
Regents Professor Todd Vanderah, PhD, is on a quest to develop a non-addictive treatment for patients with cancer pain.
Together with a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the University of Arizona, Dr. Vanderah recently discovered one with promise called PNA6, a derivative of the peptide angiotensin-(1-7), that binds to the marker assisted selection, or MAS, receptor.
In a recent publication in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the research team showed through their study that PNA6 relieves acute and chronic spontaneous pain from both cancer-induced and chemotherapyinduced nerve pain, called chronic inflammatory peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), making it a leading candidate for treating chronic inflammatory and complex nerve pain particularly in metastatic breast cancer patients with bone metastases.
pain without altering tumor growth or bone loss, unlike what has been reported with the use of opioids, which is the current clinical practice.
This discovery indicates that patients with bone cancer pain may still receive chemotherapeutic intervention while being treated with PNA6––which is often halted or reduced due to CIPN––further eradicating the metastasis proliferation while having pain relief.
Further studies are needed to evaluate the acts to treat CIPN.
“Overall, our results suggest that PNA6 may have therapeutic potential for managing CIPN, a significant challenge in oncology care,” Vanderah said.
For clinicians, the primary objective of therapy is to mitigate and prevent the persistence of pain in cancer patients, which is the most significant impairment and debilitating challenge for patients with bone metastasis.
Dr. Montfort’s research concerns the link between protein structure and function, including how drugs bind to their targets and influence activity. One focus is on nitric oxide signaling, and nitric oxide driven breast cancer. His group is studying how excess nitric oxide production in breast cancer drives an aggressive tumor phenotype and has identified novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
William R. Montfort, PhD
In collaboration with breast oncologists, pathologists, biophysicists, and biomedical engineers, Dr. Mouneimne’s team is tackling the problem of breast cancer metastasis from diverse angles, rationales, and training backgrounds, broadening their approach to include basic, translational, and patient-oriented research strategies.
Ghassan Mouneimne, PhD
Dr. Paek investigates how cancer cells decide between transient and terminal cell fates following cell stress from chemotherapy treatment. His lab develops fluorescent reporters to track the dynamics of key transcription factors involved in cell-fate decisions. Their goal is to alter the activation of these proteins in order to increase cancer cell death and enhance
Andrew L. Paek, PhD
Dr. Thatcher’s research has resulted in two novel drugs that have completed Phase 1/2 clinical trials in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer and further exploitation of epigenetic mechanisms to confront endocrine-resistance in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. New research in triple negative breast cancer is exploring targets associated with cancer cell metabolism, inflammation, and the tumor microenvironment.
Gregory R.J. Thatcher, PhD
Dr. Schroeder’s lab studies drivers of metastatic breast cankinases (RTKs) in normal verses transformed epithelium. Many RTKs are involved in cancer progression, especially the ERBB or HER family, including the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR), HER2, ERBB3 and ERBB4. The team wants to understand the non-canonical role of these receptors in cancer progression and develop novel therapeutics.
Joyce A. Schroeder, PhD
Dr. Vanderah’s laboratory investigates metastatic breast cancer utilizing a syngeneic murine model to reduce cancer-induced bone pain while also trying to reduce bone wasting. We have found that a novel type of non-psychotropic cannabinoid as well as increasing endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) can significantly reduce cancer-induced pain and improve bone integrity.
Todd W. Vanderah, PhD
Dr. Vedantham’s research interests are in the design, development and clinical translation of novel x-ray imaging systems and imaging techniques with particular focus on oncological and interventional imaging. He has made major contributions to breast cancer imaging research and is currently developing advanced tomographic techniques and systems for breast imaging and its clinical translation.
Srinivasan Vedantham, PhD
Lora Wang, MD
Guang Yao, PhD
Dr. Wang is an associate professor of Radiation Oncology specializing in breast cancer and lymphoma cancers. Her primary research interests are in breast cancer and individualizing care for patients. She also researches health disparities in minority populations as they pertain to cancer diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.
Dr. Yao’s research is primarily focused on investigating the gene network “switches” that control cancer cell dormancy and growth. By combining single-cell and omics measurements with mathematical and machine learning models, he seeks to unravel the intricate and heterogeneous biological systems underlying breast cancer dormancy, drug resistance, relapse, and metastasis.
Dr. Zohar’s lab works on development of microfluidicbased in vitro human models of several aspects of metastatic breast cancer. Two major projects are development of organ-on-a-chip platforms to: (1) investigate organ-specific extravasation of circulating tumor cells from blood vessels to the bone microenvironment, and (2) study stromal interactions and dormancy of metastatic cancer cells in the lung microenvironment.
Yitshak Zohar, PhD
CUTTING-EDGE PROTOTYPE MAKES MAMMOGRAMS
MORE EFFECTIVE, LESS PAINFUL
One glaring limitation of mammography, an x-ray screening tool for early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, is that it provides a two-dimensional projection of a three-dimensional breast, which may lead to missed cancers or unnecessary recalls.
More than a decade in the making, the University of Arizona Cancer Center member’s research is poised to revolutionize breast cancer screening.
Srinivasan Vedantham’s new cone-beam breast CT prototype system installed at the University of Arizona Advanced Breast Imaging Center, produces superior images and alleviates the discomfort typically associated with mammograms.
“It does not require breast compression, provides high-resolution images, operates at radiation dose equal to a mammography screening, and takes only 10 seconds to scan each breast,” said Dr. Vedantham, PhD, a professor in UArizona Medical Imaging and Biomedical Engineering, director of Project Statistical and Design support in the department of Medical Imaging.
Dr. Vedantham said that in typical three-dimensional mammography, called digital breast tomosynthesis, it reduces but does not eliminate tissue overlap, called superposition, and it still requires uncomfortable breast compression. For cone-beam breast CT, the patient lays face down on the machine and places his or her breast in an opening within the 3D imager, and it does not require breast compression.
Dr. Vedantham said that in developing the cone-beam breast CT prototype there were several challenges, primarily because the components needed to build the system were not readily available. “Working with vendors, we were able to improve on the technology and we currently have one of the most advanced prototypes available for clinical research,” Dr. Vedantham said.
He said that there are only five or six groups actively conducting research on cone-beam breast scanners in the world.
“Our research program is unique in that we cover the entire spectrum, from physics and engineering modeling, designing the system, and developing and fabricating the system in collaboration with industry,” Dr. Vedantham said.
According to Dr. Vedantham, breast CT is FDA-approved for diagnostic imaging, and they are pursuing NIH funding opportunities to conduct a clinical trial to demonstrate its potential for breast cancer screening.
“Ultimately, cone-beam breast CT has the potential to become the primary imaging modality for screening, diagnosis, image-guided biopsy, and monitoring or predicting response to therapy,” he said.
“We investigate advanced mathematical algorithms to identify the best quality images for radiologists, conduct clinical trials to demonstrate improvement, and translate the technology to the clinic for various breast imaging tasks.”
Innovative Supportive Care Encourages Holistic Well-Being
Some of the most exciting work being done at the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute is now having a positive impact in the lives of cancer patients and their caregivers.
The research of Terry Badger, PhD provides one example of this. Dr. Badger’s work makes use of supportive care interventions by telephone to help patients better cope with their symptoms and maintain a positive outlook, which is known to be a key piece in survivorship and maintaining quality of life while being treated for breast cancer.
have worked for thousands of cancer patients and their caregivers to manage their symptoms and reduce psychological distress.” Badger’s team has developed a program for providing supportive care to patients by phone, and this innovation predates the telehealth trends that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Badger said that these interventions cater specifically to the needs of the Cancer Center’s catchment area.
Everything we do can be done in both English and Spanish. We can provide this service to people in rural areas. The majority of participants report very positive experiences associated with this kind of supportive care.
Did you know?
The University of Arizona Cancer Center’s Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Institute is home to the only accredited breast cancer program in Arizona.
Taking Scientific Discovery to the Next Level
Game-changing basic scientific research at the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute is presenting researchers with opportunities to collaborate and translate discovery into innovation. Cancer Center member, Ghassan Mouneimne, PhD, has discovered that breast cancer cells become more aggressive when Casey E. Romanoski, PhD one day be used as a predictor for best, individualized intervention strategies for breast cancer patients. “Unfortunately, bone metastasis is normally not identified until an advanced state when it’s not reversible,” Dr. Mouneimne, said. “What’s really exciting is one day being able to take a sample from the patient’s primary tumor and predict who is at high risk for bone metastasis. Then we could intervene with a prevention strategy that we are now validating in the lab.”
Little did I know my breast cancer journey in 1956 would be my passion 67 decision to make my gift to establish the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute was an easy one. I owe this to the leadership at the University of Arizona, the University of Arizona Foundation and the University of Arizona Cancer Center who believed in my vision. - Ginny L. Clements
1515 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85724
