Minds Conquering Cancer Magazine, Issue 4

Minds Conquering Cancer A Publication of The University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute • Fall 2016

Clinical trials: more life moments for patients, more hope for the future REATHA JOHNSON CHOOSES TO PARTICIPATE

MCI grows in Fairhope Research wins millions in NIH funding New class promotes healthy cooking for healthy eating

9th Annual

GO RUN 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk Saturday, September 17, 2016 University of South Alabama Main Campus: Mitchell Center Lawn - Moulton Tower Registration at 6:30 a.m. • 5K at 8:00 a.m. • Fun Run at 9:00 a.m.

Certified race route • Live entertainment • Kids Zone Visit our website for more information and to register: www.usamci.com/gorun

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FROM THE DIRECTOR DIRECTOR Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S. ADMINISTRATION Mark Bassett, M.B.A., Ph.D. Laurie Owen, Ph.D. Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. Margaret Sullivan, M.S. MCI PHYSICIANS Thomas W. Butler, M.D., F.A.C.P. Daniel G. Cameron, M.D. David R. Clarkson, M.D., F.A.C.P. Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S. Moh’d Khushman, M.D., F.A.C.P. Carole Wiseman Norden, M.D. Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. Jennifer Scalici, M.D. Clayton Smith, M.D., Ph.D. William R. Taylor, M.D. Weisi Yan, M.D., Ph.D. GENETICS COUNSELOR Jessa R. Blount, M.S., C.G.C. USA/MCI MEMBER PHYSICIANS Ron Brooks, M.D. Jack DiPalma, M.D., M.A.C.G. D. Lynn Dyess, M.D., F.A.C.S. Lee Grimm Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S. Curtis N. Harris, M.D., F.R.C.S.C. Hamayun Imran, M.D., M.Sc. Shikha Khullar Gupta, M.D. Spencer Liles, M.D. Carl Maltese, M.D., F.A.C.S. Anthony Martino, M.D., F.A.A.N.S. Allen Perkins, M.D., M.P.H. William Richards, M.D., F.A.C.S. Paul Rider, M.D., F.A.C.S. Michael Sanders, M.D. William “Chip” Scott, M.D. Hafeez Siddiqui, M.D. Brad A. Steffler, M.D. Marcus Tan, M.B.B.S. (Hons), F.A.C.S. Zhiqing Xing, M.D., Ph.D.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA MITCHELL CANCER INSTITUTE OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Carol McPhail Jennifer Z. Ekman, M.P.A., A.P.R. EDITOR Nedra Bloom ART DIRECTOR Marie Katz WRITERS Emmett Burnett, Amy Delcambre, Tammy Leytham, Carol McPhail, Meredith Portman PHOTOGRAPHERS Dan Anderson, Mike Kittrell, Bill Starling PRINTING University of South Alabama Publication Services

DEAR FRIENDS, This has been an amazing year at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute as we further our mission to vanquish cancer through transformative research, education and health care. As we continue to serve the people of the Gulf Coast, we embrace the possibilities for growth, community outreach and new services for those with cancer.

The theme running throughout this issue of Minds Conquering Cancer could be stated in one word: “Hope.”

The woman who graces the cover is a shining example of that hope. One of our ovarian cancer patients, Reatha Johnson agreed to participate in a clinical trial in order to make sure she receives the very latest treatment for her disease. She also says she’s happy to “pay it forward” by testing drugs that may help other women in the future.

In this issue, you’ll read about Dr. Gary Piazza, Dr. Robert Sobol and Drs. Seema and Ajay Singh, who are exploring new frontiers in cancer research.

Dr. Piazza is identifying new drugs to attack a protein that, when mutated, plays a critical role in a third of all cancers. Dr. Sobol is bringing a lab technique he developed to a project with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to study the effects of harmful algal blooms on DNA. This will advance our knowledge of DNA changes in cancer. The Singhs, meanwhile, are working to understand why African-Americans often develop more aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer.

Hope comes in many forms. Raising MCI’s profile in Baldwin County can help us better serve our patients on the Eastern Shore and the Florida panhandle. In 2017, we will open our new office in Fairhope, which will provide a convenient and comfortable environment for patients. Soon, we will

also move our breast cancer multidisciplinary program into the new Strada Patient Care Center being constructed near MCI and USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital. This will bring all specialists involved in breast cancer care into one beautiful area on a single site.

New services allow us to bring hope to more people in our community. We are piloting a series of culinary medicine classes to teach healthy cooking to future healthcare providers, patients and caregivers. We are offering new technology to help patients better understand their diagnoses and treatments. We are also introducing genetics counseling services to the area with the hiring of MCI’s first certified genetics counselor, Jessa Blount.

We will continue to reach greater heights in cancer care and research.

Thank you for your support, which provides hope to more people each and every day. I am truly honored to be a part of this unique and incredible organization.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S. Director USA Mitchell Cancer Institute

Minds Conquering Cancer is a publication of the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute. For a free subscription, please call Victoria Lassiter at 251-445-9677 or send email with your name and mailing address to vlassiter@health.southalabama.edu. Copyright 2016 by USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

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5 Growing: Fairhope Clinic Rises Cancer care for Eastern Shore residents

7 Growing: Strada Center Complete breast care clinic slated for new office building

8 Research: Sea Change with Human Consequences MCI, Sea Lab team up to understand potential problems from algal blooms

9 Research: New Hope Against Ras-Driven Cancers Piazza hopes to bring sulindac-derived drugs to human trials

10 Culinary Medicine Cooking up some healthy grub

12 Clinical Trials New hope, new treatments, more birthdays at stake in trials program

14 Research: Why Cancer Hits Minorities Harder Ajay and Seema Singh work to find biological causes of health disparities

15 In House • New genetics counseling services offered • Second Opinion Hotline — lifeline for newly diagnosed • UAB partnership offers more care options

22 16 In House Two new radiation oncologists join MCI team

17 In House • MCI surgeons earn new board certifications • Dennis King retires as patient navigation coordinator

18 Outreach Patient Care Model opens new communication between patients and staff

19 Outreach: Survivors Day Celebrating the best in outcomes

20 Nurturing Hope: Hope Cup • Kristen DeLaney advocates for awareness and research • Golf event raises $50,000 for melanoma research, treatment

22 Nurturing Hope: Celebrate Hope Headline event celebrates success, raises support for MCI

24 Ringing in Hope Renewed Celebrating the successful conclusion of treatment

On the Cover Reatha Johnson takes her place in the long line of cancer patients who embrace treatments in hopes of more birthdays for themselves, more hope for future patients.

Photo by Mike Kittrell

10 Cooking right is the first step toward eating right; MCI partners in a new class to teach culinary skills to health care professionals.

17 Surgeons Marcus Tan and Spencer Liles earn additional credentials as board-certified surgical oncologists.

22 Festivities at Celebrate Hope, MCI’s fall gala, include live music and food from the area’s best chefs.

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GROWING

MCI CLINIC RISES IN FAIRHOPE

When Anne Nix of Fairhope was diagnosed with breast cancer 25 years ago, she was given a year to live and few treatment options.

Fortunately, one of the best was across the bay at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

“They had two chemo chairs,” Nix recalls. “I took my chemo in a 10-by-10foot room in Mobile … my husband sat on a stool. We’ve come a long, long way.”

That was in the days before the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute was created in Mobile, and long before the April groundbreaking for a new 11,000-squarefoot MCI clinic in Fairhope. Construction began in June on the two-acre site on Fairhope Avenue between Plantation Pointe shopping center and the Baldwin County Courthouse annex.

With an opening day anticipated in the summer of 2017, the clinic will be a onestop shop for patients, officials say.

Cancer survivor Charlotte Johnson received treatment at MCI’s current Fairhope facilities, located at Thomas Hospital.

“Our new Mitchell Cancer Institute Fairhope location is some of the very

best news we’ve received for this area this year,” Johnson says. “With more and more cancer being diagnosed each day, this much-needed facility is such a blessing.”

Parking is an issue at the current site, as is space to meet growing demand and new, larger pharmacy standards.

“Our growth in Baldwin County is explosive, and we are running out of space in our current office in Fairhope,” says Michael A. Finan, M.D., director of MCI.

“We need space to expand to accommodate our incredible growth that we are experiencing. That led us to search for a central site that could serve all of Baldwin County.”

MCI has had a strong medical oncology presence in Fairhope for many years, Finan says.

Architect’s rendering shows interior and exterior views of the new Fairhope Clinic, improving MCI care on the Eastern Shore.

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GROWING Of some 6,200 patients MCI treats each year, about 2,000 are treated at the current Fairhope office, with 415 new patients a year, says Margaret Sullivan, MCI associate director for cancer control and prevention.

The new clinic will be a one-story building, and patients will be able to park immediately adjacent to the building and walk right in, Finan says. The infusion area will be twice the size of the current space, offering plenty of room for families or caregivers to sit with patients who are receiving infusion.

Patients will also benefit from having the treatments all under one roof as well as cutting-edge technology, says Johnson.

Total cost estimate thus far is $4.3 million, “although we haven’t ruled out expanding further if needed,” Finan says.

The new facility will also give patients easier access to clinical trials, allowing them to receive the latest treatments

targeted to their particular cancer, Finan says.

Cancer treatment is a much-needed service for patients throughout the Eastern Shore, Baldwin County and even up to Atmore, Nix says.

Patients will get one-on-one care, with navigators serving as a point of contact to help them and their families understand their care plan and help guide them through the complex world of cancer care, Finan says.

There will also be more room for volunteers in the ChemoSabe program, which provides support to patients who are undergoing treatment.

“It will be a real positive. It shows our commitment to the entire region we serve,” Sullivan says. “We’re committed to providing state-of-the-art care locally.”

Even while opening the new clinic, MCI plans to continue partnering with

Thomas Hospital and other providers.

“We value those partnerships,” Sullivan says.

She adds that MCI has received tremendous support from the community, including guidance from a Fairhope advisory board, of which Nix is a member.

The area is fortunate to have the contributions of the Mitchell family for a facility like MCI, which provides a “cheerful” place for those undergoing cancer treatment, says Nix. Property for the Fairhope project was purchased from the Arthur Corte family.

“We feel very fortunate to be able to help expand the Mitchell Cancer Institute presence on the Eastern Shore,” Corte says.

WHLC Architecture of Fairhope is designing the new clinic.

In addition to its Mobile and Fairhope centers, MCI offers services in Monroeville. // TL

GENEROUS SUPPORT MAKES FAIRHOPE MCI CLINIC POSSIBLE Since his early up-close encounter with cancer — back in 1971 when his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died four months later — South Alabama attorney Vince Kilborn has felt a personal commitment toward battling the disease.

This year, he put that commitment to the fore, donating $1.5 million to help USA Mitchell Cancer Institute open its new clinic in Fairhope.

Supporting MCI was attractive to him, he says, not only because of its clinical services, but also because of the research that takes place there. When he learned that MCI was building a new cancer center in Fairhope, he wanted to help.

“We got together, and they allowed me to make a donation,” Kilborn says.

“It’s going to change healthcare, not only in Baldwin County but in South

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South Alabama attorney Vince Kilborn enjoys the opportunity to support MCI’s Fairhope clinic, which is “moving forward to help our people.”

Alabama and Northwest Florida.”

The opportunity for patients to participate in clinical trials also makes the new clinic an important addition.

“It’s exciting to move forward,” Kilborn says. “Everybody in this part of the world is excited about it … glad to see it happen. For me, it’s a unique opportunity to join with the public sector, USA, in moving forward to help our people.”

Noting Kilborn’s gift now and a 2006 donation in support of MCI’s research programs, Michael A. Finan, M.D., MCI director, called Kilborn “incredibly generous” and said his foresight has led others to give.

“We are very thankful to have Vince Kilborn among our friends in Baldwin County who are supporting this project in such a generous way,” Finan says.

Donors may still contribute to the endowment to support MCI operations in Fairhope, Finan says, and room-naming opportunities are available.

Those interested in donating can contact Kelly McCarron, MCI director of development, at 251-445-8423. // TL

GROWING

AT STRADA CENTER, BREAST CARE UNDER ONE ROOF

A specialized clinic to be housed on the second floor of the new Strada Patient Care Center will offer women a wide array of breast and mammography services, including multidisciplinary cancer care provided by USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

The bottom line for patients, according to MCI Director Michael A. Finan, M.D., is convenience.

“Women will be able to see a cancer surgeon, a medical oncologist who specializes in their disease and a radiation oncologist all on site,” Finan says. “This arrangement will be very patient-centric and convenient.”

The 133,000-square-foot Strada Center, to open this fall near MCI and USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital, was named for Samuel J. Strada, Ph.D., dean of the USA College of Medicine, and his late wife, Judith Susan Strada. A large portion of the building will contain the USA Physicians Group practice, including general pediatrics, pediatric subspecialties, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics and orthopedic rehabilitation, neurosciences and ancillary care. It will have 153 patient exam rooms, 16 nurses’ stations and seven education conference rooms.

The new breast and mammography center will provide a dedicated breast imaging suite and streamlined check-in process in an environment designed for comfort and privacy.

“We will offer the same amazing service of same-day results and workup for any potential problems,” says Joel E. Lightner Jr., M.D., director of Breast Imaging in the USA Department of Radiology. “Additionally, we will be adding the latest technology for cancer detection — tomosynthesis, commonly referred to as 3D mammograms,” he says. “And we have a great, experienced staff that includes two fellowship-trained breast radiologists.”

Meanwhile, concentrating breast oncology in the Strada Center will enable MCI to expand other programs in its current building, Finan says. “This will allow us to more fully develop our disease-focused programs, including multidisciplinary disease-focused clinics,” he says.

MCI plans to establish multidisciplinary disease-focused clinics in the areas of gastroenterology, hepatobiliary and colorectal oncology, pulling together the expertise of medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and interventional radiologists under one roof, he says. // CM The new Strada Center, slated to open this fall, will provide a convenient location for USA Physicians Group practices, bringing pediatric care and women’s health specialties close to USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital and USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

The airy interior will offer a welcoming setting for patients.

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RESEARCH

SEA CHANGE WITH HUMAN CONSEQUENCES

MK MCI researcher Robert Sobol, Ph.D., (left) and Sea Lab researcher Alison Robertson, Ph.D., (right) team up to study the effects of harmful algal blooms on both sea life and human life.

Cancer researchers at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute and marine scientists at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab are teaming up to study the long-term effects of natural toxins produced by harmful algal blooms on the DNA of marine organisms and humans.

Their findings could have far-reaching implications for residents and fisheries on the Gulf Coast, say the researchers, Robert W. Sobol, Ph.D., Point Clear Charities professor of Oncologic Science at MCI, and Alison Robertson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the USA Department of Marine Sciences.

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are a naturally occurring phenomenon but are increasing in frequency and duration across the globe. Many different species of microscopic algae are capable of producing potent toxins that can accumulate in marine life and can cause signifi-

cant human health effects when they are consumed.

Study goals involve linking marine environmental exposures of HAB toxins to fisheries health and human health, Robertson said. “We can perhaps do both of these things independently, but the link is more complex than people realize.

With our combined skill sets, we have the opportunity to integrate data at multiple levels of the food web, including humans who ultimately consume the seafood in our waters,” she says.

Sobol’s team brings experience in the mechanisms of DNA damage and repair, which Robertson regards as “critical to cancer research, but less well studied in the marine environment.”

“My work focuses on the sub-lethal effects and the combined exposures of HAB toxins in marine organisms and humans,” she says. “So this was a natural

fit, and together we can make big leaps instead of tiny steps.” Also involved as co-investigators on the study are Katie Baltzer of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Peter Sykora, Ph.D., of MCI. Their research will employ the CometChip® system, which Sobol helped to develop, to test the effects of compounds on the DNA of individual cells.

Licensed to the biotech company Trevigen Inc., the CometChip® uses novel hardware and software to enable testing in 96 wells, with each of the wells containing 400 microwells, and each of the microwells containing a single cell.

“So far, we’ve screened 72 of 200 compounds that are known environmental agents against two cell lines,” says Sobol.

“We discovered a compound that changes the DNA in one of the cells that has never been reported to be a genotoxin.

This is the tip of the iceberg.”

While researchers have begun analyzing the genotoxic effects of HAB toxins in cells by exposing them to algal toxins in a variety of combinations, this is just the first step. Robertson’s team is investigating the sub-lethal effects of these toxins on cellular function and during controlled fish exposures.

Next, the researchers plan to study genotoxicity both in lab exposures and in fish collected from Mobile Bay and the northern Gulf of Mexico. “We’re not just looking at human health, but at the health of local fisheries and key marine species. If we understand the health of those organisms, that’s critical to lots of things. Having healthy fisheries is important to everybody along the Gulf Coast.”

A $25,000 grant from the University of South Alabama will be used as seed money while the researchers seek other funding. // CM

FOUR MCI RESEARCHERS WIN NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH GRANTS Erin Ahn, Ph.D., has been awarded an NIH grant to study the role of the SON protein in the development of leukemia. “Our future research funded by this grant will enable us to understand detailed molecular mechanisms of DNA/RNA regulation

by SON in leukemia cells, which will be beneficial to 8 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

development of novel therapeutic targets for leukemia,” says Ahn. Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D., is studying “Repair of Environmentally and Endogenously Induced MitochondrialDNA Damage.” Now in the third year of a five-year, $249,000-per-year grant from

the NIH, Prakash will study the removal of mitochondrial DNA damage via the Base Excision Repair Pathway.

A combination of internal factors and environmental agents such as ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, air pollution, chemotherapeutic drugs and chemicals found in cigarette smoke generate

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) during the processes of normal cellular metabolism.

ROS causes damage to cellular DNA, which, if not properly repaired, can trigger genome instability and the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, aging and cancer.

NEW HOPE AGAINST RAS-DRIVEN CANCERS As the U.S. answers the call for a “Moonshot” to cure cancer, tackling the formidable Ras oncogene is sure to be among the key goals.

Ras, which functions as an “on-off” switch controlling cell proliferation and other biological processes associated with malignancy, is mutated in a high percentage of colorectal, lung, pancreatic and other cancers.

The pharmaceutical industry has tried to develop Ras inhibitors, but to no avail — giving Ras the reputation as a challenging target.

USA Mitchell Cancer Institute researcher Gary Piazza, Ph.D., and his team have discovered a unique set of compounds that potently and selectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells with mutant Ras. “We believe this compound class represents a safe and effective approach to inhibit Ras,” Piazza says. “Our goal is to take these new compounds into human clinical trials in the next couple of years.”

Piazza has studied the basis for the anti-cancer activity of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) sulindac for the past 20 years. While sulindac has shown promising anticancer activity in preclinical studies, its long-term use for cancer is not recommended because of risks of potentially fatal side effects.

Piazza published the first evidence in 1997 that sulindac can selectively inhibit the growth of tumors with mutant Ras in a preclinical model of breast cancer.

A few years later, another research team at the Max Planck Institute in Germany reported that sulindac can directly bind Ras to inhibit its ability to transform normal cells into cancer cells.

“Then the trail went cold and there

Natalie Gassman, Ph.D., has received a new NIH grant to study environmental stresses on DNA, entitled, “Bisphenol: A modulation of DNA repair triggered by environmental stress.” The grant, totaling $747,700 over three years, will be used to study how exposure to BPA and other environmental agents affects

MK Cancer researcher Gary Piazza, Ph.D., right, collaborates with chemists Xi Chen, Ph.D., and Jacob Valiyaveettil, Ph.D., two members of his lab, on ways to fight the Ras oncogene.

were no successful attempts to improve the anticancer activity of sulindac by targeting Ras,” he says.

Fast forward to 2014, when Piazza and his team used robotic techniques to screen a large collection of sulindac derivatives — compounds chemically related to sulindac, but designed to be safer and more effective. They identified a series of compounds that showed unexpected properties to inhibit the growth of tumor cells with mutant Ras and was 100 times more potent than sulindac. The team then worked to improve the potency and selectivity of the compounds. A drug development candidate, referred to as DC070-547, evolved with a potency 10,000 times greater than sulindac.

DC070-547 was found to be highly effective in a preclinical mouse model of colorectal cancer.

“The activity of the compound is very promising to support its development

DNA — with possible implications for cancer prevention and treatment. “My research grant allows me to investigate how endocrine-disrupting chemicals alter DNA damage response and repair pathways,” she says. “This field of research is especially important in the increasingly plastic age in which we live.”

as a cancer drug,” Piazza says. “With the goal of establishing evidence of safety and effectiveness in humans, we hope to move this first-in-class Ras inhibitor into human clinical trials as soon as possible.”

The success confirmed Piazza’s intuition about sulindac and brought his research to a new direction that is now in the fast lane. “Unlike efforts by other scientists in the pharmaceutical industry who have tried to develop Ras inhibitors but failed, we discovered our Ras inhibitors by taking a totally different direction by chemically modifying sulindac,” he says. “I’ve always thought that there was something special about the anticancer activity of sulindac.”

Understanding how sulindac selectively kills cancer cells has been the basis for his research, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for the past 12 years. This discovery has brought his research full circle. // CM

Racial disparity in breast cancer is the study target for Seema Singh, Ph.D., who has been awarded a fiveyear, $1.7 million NIH grant to study “Molecular causes and mechanistic underpinning of breast cancer racial disparity.”

See story on page 14.

USA Mitchell Cancer Institute hopes to more than double NIH funding to $10 million annually by 2020.

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COOKING UP SOME

HEALTHY GRUB Future doctors and nurses learn to cook healthy food so they can guide patients to healthy eating choices.

Eight future health-care providers learned “you are what you eat” during recent experimental classes in culinary medicine, in which University of South Alabama medical and nursing students got a taste of their own medicine and came back for more.

The course is a joint project of USA Mitchell Cancer Institute and the USA Colleges of Medicine and Nursing. Based on the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University, Mobile’s twoweek pilot course brought students together for two 3-hour modules designed to show the benefits of healthy nutrition and wise food choices and also ways to bring these benefits to patients.

The pilot course blends medical science with kitchen duty. Pairs of students, one from nursing with one from medicine, learned how to select ingredients 10 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

and how to cut, chop and cook them for healthiest, tastiest results.

For most participants, the kitchen duty was an eye-opening, educational and tasty experience.

“Before this class, I didn’t realize how poor my own diet was,” says first-year medical student C.C. Linder of Spanish Fort, “and I didn’t realize how delicious healthy food can be.”

Linder entered the program with rudimentary cooking skills. She knew the basics. But within the hour, she and others were chopping onions for Shrimp Fra Diavolo. By module two, students moved on to more challenging fare, like pork tenderloin and chicken dishes — just what the doctor ordered.

“I didn’t realize how good vegetables could be,” says Linder, who at age 25 is planning a career in family medicine.

“This training and the tools we learn could be very applicable in my practice.

People don’t realize that diet has such a great effect on their lives. The course gives the necessary tools — which are not readily available at present — for eating better and teaching others to do so.”

Student instructor Brenden Ingraham, a third-year medical student from Mobile, taught cutting techniques and safety with knives — ironic for medical students who may one day be surgeons.

But he learned as well. “A lot of us in medical school, and I believe many in medical practice, do not know the effects our food has on our health,” he says.

“I didn’t realize how high calories are in some foods and how quickly those calories add up.”

Ingraham, who plans to become a cardiologist, said the applications of

good eating practices, presented in the courses, are vital to a healthy cardiovascular system. “I can see incorporating these tools into my medical practice,” he adds.

The course is currently in the pilot stages for USA. Initial training was conducted courtesy of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church kitchen. The original course was slated specifically for medical students, but the desire is to expand into the community.

“Our hope is to offer these culinary medicine courses to cancer survivors, those suffering from other chronic diseases and community members interested in improving their nutrition through the healthy cooking of delicious and affordable meals,” says Margaret Sullivan, MCI associate director for cancer control and prevention.

In the meantime, Sullivan notes, “Medical students need to understand the role nutrition plays. It is vital that medical students have knowledge of food — the why and how it is good for you, rather than just prescribing pills.”

Though the course is voluntary, there’s a waiting list to enroll — and everyone who signed up for the first module came back for the second.

As part of the hands-on training, students started with basic dishes, such as spaghetti — learning to prepare it with healthier, less fattening, better-for-you, alternative ingredients.

“After modifications, the flavor of healthy pasta was no different from the fatty version,” says a class instructor, Nancy Brumfield, a registered dietitian at MCI. “And the students did great. We had class attendees ranging from those with culinary expertise to those who couldn’t boil water. But all learned from the training.”

During classes, case studies were discussed. Students were challenged to give a diagnosis and suggest certain foods, or dietary treatments, based on lessons taught in the training and food cooked on class stoves.

Brumfield adds, “Physicians often inform patients, ‘You need to limit salt or give up sugar.’ That is easier said than done. They don’t often understand the impact. I don’t expect physicians to take the time to teach this course to their patients, but the training hopefully gives new doctors the insight and a better understanding, so they can encourage patients trying to achieve a better lifestyle.”

The course is currently being evaluated. It could become a credit-earning elective in the curriculum for medical and nursing students at some point in the future, and plans are under way to offer culinary medicine classes to the community at large.

In the meantime, USA medical students are benefiting from their newly acquired culinary knowledge, academically and personally. “I prepared a mashed sweet potato dish, learned from the course, for my mom and dad,” says Linder, whose parents are physicians. “It was very good.” // EB OPPOSITE: Medical students Maridith Hollis and Brenden Ingraham, center, participate in a culinary medicine class sponsored

by USA Mitchell Cancer Institute on March 3, 2016. At left is Val Dearmon, D.N.P., chair and associate professor in the Adult Health Department at the USA College of Nursing. At right is George Koulianos, M.D., a Mobile obstetrician and gynecologist.

THIS PAGE: A sampling of culinary treats appeals to eye and taste bud while offering good nutrition.

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CLINICAL TRIALS AT MCI OFFER HOPE AND NEW TREATMENTS

MCI offers a robust clinical trials program, with more than 30 open trials and an unusually high percentage of minority participants.

In 2012, Reatha Johnson received the news every woman fears — a diagnosis of Stage III ovarian cancer. She underwent treatment at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, and the cancer responded. For a time, she went into remission. But then the cancer came back.

Her oncologist, Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., who is also associate director for clinical research at MCI, recommended participation in a clinical trial. It was for a new drug that had some success against ovarian cancer.

Clinical trials are research studies 12 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

designed to test agents or other healthrelated interventions to determine their impact on cancer and other diseases.

MCI has a robust program with more than 30 open trials and a dozen dedicated staff members.

The testing of a new drug is rigorous, as it must pass three phases. With each phase, hopes are raised.

Phase I establishes safe dosing levels in cancer patients.

Phase II trials gauge the effectiveness of a drug and explore its safe use in small populations.

Phase III trials take place at multiple sites and involve large numbers of participants. They determine whether the tested drug is more effective than the standard treatment for that particular disease.

MCI conducts all three phases of trials and has a high participation rate, particularly among minority populations. At MCI, 39 percent of the 200-plus patients enrolled were minorities, compared with a national average of just 5 percent.

Though patients are predominantly from Mobile and Baldwin counties, MCI

cover story “every successful treatment we have today was tried by someone else first,” says Reatha Johnson. “I figured even if I didn’t benefit from it, someone else would.”

Another myth is that a clinical trial is a last resort for a patient when all other alternatives have failed. While a trial does sometimes offer a new avenue of treatment to a patient who has not responded to other therapies, reasons for participation vary.

Patients sometimes volunteer out of a sense of altruism. Sometimes a patient has the specific kind of cancer that the new drug is targeting or has had a recurrence, as in the case of Johnson.

Her situation met the criteria for a trial of a new drug called Cabozantinib, which had been shown to reduce tumor growth in multiple cancer types, including ovarian cancer. When approached

by Rocconi, the Gulfport, Mississippi, resident was receptive to participating in the trial.

“Every successful treatment we have today was tried by someone else first,” Johnson says. “I figured even if I didn’t benefit from it, someone else would.”

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Mk serves patients within a 150-mile radius of Mobile.

Yet, despite MCI’s high participation rate, myths about trials persist. One myth is that a patient is simply a guinea pig, which has some traction in Alabama, where the infamous Tuskegee experiments were conducted. Since most patients enter a trial on the recommendation of their physician, trust is crucial.

“It’s our job to establish that trust,” says Rocconi. “Patients should know and have faith that what we are doing has been looked at and evaluated. Our number one priority is patient safety.”

Safety and greater patient oversight are an essential part of any trial. A patient is followed closely to monitor his or her health and to meet testing criteria.

Increasingly, new agents are being tested that reflect advances in personalized medicine, such as vaccine trials aimed at specific cancers.

At one time, patients with certain cancers, such as breast cancer, got the same therapy. It was a one-size-fits-all approach. But as science advanced, cancers were broken down by cell type.

During surgery to remove a breast cancer tumor, for example, a sample can be sent to the lab to determine which tumor markers are present and develop antibodies specific to that tumor. This forms the basis for a vaccine. In theory, these vaccines would attack those specific cancer cells, with the hope that eventually the body would mount an immune response. Different vaccines for specific cancers are currently being tested.

Another example is a “basket trial,” which targets a specific tumor marker, not a specific kind of cancer. So a colon cancer patient might be in the same trial as a pancreatic cancer patient.

“These types of therapies are extremely exciting and are unique to an academic research-driven cancer center like MCI,” says Rocconi.

For Johnson, the Cabozantinib pill improved her quality of life, though it did have some side effects. But after her dose was adjusted, many of those disappeared. She was monitored closely, and the agent did its job initially, so that the cancer shrunk. But after a little more than a year, it stopped working.

“More birthdays.

More graduations.

More grandchildren.

These are important to people.”

- Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D.

In clinical trials, though, limited victories are part of the process, according to Rocconi.

“We haven’t hit a lot of home runs in clinical trials, but we keep hitting singles and doubles. That equates to longer survival times, and that means more milestones. More birthdays. More graduations. More grandchildren. These are important to people,” he says.

In fact, studies show that people who participate in clinical trials live longer than those who do not, he said. Participants also have access to a treatment they wouldn’t get outside the confines of a trial.

Success in trials is measured in a similar way, one “single” or phase at a time.

Since each drug must pass all three phases, it takes years to make it through clinical trials, gain FDA approval and reach the marketplace. Most drugs fall by the wayside. Yet, at the end of any study, every patient benefits in that a new drug is either confirmed or eliminated from treatment consideration.

That idea of paying it forward motivated Johnson. Today, at 55, she is receiving chemotherapy at MCI. Sporting a bald head, she embraces her new look and has no regrets about her treatment choices. She encourages others to participate in trials. Her willingness to try new treatments is also part of her approach to battling cancer.

“You can just sit there on the couch and give up or you can get up and fight,” she says. “Reatha Johnson does not give up.” // MP Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 13

RESEARCH

WHY CANCER HITS MINORITIES HARDER

WS Seema and Ajay Singh, Ph.D.s, are both engaged in NIH-funded research to find biological factors that make African-Americans more likely to develop more aggressive cancers.

Research from the National Cancer Institute tells us that African-American women are more likely to develop an aggressive form of breast cancer and die from it than are Caucasian women.

The same can be said of African-American men with prostate cancer — clinical findings that are especially relevant in the Deep South.

Cancer researchers Seema and Ajay Singh, Ph.D.s, faculty members at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, hypothesize that there may be more to racial disparities in cancer than just the socioeconomic factors, such as a lack of access to medical care. They are exploring what’s going on at the molecular level.

Seema Singh is researching the tumor “microenvironment” in breast cancer of African-American women in a study funded recently by a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Ajay Singh’s research, funded by a $1.57 million NIH grant awarded in 2014, has identified a protein that is more prevalent in prostate cancer for AfricanAmerican men.

“In Alabama, this is a hot topic,” says Seema Singh, assistant professor of oncologic sciences. “We know that there are many factors at work, such as access 14 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

to health care. However, we believe that not only those factors, but also biological factors, play a role.”

Seema Singh is studying cytokines, which are cell-signaling molecules that help in cell-to-cell communication. Tumor cells alter the levels of cytokines they secrete, which influences the surrounding environment. As a result, a patient’s defense system, which is supposed to eliminate tumor cells or restrict tumor growth, starts aiding in tumor cell growth in a process referred to as “hijacking the host.”

Seema Singh’s team will examine the differential levels of these cytokines in blood and tumor samples from AfricanAmerican and Caucasian women as a part of the five-year study. Moreover, she will study how these cytokines affect tumor cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment to support the aggressive growth of breast cancer. “We expect to prove that the higher levels of these cytokines are an important reason for the existence of aggressive breast tumors in African-American women and why minority patients often respond poorly to chemotherapy,” she says.

Ajay Singh, associate professor of oncologic sciences, and his team have

identified a protein called MYB that is found at a higher level in prostate cancer for African-American men than for their European-American counterparts.

As part of his NIH-funded research, he plans to establish the role of this protein in aggressive and therapy-resistant prostate cancer that afflicts mostly minority patients. He also plans to gauge the clinical significance of the protein levels to establish MYB as a method for distinguishing aggressive tumors from ones that are less aggressive.

“High PSA levels in patients are currently considered a marker for the presence of prostate cancer. However, it has been realized lately that not all patients with high PSA will develop prostate cancer or the type of cancer that should be of clinical concern,” he says. “So in some cases, there is an over-diagnosis of cancer, but PSA is the only test available right now.”

Eventually, he says, the findings from his study could pave the way for a marker that would be more efficient than PSA. Also, his research could help in the development of effective therapies or prevention strategies to reduce the widening gaps in clinical outcomes of patients with different racial backgrounds.

Ajay Singh heads the Health Disparities in Cancer Research Program at MCI. The program also includes Seema Singh; Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., associate director for clinical research, and Margaret Sullivan, associate director for cancer control and prevention.

Many complex and interrelated factors contribute to disparities in cancer incidence and death among racial, ethnic and underserved groups, Sullivan says.

“The most obvious factors are associated with a lack of health care coverage and low socioeconomic status, but many relate to genetic and molecular differences that our Health Disparities in Cancer Research Program is addressing,” she says. “Together with our cancer control and outreach efforts, we can launch community-based awareness programs and assess socioeconomic, environmental and cultural factors that may contribute to health disparities, in addition to the basic research under way.” // CM FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.USAMCI.COM.

IN HOUSE

GENETICS COUNSELOR JOINS MCI TEAM

Genetics counselor Jessa Blount, M.S., C.G.C.

Jessa R. Blount, M.S., C.G.C., has joined Mitchell Cancer Institute as a certified genetics counselor after working at Sentara Cancer Genetics Services in Norfolk, Virginia.

Rapid advances in the genetics field

are opening new scientific insights into hereditary cancer syndromes, she says.

“One of the reasons I find the field of genetics so fascinating is the fast pace at which we are learning more about how the human genome works — or why it fails to work properly,” Blount says.

“Recent research shows that we can more accurately treat a cancer with certain types of chemotherapy once we learn someone’s cancer is due to a specific gene change,” she says.

For the past six years, Blount has worked with patients with a personal or family history of cancer connected to a hereditary cancer syndrome.

Hereditary cancer syndromes occur when a gene mutation is passed through the family, increasing family members’ chances of getting cancer.

For those with a gene change, healthcare providers can develop an effective

medical management plan, Blount says.

A plan can include cancer screening to detect cancer when it is easiest to treat or even preventative surgeries to help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

“The goal with genetic testing is to empower patients to be as proactive as possible in their healthcare,” she says.

While many patients come to Blount feeling overwhelmed, anxious or scared, she says they are often grateful for the information genetics counselors provide.

If they do not have hereditary cancer syndrome, they are relieved; if they do, at least it’s clearer what’s causing cancer in their family.

In addition to offering genetics counseling, Blount will organize educational programs for healthcare providers, develop a high-risk screening program at local breast centers and conduct research. // TL

MCI ADDS SECOND OPINION HOTLINE There’s little as shattering in life as a diagnosis of cancer, and accepting the news may be difficult.

A new Second Opinion Hotline offered

by MCI can help patients cope.

“Patients, for any reason, can get a second opinion with a medical oncologist at MCI,” says Philip Meador, practice director. “Sometimes you’re just unhappy and didn’t like what you heard, but other times you want to find a care team that will work collaboratively with you when you need alternatives.”

No matter the reason, getting additional information is a good first step in dealing with any diagnosis, Meador says.

A call to the hotline puts a patient in

contact with an MCI nurse who will review a list of questions developed by MCI physicians. The nurse will explain what information and medical records are needed to make a meaningful review of the diagnosis.

Once all the data is in hand, the patient can visit MCI to meet with a physician, nurse practitioner and nurse to review care options and recommendations from the MCI team.

Sometimes, says Meador, the second time you hear the diagnosis, it’s more real, and you’re better equipped to fight back.

LOCAL: 251-410-4997 TOLL FREE: 1-844-310-4997

MCI Practice Director Philip Meador

SOUTH-UAB PARTNERSHIP APPROVED The University of South Alabama Board of Trustees has approved an agreement for increased collaboration between USA Mitchell Cancer Institute and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The agreement is the next step in creating a consortium relationship between the two institutions. MCI will partner with UAB in its 2020 application to re-

new its five-year Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Institutes of Health. When the expected renewal is granted, MCI will share UAB’s status as a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center consortium partner.

“By forging a consortium with an NCIdesignated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we become part of an elite group,”

says Michael Finan, M.D., director of MCI. “This collaboration will ensure the highest quality of patient care and access to leading-edge clinical research for the citizens of Alabama and our neighboring states.”

MCI and UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center are the only academic cancer research centers in Alabama. The UAB center has held its NCI designation since 1973.

Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 15

IN HOUSE

TWO NEW RADIATION ONCOLOGISTS JOIN MCI SMITH HELPS PATIENTS GET BETTER AND FEEL BETTER

Radiation oncologist Clayton Smith, M.D., Ph.D.

Advances in radiosurgery drive Clayton Smith, M.D., Ph.D., in helping patients with different types of cancer.

Smith brought that mission in July to MCI when he joined the staff as a radiation oncologist.

Smith came to MCI after completing his residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Radiation oncology allows Smith

to meld neuroscience and oncology — two fields that have fascinated him throughout his undergraduate, medical and Ph.D. studies at Tulane University.

Early on in his training, he knew he had made the right choice of field.

“On the whole, it’s actually very rewarding,” he says. “I feel like the best thing I can do is help patients understand where they are in the process.

Providing them that education helps them feel some level of control over what’s going on. That’s the first thing I can do as an oncologist.”

Then, he says, he can help patients navigate what they can do next.

For a metastasized cancer in the brain, radiosurgery offers a 90 percent success rate at that spot, he says. With primary lung cancer in the early stage, there’s an 85 percent success rate with radiosurgery.

While 60 percent of what radiation oncologists do is trying to cure pa-

tients, the other 40 percent is treating their symptoms with radiation, he says.

That’s effective in about 80 percent of patients.

“The other rewarding aspect of what I do is helping people feel better,” he says. “Helping improve their quality of life is reward in itself.” Radiosurgery is non-invasive, and new technological advances make it incredibly accurate.

Doctors can target a brain tumor, for example, within 1 mm, Smith says. The patient is not sedated, but lies on a table for about 30 minutes while doctors administer the radiation.

As a radiation oncologist, Smith treats all types of cancers and a full spectrum of patients from children to adults. Because of those advances in radiosurgery, he sees continued importance of all three types of cancer treatment — surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. // TL

YAN OFFERS PATIENTS MEDICINE AND MUSIC

Radiation oncologist Weisi Yan, M.D., Ph.D.

As a board-certified radiation oncologist, Weisi Yan, M.D., Ph.D., works in a decidedly scientific field. However, he sees a strong connection between his work and art.

“Think of a doctor contouring cancer and critical organs on a computer screen as a painter using a mouse as his brush.

There are a lot of connections between science and art,” says Yan, who joined the Radiation Oncology department at MCI in July. “There’s an art to how you design radiation treatment.”

16 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

Yan says he also finds radiation oncology to be a “technically and intellectually challenging” field because of its combination of anatomy, physics and other sciences.

He comes to MCI from New York, where he held faculty appointments at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and New York Hospital Queens. He also served as an assistant professor of clinical radiology at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.

His specialties are head and neck cancers, lung cancer, lymphoma and GI cancers. In addition, Yan has extensive training in Stereotactic Radiation Therapy, in which high-dose radiotherapy beams are aimed at a tumor from many different directions with a high level of precision. At MCI, this therapy is delivered by the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System. “CyberKnife delivers high-dose radiation in a sharp and precise manner,” he says.

Yan says there is strong demand for CyberKnife treatment in south Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle.

“We are in a unique situation here. Along the whole Gulf Coast, there is no other CyberKnife closer than Birmingham, which is at least four hours away,” he says.

Yan earned a bachelor of medicine from China Medical University and a Ph.D. from Cornell, where he trained in pharmacology. He completed his residency at Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine and NYP/Cornell Medical Center, where he served as chief resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Yan also rotated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center during his residency training.

When treating patients, Yan says, he employs another type of art — music. “I play music to patients when they’re undergoing radiation treatment,” he says.

“The patients usually have a preference, though I prefer classical.”

The ancient Chinese symbol for medicine is similar to the symbol for music, he says, adding, “Music carries messages. All of these messages have individualized effects that can be soothing and calming.” // CM

SOUTH HAS MOBILE’S ONLY BOARDCERTIFIED SURGICAL ONCOLOGISTS The Mobile area’s only board-certified cancer surgeons are faculty members at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, who see patients at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute. Spencer Liles, M.D., and Marcus Tan, M.D., assistant professors in the Department of Surgery, both hold board certification, which requires a qualifying exam and a two-year training program in Complex General Surgical Oncology at an accredited institution.

Liles completed his fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Tan completed his fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

MK

Marcus Tan, M.D., (right) and Spencer Liles, M.D., see patients at Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Both of the board-certified surgical oncolgists also teach at USA College of Medicine.

PATIENT NAVIGATOR KING RETIRES Dennis King retired April 29 after serving as a patient navigation coordinator for 11 years, guiding patients as they “walked through the valley of cancer” and helping them find resources they needed.

“Dennis has supported both patients and staff with his encouragement and faith,” said Cathy Tinnea, MCI nurse navigator. “We will truly miss his loving heart and smiling face.”

King, 65, plans to serve as a chaplain at area hospitals.

Dennis King (right) has a passion for helping people in need.

MK Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 17

OUTREACH

CARE TREATMENT PLAN INFORMS AND GUIDES PATIENTS

MK In the quiet of the waiting room, patients use a tablet computer to update their care team about symptoms, side effects, questions and more.

The cancer care journey has a new compass at Mitchell Cancer Institute. It is a two-way dialogue with a hand-held device, designed to improve the health outcome of Medicare beneficiaries now and all patients in the near future. And it’s coming to an electronic tablet near you, in the doctor’s waiting room.

The Distress and Symptom Management Survey is part of MCI’s new Care Treatment Plans through a partnership with Carevive Systems, Inc. MCI has been chosen to try the program, which helps patients understand their diagnosis, know what to expect during treatment and learn to manage symptoms associated with cancer treatment.

Using a hand-held tablet computer, patients respond to a series of questions to describe how they’re feeling at the moment and supply important healthrelated information that will impact their treatment and outcomes. When information is entered, data populates the Care Treatment Plan, which is accessible to the patient’s healthcare team.

“It is part of a transformation, a 18 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

whole team approach, to personalized healthcare,” says Margaret Sullivan, MCI associate director for cancer control and prevention. “The program enhances our ability to provide more shared decision making between patients and healthcare providers.”

“The program enhances our ability to provide more shared decision making between patients and healthcare providers.”

- Margaret Sullivan Survey results can trigger alerts of severe pain, of a family history of cancer or of a patient’s psychosocial issues that may warrant extra support services.

The pilot program was introduced in April 2016 and offered to volunteers who were undergoing cancer treatment.

“They liked how doctors can make a di-

agnosis and fine tune a treatment plan,” says Nurse Navigator Cathy Tinnea. “It is a much more personalized approach.”

Doctors are encouraged, too. “Healthcare in general, and particularly something as complex as cancer, is difficult for patients to understand,” says Thomas W. Butler, M.D., an MCI medical oncologist. “They want to know what is going on and what they need to do. They want to be proactive in their treatments. This tool gives them a sense of control over the disease process.”

Butler helped develop MCI’s Cancer Care Notebook, a hard-copy binder of medical information issued to patients.

The physician sees the electronic supplement as an exciting next step.

“We often forget to tell our physician something during visits,” Butler adds. “I know I do when I’m a patient. But sitting in a waiting room, one has time to think clearly before answering the prompts.”

As every cancer patient knows, situations can change, and the Distress and Symptom Management Survey is designed to catch those changes promptly.

“This is the beauty of it,” says Meredith Jones, MCI quality assurance manager.

“A plan of action can be modified quickly, based on physician-patient network interaction.”

For example, a patient may answer the “How are you feeling?” prompts with “experiencing fatigue,” “pain” or “both.”

Perhaps a medication can be changed, dosage modified or alternatives given.

If an entry is “I cannot tolerate a specific medication,” possibly, the prescription can be altered. “Patients are not just receiving a medical printout,” Jones says.

“They are accessing and networking with a whole healthcare team.”

Topics at the patients’ fingertips are tailored for their diagnosis with information about the disease, ideas for relieving symptoms and side effects, and other useful materials about advanced directives and care team names.

Knowledge is not only power; it can be comforting. Tinnea adds, “It takes time for patients to comprehend what is happening and will happen. It helps to see it in writing.” // EB

OUTREACH

MK

SURVIVORS DAY FEATURES STORIES OF LOVE, GRATITUDE AND INSPIRATION Cancer. It’s a six-letter word for a disease that is never discerning, timely or forgiving in its choice of victims. Yet despite the pain, fear and anxiety that comes with such a diagnosis, bravery, optimism and hope shine through in those who survive.

Indeed, the survivors and caregivers who attended National Cancer Survivors Day activities June 5 at the Alabama Cruise Terminal, hosted by the Mitchell Cancer Institute, exuded gratitude, love and joy. Through stories and artistic expressions created with B’Beth Weldon of Gifted Masterpieces, local cancer survivors revealed inspiring messages on a day designated to celebrate and support those impacted by cancer.

“I know that I am certainly a better man because of my cancer, and I can live my life better, enjoy each day more, appreciate my family more. Aromas are stronger, tastes more savory, kisses are sweeter, hugs warmer, and I try not to sweat the small stuff anymore,” said survivor and Mobile County school teacher Glen Mutchnick, as he used his speech to thank his wife, Sherry, and others who supported him as he battled lymphoma.

Every cancer patient’s experience is unique. In Mutchnick’s case, he under-

went the “full Monty” of chemotherapy, spending intervals of seven or eight hours at a time in the chemo chair. Glen’s doctors advised taking a break from teaching, but he persevered and found support from seventh graders who created signs with messages of support and eighth graders who shaved their heads and formed the Bald Eagle Club.

“It was an emotional and special moment in my life,” said Mutchnick.

Another Mobile educator, Council Traditional School Principal Hattie Alexander, shared her story through her painting. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983, following a check-up with her baby, who was then 6 months old.

During treatment, she kept a photo of her three children next to her bed. “I drew strength from that picture. I prayed to the Lord, ‘Please allow me to see my three children grow up and make something of themselves.’”

The night before her surgery, a nurse came to her room and said, “Let me pray with you.”

“And she did, and it gave me a sense of peace,” Alexander recalled. Her children, her mother and the nurse are all represented in her painting, which hung alongside other survivors’ works that carried

mantras like “live every day” and “never, ever give up.”

The youngest survivor to share her story reiterated these sentiments. Pooja Revanna was diagnosed with leukemia at 14. “What I would tell anyone battling cancer is to keep living your life, stay positive,” she says. “I’ve seen all my family has done for me, and I’m forever grateful.” Revanna is dedicating her life to giving back. Now a junior at the University of South Alabama, she plans to become a pediatric oncologist. When confronted by adversity, Revanna said, people are strong and will reveal their best.

At the close of the event, survivors gathered on the cruise terminal balcony, releasing purple balloons into the sky over Mobile Bay — a gesture that symbolizes letting go of what can’t be controlled, being uplifted by hope and drawing strength and support from caregivers and loved ones. // AD Survivors Day is a festive occasion each spring. Left, above, Glen Mutchnick says his experience with cancer made him a better man. Left, beneath, inspired by her experience with cancer, Pooja Revanna is studying to be a pediatric oncologist. Right, survivors release balloons as a reminder to let go of those things they can’t control.

Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 19

NURTURING HOPE

HOPE CUP HONOREE ADVOCATES FOR SKIN CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS

For many years, Kristen DeLaney figured that melanoma couldn’t happen to her.

Fair-skinned DeLaney says she’d always seen a dermatologist, who would remove questionable spots. During her freshman year of college, a plastic surgeon removed such a mole from DeLaney’s chest.

“I will never forget answering the phone in my parents’ room one afternoon and detecting the alarm in the doctor’s voice,” DeLaney says. Her treatment followed protocol. The skin around the melanoma was excised to ensure it had not spread. With an optimistic prognosis, DeLaney underwent requisite follow-up with an oncologist for about five years.

“It brought awareness to me and my family; no one is invincible to cancer, and it can strike at any age.”

Because of her diagnosis and because early detection is critical, DeLaney became increasingly vigilant about getting regular skin checks and biopsies of questionable spots. DeLaney credits her first melanoma diagnosis with finding her second one promptly. DeLaney explains, “I had a light pink bump on my calf that just didn’t feel right. It was not the typical melanoma that I looked for (with dark, irregular borders), but it was unlike any other spot on my skin; that raised a red flag.” DeLaney’s instincts were right — only this time, the melanoma was much deeper and more serious than the one she’d had 15 years prior.

“I will never forget that night, the feeling of complete disbelief and fear. As an 18-yearold with cancer, you feel a bit invincible; as a 35-year-old mother, you feel out of control and fear the worst.”

Recently, DeLaney surpassed the critical two-year mark following diagnosis and treatment, which merited a wide excision on her leg and two skin grafts.

“Cancer is a very personal experience. I do not particularly like to discuss the details, but I feel it is my duty to share my story,” she says.

“On average, a person’s risk of melanoma doubles if he or she has more than five sunburns.” Living on the coast, “most of us had several sunburns before our teen years.” In college, DeLaney and her friends frequented tanning beds, which increases the risk of developing skin cancer.

Through her involvement with the Hope Cup Golf Tournament, DeLaney hopes that people will self-advocate and will learn more about how serious yet preventable melanoma is. //AD

Kristen DeLaney, with her husband, Drew, and daughters Helen (left) and Rosemary — an entire family’s worth of reasons to be vigilant about skin cancer.

20 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

HOPE CUP RAISES $50,000 FOR MELANOMA RESEARCH Nearly 100 golfers participated in the 4th Annual Hope Cup Golf Tournament on May 12 to raise both awareness and funds in the fight against melanoma and other skin cancers. The event, sponsored

by Springhill Toyota, raised a record tally of more than $50,000 to benefit the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Endowment at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

The 24 teams were composed of 96 players, who enjoyed a day of perfect weather at the Country Club of Mobile.

Organized as a four-person scramble, the Hope Cup featured a putting contest, proximity contests on every hole, a survivor’s hole and two hole-in-ones with the opportunity to win a brand-new Toyota.

In keeping with the theme, the Advanced Dermatology & Skin Care Centre offered free skin screenings.

Guests had an opportunity to learn more about melanoma and skin cancer research, detection and prevention from Casey Daniel, Ph.D., MCI assistant professor of oncologic sciences, and Marcus Tan, M.D., a surgical oncologist at MCI. “Our goal through the tournament is to provide education on how people can take steps to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer and raise funds to support patient programs and research for better ways of treating it,” says MCI Director of Development Kelly McCarron.

May was Skin Cancer Awareness month. Melanoma, the most serious and deadly form of skin cancer, is responsible for the vast majority of skin cancer deaths.

In coastal Alabama, these cancers have been on the rise in recent years. Baldwin County’s incidence of melanoma is far higher than rates for Alabama or the U.S. as a whole. The CDC reported, on average, 116.8 new cases of melanoma per 100,000 people in Baldwin County, compared with 79.6 for Alabama and 74.8 nationally from 2008 to 2012. Mobile County’s rate was 78 new cases per 100,000 people.

Risk factors for skin cancer include a personal or family history of the disease, the presence of atypical and large moles and heavy exposure to UV radiation. On average, a person’s risk of melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns. //MP

MK

Teams prepare to tee off at the 4th Annual Hope Cup Golf Tournament, held May 12 at the Country Club of Mobile.

2016 HOPE CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT WINNERS Advanced Dermatology & Skin Care Centre First Flight Winners

SouthernLINC Wireless Second Flight Winners

Springhill Toyota Third Flight Winners Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 21

THE MCI GALA CELEBRATE HOPE SET FOR NOVEMBER 17 The 8th Annual Celebrate Hope, the gala event of the MCI year, will be November 17 on the grounds of MCI. Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Atmore will serve as presenting sponsor.

Celebrate Hope is a foodie’s delight, attracting top local chefs and restaurants as well as celebrity chefs, who prepare their best dishes to support cancer research at MCI. The cuisine is paired with wine and craft beer which, when added to the live music and lavishly decorated setting, contributes to the festive atmosphere.

The 2016 Celebrate Hope Chair Laureen Lynn is an enthusiastic supporter of the event, having attended every year.

As an 18-year breast cancer survivor, she is thankful for MCI’s presence in the community.

“We are fortunate to have a facility like MCI in Mobile,” says Lynn. “The cuttingedge research and treatment that happens here is of tremendous benefit to the community. What they do deserves to be supported. Plus, this is one of the best events in Mobile.”

Since its inception, Celebrate Hope has generated more than $2 million for cancer research.

While many details are still being finalized, Aramark/USA Dining Services, Ruth’s Chris, Von’s Bistro, Half Shell Oys-

ter House and Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Atmore will be among the participating restaurants. The Beau Rivage Resort and Casino will sponsor a Premier Partner Package in 2017, including a party and tickets to an event.

Celebrate Hope tickets are $175 per person and will go on sale October 10.

They may be purchased at usahealthsystem.com/celebratehope, or by calling 251-460-7032.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, starting at $1,000. These include tickets to Celebrate Hope and the Premier Partner event. For more information, contact MCI Development at 251-460-7032.

2015 EVENT RAISES $330,000 Hundreds of guests enjoyed Asianinspired cuisine and beverages at the 7th annual Celebrate Hope on November 19, 2015, presented by Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Atmore.

The event netted $333,000, which will be used to purchase an X-ray diffraction device to aid researchers at MCI in their

search for new and better treatments for cancer.

As always, a variety of local restaurants provided signature dishes. Participating restaurants included Aramark/USA Dining Services, Bake My Day, Bay Gourmet Catering, Clark’s Kitchen, Classic City Catering, Couture Cakes, Half Shell Oyster

House, Kitchen on George, Legacy Bar & Grill, Liquid Lounge, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Von’s Bistro and Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Atmore. The A-Town A-List of Atlanta entertained the crowd.

For the second year in a row, Catherine and Michael Druhan served as chairs for the event. //MP

Guests sample a variety of dishes in the atrium of USA Mitchell Cancer Institute during the 7th Annual Celebrate Hope event. At top right, entertainers with the A-Town A-List charm the crowd under clear skies in midtown Mobile.

22 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2016

USA MITCHELL CANCER INSTITUTE 2016-17 EVENTS 9TH ANNUAL GO RUN

September 17, 2016 USA Campus: Mitchell Center Lawn • Moulton Tower 6:30 a.m. registration • 8:00 a.m. 5K • 9:00 a.m. Fun Run Benefits Gynecologic Cancer Research

THINK PINK TEA

8TH ANNUAL CELEBRATE HOPE November 17, 2016 USA Mitchell Cancer Institute 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Benefits Cancer Research Equipment

CYCLIAD

October 6, 2016 Alabama Cruise Terminal 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Benefits Breast Cancer Awareness

April 23, 2017 OK Bicycle Shop Noon - until Benefits Patient Navigation Program

POLO AT THE POINT

5TH ANNUAL HOPE CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT

October 15, 2016 Sonny Hill-Clearwater Complex 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

5TH ANNUAL SALTY WORM BRACKISH CLASSIC AND DELTA BASH October 29, 2016 Bluegill Restaurant 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Benefits the Gaillard Pancreatic Cancer Research Endowment

May 2017 The Country Club of Mobile 10:30 a.m. registration • 11:00 a.m. lunch Noon shotgun start Benefits Melanoma and Skin Cancer Endowment, Research and Treatment Needs FOR THE LATEST ON THESE EVENTS, SEE OUR EVENTS LINK AT WWW.USAMCI.COM.

Top left, crowds look on as players compete during the 2015 Polo at the Point fundraiser at the Sonny Hill-Clearwater Complex in Fairhope.

Top right, the Salty Worm Brackish Classic and Delta Bash supports research on pancreatic cancer.

Minds Conquering Cancer 2016 | 23

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Mobile, AL Permit No. 506

1660 Springhill Avenue Mobile, AL 36604-1405

RINGING IN HOPE RENEWED Julius Shine emerges from his final round of radiation therapy and grabs the bell rope while family and friends huddle to celebrate. Throughout the building, everyone stops work and joins the cheers.

It’s graduation from cancer therapy.

Shine flashes a joyful smile as he rings the bell.

Time to get back to work? Heck no.

Shine is going to enjoy the end of cancer care by doing some of the traveling he’s been hankering for — and he’s ready to run again.

He’s run the 400-meter hurdles since high school — and his prowess in that event led him to the University of Alabama, where he ran track — and met his wife, Angela — before turning to a career that culminated in service as athletic director for the City of Mobile.

He loved most every minute of his city work, encouraging kids to reach their potential.

Then he got a headache that wouldn’t go away. Doctors told him it was thyroid cancer, one of the few that’s relatively easy to cure. At his six-week check up after surgery, however, his neck swelling seemed worse, not better. Further examination revealed cancer of the larynx.

Angela, a breast cancer survivor, stood by his side, just as he had helped her during her illness. Support from his kids and faith in God pulled him through. Radiation, he says, is “an ordeal” that he copes with by praying.

Now, with radiation treatment complete, he’s hoping he’ll get back more

DA energy and a better appetite. He looks forward to the peace he feels working in his garden and to showing Angela the sights in the 36 states he’s visited.

Ringing the MCI bell signals the start

of all that’s on his new horizon of health and hope. //NB Julius Shine rings the bell to celebrate the conclusion of his radiation treatments.