Archives of the "new" section spotlighting noteworthy individuals
making a difference in the cancer community

Friends is pleased to announce a new section of the FOCR newsletter entitled "In the Spotlight."   Each month this section will feature an interview with a noteworthy individual  who is making a difference in the cancer community.  [This month's spotlight]

> Dr. Raymond Woosley
Dr. Woosley currently serves as President of the Critical Path Institute (C-Path), a non-profit corporation formed by the Food and Drug Administration, SRI, International and the University of Arizona to accelerate the development of safe innovative medicines.  Published in over 290 publications, Dr. Woosley's work focuses on the basic and clinical pharmacology of drugs and holds eleven patents for four drugs and has one patent pending.  His leadership has been pivotal to the improvement and collaboration of the medical community surrounding drug safety.

> Dr. William Nelson
Dr. William G. Nelson is Associate Director of Translational Research at The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.  His research is focused on the early stages of prostate cancer development, specifically methylation changes present in prostate cancer and precursor cells. Detecting such changes may serve as a biomarker useful in the advancement of prostate cancer treatment and prevention.

> Dr. Raymond DuBois 
Dr. DuBois is Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and also serves on the Board of Scientific Advisors to the Director of the National Cancer Institute and the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (an initiative of Katie Couric, Lily Tartikoff and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.)  Dr. DuBois discusses his groundbreaking research and the policy barriers he sees to realizing its full potential.

> Dr. Lucile Adams-Campbell, Director, Howard University Cancer Center
As Americans come together to mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King and celebrate the great achievements of the civil rights movement during Black History Month, the latest statistics sadly still show an inequality among African Americans being diagnosed and ultimately dying of cancer. 

> Larry Norton, Director, Evelyn Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
While breast cancer awareness month comes and goes every October, the need for more awareness about breast cancer remains.  As a follow-up to our involvement with the Deloitte and Touche Women's Initiative Presentation on breast cancer, we are honored to present this month's "In the Spotlight" on Dr. Larry Norton, Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC. 

> Laurie Fenton, President of the Lung Cancer Alliance
"We don't want to be number one," says Lung Cancer Alliance President Laurie Fenton who oversees the only national organization that advocates exclusively for the community suffering from the 'number-one' cancer killer -- lung cancer.  In this month's In the Spotlight, FOCR speaks with Laurie Fenton on her goals for reversing that leading position and the challenges the advocacy community must overcome to do so.

> Diane Balma, Director of Public Policy, Susan G. Komen Foundation
Less than five years after graduating from law school, Diane Balma was faced with one of the toughest cases of her life: The defendant? Herself.  The verdict? Breast cancer.  The thirty-year old confronted the disease with grace and passion, pushing for second opinions and not giving up the fight.  Inspired by fellow patients, caregivers, and advocates, Ms. Balma left her private practice in San Francisco to join the Susan G. Komen Brest Cancer Foundation as senior counsel.  In her current capacity as senior counsel and Director of Public Policy, Diane provides expert legal advice to Komen and manages the foundation’s legislative affairs and public policy activities.  In this month’s In the Spotlight, Diane Balma shares her experiences as a patient and advocate, talks about the promising science developing in breast cancer research, and provides her outlook on what our national public policy leaders should set as priorities.

> Michael Manganiello, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for The Christopher Reeve Foundation
In light of recent activity on stem cell research and Dana Reeve's lung cancer diagnosis, Friends interviews Senior Vice President of Government Relations for The Christopher Reeve Foundation, Michael Manganiello.  In this month's spotlight, Manganiello provides an account of his personal connection to the healthcare community, sets the record straight on misconceptions in the stem cell research debate, and reflects on the opportunities for collaboration among all organizations working to improve the lives of those who are chronically ill and disabled.

> Dr. Sudhir Srivastava, Head Scientist of the EDRN
The National Cancer Institute recently completed its second round of funding to the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN).  In light of this milestone, Friends of Cancer Research spoke with head EDRN scientist Dr. Sudhir Srivastava about the announcement and what it means to the future of the network’s research. 

> Dr. Richard Pazdur of the FDA
Dr. Pazdur addresses priorities for the new office, discusses the challenges of accelerating advancements in cancer prevention and early detection, and explains some of the critical issues of drug approval every cancer patient should know.

> Dr. William Dalton, Director of Moffitt Cancer Center
In light of the recent symposium FOCR co-hosted with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL this past month, Friends is pleased to spotlight Moffitt's Center Director and CEO, Dr. William Dalton.  Dr. Dalton's experience as a doctor, researcher, professor, and director have given him a unique and valuable perspective to share on the opportunities and barriers to cancer research in this month's edition of IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

> Dan Glickman, President & CEO of the MPAA
Currently the President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Dan Glickman reigns over the multi-billion dollar American motion picture, home video, and television industries.  Prior to joining the MPAA, Mr. Glickman was Secretary of Agriculture (1995 to 2001), where he oversaw monumental changes in improving American's diet and nutrition.  Glickman's ascent to the national and international policy scene began when the native Kansan represented his state's  4th Congressional District for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.  In this edition of "In the Spotlight," Glickman shares his goals of involving media and congress to raise awareness and resources in the fight against cancer.

> Scott Gottlieb, formerly of the CMS and FDA
This doctor, writer, and senior government advisor shares his thoughts on the cancer drug approval process, his suggestions for conveying the importance of research to the public and private sectors, and his policy recommendations for the cancer community to pursue.

> Susan Dentzer of the Newshour with Jim Lerher
In this month's edition of "In the Spotlight" we cover Susan Dentzer of the Newshour with Jim Lerher.  The journalist (of many hats), mother, and former Nieman Fellow at Harvard described to the newsletter recently how she made the transitions and her thoughts on the current state of cancer and healthcare policy.

> Clifton Leaf of Fortune Magazine
For the first installment, Alyse Garber of FOCR interviewed Clifton Leaf, Executive Editor of Fortune Magazine and author of the March 2004 Fortune cover story entitled “Why we’re losing the war on cancer (and how to win  it).”   This month's "In the Spotlight" takes a "behind the scenes”  look at Leaf's cover story, his recommendations for making better progress against cancer, and his thoughts on stem cell research.  

Pieces of the Puzzle
An Interview with Clifton Leaf

While the process of researching and writing took several months, the makings of Clifton Leaf’s March 2004 cover story on cancer in Fortune Magazine began years ago.  Diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at the young age of fifteen, cancer is no stranger to Leaf.  Fortunately, Leaf waged a successful battle against the disease, which left him with not only a profound sense of optimism, he says, but also a deep gratefulness to those in the cancer community. However, it was not until a meeting in the fall of 2002 that Leaf, a longtime journalist who is now Fortune’s executive editor, felt a need to bring the disease he overcame back into the media spotlight.  It began with meeting Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis, for a magazine article (“Temptation is all around us”), that focused not on cancer, but on corporate governance.

Leaf's candid discussions with Vasella ranged over several days and covered a number of subjects—including the pain that cancer wreaks on families everywhere and the company’s breakthrough oncology drug, Gleevec, which offered great promise to those suffering from a rare form of leukemia (and perhaps other cancers as well). The talks sparked Leaf’s interest in other investments, discoveries, and advancements surrounding the disease. But as he began his investigation in late 2003, interviewing cancer experts around the country, he started to see a more sobering picture of the War on Cancer. The journalist, now 40, recalls, “I was dismayed to find that while we had made progress in so many different areas of cancer, we had not made significant inroads where it counts—in keeping people alive.”  

Leaf first compared improvements in children’s cancers to adult cancers;  While the former seemed to be evolving as a model for success, the nation seemed to be making little progress in mortality rates for many adult cancers.  Through this revelation, Leaf formulated a question that provided the premise for his provocative cover story, “Why We’re Losing the War on Cancer (and How to Win It”): “What is it about cancer—not just the disease itself but the culture surrounding its research and treatment—that has put roadblocks in the path of discovery?” 

 After scores of interviews with top researchers, doctors, clinicians, advocates, patients, and others in the cancer community, Leaf was able to identify some important elements of an enormously complex issue.  “My thesis,” he notes “is merely one piece of the puzzle. The whole story is much bigger and far more complex.”  Leaf says his aim was to start a dialogue that would lead to action: “I hoped to start a conversation, a national conversation on what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong.” 

Looking back on the article and what he learned while writing it, Leaf realizes how many additional pieces of the puzzle there are:  “A funny thing happens when the story leaves your head and emerges on paper. You begin to see where each of the storylines turns out to be more nuanced than you expected. But seeing it in print allows you to pinpoint areas for further exploration,” Leaf explains.  The experience has led him to emphasize three major recommendations, which he stresses are not his ideas, but rather a synthesis of the wisdom of those he interviewed:   

1)    A comprehensive national search for biomarkers aided by the Biospecimen Network;

2)   An overhaul of the way we think about cancer that leads to a focus on the stages of disease and an emphasis on prevention and early detection;

3)   A rethinking of the clinical trials process that Leaf calls, “the backbone of the drug testing and development process,” so that it offers “a much faster assessment of whether investigational drugs truly work and, ultimately, real hope to patients that enroll.”

These recommendations are all part of what he sees as a broader need to reshape how the nation thinks about cancer.  In the article, Leaf quotes Dr. Michael Sporn of Dartmouth Medical School, who he calls “a seminal thinker and truly heroic figure in the cancer fight” on his thoughts regarding the definition of cancer:  “We’ve been stuck with this definition of what cancer is from 1890,” says Sporn. “It’s what I was taught in medical school: ‘It’s not cancer until there’s invasinon.’ That’s like saying the barn isn’t on fire until there are bright red flames coming out of the roof.”

Through his discussion with doctors and medical professors, Leaf found that this definition still reigns.  “This is a critical area,” Leaf explains.  “The stubborn perception that cancer, in a clinical sense, doesn’t begin until it’s represented as a tumor, as a mass of malignant cells, has been a tremendous barrier to more effective treatments and interventions. That definition, so ingrained in the medical establishment, has created a dangerous inertia. The result is that we still recognize, diagnose, and treat this disease too late, and leave too many patients with little hope.  We instead need to understand and teach this disease as a multistage process of carcinogenesis, as Dr. Sporn so eloquently describes, with an emphasis on prevention and early detection.”

Leaf commends several leaders of the cancer community for embracing this new paradigm.  “I am heartened that Andy von Eschenbach and Elias Zerhouni share this view and have called so heartily for preemption and prevention in the NIH roadmap.”  He also applauds the “tireless efforts and heroism of so many who have worked to end this scourge,” and adds: “I am energized and excited to see the cancer community come together with such a unified voice saying ‘we can do better.’ That fills me with hope.”

When asked why stem cells were not included in his article as a possible solution to winning the war on cancer, Leaf explains that there was so much ground to cover as it was, and he struggled with his desire to include much more information in a number of areas—including the importance of preventive measures such as anti-smoking campaigns—but had to balance that with the already sizable length of the piece for a consumer publication. “Fortune is a business magazine, after all,” he says, with a laugh. “It’s not every day we devote 15 pages to cancer.” But continuing on the subject, he says, “It boggles the mind how some have found ways to put up barriers to this critical and promising area of study. There is no reason not to pursue research that could save lives and make existing diseases that much more curable.” Says Leaf, “It is a no-brainer.”