Tag: Weill Cornell Medical College

Palbociclib Displays Promising Results

Palbociclib (PD 0332991) is generating significant excitement according to an April 6th online article from the New York Times. The article cites the results of a recently reported phase II trial in which women with metastatic breast cancer were randomized to receive letrozole plus palbociclib or letrozole alone. Women receiving the combination had their risk of progression cut in half compared to the group that received letrozole alone. These results come roughly one year after the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to palbociclib, which may help speed up the drug approval process.

Palbociclib is a highly specific oral drug that binds to and inhibits a specific subtype of enzymes called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). The same enzymes are critical to the development and progression of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College have been leading the evaluation of palbociclib in MCL. Within the next month, we will open a phase I trial evaluating the combination of palbociclib plus ibrutinib in patients with previously treated MCL. For additional information regarding the upcoming trial or other trials in lymphoma, call Amelyn Rodriguez, RN at (212) 746-1362 or e-mail Amelyn at amr2017@med.cornell.edu.

Tumor Blood Vessel Signals Linked to Cancer Lethality

Although the importance of blood vessels to cancer growth is well established, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College recently found, that the cells that line the blood vessels of tumors are important in promoting the change of a slow-growing malignancy into aggressive, disease resistant strains.

Their finding, in the March 17 issue of Cancer Cell , challenges what was believed to be a fundamental dogma in cancer. It suggests that it is not simply the number of genetic mutations that occur in cancer cells that determines the aggressiveness of the disease. Rather, lethality occurs when the cancer hijacks the reparative function of blood vessels, a critical step that ensures tumor cells’ ability to spread and resist treatment.

The researchers also found the crucial nurturing molecules that cancer co-opts from tumor blood vessels to promote invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapy. They show in animal experiments that shutting down these previously unrecognized biological signals originating from tumor vessels makes cancer less aggressive and improves survival.

“The endothelial cells that line the vessels orchestrate a wide variety of biological processes — good and bad,” says the study’s senior investigator, Dr. Shahin Rafii, co-director of Weill Cornell’s Ansary Stem Cell Institute and Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, and a professor of Genetic Medicine. Dr. Rafii also is the founder of Angiocrine Bioscience, a startup anchored at Weill Cornell that is investigating how endothelial cells might be used to heal damaged tissues and regenerate organs – as well as target tumors. “The understanding and control of blood vessel function and how this changes the malignant behaviors of cancer cells is a transformative concept and will pave the way for designing innovative treatments that disrupt signals from the local environment housing the tumor cells- a strategy that has been unappreciated.”

Center for Lymphoma Announces the Formation of Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Program

Lisa Roth, MD
Lisa Roth, MD

Recently the Center for Lymphoma announced the formation of the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medical College. The program is a collaborative effort between the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, and will be lead by Dr. Lisa Roth, a pediatric oncologist and new member of the Lymphoma Center.

Lymphoma is the most common malignancy in adolescents and young adults age 18-30y. While there has been remarkable progress in the treatment of children and older adults, improvements among adolescents and young adults have lagged behind. The reasons for this discrepancy are multifactorial, but include low enrollment in clinical trials, poor access to healthcare services, and a deficit in clinical and translational research in this area. The AYA Lymphoma Program seeks to advance the treatment of lymphoma in the AYA age group through the following missions:

1) Optimize medical care for AYA patients with lymphoma.

2) Provide psycho-social support tailored to AYA patients.

3) Lead clinical and translational studies aimed at improving outcomes in this age group.

Weill Cornell Medical College is in a unique position to treat AYA patients with lymphoma given the strengths of the Center for Lymphoma and the Division of Pediatric Oncology. Dr. Roth has been a Weill Cornell faculty member since joining the Department of Pediatrics in 2012. She is the Charles, Lillian, and Betty Neuwirth Clinical Scholar in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and has been awarded fellowships from the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program. Dr. Roth will work closely with a team of doctors, physician assistants, social workers, and researchers all with the common goal of improving outcomes for adolescents and young adults with lymphoma.