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News — With more than 183,000 new cases of breast cancer expected to be diagnosed this year nationwide " with 40,000 deaths -- researchers from across the world, including distinguished investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), converged upon San Diego earlier this week for the annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting, to share their latest findings in the area of breast and other cancers. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Among this year's poster presentations is one focusing on the development of better prognostic indicators for young women with breast cancer. The team, which includes CINJ Chair of Radiation Oncology, Bruce G. Haffty, M.D., -- who also is a professor and chair of the Department of Radiology Oncology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School " and led by David Axelrod, Ph.D., professor of genetics at Rutgers University, conducted research involving the cancer-suppressing p53 gene to determine whether use of nuclear analysis of previously gathered tissue samples would distinguish different survival outcomes for breast cancer patients.

Another poster highlighting prognostic indicators in breast cancer was presented by Kim Hirshfield, M.D., Ph.D., CINJ medical oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and CINJ member Diptee Kulkarni, Ph.D.; with work done in collaboration with Dr. Haffty and Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D., CINJ member and professor of pediatrics and biochemistry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Their research looks at how variations in DNA sequences impact a gene known as PERP in the death of cancer cells and whether reduction of chemotherapy and radiation-induced cell death corresponding to those variants would lead to a higher risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Haffty, who specializes in breast cancer -- and was recently named president-elect of the American Board of Radiology -- also chaired a session entitled "Combination Therapy with Radiation," which focused on the current status of such treatment and what the future holds for solid tumor management, especially with the introduction of effective targeted biological agents.

In New Jersey alone, 6,300 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year, with an estimated 1,400 deaths.

The work represented by CINJ members is among the 6,000 abstracts being presented at the gathering, which is featuring more than 17,000 researchers, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates. The goal of the annual AACR event is to provide a forum in which the latest in cutting-edge laboratory, clinical and translational research can be shared. The five-day event concludes on Wednesday.

About The Cancer Institute of New JerseyThe Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state's first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ's physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. To support CINJ, please call the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation at 1-888-333-CINJ.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Partner Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital*, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, Morristown Memorial Hospital, Overlook Hospital, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ-Hamilton), Saint Peter's University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate