TheoryLab

Latina breast cancer survivors tend to be less physically active and experience more comorbidities (such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes) when compared to Caucasian breast cancer survivors. Christina Dieli-Conwright, PhD, is trying to change that.

Her American Cancer Society-funded work is a three-phase exercise intervention involving Latina breast cancer survivors, with the clinical phase of the trial providing the knowledge and motivation needed for them to continue to exercise in a community setting.

1:23 – Christina Dieli-Conwright, PhD, Associate Professor and Clinical Exercise Physiologist at City of Hope National Medical Center

2:41 – On comorbidities, and why she’s focused on Latina breast cancer survivors

6:50 – On the relatively high rates of metabolic dysregulation—which includes metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and visceral adiposity—in Latina breast cancer survivors

11:14 – On the three phases of her exercise intervention, and results so far

18:14 – Some of the reasons Latinas are underrepresented in clinical trials and research studies

21:15 – On how this program could be expanded to help Latinas who live far from big cancer centers

25:07 – A direction in her research she’s particularly excited about

26:32 – On the impact of American Cancer Society funding on her career

28:50 – A message she’d like to share with cancer survivors and caregivers

You can’t attack cancer from every angle without targeting its metabolism.

As Dr. Heather Christofk puts it, “cancer cells have a very different metabolism in general than most of their normal cell counterparts, and that is because most normal cells that are not dividing mainly want to use their nutrients to acquire energy. But most cancer cells want to use the nutrients they take up to build things. They use them to build more DNA and protein and lipids in order to grow and divide.

“If we could come up with a way to block this altered metabolism found in cancer, we would be able to reduce the growth of the tumor, because this is fundamental—there’s no other way for the tumors to grow.

“The challenge is finding the processes that are required for the tumor but not for normal tissues.”

Heather Christofk, PhD, is Associate Professor of biological chemistry at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3:12 – Why is cell metabolism important?

6:30 – How is cell metabolism different in cancer cells?

8:15 – Are the changes to cell metabolism that occur as cancer progresses a side effect of cancer, or are they helping to cause tumor growth?

10:45 – Could targeting cell metabolism help block tumor cell growth?

12:55 – How her lab is using viruses as a guide to identify new cancer metabolism targets.

15:55 – A result that she’s really excited about -- an enzyme involved in fructose metabolism and…

17:00 – …why it was unexpected.

18:15 – The impact of ACS on her career.

22:37 – Why the next 10 years in cancer metabolism research are going to be exciting.

25:00 – On why there’s reason for hope and optimism for cancer patients and their loved ones.

You can’t attack cancer from every angle without targeting its metabolism.

As Dr. Heather Christofk puts it, “cancer cells have a very different metabolism in general than most of their normal cell counterparts, and that is because most normal cells that are not dividing mainly want to use their nutrients to acquire energy. But most cancer cells want to use the nutrients they take up to build things. They use them to build more DNA and protein and lipids in order to grow and divide.

“If we could come up with a way to block this altered metabolism found in cancer, we would be able to reduce the growth of the tumor, because this is fundamental—there’s no other way for the tumors to grow.

“The challenge is finding the processes that are required for the tumor but not for normal tissues.”

Heather Christofk, PhD, is Associate Professor of biological chemistry at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3:12 – Why is cell metabolism important?

6:30 – How is cell metabolism different in cancer cells?

8:15 – Are the changes to cell metabolism that occur as cancer progresses a side effect of cancer, or are they helping to cause tumor growth?

10:45 – Could targeting cell metabolism help block tumor cell growth?

12:55 – How her lab is using viruses as a guide to identify new cancer metabolism targets.

15:55 – A result that she’s really excited about -- an enzyme involved in fructose metabolism and…

17:00 – …why it was unexpected.

18:15 – The impact of ACS on her career.

22:37 – Why the next 10 years in cancer metabolism research are going to be exciting.

25:00 – On why there’s reason for hope and optimism for cancer patients and their loved ones.

What do you do when things get hard? What resources and experiences do you summon to help see you through a problem? Imagine being a young person, without much experience dealing with adversity, and learning that you have cancer.

Abby Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA, has devoted her career to helping teens and young adults acquire the coping skills they need to manage stress after a cancer diagnosis and boost quality of life beyond treatment.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Rosenberg talks about the challenges faced by young people with cancer and how she and her team are helping them acquire the individual, community, and existential resources needed to address the questions confronted by every cancer patient: “Why is this happening to me? What does this mean for me and my life? How does this change my identity and what I envisioned for my future?”

Dr. Rosenberg is the director of palliative care and resilience research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. She’s also an associate professor in the division of hematology-oncology and the division of bioethics and palliative care at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.

https://www.seattlechildrens.org/directory/abby-r-rosenberg/

https://twitter.com/abbyrosenbergmd?lang=en

What do you do when things get hard? What resources and experiences do you summon to help see you through a problem? Imagine being a young person, without much experience dealing with adversity, and learning that you have cancer.

Abby Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA, has devoted her career to helping teens and young adults acquire the coping skills they need to manage stress after a cancer diagnosis and boost quality of life beyond treatment.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Rosenberg talks about the challenges faced by young people with cancer and how she and her team are helping them acquire the individual, community, and existential resources needed to address the questions confronted by every cancer patient: “Why is this happening to me? What does this mean for me and my life? How does this change my identity and what I envisioned for my future?”

Dr. Rosenberg is the director of palliative care and resilience research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. She’s also an associate professor in the division of hematology-oncology and the division of bioethics and palliative care at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.

https://www.seattlechildrens.org/directory/abby-r-rosenberg/

https://twitter.com/abbyrosenbergmd?lang=en

Cancer pain can affect all parts of a patient’s life and can impact their caregivers as well. Tamara Somers, PhD, helps patients develop strategies and skills for pain management to help them cope with their pain.

And it’s not just about helping them increase their quality of life and decrease their stress, as “patients that have less pain may be more likely to adhere to their treatment recommendations or increase overall healthy behaviors, which can improve outcomes.”

But what if a patient lives in a rural area far from a medical center? What if they’ve already missed too much work during treatment or spent too much time away from family? Or they’re in too much pain to travel?

That’s why Dr. Somers is helping to pioneer the use of mobile health technology to deliver these interventions. Her American Cancer Society-funded study was one of the first (if not the first) to use video conferencing to reach patients who may not be able to visit a medical center to receive in-person treatment.

Dr. Somers is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University.

Cancer pain can affect all parts of a patient’s life and can impact their caregivers as well. Tamara Somers, PhD, helps patients develop strategies and skills for pain management to help them cope with their pain.

And it’s not just about helping them increase their quality of life and decrease their stress, as “patients that have less pain may be more likely to adhere to their treatment recommendations or increase overall healthy behaviors, which can improve outcomes.”

But what if a patient lives in a rural area far from a medical center? What if they’ve already missed too much work during treatment or spent too much time away from family? Or they’re in too much pain to travel?

That’s why Dr. Somers is helping to pioneer the use of mobile health technology to deliver these interventions. Her American Cancer Society-funded study was one of the first (if not the first) to use video conferencing to reach patients who may not be able to visit a medical center to receive in-person treatment.

Dr. Somers is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University.

Cancer treatment can lead to pain and symptoms that pose profound quality of life challenges for patients over the short and long term.

Dr. Barbara Murphy is a medical oncologist who specializes in head and neck cancer, and she’s dedicated her research career to addressing cancer pain and symptom management.

She spoke with the American Cancer Society about:

3:15 – The basics of head and neck cancer

6:10 – Two key preventive strategies: HPV vaccines and preventing young people from starting to smoke

9:15 - How treatment of head and neck cancer has improved

15:40 – Challenges faced by cancer survivors

21:20 – Patients with economic, social and emotional disadvantages

Dr. Murphy is Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she is also Director of Pain and Symptom Management Oncology Services.

Cancer treatment can lead to pain and symptoms that pose profound quality of life challenges for patients over the short and long term.

Dr. Barbara Murphy is a medical oncologist who specializes in head and neck cancer, and she’s dedicated her research career to addressing cancer pain and symptom management.

She spoke with the American Cancer Society about:

3:15 – The basics of head and neck cancer

6:10 – Two key preventive strategies: HPV vaccines and preventing young people from starting to smoke

9:15 - How treatment of head and neck cancer has improved

15:40 – Challenges faced by cancer survivors

21:20 – Patients with economic, social and emotional disadvantages

Dr. Murphy is Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she is also Director of Pain and Symptom Management Oncology Services.

Skin doesn’t just keep your insides on the inside. It’s home to microbes that have a very important role in your health. Could modifying the skin microbiome affect the risk, severity, or onset of skin cancer?

Dr. Julia Oh, an American Cancer Society grantee at Jackson Laboratory, is one of the leading voices in research into the role of the skin microbiome in cancer and other diseases.

She talked about how the skin microbiome impacts cancer risk and progression. And she explained why she believes that, “through the microbiome there will be a new generation of preventative and treatment strategies for managing risk and also for improving treatment response.”