Advancing The War On Breast Cancer

Ask a woman to identify the disease that she fears the most and it likely will be breast cancer. It's life threatening, and its treatment is feared almost as much as the disease. Thankfully, therapies have become much more effective and less harsh, and more women are surviving. Breast cancer will become even less scary as doctors learn how to prevent it in women who are at high risk for the disease, diagnose it much earlier than now possible, and destroy cancer cells by starving them to death or reactivating their cell suicide mechanisms.

The research of many San Diego-area scientists has inspired these — and many other — breast cancer advances. For example, research by Salk Institute professor Geoff Wahl, PhD — the type of biological studies that fuel drug development — explores the molecular origins of cancer. If breast cancer is ever effectively treated with an agent that restores the p53 tumor suppressor, Wahl's research no doubt will have played a role.

The p53 suppressor allows the body to rid itself of cells that are too old, too damaged, or have potential cancer-causing mutations. P53 turns on genes that prevent these cells from reproducing, to allow time to repair damaged DNA. If rescue attempts fail, p53 orders cells to commit suicide.

"P53 is disarmed in more than half of all cancers [including breast cancer]," says Wahl. A vaccine that prevents breast cancer must persuade the immune system to attack cancer as if it were a virus. Next year, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) will begin a clinical trial of a vaccine that will do just that. It works by tricking the immune system.

SKCC's president and CEO Albert Deisseroth, MD, PhD explains: "In order to turn the body's own viral defense system against cancer cells, a harmless cold virus was coated with the wrappings of cancer cells and provided with a signal missing in the aged immune system that is necessary to turn on the immune response. The virus was administered as a vaccine."

Because the immune system regards the cancer material tucked into the virus vector as foreign material, breast cancer cells bearing the vector's cancer signature will be attacked.

Most women who develop breast cancer are post-menopausal, with their bodies producing less estrogen than during childbearing years but enough to promote tumor growth in tissues overly sensitive to this hormone. Scientists recently announced that the drug exemestane, which inhibits estrogen production, could help prevent cancer recurrence in these women.

But, could exemestane prevent breast cancer from occurring in the first place? Clinical oncologist Joanne Mortimer, MD, deputy director of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, hopes so; she heads a clinical trial in postmenopausal women in their 60s who are breast cancer-free but at high risk for the disease.

In search of a technology that can be more widely used, Mortimer is testing an experimental optical breast-imaging tool. "We're now using it to evaluate abnormal mammograms to determine whether it can more easily characterize abnormalities in the breast."

The Moores UCSD Cancer Center has been a test site for many experimental breast cancer therapies — including Tykerb, which recently was found to be as effective as Herceptin in targeting breast cancer with HER-2 gene mutations. Tumors with this mutation tend to grow and spread fast.

Many new breast cancer drugs that "mop up microscopic disease missed by surgery and radiation have emerged from labs," Mortimer notes, predicting that genetic screens in the future will help physicians tailor treatment to the genetic profile of the patient's breast cancer.

"Based on the genes in the tumor, we'll be able to determine who will do better with chemo alone, or surgery followed by chemo," she adds.

Breast tumors can become resistant to chemotherapy drugs, but SKCC scientists may have discovered a weak link — specific molecules that are located in the inner lining of blood vessels that nourish the cancer and that do not develop resistance. Targeting the weak link with a high dosage of chemotherapy may destroy the tumor's source of oxygen and other nutrients. The cancer cells will starve to death — and commit suicide. — Kathy Yarbrough

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Skin Care At Jolie Femme
Offering more than the highest quality lingerie lines, Jolie Femme in Del Mar Plaza now offers Garden Botanika's cosmetics, skin care, and body care products. Jolie Femme owner Sheree Clock was impelled to carry the line because it's "completely botanically based" and is "reasonably priced, with cleaners starting at $19." Specially tailored for personal skin care needs, the Pumpkin Ginger body care line aids stretch marks, Promegranete Wine offers antioxidant protection, Olive Soy moisturizes, and ChocoLatte combats cellulite. The formulas are not just skin savvy, they are also environmentally-minded, using only cruelty-free ingredients and recyclable or reusable packaging. (858/792-1222) — Jane Shiomi

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Berry Good For You
From deep within the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest to your local health food store comes acai (ah-sigh-ee), an organic dark purple berry that is considered to be one of the most nutritious fruits on the planet. Packed with antioxidants, healthy fats, fiber, and amino acids, and tasting like a blend of rich berries with just a hint of chocolate, it's yours to try in pre-made smoothies or as capsules or powders to create your own drink. Brought to us by Sambazon in San Clemente with engaging names like Protein Warrior, Mango Uprising, Supergreens Revolution, and Shamans Immunity, acai berries are said to boost the immune system, repair damaged skin cells, and aid in weight loss. Sambazon products can be found in Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Jamba Juice, and other health-conscious stores. (www.sambazon.com.) — Ruth S. Jacobowitz