The following is an excerpt from the May Research Commentary written by our Vice President of Research, Deborah Banker, Ph.D. You can read her future commentaries by subscribing to our monthly eNewsletters.

The Evolving Big Picture in Cancer Research

I recently attended the 2008 meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), where more than 14,000 of the world's top cancer investigators gathered in San Diego, CA to share groundbreaking new findings and ideas.

Many of the research themes that I have brought to your attention in previous commentaries were discussed in the opening plenary session, presented by eight distinguished biomedical researchers.

Carol W. Greider, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, talked about the ends of chromosomes called "telomeres." These protective caps normally get shorter each time a cell divides until they become so short that chromosomes deteriorate and aged cells die. Cancers can occur when the telomerase enzyme that elongates telomeres in young, healthy cells is reactivated in older cells, allowing these cells to divide beyond their normal lifespan. Dr. Greider discussed work showing that short telomeres limit tumor growth, suggesting that telomerase inhibitors might be useful targeted cancer treatments. Continued research in this area may lead to new treatments for blood cancer patients and for patients diagnosed with aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Brian Druker, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University, finished this exciting session by talking about how to accelerate the pace of cancer drug development. It was Dr. Druker who developed the highly effective and safe targeted drug Gleevec®, for patients newly diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). LLS was a primary funder of this advance which was built on knowledge of the kinase molecule that causes CML. We now know that other kinases are involved in a wide range of cancers, including blood cancers beyond CML.

Using Gleevec as a paradigm, Dr. Druker talked about target identification (finding the cancer-causing abnormalities) and clinical trials as the two points at which drug development could be streamlined. He and his colleagues are using batteries of gene-inactivating miRNAs to learn which kinase(s) is most involved in particular cancer cases; they have already had some success predicting which kinase-targeting drug will work for an individual leukemia patient. Dr. Druker said that this individualized target information will also allow clinical trials to be done in the "right" patients so that effective drugs can be more readily validated.

LLS is funding research in the laboratories of Drs. Greider and Druker. You can find more details regarding the blood cancer research advances presented at this year's AACR meeting by visiting their Web site and by staying tuned right here.

-Deborah Banker, Ph.D.

When we recently posted our Cancer Centers page it made me realize that some people may have to travel quite a distance to get cancer treatment. Some may only have to travel a short distance, but others may require longer time on the road or in the air.

Certainly there are many more places to get cancer care other than the centers we have listed, but there may still be barriers for some who are not already located near one.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) may be able to help you with treatment-related travel for eligible blood cancer patients. LLS has a program that can provide reimbursements for private and public transportation, air travel tickets, tolls, and parking fees. Your medical provider needs to sign off on your request, though, to make sure that we are reimbursing you for your medically-related travel expenses.

Contact your local LLS chapter to find out if you are eligible to participate in this program. It can help make those trips a little easier.

Have questions about our other financial support programs? Contact the Information Resource Center (IRC), and someone will be able to help you find the answers you need.

You may remember that a few weeks ago we looked at a couple of personal leukemia blogs. This week I thought I’d take a look at lymphoma in the blogosphere.

I just went to Google Blog Search and typed in “lymphoma” – results are well over one million (1,165,066 at the moment) for all time. I then clicked on “last day” in the left column and 190 results were pulled up. A lot of people are talking about lymphoma – and their experiences are very diverse.

Bill, a.k.a. Billy Bird on his blog, recently started to write Lymph Notes. He was diagnosed with lymphoma on December 24, 2007. Recently someone asked him what having cancer has taught him, and he provided his answer on his blog:

I hope that the biggest lesson I have learned is to continue to think positively. Without doubt, I have created a new future committed to allowing myself to love and to accept love, or at least to work on developing such an outcome. That pledge, combined with an ability to think positively, will be the lesson I hope I never forget.

I realize that, in the cancer world, there are far more serious pains, far more grueling challenges than those I’ve had to undergo. Each fresh obstacle presents its own level of difficulty. Yet, I’m coming to realize this same principle holds true, at every level. God is right there with us. The sound of sheer silence speaks. Together we travel, one step at a time.

• Read more on our Lymphoma section on lls.org.
• Download the free The Lymphomas booklet (.pdf).
• Listen to past audio teleconferences accessible via our Lymphoma Education Series section on www.LLS.org.