Colleen's Dream Foundation the first "Young Investigator" grant...

Phoenix, AZ (press BOX) 10 July 2013

The recent "Young Investigator" research funding by Colleen's Dream Foundation at the Johns Hopkins University, to ovarian cancer research conducted by Dr. Felix Zeppernick of Johns Hopkins University Genetics Laboratory of the female reproductive cancer, be directed to Colleen's Dream Foundation President Billy Cundiff.

"One of the primary goals of Colleen's Dream Foundation is to work with Young Investigators at some of the top research hospitals and universities that make ovarian cancer," Cundiff said. "So we're thrilled to finance, will work Felix Zeppernick of Johns Hopkins University is under the direction of Dr."

Zeppernick, Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the female reproductive cancer working in the Johns Hopkins University, says that it was ovarian cancer research interests, when he was a medical student.

"I was interested in the cancer biology, when I was a medical student after receiving various lectures on the topic of listening", Zeppernick says. "I was fascinated by all the tricks, like a cancer cell can go to autonomous growth and human defenses." While I was told that the treatment of ovarian cancer is particularly difficult, even more interest in the topic has me always to patients and their families as young doctor."

Zeppernick says that he is just an "exciting" ovarian cancer research project.

"Employed at the Hopkins I on two very exciting projects", says Zeppernick. "It is known time, that women take a contraceptive pill and with a small number of lifetime risk have ovulation (E.g. due to pregnancies and lactation) ovarian cancer for a long time. We try to improve our understanding of these relationships."

Go on Colleen's Dream Foundation blog about ovarian cancer for the full interview with Dr. Felix Zeppernick.

Cundiff says that through the cooperation with John Hopkins University and starting capital offers cutting-edge research for young researchers like Dr. Zeppernick, Colleen's Dream Foundation Fund through some of the brightest young minds in the world,.

"The young researchers at Hopkins are some of the best and brightest minds in the world," Cundiff said. "This grant is the culmination of many months of hard work for Colleen's Dream Foundation and is the first of many that we will publish in 2013."

Executive Director Colleen's Dream Foundation, Billy Cundiffs wife Nicole, reflects his feelings.

"We are so proud, young researchers, such as Dr. Zeppernick, support," says Nicole. "These people are at the front and make cutting-edge discoveries that will affect the future of ovarian cancer. "My mother loved Baltimore, and so it is appropriate that our first grant given a young researcher at the Johns Hopkins will."

Go here that to learn about Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Center.

ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER:

Ovarian cancer is often called the "silent killer" because many women discover their disease not up there in the late stages, which is that many women succumb to the disease within a short time leads. In contrast to cervical cancer or breast cancer, ovarian cancer does not have a standardized procedure for early detection. When it comes to women's health, ovarian cancer, proves one of the most deadly diseases.

ABOUT COLLEEN'S DREAM FOUNDATION:

Colleen's Dream Foundation started in the year 2012 and support improved research into the early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer. The story of Colleen's dream began in 2007 Colleen Drury - Nicole Cundiffs mother and Billy Cundiffs mother-in-law - ovarian cancer was diagnosed with late-stage. The family became aware of a new world, full of minimally invasive surgery, harsh chemotherapy and much uncertainty, and realized that they needed to help others that had to do with ovarian cancer.

Colleen's Dream Foundation believes that it is important to money for research leading tests reliable early detection and improved treatment of ovarian cancer. Because so little about ovarian cancer is known as compared to other women's health issues, there is an incredible opportunity for research and education.

Go here to learn more about Colleen's Dream Foundation.

Colleen's Dream Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) qualified tax free not-for profit organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

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What Teens Should Expect From Their First Gynecologist Visit

Visiting a gynecologist for the first time can be awkward and embarrassing for some teens. But the visit is crucial to help them understand their bodies and lay the groundwork for future health and wellness.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the first visit should be between the ages of 13 to 15. The exam should be an opportunity to educate teens about their bodies and help them establish a relationship with a gynecologist at an early age.

What to Expect

The first visit is an opportunity for teens to get accurate information about the changes in their bodies. A gynecologist will discuss acne, painful or irregular periods, breast changes, pelvic pain, body hair, nutrition, sexual behavior, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. It is also an opportunity to talk about preexisting conditions and any family history of cancer.

Beyond talking, the visit might also include a breast exam, pelvic exam and a pap test, which screens for cervical cancer. The gynecologist might ask for a relative or nurse to be present during these exams.

While the first visit might be awkward, it’s an important step in the transition from teenage girl to healthy woman. Starting a conversation with a doctor helps you lay the foundation for health and wellness.

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3-Year-Old Hears Dad for First Time

Although Grayson Clamp, 3, was born without hearing nerves in his ear, he can now sense sound thanks to ?an experimental electrical implant that directly stimulates his brain.

Video of Grayson hearing sound for the first time shows his shocked face when he hears his father’s voice for the first time. As ?Grayson’s father, ?Len Clamp, tells him, “Daddy loves you,” Grayson drops his toy and whips his head around looking for the source of the sound.

“I’ve never seen a look like that today,” said Clamp, of the day the implant was first turned on. “He looked deep into my eyes. He was hearing my voice for the first time. It was phenomenal.”

Child Who Needs Corrective Hearing Surgery Gets Wish

This spring Grayson received a brain auditory stem implant at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. ?He is the first U.S. child to receive the device, which was given to him as part of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trial.

“We’re bringing the potential for hearing to a child who can’t hear and had no other options,” said?Dr. Craig Buchman, head and neck surgeon at the University of North Carolina Hospitals.

To help Grayson hear, Buchman and his team placed the implant directly on the brain stem in the area where sensory impulses are normally received from the ear. Unlike the cochlear implant, which stimulates the audio nerve, the brain auditory stem implant stimulates the brain directly, turning data from the receiver into sound.

ABC News

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Sorafenib Stops Tumor Growth And Provides The First Effective Treatment For Thyroid Cancer Patients Who Progress Following Standard Therapies

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Endocrinology;??Ear, Nose and Throat
Article Date: 04 Jun 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Sorafenib Stops Tumor Growth And Provides The First Effective Treatment For Thyroid Cancer Patients Who Progress Following Standard Therapies

The kidney and liver cancer drug sorafenib holds metastatic thyroid cancer at bay for nearly twice as long as a placebo, according to results of a randomized phase III trial, which was presented by a researcher from the Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in a plenary session during the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting (Abstract #4).

If approved for use in thyroid cancer patients by the Food and Drug Administration, sorafenib (Nexavar), a kinase inhibitor that mediates tumor cell division and growth of tumor blood vessels, would be the first effective agent for this patient population. Thyroid cancer is highly curable through surgery and radioactive iodine treatment, but about 10 percent of the 60,000 patients who are diagnosed with the disease each year fail to respond to standard therapies, with tumors eventually appearing in the lymph nodes, bones, lungs, and other sites. The only other drug for advanced thyroid cancer, doxorubicin, which was approved in 1974, is not used because it is highly toxic and is not effective.

"Until we began using sorafenib, we had no medical options for these patients who suffered due to progression of their disease," said Marcia S. Brose, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery and Hematology/Oncology, who led the study, which is known as DECISION. "Now, we can give patients hope - a breakthrough medication that can stop the progression of the disease for 5 months. This trial is the first step in a promising series of clinical trials to identify new drugs that are shifting the horizon for patients with advanced thyroid cancer."

Of the 417 metastatic thyroid cancer patients studied in the multicenter, international trial, 207 were randomized to take sorafenib, an oral drug, and 210 to a placebo arm. Twelve percent of patients experienced tumor shrinkage in the sorafenib arm, compared to 0.5 percent of patients taking a placebo. Importantly, the therapy also appeared to thwart disease progression even among many of those whose tumors did not regress: 42 patients who took sorafenib had stable disease after six months, compared to 33 percent of those in the placebo group.

Among patients taking sorafenib, median progression-free survival was 10.8 months, compared to 5.8 months among the placebo group. Patients taking the placebo were allowed to cross over into the sorafenib arm once their disease progressed; 70 percent of them did so. Overall survival data is not yet available.

The most common adverse events observed among patients taking sorafenib included hand-foot skin reaction, diarrhea, alopecia, rash, fatigue, weight loss and hypertension, all of which are consistent with findings from previous trials of the drug for its approved indications.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our cancer / oncology section for the latest news on this subject. Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals provided funding for the trial. Editor's note: Dr. Brose has received consulting fees and honoraria from these companies.
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