Multi-disciplinary research at Wood Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory is geared to translating basic discoveries made in the laboratory to patient care.

Trends in Cancer Incidence and Research


The Cancer Problem:

It is anticipated that 1,359,150 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 1996 and 554,740 people will die from cancer in 1996. That means a person dies from cancer every 58 seconds. Men have a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer during their lifetimes; women have a 1 in 3 chance.

The best "cure" for cancer is prevention and early detection. For example, in colon cancer, if the disease is detected while still local, 92% of patients survive 5 years. However, if the disease has spread regionally, only 61% of patients survive 5 years. And if the disease has spread to other locations in the body, the 5 year survival rate drops to 7%!

Unless new approaches and new discoveries are made cancer will replace heart disease as the leading cause of death by the year 2000. Deaths from heart disease are decreasing because of prevention and early detection of people at risk.

Cancer is a Multi-Step Process Called "Carcinogenesis"

Carcinogenesis is a process that can take 10 to 20 years. It begins with an exposure to a carcinogen--this is called "initiation". This exposure results in genetic change in cells. These mutated cells are both genetically unstable and resistant to cytotoxic chemicals. Mutated cells are then promoted to multiply by hormones and other chemicals, forming a "neoplasm" (new tissue). This step is "promotion". The mutated cells undergo further mutations, so that the neoplasm--the tumor--now has cells with many different characteristics. This is "progression". Some of these steps may be reversible. However, some of these mutated cells may develop the ability to invade normal surrounding tissues and travel to distant sites, a process called "metastasis". The patient dies from these distant metastases.

Some Current Research Projects at Wood Hudson:

Investigation into the mechanisms of chemoprevention of breast cancer in a rodent model

Identification of markers of susceptibility to a second breast cancer in women

Validation of a new screening method for early detection of human colorectal cancer

The predictive significance of cell death and cell proliferation in progression of prostate cancer

The study of the cancer inducing and promoting effects of environmental pollutants, in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency, including drinking water chemicals and by-products of water disinfection, plasticizers, and metabolites of trichloroethylene

Results of some of these projects were presented at meetings of the American Association for Cancer Research, The Endocrine Society, and the 1996 International Symposium on Biology of Prostate Growth.