Two of nine honorees are from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance & University of
Washington, recognized for their work in early detection of breast and
ovarian cancer
NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/-- Ladies' Home Journal today announced
Dr. Constance D. Lehman and Dr. Barbara Goff of the University of
Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as recipients of its
second-annual Health Breakthrough Award, which recognizes medical
professionals who have transformed their area of health with results that
dramatically benefit women and families. They will be honored along with
seven other doctors and researchers at the Health Breakthrough Awards
Luncheon in New York City on August 7th, hosted by Editor-in-Chief Diane
Salvatore. The honorees will also be featured in the September issue of the
magazine, on sale August 14th.
Lehman, professor and director of Breast Imaging at University of
Washington School of Medicine and director of radiology at the Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance, receives this honor for her work as principal
investigator of a 22-site American College of Radiology Imaging Network
(ACRIN) trial that evaluated the ability of magnetic resource imaging (MRI)
to detect cancer in the healthy breast of women newly diagnosed with breast
cancer. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer typically have a five to 10
percent chance of developing cancer in the healthy breast within 10 years.
Because of its three-dimensional imaging, an MRI scan can find many of
these tiny cancers in the other breast. Women can then treat both
simultaneously, avoiding a second round of surgery and chemo, and even an
unnecessary mastectomy.
"Without question, breast imaging is one of the most exciting areas in
imaging," Lehman says. "It provides so many opportunities to have an impact
on women's lives."
Goff, professor and director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University
of Washington and a gynecologic oncologist at the Seattle Cancer Care
Alliance, is being honored for conducting two studies that for the first
time detailed early warning signs for ovarian cancer. These signs include
increased abdominal size or bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty
eating or feeling full very quickly, and increased urinary urgency or
frequency. Goff's research led to a consensus on guidelines from the
Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the Society
of Gynecologic Oncologist.
"When ovarian cancer is caught in stage one or two, the cure rate is 70
to 90 percent," says Dr. Goff. "Unfortunately for the many patients who are
diagnosed when their disease has progressed, the cure rate is 10 to 20
percent."
The Ladies' Home Journal team, including Health Director Julia Kagan
and Medical Adviser Dr. Marianne J. Legato, founder of the field of
gender-specific medicine, combed the country for nominees by reaching out
to medical schools and organizations, teaching hospitals, foundations and
government agencies and poring through newspapers and medical journals.
Lehman and Goff were selected from a candidate list of nearly 100
accomplished professionals.
"These medical professionals are among the most dynamic thinkers in the
country, and their innovations directly save lives and improve care for
millions of American families," says Salvatore. "I am thrilled to be able
to showcase them in this compelling, must-read report, and to celebrate
them at our lunch."
Ladies' Home Journal's 2007 Health Breakthrough Award recipients also
include:
-- Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine
at Wake Forest University School of Medicine -- Discovered a
significant third source of stem cells that can assume the
characteristic of many specialized cells in the body potentially
replacing diseased or damaged tissue: human amniotic fluid and the
placenta. Like embryonic stem cells, amniotic cells double in number
every 36 hours, providing scientists with ample material. The more
mature amniotic cells are less likely to develop tumors, and patients
can avoid rejection issues.
-- Dr. Minesh P. Mehta, program leader of Radiation and Imaging Sciences
at the University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer
Center and professor of Human Oncology at University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine and Public Health; & T. Rock Mackie, researcher at
the University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center
and professor of Medical Physics and Human Oncology at the University
of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health -- Their work with
the TomoTherapy Hi·Art system allows doctors to more specifically
delineate the shape of a malignant tumor and then direct a carefully
calibrated dose of radiation at it, thus minimizing damage to healthy
tissue and helping patients avoid many side effects. Targeting also
means doctors can safely deliver more radiation per dose and
potentially slash treatment duration.
-- Dr. Mark S. Smith, chairman of Emergency Medicine at Washington
Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital; & Dr. Craig F.
Feied, director of the Institute for Medical Informatics at Washington
Hospital Center -- Their revolutionary software system Azyxxi allows
hospitals to quickly access vital patient information from a variety of
sources. It is poised to transform healthcare by decreasing patient
wait time, streamlining diagnostic and treatment protocols, and
minimizing doctor errors.
-- Dr. Todd A. Kuiken, director of the Amputee Program at the
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago -- Created the world's first
neural-controlled, prosthetic arm. The bionic arm is possible thanks
to Kuiken's targeted muscle reinnervation procedure, which reconnects
major nerves that used to travel down a patient's arm to healthy chest
muscle and skin. Then, simply thinking about moving the arm generates
nerve impulses that are sensed by the electrolodes that direct the arm
to move. Three joints can be moved at once (hands, wrists and elbows).
-- The Marianne J. Legato Gender-Specific Medicine Award goes to Dr. Ethel
S. Siris, the director of the Toni Stabile Center for the Prevention
and Treatment of Osteoporosis and the Madeline C. Stabile Professor of
Clinical Medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and president
of the National Osteoporosis Foundation -- As leader of the National
Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (NORA) study, she has taught patients and
health professionals volumes about the course of this bone-thinning
disease for both women and men, the central principle of
gender-specific medicine. Through this work, she is striving to
transform osteoporosis from an inevitable part of aging to a
preventable disease.
The Health Breakthrough Awards reflect Ladies' Home Journal's long
history of health-advocacy journalism dating back more than a century. The
magazine helped to spur the formation of the Food and Drug Administration,
put an end to bogus medications and break the taboo of silence about
sexually transmitted diseases. Most recently, Ladies' Home Journal has
worked with readers to support legislation to make imported produce safer
and improve care in nursing homes. The magazine recently delivered more
than 7,000 petitions to Congress in support of the Access to Emergency
Medical Services Act (HR 3875).
About Ladies' Home Journal
Founded in December 1883, Ladies' Home Journal magazine has been
inspiring, informing and entertaining women for more than 120 years.
Published monthly by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), Ladies' Home Journal
has a circulation of 3.8 million and a readership of 13 million. The
magazine's interactive online companion, http://www.lhj.com, has 1.8
million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month.
Contact: Dean Forbes, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
206-667-2896; dforbes@fhcrc.org
SOURCE Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
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Related links:
http://www.lhj.com
CONTACT:
Dean Forbes of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance,
+1-206-667-2896, dforbes@fhcrc.org
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