Annual Report 2014 : Cancer can’t outrun us
Moon Shots Program: Tracking the trajectory | 2014
In its first full year, MD Anderson’s Moon Shots Program has launched new approaches to ovarian cancer surgery, as well as targeted therapies and drug combinations for leukemia, prostate and lung cancer. And there’s more to come. Here are some updates on the institution’s work and collaborations with others that will dramatically accelerate the pace of converting scientific discoveries into clinical advances and significantly reduce cancer deaths.
1,665,540
New cases of cancer in the U.S. in 2014
Breast and ovarian cancer
- 220% Percentage increase in the rate of complete surgical removal of ovarian cancer using a new surgical protocol that improves survival
- 100% Percentage of high-grade serous ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer patients now offered screening for BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations. The screening helps identify family members with risk-increasing mutations
Melanoma
- 419,000 New cases of skin cancer linked to tanning bed use each year
- 85% Rate of increased risk of melanoma for people who use indoor tanning before age 18
- 11 Number of states that currently ban the use of tanning beds by people under age 18
More than 900 Number of days since the launch of
the Moon Shots Program
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) / Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
- 2 Clinical trials opened to test ways of thwarting resistance to drugs that treat AML/MDS
- >3,500 Number of AML/MDS samples genomically sequenced to help scientists understand how these diseases develop and resist treatment
- within 5 years Timetable for deep DNA, RNA, protein and epigenetic analysis of AML/MDS, which should uncover most of the secrets of these cancers
Prostate cancer
- 2 Drugs that can now be used in a new combination to target testosterone, which fuels most prostate cancers
- 30% Portion of patients who’ve been identified as resistant to these drugs and, therefore, better treated with chemotherapy
$217,266,765
Total amount raised by the moon shots as of Dec. 31, 2014
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Then: 48% Now: 15% In two years, the percentage of new CLL patients treated with debilitating chemotherapy combinations has been reduced by almost 70%
- 70% Percentage of CLL patients that doctors may cure with immunotherapy drugs and targeted therapies
- 90-95% The percentage of CLL cells killed by ibrutinib, an immunotherapy drug
- 3 Number of first-in-human clinical trials at MD Anderson testing the use of targeted immune cell treatment against the disease
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Grants fuel tomorrow’s cancer breakthroughs
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Industry collaborations boost the immune system’s cancer-fighting abilities
MD Anderson’s expertise in cancer immunotherapy attracted the interest of four major pharmaceutical companies, which signed three-year collaborative agreements in early 2014 to develop new ways for the immune system to destroy tumors.
Developing a drug to starve cancer cells
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The road to recovery, minus the traffic
Marietta Cline is one busy woman. As a doctor with four children who loves to travel and build custom furniture, she’s a go-getter with little time to spare.
An exchange program brings the best to Brazil
As a youngster growing up in São Paulo, Diogo Bugano Diniz Gomes was fascinated by how things worked and how to fix them when they broke.
A call to action in South Texas
Since its introduction in the 1940s, the Pap test has been successfully detecting abnormal cells in the cervix that, if left untreated, could lead to cancer. In fact, that success has led to a 70% drop in cervical cancer rates in the United States.
The physician assistant will see you now
Jenny Dahl was within a semester of graduating with a nutrition degree when an invitation changed her mind — and her future.
The angelic side of Austin’s devilish taco king
The center that provides veterinary and preclinical research services to support MD Anderson has received new, leading-edge laboratory equipment, thanks to a $20,000 gift from Torchy’s Tacos in Austin.
With elevated risks, these survivors and ‘previvors’ aren’t taking any chances
When doctors told Mariana Torrado she had breast cancer, she didn’t believe them at first.
Solving baby boomers’ problem with hepatitis C
Baby boomers — Americans born between 1945 and 1965 — grew up in one of the wealthiest, most idealistic and physically fit generations in history.
Outreach delivers screening and hope to communities in need
More than 3,500 local women who are low income and uninsured have received free mammograms through an MD Anderson community outreach initiative.
A survivor is saving lives through early detection
It was 1980 when Janelle Hail of Frisco, Texas, discovered a small lump during a self-breast exam. A visit to the doctor resulted in an early breast cancer diagnosis. The then-34-year-old mother of three feared for her life. Today, she attributes her survival to early detection.
