SMOKING OUT TOBACCO - Moores Cancer Center

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
SMOKING OUT TOBACCO
Smoking-cessation counselors like Aimee, below,
provide free telephone counseling to the 60,000
people a year who call the California Smokers’
Helpline. The statewide service, created and
operated by UCSD, is just one of the ways the
Cancer Center is working to reduce tobacco use.
…Story Page 4
FALL 2003

UCSD Cancer Center Foundation
PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION BOARD
Cinda K. Lucas *
OFFICERS
Gordon P. Boerner *
Marilynn Boesky *
Howard I. Cohen *
William T. Comer, Ph.D. *
Frank M. Goldberg *
Charles F. Gorder Sr., Esq. *
Mary Rand Taylor *
John McDonnell *
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
J. Samuel Armstrong, IV
Terry Ash
Kathryn A. Bernert, Esq.
Howard C. Birndorf
Sophie Brody
Deborah J. Case
Carol L. Chang
L. Reneé Comeau
Jay de Groot
Charles Faith
Yehudi Gaffen
Howard Goldfeder*
Donald W. Grimm
Ernest Huang, Ph.D.
Al Hugo-Martinez
Jacqueline Johnson, Ph.D.
Maurice C. Kaplan, Esq. *
Jerome S. Katzin, Esq. *
Jeffrey Lipinsky
George L. Liggins,
M.P.H., Ph.D.
Joany Mosher
Alex M. Nadzan
Henry L. Nordhoff
Carrie O’Brien
Anne S. Otterson
John W. Otterson, II
Kenneth D. Polin, Esq.
Kimberly Simpson Querrey
Edward T. Shonsey
ADVISORY BOARD
John R. Bonn, Esq.
Diane Clarke
Lois J. Crandell
Audrey S. Geisel
George L. Gildred
Irwin Jacobs, Ph.D.
Richard Levi
Art Lujan
Marianne McDonald, Ph.D.
John H. Moxley III, M.D.
Peter Preuss
Clayton D. Pruett
Ruth L. Schulman
John Walton
Walter Zable
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Edward W. Holmes, M.D.
Robert Horsman
Katherine Kennedy
Sam Iacobellis, Ph.D.
Esther R. Nahama
Tom Nielsen
Rebecca Newman
INTERIM DIRECTOR, MOORES
UCSD CANCER CENTER
Gordon Gill, M.D.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR,
CLINICAL OPERATIONS
David W. Easter, M.D.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR,
RESEARCH OPERATIONS
Thomas J. Kipps, M.D., Ph.D.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR
ADMINISTRATION
Ira S. Goodman
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Sarah Godfrey
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF
DEVELOPMENT
Martha Shumaker
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANTS
Carlos Castaneda
Christa Collins
Maryann Lapthorn
* Officers and Members of the Executive Committee
Moores UCSD Cancer Center News is a publication of the
UCSD Cancer Center Foundation. Comments are welcome.
UCSD Cancer Center Foundation
9500 Gilman Drive MC 0658
La Jolla, CA 92093-0658
(858) 822-0022
Executive Editor: Sarah Godfrey • Editor: Nancy Stringer
Contributing Writers: Sarah Godfrey, Sarah Lifton, Nancy Stringer
Cover Photo: Dave Siccardi • Design: Janice Gordon
Message
from the
Director
You may have noticed that this
issue of the newsletter is coming
to you a little later than usual.
We delayed production in order
to bring you exciting news —
UCSD has named a new director
for the Cancer Center.
It is my distinct pleasure to
introduce Dennis A. Carson, M.D., an internationally known and
respected immunologist and cancer biologist who has been a
senior member of the UCSD faculty since 1990. I have known
Dr. Carson for many years as a brilliant scientist, and an effective
and energetic leader.
Featured in this issue is a conversation with the new director
that I hope you’ll take a moment to read so that you might get
to know a little more about him.
Over the last several weeks, Dr. Carson and I have worked
closely together to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.
I know that I’m leaving the director’s office in the best possible
hands.
And so this becomes my farewell message.
It has been a pleasure to serve as the interim director since
January of this year. During that time we have made progress
in important areas, including bringing new faculty on board in
key positions, strengthening clinical services, and establishing
the first of several major programs that we refer to as “centers
of excellence.” Our first center of excellence is in hematologic
malignancies, led by Dr. Thomas Kipps. You will hear more
about this exciting, multifaceted program and others to follow
in future issues of the newsletter.
As my service comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity
to extend my thanks to the hundreds of faculty and staff
who make up the Cancer Center family. I am profoundly grateful
for their generosity of spirit and their good counsel during my
tenure as interim director.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Carson and in supporting
him as he leads the Cancer Center in the coming years. Thanks
to the dedication of the faculty, staff and community partners
like you, we will continue to move closer to the day when we no
longer have to worry about cancer as a life-threatening disease.
Sincerely,
Gordon Gill, M.D.
Interim Director,
Moores UCSD Cancer Center
Cancer Center News
2

UUCSD officials and major donors recently signed
one of the final steel beams to be used in the construction
of the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD
Cancer Center building. Afterward, guests at the
“Topping Off” ceremony watched as a 180-foot-tall
construction crane lifted the 2500-pound steel
beam into place approximately five stories high,
signaling completion of the framing of the
270,000-square-foot structure.
Among those signing the beam were lead donors Rebecca and John Moores, and Miriam E. and Jerome S. Katzin;
UCSD Chancellor Robert C. Dynes; Edward W. Holmes, Vice Chancellor for UCSD Health Sciences and Dean, UCSD
School of Medicine; Gordon Gill, M.D., Interim Director, Moores UCSD Cancer Center; and David Tarin, M.D., Ph.D.,
former Director of the Cancer Center.
The $104 million project is one of the largest the university has undertaken. Groundbreaking on the Cancer Center
project was November 2002. Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2004, and occupancy in early 2005.
(From left) David Tarin, Miriam and Jerome Katzin, John Moores, Robert
Dynes, Rebecca Moores, Gordon Gill and Edward Holmes.
‘TOPPING OFF’ CEREMONY
Construction Milestone
Reached for Cancer Center
IN THIS ISSUE
Rebecca and John Moores
UCSD Cancer Center
Helping You
Get Connected!
The following phone numbers and website
address are provided here to help you quickly
and easily access the information you need:
General Information
858-534-7600
If you are a new patient:
619-543-3456 or toll-free 866-558-7933
If you would like information
about clinical trials:
858-657-7020
If you are a physician:
888-539-8741
If you would like to make
a charitable donation:
858-822-0175
4 COVER STORY:
Smoking Out
Tobacco
6 Meet the
New Director
8 New Board
Members
10 A Decade of Luau
11 Sea Anne Swim!
12 The Last Word
Web site:
www.cancer.ucsd.edu
3
Cancer Center News

IF SMOKING
WERE A SIMPLE
PROBLEM, THE FACTS
ALONE WOULD BE
INCENTIVE ENOUGH
FOR PEOPLE TO QUIT.
TOBACCO USE IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR
ROUGHLY A THIRD OF
ALL CANCER DEATHS IN
THE UNITED STATES,
INCLUDING ALMOST
90 PERCENT OF LUNG
CANCERS AMONG MEN
AND MORE THAN
70 PERCENT AMONG
WOMEN. IT IS ALSO A
MAJOR CAUSE OF CAN-
CERS OF THE MOUTH,
LARYNX, PHARYNX,
ESOPHAGUS, KIDNEY,
BLADDER, PANCREAS
AND UTERINE CERVIX,
NOT TO MENTION HEART
DISEASE AND STROKE.
SMOKING
OUT
TOBACCO
But because it is a complex issue,
enmeshed in biology, psychology,
culture and marketing, addressing
it requires a multitude of strategies.
The Moores UCSD Cancer Center
has long been at the forefront of
efforts to understand the many
facets of tobacco use. Nearly $6.5
million per year is spent on the
Center’s tobacco-related research.
David Burns, M.D., professor of
medicine and family and preventive
medicine, and a UCSD faculty
member for 26 years, edited the
Surgeon General’s reports on
smoking from 1975-86. John Pierce,
Ph.D., director of the Center’s
Cancer Prevention and Control
Program and former chief epidemiologist
in the federal government’s
Office of Smoking and Health,
conducted a study in the early
1990s that was central to successful
efforts to retire Joe Camel and end
marketing of tobacco products to
adolescents. For 12 years, Elizabeth
Gilpin, M.S., of Pierce’s group,
has led their effort to evaluate
California’s statewide tobacco
control program. Their data have
generated some 130 scientific
papers, which have been cited
more than 1,000 times.
With these credentials, it’s no
wonder that UCSD’s Tobacco
Prevention and Control Program,
the nation’s largest, remains at the
vanguard of tobacco prevention,
cessation and policy efforts. Here is
an overview of some recent and
current projects.
STOPPING SMOKING
BEFORE IT STARTS
Because research suggests that
biology predisposes some people to
tobacco addiction, Pierce, professor
of family and preventive medicine,
and his group have been exploring
ways to prevent adolescents from
experimenting with tobacco in the
first place. Among the questions
they are currently investigating are
whether the high rate of smoking
among today’s college students is
related to their exposure to the Joe
Camel ads, and whether the current
lack of tobacco advertising to
adolescents is resulting in a major
decline in smoking among 12- to-
15 year olds. Reports on these two
issues are due out next year.
In addition, Pierce and his group
have received a major NCI grant to
examine the effect of parenting
skills on problem behaviors,
including smoking, in adolescents.
“There’s a lot of good research
evidence that those parents who
have good, strong, common sense
parenting skills are less likely to
have kids who get involved in prob-
Cancer Center News
4

lem behaviors such as substance use,
premature sexual behavior, juvenile
delinquency, and the like,” says Lisa
James, project director for the
parenting study. “The basic premise
of the study is that if we can impart
those skills to parents, we will be
able to show that parents with those
basic skills will have kids who are
less likely to get involved in those
problems, including smoking.”
In the study, researchers are taking
a random national sample of 2,000
families with oldest children
between 11 and 13 years old. Half
will go through 12 sessions of telephone
counseling, adapted from the
Adolescent Transitions Program,
a proven curriculum for enhancing
parenting skills and reducing problem
behaviors in teens. The study is
adding tobacco-specific elements to
the Adolescent Transitions Program
curriculum, including advice for
establishing a smoke-free home;
rules about watching R-rated
movies, where a lot of tobacco use
is apt to be shown; strategies for
helping teens come up with refusal
skills if they are offered tobacco; and
behavior contracts for remaining
smoke-free. Follow-up calls every
three months will track participants’
progress. The control group will not
receive the counseling but will be
surveyed every six months.
GIVING IT UP
For those who have already taken
up smoking, UCSD is home to a
well-established and successful
program to help them quit. One of
the Cancer Center’s biggest success
stories, the state-funded California
Smokers’ Helpline is the outgrowth
of a 1990 pilot program that went
statewide in 1992. The Helpline,
which has been widely replicated,
now provides free telephone
counseling to 60,000 Californians
annually who are seeking assistance
with quitting smoking. It provides
callers with trained counselors in
six languages — English, Spanish,
Mandarin,
Cantonese,
Korean and
Vietnamese
— and also
has TDD
phone lines,
and a line
for people
using chewing
tobacco.
Since its
inception, it has helped nearly
300,000 people.
Shu-Hong Zhu, Ph.D., associate
professor of family and preventive
medicine, who runs the Helpline,
also conducts research into many
different aspects of smoking cessation.
He is currently finalizing a
study on the Helpline’s effectiveness
in reaching a diverse group of teen
smokers, and in a recent study
reported in Health Psychology he
examined the habits of low-rate
smokers — those who smoke only a
few cigarettes a day — to determine
what factors
influenced their
decision to smoke
so little.
He found that
many of them
used to smoke
more but were
able to cut down,
and that environ-
Continued on
Page 9
Ad from the statewide tobacco control program
UCSD Participates in
NATIONAL
LUNG
SCREENING
TRIAL
The Cancer Center is participating
in a landmark national
study of the effectiveness of
spiral CT scans and standard
chest X-rays in detecting lung
cancer early.
Researchers are seeking current
smokers, or those who
have quit smoking within the
past 15 years, or who have a
history of longtime and/or
heavy smoking. The goal of the
study is to determine if early
detection can reduce the national
death toll from lung cancer,
which kills an estimated 155,000
Americans each year — more
than breast, prostate and colon
cancers combined. In the UCSD
study, volunteers ages 55 to
74 will be selected by chance
to receive either a chest
X-ray or a spiral CT scan
once a year for three
years. The tests are free.
Researchers will contact
participants periodically until
2009 to check on their health.
For more information, call the
Cancer Center’s Clinical
Trials Office, 858-657-7020.
5
Cancer Center News

DENNIS CARSON, M.D., AN INTERNATIONALLY RESPECTED IMMU-
NOLOGIST AND CANCER BIOLOGIST ON THE UCSD FACULTY, HAS
BEEN NAMED AS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE CANCER CENTER
FOLLOWING A NATIONAL SEARCH INVOLVING
MORE THAN 40 HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES.
Dr. Carson has been a member of the Cancer Center since he joined the UCSD
School of Medicine faculty in 1990. He has published nearly 450 scientific papers
and is an inventor on more than 60 U.S. and international patents. In recognition of
his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, he was recently
elected to membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. To find out
more about the new director and his vision for the Cancer Center, read the
following from a recent conversation with the editors.
A CONVERSATION WITH THE NEW DI
DENNIS CARS
Q: Dr. Carson, why were you
interested in the directorship of
the Cancer Center
CARSON: There are many reasons,
but the heart of it is this: Cancer touches
everyone. Virtually every family has
suffered a loss from cancer, including
my own. Helping to advance early
diagnosis and effective treatment of
cancer is one of the most important
things I can do, professionally or personally.
Q: What are some of your qualifications, and the
qualities you bring to the position
CARSON: When I first came to UCSD, I took on the
directorship of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging,
a position I’ve held for the past 13 years. That gave me
valuable experience in directing a large academic organization
that is very similar in structure to the Cancer Center
in that it brings together people from different disciplines
to work on a common problem. Also, I’m a physicianscientist
who conducts translational research, which means
I use my clinical knowledge to develop research studies
designed to lead to improved treatments for patients.
This is one of the central missions of the Center. But we
can’t do this alone. More and more we need to partner
with industry to breathe life into our discoveries. I have
firsthand knowledge of the importance of forging strong
relationships with industry as I’ve founded four
biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Q: You have also developed a powerful
cancer drug called 2-CdA that has changed
the way a type of leukemia is treated. Many
people, in fact, have been cured of hairy
cell leukemia as a result of using this drug.
CARSON: Well, I’m not comfortable saying ‘cure’,
but it is tremendously satisfying to know that threefourths
of the patients treated with 2-CdA have experienced
complete, long-term remissions of their disease. Some were
treated over 20 years ago.
Q: What are some of your other cancer research
activities
CARSON: My work as a cancer biologist is centered on
developing targeted therapies, so we look for abnormalities
that are only associated with cancer cells. In this way, the
therapy is directed against cancer cells and spares normal
cells. Through hard work and some luck, we have discovered
a number of cancer-related gene mutations and have
developed therapies for patients with these mutations. For
example, in the laboratory we identified a defective gene
involved in several types of cancer — brain, lung, leukemia
and melanoma. Working with my UCSD colleague Dr. Carlos
Carrera, we developed a drug treatment that kills only cells
with the defective gene. The drug is now in Phase II clinical
trials. In a study with another colleague, Dr. Eyal Raz, we
Cancer Center News
6

RECTOR…
determined that microinjection of naked DNA,
a new gene therapy technique, could cause therapeutic
changes for at least several weeks. It’s a simple technique,
but it may lead to treatments for cancer and chronic
immune-system diseases.
Q: It’s early in your tenure as director, but what
is your vision for the Cancer Center
CARSON: In recent years the Cancer Center has seen
tremendous growth in faculty membership, clinical services,
grant funding, national stature, and now, with the completion
of the Center’s new building at hand, growth in physical
space. I plan to continue that momentum with new clinical
recruitments and expanded research opportunities. I also
want to build upon Interim Director Gill’s visionary
efforts to create programs of excellence, or centers of
excellence, in preparation for our move to the new build-
N, M.D.
ing in early 2005. In addition, my top two priorities for
new initiatives are to develop an industry relations program
and a molecular-targeted early-diagnostics program.
Q: What is involved in an industry relations
program, and why is it important
CARSON: We are in the midst of a molecular revolution
in cancer biology that is making it possible to develop
drugs targeted against a specific chemical target. This holds
tremendous promise for patients, but it is not a simple or
inexpensive undertaking. Today it costs up to $800 million
and takes up to 15 years to bring a drug to market.
Universities are not designed to invest that kind of time
and money, and there are things in the drug-development
pipeline that only industry can do such as drug formulation,
bulk manufacturing and so on. We need to forge
strong, formalized relationships with the biotechnology
and pharmaceutical communities so that we partner the
basic research skills of the university with the scientific
and business expertise of industry, and together speed
the drug-development process and reduce its cost.
In concert with that, we want to develop molecular tests
that can be done on blood or other easily accessible body
fluids that could tell us early on whether or not a cancer
drug is working. That would be a tremendous benefit to
patients and drug companies. It is also part of the early
diagnostics program I mentioned.
Q: Would you talk a little more about the early
diagnostics program Don’t we already have
such programs for cancers of the breast, colon,
prostate and others
CARSON: Yes, we have many screening and diagnostic
tools, including blood tests, x-rays, biopsies, and getting an
oral medical history from a patient. The early diagnostics
program I’m planning is not a gross departure from what
we already do, but will incorporate much, much more
information to make a more
specific assessment of the risk of
a particular disease. We want to
integrate non-invasive biochemical
and molecular tests, and use a
computer program to determine
an individual’s risk. For example,
we will add tests for mutations in
specific genes, excessive proteins
associated with a particular cancer,
and abnormal cell proliferation in
the blood. Then we would process this large amount of
data using a computer to come up with a very specific
risk assessment. That’s what I mean by an early diagnosis
program.
We have a unique combination of resources at UCSD
that presents a golden opportunity for this kind of a program.
We have a number of studies looking at biological
markers that might predict cancer recurrence, diet and
cancer risk, and others. Also, we have one of the best
radiological groups in the world, especially in MRI, and
we have a large developing infrastructure in information
technology. These resources and others position us to do
what, really, no one else can do.
Q: You have set an ambitious agenda. Will that
leave any time for leisure activities
CARSON: Well, I have a lot of energy and don’t need
much sleep! I go to the gym everyday, and I enjoy reading,
primarily history and economics. I read about an hour a
night outside of my field. I may actually have a little more
time for leisure activities now; my wife and I just sent the
last of our four children off to college.
As Cancer Center Director, Dr. Carson also becomes the Associate Dean for Cancer Affairs and
holder of the Chugai Pharmaceutical Chair in Cancer. Dr. Carson earned his medical degree in
1970 at Columbia University, and completed his residency at UCSD. He received post-doctoral
training at the Salk Institute, the National Institutes of Health and UCSD. Prior to joining the
UCSD faculty, Dr. Carson was affiliated with Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation as division head
of immunology. He currently holds an adjunct appointment with The Scripps Research Institute.
7
Cancer Center News

Community
Leaders JOIN
FOUNDATION
The Rebecca and John Moores
UCSD Cancer Center is pleased
to announce the recent election
of three distinguished leaders from
the San Diego community to the
UCSD Cancer Center Foundation
Board. Each new member brings a
wealth of talent and commitment to
the Cancer Center as a member of our
volunteer leadership.
L. Reneé Comeau is senior vicepresident
and a regional manager with
California Bank and Trust. She attended
University of New Hampshire,
and graduated from San Diego State
University with a Bachelor’s degree
in business. She is actively involved
with the Child Abuse Prevention
Foundation and the Polinsky
Children’s Center Foundation, and
is a member of other community
BOARD
Chair
Martha P. Shumaker, a
seasoned professional in
fund raising, has recently
joined the Cancer Center
Foundation Office as associate
director of development. She
will be working with Cancer
Center clinicians to identify
and develop new avenues of
support.
“We’re delighted to have
Martha as part of our team,”
Martha Shumaker
said Sarah Godfrey, Director
of Development for the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation.
“Her background and experience covers a broad spectrum
in fund raising, including donor relations, public relations,
organizations,
including the
National
Charity League, St. Germaine
Auxiliary and the San Diego Opera.
Comeau and her husband, Terry
Gulden, reside in La Jolla.
Edward Shonsey recently moved to
San Diego to join Diversa Corporation
as senior vice president. Shonsey brings
more than 20 years of experience in the
development and commercialization of
new products in the pharmaceutical,
agricultural, chemical processing and
industrial markets. He also remains
heavily involved in global education
issues, serving on the Board of Business
and Higher Education Forum. He is an
avid fly-fisher and sea kayaker. Shonsey
and his wife, Molly, will co-chair the
Celebrity Chef’s Gala in 2004.
Meet Martha Shumaker…
of the nominating committee Frank Goldberg (left) and Board
President Cinda Lucas (center) welcome new board members (l-r)
L. Reneé Comeau, Edward Shonsey and Kimberly Simpson Querrey.
Kimberly Simpson Querrey has
over 20 years of concurrent experience
in the manufacturing field and teaching
at the university level in engineering
and chemistry. She has held numerous
positions in production and operational
management as well as positions
in environmental health and
safety for Fortune 500 companies. She
consults for several clients in various
aspects of operational management
and strategic development, and teaches
part time at UCSD Extension Services.
Her experience includes management
of chemical manufacturing and
secondary smelting operations.
Querrey and her husband, Louis
Simpson, reside in Rancho Santa Fe.
NEW ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
marketing, management, organization, and special events.”
She was a founding member of the San Diego Crew
Classic, serving as its marketing and public relations director
for five years, and most recently as its capital campaign
director. For the previous six years, she was the associate
director of development and alumni relations for
California Western School of Law, as well as its interim
director of development for two years. She has held positions
with the San Diego Natural History Museum, the
San Diego Historical Society, the March of Dimes, and
the San Diego Wild Animal Park
She is an active community volunteer, having served in
Junior League, the Makua Auxiliary to Children’s Home
Society, and the Institute for Arts Education, among others.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from
Northwestern University.
Cancer Center News
8

Department of Defense
SUPPORTS OVARIAN
CANCER RESEARCH
The Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer
Research Program has selected Cancer
Center member Stephen Howell, M.D., to
receive one of its highly sought-after “Idea
Development” awards. These awards are designed to
support innovative research concepts to prevent,
detect, and treat ovarian cancer.
Dr. Howell’s award of more than $550,000 will
support his research over the next 3 years to determine
why and how ovarian cancer cells become
resistant to chemotherapy.
Scientists have long known that ovarian cancer
cells that have become drug resistant do not accumulate
the drug well, but until recently they have not
known how the drug moves into and out of cells.
Dr. Howell’s team, and others, discovered that cisplatin,
one of the most important drugs used in the
treatment of ovarian cancer, gets into and out of the cell
by hitching a ride on molecules called transporters that
evolved to manage the cellular accumulation of copper.
Copper is an essential trace metal, but it is quite
toxic. So nature has developed a complex system of
transporters that get copper into the cell and protect
the cell from its toxic side effects while it is delivered
to the enzymes that require it. Current research suggests
these same molecules transport cisplatin.
“The focus of our grant is a transporter called
CTR1, the major carrier for bringing copper into the
cell,” said Dr. Howell. “We, and others, have developed
evidence that it is also the major transporter for
cisplatin. We’re working to determine how this transporter
works, and whether it is defective in ovarian
cancer cells that have become resistant to cisplatin.”
Understanding what is wrong with cisplatin accumulation
in resistant cells may lay the groundwork for
Dr. Howell and other physician-scientists like him to
develop strategies for preventing or overcoming cisplatin
resistance in patients with ovarian cancer.
“This is a particularly exciting time to be working on
the problem of drug resistance,” said Dr. Howell,
professor of medicine. “Having discovered that the
copper transporters control sensitivity to these drugs,
we are now in a position to bring the enormously
powerful tools of modern cellular and molecular
biology to bear to understand how they work, and to
translate this understanding into improved therapy for
ovarian cancer patients.”
SMOKING OUT TOBACCO Continued from Page 5
mental restrictions against smoking influenced their decision to
cut back. Perhaps most significant, he also found that those who
smoked five or fewer cigarettes a day increased the chances that
they would be successful at quitting the next time they tried.
Zhu’s works in progress include a one-year pilot grant
from the Cancer Center to study whether different ways of
presenting the opportunity to get a CT scan of their lungs
will affect smokers’ willingness to get one, and whether
getting a clean bill of health from a CT scan will negatively
impact their motivation to quit smoking. He is also working
with low-income smokers in a three-year study that is
attempting to determine the optimal amount of supportive
counseling that people need in order to quit smoking
successfully using the nicotine patch. The work has policy
implications because low-income smokers qualify for free
nicotine patches if they receive counseling first, and the study
findings will help identify how to enhance the cost-effectiveness
of public expenditure for the best outcome.
HOW POLICY SHAPES BEHAVIOR
Tobacco and the big picture — the interface between science
and public policy — is the primary interest of David Burns
and his group, and one that directs them to diverse areas.
Recently this has included a study of harm reduction in
low-tar and –nicotine cigarettes, which demonstrated that
these products haven’t reduced the risk of smoking.
“We’re now involved in trying to examine questions of
how one could go about studying whether harm is reduced
with some of the newer tobacco products that are coming
on the market,” he says.
Another focus of the group is how policy-based interventions
— such as restrictions on where people can smoke,
increases in cigarette taxes and changing norms —
determine smoking behavior on a population basis over
time. In addition, the group is collecting data on tobacco
print advertising over the last century and relating it to
changes in smoking behavior, particularly among adolescents
and African Americans. Burns’s team is also using
modeling techniques to project future lung cancer risks
associated with current changes in smoking behavior, and
changes in smoking behavior that might occur with increases
in tobacco control funding. Most recently, the group
published a monograph that examines whether or not
current tobacco control strategies are leaving behind people
who have more difficulty quitting and require different
approaches.
From helping individuals spurn tobacco to forecasting the
large-scale consequences of policy shifts, on every level, the
Cancer Center remains one of the most influential forces
countering one of the nation’s greatest public health problems.
Written by Sarah Lifton, a freelance writer.
9
Cancer Center News

L
uauE
Celebrating 10 years of “surfing for a cure,” the
UCSD Cancer Center Luau and Longboard
Invitational took place on August 24 at Scripps Pier
in La Jolla with a sell-out crowd
of 900 guests enjoying
the aloha spirit.
Under the capable
leadership of chair
Sam Iacobellis and
co-chairs Eric Cusick
and Greg Rose, the
hard-working committee
once again produced
a day that brought
together individuals
from all walks of life to have fun and
raise money for the Cancer Center’s
high-priority needs.
The day began with the traditional
Longboard Invitational surfing tournament.
This year there were 20 surf
teams, including Silvergate Bank,
which returned as Title Sponsor.
vent
CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF GIVING
A sumptuous tropical buffet
and Pacific Island dancers
complemented the surfing festivities. An emotional highlight
came with the presentation of the Rell Sunn Award given
posthumously to Alex Szekely in recognition of his contributions
to the Luau Longboard Invitational during his lifetime.
Picture Left: Luau committee member Steve Blank presents the
Rell Sunn Award to members of Alex Szekely’s family — (l-r) his
widow, Diane Saikhon-Szekely, and their two children; his sister,
Olivia Szekely; and his mother, Deborah Szekely.
Below: Surf legends and surfing enthusiasts at the 2003 Luau
and Longboard Invitational.
‘ MEN ABOUT TOWN ’
A New Addition to Saks Annual Event
For the fifth consecutive year, the
Moores UCSD Cancer Center and
Saks Fifth Avenue joined forces to
raise money for cancer research initiatives
at the Cancer Center. The first
four years, the 4-day shopping event
each September benefited breast cancer
research. This year the event, held in
conjunction with the Saks nationwide
campaign called Key To The Cure,
expanded to benefit women’s breast
and reproductive cancers. The Fashion
Valley and La Jolla Saks stores hosted
signature parties for shoppers with
food, beverages and entertainment.
Also new this year was a kickoff
event on September 4 called “Men
About Town,” a distinctive, men’s fashion
show held at Saks La Jolla.
Katherine Kennedy and Robert
Horsman co-chaired the fundraiser,
which featured 23 of San Diego’s
community leaders walking the runway
in elegant menswear from Saks. Susan
Lennon and Stan Miller from KUSI-TV
served as emcees for this event, which
was anything but traditional. Catcalls
and dollar bills (including a few $100
bills) were in the air as the following
models walked the catwalk: Everett
Barry, Joseph Benoit, Tom Blair,
Gordon Boerner, Arthur Brody,
Jeff Chang, Howard Cohen, Jerry
Coleman, Jim Fitzpatrick, William
Geppert, Frank Goldberg, Edward
Holmes, Robert Horsman, Wayne
Lewis, George Liggins, Ashley McNally,
Larry Newman, Eric Otterson, John
Otterson, Neil Senturia, Bob Watkins
and Mark Wiggins.
UCSD School of Medicine Dean and model
Edward W. Holmes (left) thanks fashion show
guests for their impromptu donations and
encourages more as event chairs Katherine
Kennedy and Robert Horsman echo his
enthusiasm.
The Cancer Center is deeply grateful
to Robert and Katherine for creating
Men About Town and for letting everyone
see just how much fun a fashion
show can be; to Bill Fleming, Kim Biehl
and the magnificent staff at Saks; and
to Sammy Ladeki for donating the
delicious hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
Cancer Center News
10

Another Successful
‘Four Seasons’ Event
Nearly 1,300 men, women and children turned
out at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara’s “Four
Seasons 4-Mile For Cancer” to help raise money
for cancer research at the Moores UCSD Cancer
Center. “I couldn't be more pleased with how the event
turned out this year," said Brian Parmelee, general manager
of Four Seasons Aviara and men’s run participant.
“Statistics show that one in three people will be affected
by cancer at some point in their lifetime. We are so
thankful to the community for supporting the event
and recognizing the importance of this cause.” The
event kicked off with a 4-mile men’s and women’s run,
followed by a coed walk and a “Kids Kilometer” race.
There was a complimentary post-race breakfast provided
by Aviara, as well as live entertainment by Jose Serano
and Band. Children also enjoyed a Kids Activity Area
with face painting, balloon artists and clowns.
This annual event was founded in honor of Terry Fox,
who was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1977, and had
his right leg amputated six-inches above the knee.
Because of his personal experience and the suffering he
saw among other cancer patients, in 1981 Terry organized
his “Marathon of Hope,” a run across Canada to
raise money for cancer research. Terry ran an average of
26 miles a day for 143 days. At 3,339 miles, he fell victim
to lung cancer, and succumbed to the disease ten months
later, just short of his 23rd birthday. That very year, Four
Seasons held its first run in Canada. The organization
continues the crusade at its properties worldwide, and
has raised nearly $300 million for the cause.
Four Seasons Resort Aviara is an AAA Five Diamond
luxury resort in Carlsbad that features a deluxe spa,
fitness center, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course,
tennis center, five restaurants, complimentary kids
program and Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara,
a luxury shared ownership club.
Start Your Engines! Participants in the popular “Four Seasons
4-Mile For Cancer” event head out across the lush Aviara campus.
Sea Anne Swim!
La Jollan Anne Cleveland is in training for
the event of her life — a double swim of
the English Channel in August 2004. Only
16 people have successfully completed a double
swim — from England to France and back to
England. At 48 years old, Anne will be the oldest
person in history to perform this feat.
And she’s doing it to raise funds for the Moores
UCSD Cancer Center.
Anne has been swimming competitively since her
early teens when she was inspired by San Diego’s own
channel-swimming legend, the late Florence Chadwick.
It wasn’t until Anne turned 40 that she got serious
about training rigorously for distance swims. She has
crossed the channels of Maui and Catalina, and in
2002 she swam the English Channel one way.
Her inspiration Cancer patients.
“Staying in the water for a channel swim is a lot like
staying the course for cancer treatment. You can’t quit
when you are tired or if you just don’t feel like it any
more. You have to stay in to the finish,” she said.
“Sometimes, toward the end of the swim, you can see
the shore but the tides shift unexpectedly so you have
to swim a few extra miles before you can reach land.
I think there are similarities to cancer treatment. I’m
not a cancer survivor, but I know a lot about staying
in there for the long haul, so I hope that my swim will,
in some small way, inspire those who are in treatment.
And I hope to raise a lot of money for cancer education
and outreach.”
Stay tuned for updates as Anne trains for her historic
swim for the Cancer Center. If you are interested in
supporting this swim, please call the Cancer Center
at 858-822-0175.
11
Cancer Center News

THE LAST WORD
Endowed Chairs:
A GIFT TO THE FUTURE
With a “comprehensive” designation from the NCI, and construction of our
own dedicated building on track for an early 2005 opening, the Cancer
Center is proceeding with plans to secure another fundamental component
of the most distinguished academic medical institutions: endowed chairs.
An endowed chair is a faculty position
supported by income from a
substantial trust fund. The principal
remains inviolate, while the fund’s
yield, which is available in perpetuity,
provides a dependable stream of
income to sustain the work of the
succession of stellar faculty members
designated over time as the chairholders.
When a chairholder leaves or
retires, another outstanding researcher
is appointed to occupy the chair. In this
way, endowed chairs extend and maintain
excellence and ensure continuity.
Endowed chairs increase both the
size and quality of the Center’s faculty,
providing funds that allow us to compete
with the nation’s top institutions
in recruiting the most gifted scientists.
Through endowed chairs, the Center
can offer the most outstanding
researchers positions of prestige
and honor that are commensurate
with their stature. In the intense
competition for leading scientists that
exists among universities and industry,
endowed chairs literally can make or
break the hiring of the most illustrious
faculty.
“Endowing a chair can be enormously
rewarding for a donor and
can have tremendous impact because
the good that it provides goes on
forever,” notes John Pierce, Ph.D.,
director of the Center’s Cancer
Prevention and Control Program,
and holder of the Sam M. Walton
Chair in Cancer Prevention.
An enduring act of philanthropy, an
endowed chair at the Moores UCSD
Cancer Center can be named for the
donor or someone the donor wishes
to honor, immortalizing him or her
and forever associating that name
with excellent scientific research.
Every publication and official communication
from current and future
chairholders will include the name of
the chair, acknowledging the donor’s
support and forever linking that
name with the scientific advances
that the chairholders bring about.
Older institutions generally have
larger endowments and greater
resources to attract the nation’s
preeminent faculty. Although UCSD,
founded only four decades ago, has
catapulted itself into the ranks of the
nation’s top universities in an amazingly
short time, it struggles with a
comparatively small endowment and
smaller number of endowed chairs
than its peers.
Endowing a chair at the Moores
UCSD Cancer Center is, therefore,
a unique opportunity to make a
highly visible and lasting impact
on cancer research, now and for
generations to come. For further
information, please contact the
Cancer Center’s director of development,
Sarah Godfrey, 858-822-0070.
UCSD Cancer Center
9500 Gilman Drive MC 0658
La Jolla, CA 92093-0658
(858) 822-0022
Non-Profit Org.
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San Diego, CA
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