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Decades of Research and ResultsNearly 20 years of study is revealing important information about colorectal cancerAN ONGOING RESEARCH STUDY atBaylor has already made importantdiscoveries about hereditary colorectalcancer. And as the project heads intoits 18th year, researchers are focusedon better identifying people at thehighest risk.Led by C. Richard Boland, MD,chief of gastroenterology for the GICancer Research Laboratory at BaylorResearch Institute and a physician onthe medical staff at Baylor UniversityMedical Center at Dallas, the projectrecently had its funding renewed bythe National Institutes of Health, whichhas helped fund the entire project.“It’s unusual to have a grant renewedas many times as ours has been,”Dr. Boland says. “You really have todemonstrate that there’s value incontinuing the research.”The study began by looking athereditary nonpolyposis colorectalcancer, an inherited form of thedisease that affects only about3 percent of people with colorectalcancer. After the genetic basis ofthe disease was discovered, it wasrenamed “Lynch syndrome.”Early on, researchers made apivotal discovery. They developed anexperimental model that permittedthe nature of Lynch syndrome to bestudied in detail, and they found thatthe mutations responsible for thedisease were also involved in regulatingcell proliferation. Eventually theyrealized that Lynch syndrome tumorsprobably wouldn’t respond as expectedto chemotherapy, which was laterconfirmed in clinical studies.The research has since expandedto include other types of familialHow to Get InvolvedParticipants for this study are selectedthrough physician referrals, so talk toyour doctor if you think you might be acandidate. To learn about other researchtrials at Baylor seeking participants, visitBaylorHealth.com/advancingMedicine.colorectal cancer that aren’t caused bythe DNA defect. Researchers also wantto determine whether there’s a geneticcause of colorectal cancers that formin young people.As researchers continue studyingcolorectal cancer, they’re also lookingfor tumor markers that can betteridentify the exact nature of the tumor.Ultimately, Dr. Boland says, thegoal is to develop ways of predictingwhether people are at high risk fordeveloping cancer, whether the canceris likely to recur and if the tumorsmight respond to chemotherapy orother treatments.“The goal of the research is tostratify people into those at highestrisk—who should get colonoscopies,and maybe more frequently—and thosewho are never going to get colorectalcancer,” he says. “If the results ofthe research could relieve a portionof the population from the need fora colonoscopy, I think many peoplewould see that as a heroic discovery.”10 BaylorHealth.com
IRVINGGARLANDFT. WORTHPLANODALLASprostate CanCer:are You at risk?New guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services TaskForce no longer call for men to have routine bloodtests for prostate cancer. But urologists andcancer experts across the nation want men toknow that that doesn’t mean they shouldn’tget screened at all.Instead, it means that you need to work closelywith your doctor to determine a screening schedule that’s right for you.For most men, that means talking to your doctor about prostate cancerscreenings at age 50, as recommended by the American Cancer Society.But men at high risk should consult their doctors earlier, at age 45. And thoseat highest risk should begin the discussion at 40. Talk to your doctor aboutwhat’s right for you.Moving in the Right DirectionIn an age of increasing rates of obesity,it’s rare to hear good news on thediabetes front. But a recent report fromthe Centers for Disease Control andPrevention revealed that death ratesfrom heart disease and stroke amongpeople with diabetes have dropped awhopping 40 percent since 1997.Researchers said that several factorscontributed to the decline but that adecrease in smoking among people withdiabetes and higher rates of physicalactivity were key. The fact that peopleGroup of friends: ©altrendo imagesare taking better control of their bloodpressure, blood glucose and cholesterollevels also played a role.40%Amount that death ratesfrom heart disease andstroke among peoplewith diabetes havedropped since 1997.5 BaylorHospitalsRanked byU.S.NewsFor the 20th consecutive year, U.S.News& World Report has listed BaylorUniversity Medical Center at Dallasin its “America’s Best Hospitals” issue.Baylor Dallas is ranked among thenation’s top 50 hospitals in gynecology,gastroenterology, nephrology, urology,orthopedics and pulmonology. BaylorDallas also rated high performingin six additional specialties: cancer;cardiology and heart surgery; diabetesand endocrinology; ear, nose andthroat; geriatrics; and neurology andneurosurgery.Also receiving regional rankings forthe Dallas-Fort Worth area are BaylorRegional Medical Center at Plano, BaylorAll Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth,Baylor Medical Center at Garland andBaylor Medical Center at Irving.“The number of Baylor hospitals onthe list shows the strength and breadthof the Baylor Health Care System,” saysJoel Allison, president and CEO, BaylorHealth Care System. “It is proof of ourcommitment to provide advanced,quality care to all the communities andpatients we serve.”BaylorHealth.com 11
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