Research Program: Women's Cancer

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Women's Cancer Research Program The Women's Cancer Research Program (WCRP), led by Drs. Peggy Porter and Nicole Urban, brings together a highly cross-disciplinary group of investigators dedicated to reducing the incidence and subsequent mortality of breast and gynecologic cancers. The program fosters interdisciplinary research at the FHCRC, the UW, and in the clinical community to improve cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. It has 52 members from 2 institutions, 4 schools and 15 departments; 96% have peer-reviewed grant funding or are PI on a clinical trial. The program holds $11.2M in peer reviewed funding (direct dollars), of which $9.0M (80%) is from NCI. Program members have published 583 papers in the last 5 years, including 16% inter-institutional, 19% intra-programmatic, 35% inter-programmatic and 16% inter-institutional manuscripts. Central research themes of the program include improving strategies for identifying women at high risk for breast and gynecological cancer, developing and validating assays for early diagnosis of breast and gynecological cancer, improving the efficacy and safety of adoptive T-cell transfer for breast and gynecological cancer, and improving response and lowering resistance to various forms of chemotherapy for patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Recent scientific accomplishments include elucidation of the role in cervical cancer of viral load and variants in the persistence and progression of HPV infections; development of a small recombinant protein that has the potential to enhance the efficacy of monoclonal and chemotherapeutic agents in breast and ovarian cancer; comprehensive genetic testing to identify women with inherited mutations beyond those determined as BRCA1/2; use of HE4 in screening for epithelial ovarian cancer; role of contraceptive depo- medroxyprogesterone acetate, antihypertensives and lipid lowering medications in risk of breast cancer; improved strategies for adoptive T-cell therapy using central memory T-cells and chimeric antigen receptors; and quantitative FDG positron emission tomography (PET) to predict response to aromatase inhibitor in breast cancer. Many of the research, mentoring, project development and inter-and intra-programmatic interactions are centered on three large multidisciplinary grants: the Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium SPORE, Seattle Cancer Consortium Breast SPORE, and the NCI EDRN Clinical Validation Center. In addition, the program has a broad portfolio of outstanding interdisciplinary projects including those in imaging, immunotherapy and genetics. Program leadership continues to maintain an active agenda of seminars, pilot funding and biospecimen resources to promote programmatic aims and collaboration among Women's Cancer members and with members of other programs.