Sunday, August 9: 8 a.m.-2 p.m,
MondaY,August 10: 8 a.m.- noon
c'Yuescfay, August 11: 8 a.m.-noon
and 6-9 p.m.
JeC
-
OAK PARK
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building
A. Alfred Taubman Jewish
Community Campus
15110 W. Ten Mile Road, Oak Park, MI 48237
www.jccdet.org
All proceeds benefit programm�n9_
Diane Simeone, M.D., Howard Crawford, M.D., and Rafael Fridman, Ph.D.,
spoke about research and potential new treatment options for pancreatic
.
for individuals with
s
cancer.
ecial needs
ti
r
c
r
Sky Foundation event shines light
on research for early detection and
treatment.
I
Ruthan Brodsky
Contributing Editor
icine have made
Significant advances
in
common
treating more
cancer
Pancreatic
move
cancer
is
expected to
from the fourth to the
second-leading cause of can
by 2020,
tistics
in the last
on
haven't
types of
decade, but the sta
pancreatic
cancer
"One promising
treatment
creatic
the American Association for Cancer
Fridman said. "Our immune system
evolved to protect our bodies from
(AACR) reported last year.
This type of cancer is considered
the most fatal abdominal malignancy
because of its
aggressive growth and its
ability to spread rapidly. Because it is
seldom detected in its early stages, the
disease does not produce symptoms
until it reaches
In
June,
an
more
advanced stage.
than 120
women
attended the second annual
en's event
wom-
sponsored by the Sky
Foundation of Bloomfield Hills to raise
awareness
at
the
of pancreatic
Bingham
Hermelin, the
on
pancreatic
sible
new
cancer.
Held
Farms home of Doreen
event
featured
updates
research and pos
cancer
cancer
is
immunotherapy;'
foreign threats such as infections as
well
as cancer.
However,
selves and send out
Signals to block
the anti-cancer immune response so
that our immune system ignores the
growing cancer. Early results from
several ongoing clinical trials across
the country show great promise to
obstruct those Signals emanating from
the tumor site:'
The pancreas is
6- inch spongy
located
in the back
tube-shaped organ
of the abdomen, behind the stomach.
a
major function is to make
digestive juices (enzymes) that help
the intestines break down food. Its
of pancreatic
second function is to
cancer,
has
a
about 6 to 8 months after
dismal
diagnosis;'
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute and
Wayne
State
University
School of Medicine. "Science and med-
produce hor
mones, including insulin, that regulate
the body's use of sugars and starches.
Cancer occurs when the malignant
cells grow, divide and spread in the tis
sues
of the pancreas.
Dr. Howard
Crawford, director
of pancreatic research at Karmanos
Cancer Institute and internal medicine
Pancreatic Cancer
2015
in
Its first
treatments.
said Rafael Fridman, Ph.D., pathol
ogy researcher and professor at the
"
cancers
general and pancreatic cancer in par
ticular also evolved to protect them
"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma,
the most common and deadly form
five-year survival rate of just 6 percent
and a frightening mean survival of
30
for pan
cer-related death in the U.S.
Research
44 July
survival
budged.
on
page 46