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