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Current Projects
Project Title Effects of Depo Provera on Breast Tissue Study
Researcher Karine Chung, MD, University of Southern California
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the effects of Depo Provera, which contains a high dose of a synthetic progestin, on the breast tissue.
Project Title Shift Work and Breast Cancer Risk Study
Researcher Carla Finkielstein, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Study Summary The research team is studying breast tissue samples from women who have not had breast cancer, who have worked either day shifts or night shifts for at least five consecutive years to better understand whether wake/sleep cycle disruptions may increase breast cancer risk. Later, the researchers will compare the samples collected from women who have not had breast cancer to breast tissue samples collected from women with breast cancer.
Project Title Discovery of Early Markers of Breast Cancer (Phase 1)
Researcher Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D.
Study Summary The research team is analyzing normal breast tissue from benign biopsies for evidence of DNA damage in breast cells and then investigating whether the presence of this DNA damage can predict who will develop breast cancer later in life. This study will happen in two phases. Currently, the researchers are looking for women who had a normal breast biopsy and went on to develop breast cancer. In a few months, they will be enrolling women who had a normal breast biopsy but did NOT go on to develop breast cancer. By recruiting both women who did develop breast cancer and women who did not, the research team will be able to look for markers in the breast cells that might be an indicator of breast cancer risk. This Call to Action is for women who had a benign breast biopsy and then developed breast cancer.
Project Title Phase Ib Trial of 2nd Generation Designer T Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Researcher Richard Junghans, PhD, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Study Summary The purpose of this Phase Ib clinical trial is to determine whether a high dose of designer T cells is better when given with or without interleukin 2 (IL2), a drug that is thought to stimulate the immune system. For this reason, some of the study participants will receive modified T cells alone, whereas others will receive modified T cells along with IL2. The researcher would like to enroll about 12 people in this study. Phase I studies typically look at the safety and side effects of a new treatment. This is a Phase Ib study, so it is not only monitoring safety but also looking at whether the experimental treatment being studied is effective. In this case, effectiveness will be measured by how active the T cells become and how much the tumor shrinks.
Project Title The Milk Study
Researcher Kathleen Arcaro, Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Study Summary Researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are studying the breast cells normally found in breast milk to see if there are any epigenetic differences–which have the potential to be reversed–between women whose biopsies turn out to be healthy and those whose biopsies show a problem, such as cancer. Learning more about these epigenetic differences may eventually help researchers develop a way to provide women with information about their breast cancer risk. The researchers have already enrolled more than 250 women, but most of the samples have come from Caucasian women. Since breast cancer risk factors differ among ethnic groups, the researchers are particularly interested in enrolling African-American women, Latinas, Asian women, and other ethnic minorities.
Project Title Genomic Markers of Breast Cancer Prevention Induced by hCG in Women at High Risk
Researcher Irma Russo, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Study Summary Because pregnancy and breastfeeding appear to reduce breast cancer risk in women, including those with a BRCA1 or 2 mutation, researchers are interested in seeing if giving hormones that mimic pregnancy can change these high risk women’s breast tissue in ways that appear to reduce their risk. The researchers are looking for 18 women for this study.
Project Title Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors: Effects on Fatigue, Immune Function, and Mood
Researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, PhD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Study Summary Breast cancer survivors can have a lot of post-treatment problems, such as fatigue, depression, and a decrease in physical function. It is possible that physical activities, like yoga, could help ease these symptoms. This is a study about how yoga affects fatigue, immune function, and mood of women treated for breast cancer.
Project Title Combination of Low-Dose Anti-Estrogens with Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Hormone-Independent Breast Cancer
Researcher Andrea Manni, MD, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to find out if combining raloxifene with a dietary supplement called omega-3 fatty acid has an effect on breast density or urine and blood chemicals associated with breast cancer development.
Project Title Early Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Using Exhaled Breath Markers
Researcher Michael McCulloch, LAc MPH PhD
Study Summary The research team is using specially trained dogs and a chemical test to analyze breath samples for substances called biomarkers that may be useful in diagnosing ovarian cancer. This type of research has been done before with breast and lung cancer.
Project Title Breast Cancer Risk in Young Women Study
Researcher Paul Goodfellow, PhD
Study Summary The purpose of the study is to learn what genetic factors may play a role in the development of breast cancer in young women. The researchers need to recruit 5,000 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer when they were 40 years old or younger for this study.
Project Title Breast Cancer Microbiota Study
Researcher Ece Mutlu, MD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to find out what types of bacteria are found in the intestines and how these bacteria metabolize estrogen and other female hormones. The researchers are comparing the bacteria found in women who have never had breast cancer, women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer within the last 5 years, and women who have never had breast cancer but who have a first-degree relative WITH breast cancer.
Project Title Pregnancy and Breast Cancer Risk Study
Researcher Ana Soto, M.D., Tufts University, Boston, MA
Study Summary The research team will analyze breast tissue samples from women without breast cancer. They are studying both women who have given birth (both early and later in life) and those who have not. They are specifically looking at the stroma, the breast tissue that supports the breast ducts, as they want to determine what role it plays in breast cancer. They are also going to study whether the age a woman becomes pregnant, the number of pregnancies she has had, and whether or not she has breast-fed has an affect on the stroma.
Project Title Project CARE
Researcher Suzanne Lechner, PhD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Study Summary This study is evaluating a stress management, relaxation skills training, and breast cancer education program for Black/African-American women with breast cancer. It is being conducted by researchers at the University of Miami who are interested in evaluating what effect this program has on quality of life.
Project Title Acupuncture for Sleep Problems
Researcher David Spiegel, MD, and Oxana Palesh, PhD, MPH, Stanford University School of Medicine
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to learn whether acupuncture can reduce sleep disruption and improve sleep in breast cancer survivors. The study will enroll 64 female breast cancer survivors who have difficulty falling or staying asleep.
Project Title The Jewels in Our Genes Study
Researcher Heather Ochs-Balcom, PhD, University at Buffalo
Study Summary The research team is studying why some African American families have multiple cases of breast cancer. This will help to better understand if there are undiscovered genes unique to African Americans that may predict early breast cancer risk.
Project Title BEAT Cancer Study
Researcher Edward McAuley, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL and Laura Rogers, MD, MPH, at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
Study Summary This study is evaluating the effectiveness of the BEAT Cancer program for breast cancer survivors. The research team will compare the effects of the intervention to usual care (written materials about exercise for cancer survivors) on short- and longer-term physical activity adherence among breast cancer survivors.
Project Title A Mindfulness Meditation-Based Intervention for Younger Breast Cancer Survivors
Researcher Patricia A. Ganz, MD, Julienne E. Bower, PhD, Annette Stanton, PhD, Sarosh Motivala, PhD, and Catherine Crespi, PhD, at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a specially designed mindfulness meditation-based intervention on psychological, behavioral, and biological functioning in women who were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50.
Project Title Variations in the Health Needs of Breast Cancer Survivors
Researcher Ulrike Boehmer, PhD, at the Boston University School of Public Health, in collaboration with Brown University
Study Summary The information gained from this research about the well-being and quality of life of lesbian and bisexual women with breast cancer will be used to develop programs and services designed to reduce health disparities. After the research team enrolls the lesbian and bisexual women, they will enroll heterosexual women to take part in the phone survey.
Project Title Inflammation Changes Over Time In Obese, Overweight, and Normal Weight Women
Researcher Edward Sauter, MD, PhD, M.H.A.
Study Summary The research team is studying nipple aspirate fluid and blood to determine if inflammation biomarkers are: 1. higher in breast fluid than in the circulating blood; 2. higher in obese and overweight women compared with normal weight women; and 3. more variable through the menstrual cycle of premenopausal women compared to postmenopausal women.
Project Title Stepping STONE (Survivors Taking on Nutrition & Exercise)
Researcher Vanessa Sheppard, PhD, and Lucille Adams-Campbell, PhD, at Georgetown University
Study Summary Researchers at Georgetown University have developed a program that they hope will help Black/African-American breast cancer survivors increase their physical activity and improve their diet. This study is looking at the effectiveness of the program in improving the quality of health behaviors. If the researchers find that the program works well, it has the potential to help Black/African-American breast cancer survivors throughout the U.S.
Project Title Effects of Birth Control Pills on Breast Tissue
Researcher Anna Wu, PhD, Heather Macdonald, MD, Claire Templeman, MD, Linda Hovanessian-Larsen, MD, Michael Press, MD, Debra Howes, MD, Frank Stanczyk, PhD, Malcolm Pike, PhD, and C. Leigh Pearce, PhD
Study Summary The purpose of this research study is to gain a better understanding of the changes that may occur in the breast when women use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) that contain different levels of the hormones estrogen and progestin.
Project Title ENERGY Study
Researcher Cheryl Rock, PhD, RD; Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH; Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD; and Tim Byers, MD, MPH
Study Summary This study will examine the effects of a program that was created to help overweight breast cancer survivors lose weight by increasing their physical activity level and developing healthier eating habits. A total of 800 women will be participating in this study across the United States at four research sites.
Project Title Interpersonal Therapy for Depression in Breast Cancer Study
Researcher Carlos Blanco, MD, PhD, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University
Study Summary The purpose of this study is to see which type of talk therapy is the most effective treatment for depression in women and men who have had a breast cancer diagnosis. It is open to women and men who were diagnosed with stage I-IV breast cancer more than six months ago.
Project Title Discovery of Early Markers of Breast Cancer (Phase 2)
Researcher Isabelle Bedrosian, MD, and Abenaa Brewster, MD
Study Summary A research team at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is investigating whether the amount of DNA damage seen in the cells in normal breast tissue may be an indicator of future breast cancer risk. Previously, the researchers recruited women who had had a benign breast biopsy and then went on to develop breast cancer. NOW, they need women who had a benign breast biopsy but did NOT go on to develop breast cancer. By recruiting women who did develop breast cancer and women who did not, they will be able to look for markers in the breast cells that might be an indicator of breast cancer risk.
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