Funds Raised to Support Breast Cancer Vaccine Research of St. Luke's Physician
Dr. Lee B. Riley to receive special Doctors' Day gift March 30 from Newcomers Club of the Greater Lehigh Valley
Bethlehem, PA (3/30/2009) - The Lehigh Valley Newcomers' Club was organized in 1978 to provide a forum for women who want to feel more connected to the community through social, civic and charitable causes. Through the years this organization has supported a number of worthwhile efforts; their current fundraiser is supporting the breast cancer vaccine research of a local cancer doctor and surgical oncologist from St. Luke's, Lee B. Riley, MD, PhD.
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(left to right) back: Cayla Sica, CCA*, Charity Eck, CCA, Maureen Treichler, CCA*, Roberta Meinhold, (treasurer) Tom Bacza, Cancer Services Administrator, and Carol Kachmarsky, RN, OCN. front: Kathy Kerins, quilt coordinator, Barbel Skoyles, secretary, Gabrielle Reinhardt, Newcomers President, Dr. Lee B. Riley, Beverly Renaldi, quilter, Susan Fagerstrom, 2nd Vice President, and Chris Figler, RN, CCA*. (*Cancer Care Associates)
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Proceeds of Quilt Raffle will be Presented on Doctors' Day
On Monday, March 30, at 1 pm, members of this group will present the proceeds of a recent quilt raffle to Dr. Riley at St. Luke's Hospital - Bethlehem Campus. Dr. Riley, who also serves as the Medical Director of St. Luke's Cancer Center, is one of a select group of doctors involved with breast cancer research nationwide. Fittingly, this group is making the presentation to Dr. Riley on National Doctors' Day, a day set aside to honor physicians.
Joining Dr. Riley for the check presentation is the organization's president, Gabrielle Reinhardt, secretary Barbel Skoyles, treasurer Roberta Meinhold, 2nd vice president Susan Fagerstrom, quilting coordinator Kathy Kerins and quilter Beverly Renaldi. Group member and quilter Maria Hance also dedicated countless hours to the project together with Kerins, Reinhardt, Renaldi and Skoyles.
The quilt project was an endeavor involving several members in the club to support a local cause in the community and was raffled off at the club's November general meeting, according to Reinhardt. “It was important to keep the funds raised in this community by donating to an organization or person dedicated to improving the quality of life for our members, families and neighbors,” she says.
Dr. Riley's breast cancer vaccine research project has shown great promise and was chosen to receive the proceeds of the raffle. “Many of our members have been impacted by this disease, either personally or through loved ones,” says Reinhardt. “Dr. Riley's breast cancer vaccine research is important to all women as it affects us as mothers, as daughters, and as sisters and we are pleased to make this donation to further his cause.”
Support Continues for Breast Cancer Research and Vaccine
Other grassroots efforts continue to support Dr. Riley's breast cancer vaccine research including Green Hope Charities, an organization that has raised significant funds to help bring the laboratory-based work into the clinical realm. The Women's 5K Classic supports Dr. Riley and all the local hospitals and organizations involved in improving breast cancer care and treatment options for women.
“While scientists do not completely understand the causes of cancer, thanks to years of research and the support and generosity of local organizations like the Newcomers' Club of the Greater Lehigh Valley and others, we are finding new effective ways to fight cancer, and we are getting closer to finding a cure,” says Dr. Riley. “Every contribution is important and we are always thankful for the very people of this community who support cancer research through a variety of fundraising efforts from races and raffles to t-shirt sales and golf tournaments. Community efforts like these must be recognized, encouraged and supported.”
About the Vaccine Research
Dr. Riley is convinced his breast cancer research holds promise. “There are at least 30 different vaccines being tested right now in women with advanced breast cancer,” says the physician. “The strategy behind this one is different. We are comparing different immune stimulants to identify which stimulant, or which combination of several stimulants provides the strongest vaccine. We are studying this in women with early breast cancer – a time when we believe the vaccine will be the most effective.”
A week before the tumor and lymph gland are removed surgically, the tumor is “killed” with radiofrequency ablation, a technique similar to microwaves, according to Dr. Riley. This technique is performed under local anesthetic. Currently, the immune stimulating drug GM-CSF is injected into the killed tumor and a vaccine is made inside the tumor. If the GM-CSF is effective, then immune cells will migrate into the lymph glands that drain the tumor.
Following the surgery, the immune cells in the lymph gland and blood are extensively evaluated in the laboratory. It is anticipated that other anti-tumor immune cells will be left to circulate throughout the body as well. These stimulated immune cells hopefully can locate and destroy any remaining cancer cells in the body. During the clinical trial, patients continue to get the same chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy that they would have if they were not on the trial.
“We have known for a long time which immune stimulants work best in mice, but it's not clear that they work the same in patients,” says Dr. Riley. “With this model in humans we can rapidly build this foundation of knowledge in women with breast cancer so we can take the next steps.”
Dr. Riley hopes to vaccinate approximately 50 women over the next three years and have their immune cells and genes analyzed to test the vaccine's effectiveness. He will need close to a quarter of a million dollars just for gene analysis that will need to be outsourced. “The human genome project has helped with the development of some very sophisticated technology,” he says. “We need to tap into this advanced technology to develop better and more potent vaccines.”
The ultimate goal of the vaccine is to generate a long-term durable response, according to Dr. Riley. “Today women with breast cancer have surgery to remove the tumor; chemotherapy and radiation are also part of the protocol to limit the risk of the disease coming back,” he says. “Still nearly 30 percent of women with breast cancer will have a recurrence. Ultimately, we hope to demonstrate a marked decrease of cancer recurrence in women who have had this vaccine therapy.”
A positive result for breast cancer patients could mean positive implications for other solid tumors and even lymphomas in the long term as well, according to Dr. Riley.