New York, NY — The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) announced today
funding to help hunt for clues to cure and better treat a rare form of
blood cancer, mantle cell lymphoma. The nine institutions named this month
are part of an overall $12.8 million funding initiative the foundation
announced in December. A total of 18 research grants will be provided.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center will receive a three-year grant
totaling $890,000. Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer and the third
most common cancer of childhood.
Our goal is to develop new and improved, less toxic therapies to enhance
survival rates and ultimately find a cure, said Joseph Bertino, M.D.,
chairman of the LRF Scientific Advisory Board. Mantle cell lymphoma is
a very aggressive cancer and less than 10 percent of patients with the
disease are alive after 10 years. We hope to change that.
The project at UNMC will be conducted under the leadership of Timothy
Greiner, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology,
in collaboration with co- investigator Judith Christman, Ph.D., professor
and chairperson of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Greiners project will use DNA technology to study how some genes are
turned off in mantle cell lymphoma. Knowledge of these genes may
lead to effective therapies for the disease.
Through research funded by the National Institutes of Health and led
by Dr. John Chan of UNMC, we have previously characterized the abnormal
gene expression pattern in mantle cell lymphoma, Dr. Greiner said. Now
we hope to determine one of the processes that cause this pattern, which
lets the lymphoma cells grow unchecked.
Dr. Greiner has been researching lymphoma at UNMC since 1993. This
grant will allow us to take our research to the next level in understanding
mantle cell lymphoma, he said.
More than 500,000 Americans are affected by some form of lymphoma —
either non- Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) or Hodgkins lymphoma (HL). Each year,
another 61,000 new cases are diagnosed and nearly 25,000 people die from
the disease. Lymphoma is the most common cancer of the lymphatic system
and the fifth most common form of cancer in the U.S. The overall five-year
survival rate is only 55 percent.
Mantle cell lymphoma is a relatively uncommon B-cell lymphoma, which
accounts for 5 to 7 percent of all adult non-Hodgkins lymphoma cases in
the U.S. It is a malignancy of cells located in the mantle zone of
the lymph node, a thin area surrounding individual follicles. Mantle
cell lymphoma, which predominantly affects older males, was first well-defined
20 years ago by Dennis Weisenburger, M.D., professor in the Department
of Pathology and Microbiology at UNMC, Dr. Greiner said.
Hodgkins lymphoma, also known as Hodgkins disease, is a less common
form of lymphoma. The overall five-year survival rate is 84 percent. Hodgkins
lymphoma occurs mainly in young adults, with a peak occurrence between
ages 16 and 34. Older patients, especially those over age 55, may
also develop HL.
Funding for the $12.8 million initiative was made possible through
an anonymous donation to the foundation by a New York-based family. For
a full listing of all the institutions which received funding, please visit
the news section of the LRF website at www.lymphoma.org
To date, LRF has funded more than $9 million in lymphoma research. People
affected by lymphoma can receive free personalized information tailored
to their diagnosis, help with finding a clinical trial, and easy-to-understand
information on lymphoma, current treatments, and promising research by
calling 800-500-9976, e-mailing helpline@lymphoma.org, or visiting the
www.lymphoma.org Web site.
We appreciate the efforts of the Lymphoma Research Foundation in raising
funds to further lymphoma research, Dr. Greiner said. Were hopeful that
our research project will allow us to be successful in better treating
this disease.