National Lung Cancer Partnership Announces Research Grant Recipient

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- National Lung Cancer Partnership is pleased to announce that Dr. Richard Pietras of the University of California at Los Angeles has been selected as the recipient of the organization's Research Grant for advancing the understanding of sex differences in lung cancer.

The Research Grant, made possible by a generous gift from Genentech, is designed to drive research forward that will increase understanding of how gender differences contribute to lung cancer risk, biology, and response to treatment.

The 2-year, $100,000 grant will support Dr. Pietras as he pursues research investigating how estrogen and estrogen receptors work together to stimulate lung tumor growth. His research will test available anti-hormone agents to see if there is a way to inhibit tumor growth by blocking estrogen.

"Since current therapies for lung cancer result in only a 15 percent five- year survival, the need for improved treatment is compelling," Dr. Pietras said. "The research will hopefully offer new treatments targeting estrogen receptors that could be applied to therapy of women afflicted with non-small cell lung cancer."

Understanding the role of gender-specific hormones in lung cancer is critical to advancing treatment, said Dr. Joan Schiller, president of National Lung Cancer Partnership.

"We are delighted to be able to support cutting edge research investigating the sex differences in lung cancer, such as what Dr. Pietras is performing. As a lung cancer physician, I am constantly in awe of the numerous sex differences we see among patients," Dr. Schiller said. "We are also grateful to Genentech for their generous gift, which allowed us to make this Research Grant possible."

National Lung Cancer Partnership is the only national lung cancer organization founded by physicians and researchers and focused on understanding how the disease affects women differently than men. The 501(c) (3) organization was founded in 2001.