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F R E D H U T C H I N S O N C A N C E R R E S E A R C H C E N T E R

T H E I M P A C T O F Y O U R S U P P O R T

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, everything we do, we do to save lives. We are proud that our

scientific breakthroughs have saved thousands of lives worldwide, but we know that our innovative work would not be possible without the support of people like you. Your generosity — in hours devoted, dollars raised and energy invested — is essential to our efforts to eradicate cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

In 2012, the Miss Greek Pageant celebrated its 26th anniversary. Hosted by the University of Washington’s Gamma Mu chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, this remarkable event has generated more than $1.6 million to accelerate Fred Hutch’s lifesaving research advances.

We are pleased to share with you a few recent examples of those advances here. Thank you for partnering with us in our quest to end cancer. Your contributions inspire all of us at Fred Hutch, and they provide hope to countless patients and their families in Seattle and around the world.

Pancreatic cancer breakthrough of fers unprecedented hope

Scientists at Fred Hutch have found a way to destroy pancreatic cancer’s biological defense. Pancreatic tumors protect themselves from chemotherapy by restricting blood flow within their dense, walled-off tissue. Dr. Sunil Hingorani and his team used a preclinical model — a model

Accelerat ing l i fesaving research

they helped invent — to discover a therapeutic enzyme that destroys these walls, allowing existing chemotherapies to enter and attack the tumor. This new breakthrough has been fast-tracked to clinical trials and offers new hope to those facing one of the deadliest types of cancer.

Evidence-based insight into staying healthy

Obesity is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and many cancers. In fact, up to one-third of cancers could be prevented by maintaining a normal weight and keeping a physically active lifestyle. Fred Hutch researchers, led by Dr. Anne McTiernan, have found that keeping a food journal, not skipping meals, and not eating out at lunch are effective ways to lose weight, obtain a healthy lifestyle and therefore reduce the risk of cancer. In a separate study, Dr. McTiernan and her colleagues discovered that a history of yo-yo dieting — the repetitive loss and regaining of body weight — does

DR. SUNIL HINGORANI

T H E I M P A C T O F Y O U R S U P P O R T

offer an advantage because much of the work to document their safety has already been started. Using a powerful combination of technologies, our researchers found an orphan drug that shrinks neuroblastoma, a deadly cancer of the nervous system that often strikes children. The researchers plan to apply their drug discovery system to identify more potential therapeutic breakthroughs, including other diamond-in-the-rough orphan drugs.

Discovering how viruses avoid the body’s defenses

Viruses not only cause infections, they also cause up to 25 percent of the world’s cancers. When certain viruses enter the body, they quickly start mutating to outwit the immune system, but exactly how they managed to do so was, until recently, a mystery. Fred Hutch researchers, led by Dr. Harmit Malik, have discovered that poxviruses, such as smallpox, repeatedly copy essential viral genes, expanding them like an accordion. Once one of those copies mutates into a version that helps the virus thwart the host immune system, the virus compresses the accordion, removing all copies except for the beneficial one. With this secret revealed, researchers can now develop better antiviral strategies that may help combat chronic infections and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Thank you

From evidence-based tips for disease prevention and novel strategies for early detection to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, Fred Hutch researchers are leveraging your support to save lives. Thank you again for joining us in our relentless pursuit of zero cancer.

>> Save the date Miss Greek Pageant Sunday, April 28, 2013 www.fredhutch.org/missgreek

DR. CARLA GRANDORI

not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long-term. Together the studies provide practical, scientifically sound insight into staying healthy.

Simple strategies for enhancing cancer screening

A simple three-question, paper-and-pencil survey, given to women in the doctor’s office in less than two minutes, can effectively identify those who are experiencing symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer, according to a study by Dr. Robyn Andersen and colleagues. By improving the early detection of ovarian cancer, this innovative survey could be a low-tech lifesaver: Cure rates for women diagnosed when the disease is confined to the ovary are as high as 90 percent, but more than 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, when the survival rate is less than 30 percent.

Orphan drugs — therapeutic diamonds in the rough

Fred Hutch researchers, led by Dr. Carla Grandori, have discovered that an orphan drug originally designed to treat sleep disorders may be an inexpensive but potent cancer-fighting agent. Orphan drugs are those that have been abandoned when they proved ineffective for their original use. However, if scientists discover a new use, the drugs

Jennifer Pawlosky, Director, Development Communications and MarketingTel. 206.667.6327 jpawlosk@fhcrc.orgMail Stop J5-200, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109