Lisa A. Carey, MD

On Behalf of Cancer and Leukemia Group B
Co-Invesigators: Richard L. Schilsky, MD, Chairman, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, Chicago; Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; and William M. Sikov, MD, Brown University, Providence, RI

Advances in the postoperative treatment of breast cancer have led to new challenges in drug development. Recurrence rates from breast cancer have declined substantially in recent years. While there is no question that the decline in recurrence is good news, it has lead to an increasing need to conduct very large clinical trials in order to detect small benefits from new treatments. In addition, it often takes years before results are available. The preoperative administration of systemic therapy (e.g., chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and/or targeted therapy) is safe and effective. In addition, from a research standpoint, it has two major benefits: 1) researchers can quickly see whether treatment shrinks the cancer and 2) samples of the cancer can be obtained for study before and after treatment to assess the impact of therapies.

Over the next year in the CALGB, researchers are going to test two new targeted therapies using this approach. In patients with tumors that are dependent on HER2, they will compare trastuzumab (Herceptin®) versus lapatinib (Tykerb„µ) versus both. In patients with hormone receptor-poor/HER2-negative tumors (often referred to as triple negative or basal-like), they will test the addition of an antibody that shuts off new blood vessel formation, bevacizumab (Avastin®). These studies represent a unique opportunity for the CALGB as researchers will have the ability to see the effects of their treatments on tumors before surgery and will be able to gather extensive tissues for later study.

With support from BCRF, they will build and maintain the infrastructure needed to collect these tissues, to store them until the clinical studies are completed, to distribute them to collaborating investigators, and to perform studies on them. The results of this program should improve our understanding of how our available therapeutics kill cancer and lead to improved treatment approaches.

Bio:
Lisa Carey is an Associate Professor in the UNC Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1984 with a BA in Biology and Art History, before receiving a MS in Physiology from the University of Kentucky. She received an MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1990. After a residency in Internal Medicine also at Johns Hopkins, she stayed at Johns Hopkins for a fellowship in Medical Oncology. During her fellowship she completed a ScM. in Clinical Research. Dr. Carey joined the UNC faculty in 1998. She has served since 2003 as the Medical Director of the UNC Breast Center and is the UNC-Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNC-LCCC) Protocol Office Executive Committee Breast Disease Group Leader as well as the UNC-LCCC Protocol Review Committee Breast Cancer Chair.

Dr. Carey has a well-defined interest in clinical/translational research in breast cancer, with a particular interest in the clinical implications of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. She both designs and leads clinical trials as well as working often and well with laboratory investigators. She has successfully translated bench efforts from laboratory science collaborators into clinical research. She was the lead author of a recently published article in JAMA examining racial disparities among breast cancer subtypes. She is the principal investigator (P.I.) of several clinical trials, including a multicenter inter-SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence, National Cancer Institute [NCI]) Phase II study of targeted therapy in metastatic basal-like breast cancer (a subtype identified by gene expression array). This heavily funded trial includes both clinical and laboratory participation from UCSF, Dana Farber, Duke University, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Baylor, Washington University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Mayo, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and is a testament to her ability to provide clinical leadership in translational and early clinical research.

Dr. Carey is the P.I. of a recently published multicenter Phase II study incorporating biologic therapy into chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer as well as a proposed cooperative group neoadjuvant trial examining several HER2-targeted strategies for Stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer. She is the clinical liaison for several correlative science collaborations, including both institutional and cooperative group trials that correlate nucleic acid and protein characterization of breast cancers with response to neoadjuvant therapy.

Dr. Carey has served on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scientific Program Committee and as faculty for the ASCO annual meeting for several years. She was named to the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Breast Core Committee in 2003. She was awarded a Doris Duke Clinician Scientist Award in 1999 and a Career Development Award from the NCI in 2000.