Patricia A. Ganz, MD

Breast cancer survivors face a myriad of physical and emotional challenges after completion of their cancer treatments. With the help of BCRF funding, Dr. Ganz and team have established a comprehensive clinical program for breast cancer survivors in the Los Angeles region that provides state-or-the-art clinical care woven together with cutting edge research. In addition, they are using the BCRF funds to supplement a large federal grant that is examining the impact of adjuvant endocrine therapy on thinking and memory in breast cancer patients during the year after primary treatment. A new focus, this past year, has been on the development and pilot testing of a cognitive rehabilitation program for breast cancer survivors who are having trouble with memory, concentration and thinking. The manual and materials for the cognitive rehabilitation program (6 sessions) were pilot tested in a vanguard group of 4 breast cancer survivors this past year. The women were very enthusiastic about the program and the scientists are awaiting their follow-up test results. They are starting to recruit additional women and plan to further test and refine the intervention program in 3 more groups of 5-6 women each during the coming year.

In the coming year, the Ganz laboratory is continuing to focus on the late effects of breast cancer treatment with a special emphasis on problems with memory, concentration and thinking. They are evaluating the impact of breast cancer treatments on the risk of memory problems during the first year of endocrine treatment and are following these women long term. They have also developed a group intervention to assist women who are having difficulties with cognitive activities and will further evaluate the program during the coming year.

Mid-Year Progress Report:
The manual and materials for the cognitive rehabilitation program (6 sessions) were pilot tested in a vanguard group of 4 breast cancer survivors during the first year of funding (2008-2009), and a second group of 4 women participated in the fall of 2009 with a refined version of 5 sessions. Dr. Ganz and team are about to start a third group of 7 women in late January 2010, and will run one additional group, prior to full evaluation of the pilot study. An abstract/poster presentation will be made at the upcoming Cognition and Cancer Conference at MSKCC March 8-9 in New York, describing preliminary findings from the intervention.

Bio:
Dr. Patricia A. Ganz is a medical oncologist who has spent the past 20 years doing systematic research on the health-related quality of life impact of cancer and its treatment. She currently holds an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professorship, and is Professor in the UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. She has also been actively involved in measurement of quality of life endpoints in clinical trials, with leadership roles in the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP).

Through her research she has contributed to our understanding of how women adjust to the diagnosis of breast cancer, including its effects on their physical, emotional, social, and sexual well-being. She has completed several studies that have examined quality of life in breast cancer survivors, and is completing a study funded by the National Cancer Institute that evaluates an intervention for breast cancer patients who have completed their treatments and are "Preparing for Survivorship." Dr. Ganz is a founding member of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), and was previously awarded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Jill Rose Award and the Susan G. Komen Professor of Survivorship.

Dr. Ganz has been selected as the first recipient of the ASCO Research Professorship in Comparative Effectiveness Research. The professorship honors outstanding researchers who have made and are continuing to make significant contributions that have changed the direction of breast cancer research and who will provide mentorship to junior researchers. Dr. Ganz will receive $500,000 over five years which will enable her to investigate comparative effectiveness in breast cancer and train future generations of researchers in this field. The Comparative Effectiveness Research Professorship in Breast Cancer was established at ASCO this year with a grant from BCRF, so it is especially heartening that Dr. Ganz was independently selected by the ASCO Awards Committee.