Peggy L. Porter, MD

2009-2010 BCRF Project:
(made possible by generous support from Play For P.I.N.K.)
Co-Investigator: Julie R. Gralow, MD, University of Washington, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle

On behalf of the Southwest Oncology Group
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has funded several SWOG Breast Cancer Clinical Trial efforts. These include a trial studying why older cancer patients either do or do not enroll in a cancer clinical trial. The trial has been completed and the researchers are hoping to the barriers to clinical trials participation in older patients and develop successful interventions to overcome them. Another funded project is using the valuable tool of tissue microarray (TMA) to study the tumors of breast cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials. One way to improve treatment of breast cancer is to develop tests that predict for the likelihood of response or resistance to certain drugs. A third funded study in development will seek to determine the safety and efficacy of using additional chemotherapy and/or biologically targeted therapy for patients who have residual disease after preoperative chemotherapy. A fourth funded trial seeks to identify and develop a registry for women diagnosed with breast cancer who have a prior history of treatment for lymphoma.

A clinical trial is also proposed to evaluate the role of serial blood tumor markers added to standard clinical follow-up care to try to detect early metastatic recurrence of cancer combined with early initiation of anti-cancer therapy, in impacting survival and outcome. Part of this study is to conduct some patient advocacy focus groups, consisting of a group of patients who would discuss the proposed serial tumor marker testing and the issues involved from a patient perspective, i.e. whether or not patients would be willing to enroll, what some of the barriers to accrual might be, etc. This could offer valuable information as to how the trial should be conducted as well as its enrollment success.

Finally, BCRF is partially supporting a randomized 4,500-patient multi-center SWOG trial currently ongoing, to determine whether adjuvant biphosphonates (a class of drug which strengthens bone) can prevent bone metastasis and improve survival in early stage breast cancer patients.

Mid-Year Progress Report:
An analysis of the trial studying why older cancer patients either do or do not enroll in a cancer clinical trial was presented in San Antonio in December, 2009, and a manuscript is being prepared. A large, randomized 5,500-patient multi-center SWOG trial is currently ongoing, to determine whether adjuvant biphosphonates (a class of drug which strengthens bone) can prevent bone metastasis and improve survival in early stage breast cancer patients. The study completed accrual February 1, 2010, and patients will continue to be treated for three years and followed for bone recurrence.

The trial to determine the safety and efficacy of using additional chemotherapy and/or biologically targeted therapy for patients who have residual disease after preoperative chemotherapy continues; the researchers hypothesize that treatment with additional therapy may result in improvement in disease-free survival. Studies on the other BCRF-funded trials continue.

Bio:
Dr. Porter obtained her medical degree in 1987 from the University of New Mexico and completed her residency in Pathology at the University of Washington where she was a recipient of the American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Fellowship. She joined the FHCRC in 1993. Her lab focuses on identifying and understanding the molecular events associated with initiation and progression of human cancer, particularly the role of abnormal cell cycle control. In collaboration with epidemiologists and basic science researchers at the FHCRC, studies in the Porter lab identified the loss of cell cycle inhibitor p27 as an important indicator of poor prognosis in breast cancer. Investigations are underway to evaluate the relationship of p27 loss, along with abnormalities in other cell cycle regulators, with response or failure to specific chemotherapeutic agents.

As head of the multi-institutional Breast Cancer Program centered at the FHCRC, Dr. Porter leads a dynamic group of basic scientists, epidemiologists, surgeons, oncologists and pathologists dedicated to reducing the incidence and subsequent mortality of breast cancer. Projects by members of the program range from mapping mutations that contribute to cancer risk to evaluating life-style factors and potential interventions. Dr. Porter joined the Southwest Oncology Group in 2000 and is working actively with the Breast Committee, led by Dr. Robert Livingston, to take advantage of new technologic developments that will broaden the scope of clinical research questions that can be asked and answered in the clinical trials setting.