Clifford Hudis, MD
Chief, Breast Cancer Medicine Service and Attending Physician
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, New York
President-Elect, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Chairman, BCRF Scientific Advisory Board
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Read an interview with Dr. Hudis in The Jerusalem Post
Dr. Hudis was recently interviewed about the upcoming Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and taking office as ASCO President in June 2013. Read more...
2012-2013 BCRF Project:
The proportion of people who are obese or overweight continues to increase in the US and worldwide, which creates a significant public health challenge. While the health consequences of overweight/obesity are myriad, they include increased risks of breast, colon, high-grade prostate, and other solid tumors and may influence the behavior of these malignancies once established. Both the causes and consequences of overweight/obesity may be targeted through enhanced understanding of its molecular biology. In the longstanding close collaboration with BCRF grantee, Andrew Dannenberg, MD (Weill Cornell Medical College), Dr. Hudis and his colleagues have confirmed the accuracy of laboratory models of obesity in predicting the specific molecular biology observed in specimens from patients. They are using this knowledge to develop a deeper understanding of the links between obesity, overweight, and cancer, in order to ultimately develop effective prevention and treatment.
Mid-year Progress: The role of obesity or overweight in promoting the development and progression of malignancy, including hormone-sensitive breast cancer, is becoming clearer and more important. Obesity is predicted to replace tobacco as the most common modifiable risk factor for cancer in the coming decades. The specific malignances associated with obesity/overweight include breast, colon, high-grade prostate, and other solid tumors. In the past year, Dr. Hudis's team has continued to make significant progress towards understanding the mechanism by which obesity/overweight influences the development and growth of cancer. Through their longstanding close collaboration with BCRF grantee, Andrew Dannenberg, MD at Weill Cornell Medical College, this group has confirmed that their laboratory models of obesity are accurate models of the specific molecular biology observed in specimens from patients. This is enabling these researchers to pursue potential lifestyle and therapeutic interventions for use in targeted subsets of overweight and obese women. Furthermore, Dr. Hudis's work is raising potential links to other malignancies in addition to breast.
Dr. Hudis co-authored an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with Dr. Andrew Dannenberg (Weill Cornell Medical College) mentioning their research conducted with BCRF support.
Watch Big Think's interview with Dr. Hudis. Video courtesy of Big Think.
Read interview with Dr. Hudis on the link between obesity and breast cancer in Oncologystat.com.
Bio:
Clifford Hudis, MD, is Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service and Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City. He is also a Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
A 1983 graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania (a combined 6 year BA/MD program with Lehigh University), Dr. Hudis joined the MSKCC faculty in 1991, where he is co-Leader of the Breast Disease Management Team. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), as President-elect, and will assume office as President in June 2013. He is also co-Chair of the Breast Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (formerly Cancer and Leukemia Group B). In addition, Dr. Hudis is a member of the Steering Committees of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium and the North American Breast Cancer Group, and a member of National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Correlative Science Committee.
Dr. Hudis's research includes the development of a wide range of novel drugs and the study of relevant correlative science endpoints in breast cancer. With his collaborators both at MSKCC and beyond, he has focused his BCRF-supported research on understanding the mechanisms that link diet, obesity, inflammation, and breast cancer risk and outcomes. In 2007, Dr. Hudis was appointed as Chairman of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee and in 2012 became Chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board.
