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The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) announced the winners of its 2007 Endowment for Education and Research (EER) grants at the 2007 AIUM Annual Convention held recently in New York City. The funding for the grants is made possible by generous donations from AIUM members.

Congratulations to the following investigators who received grants:

• Evan Boote, PhD (Basic Science), University of Missouri, Computerized QA for Ultrasound and Probe Integrity, $9,028
• Andrej Lyshchik, MD, PhD (Basic Science), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Development of High-Resolution, Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Angiography, $9,990
• Vicki E. Noble, MD, RDMS (Clinical Ultrasound Research - Non-Ob/Gyn), Massachusetts General Hospital, Pre-Hospital Chest Ultrasound, $7,000
• Nirvikar Dahiya, MD, Washington University in St. Louis, Tendinopathy of the Rotator Cuff: Correlation of Ultrasonographic Findings with Histopathologic Changes Using a Cadaver Shoulder Model, $10,000

The EER, under the auspices of the AIUM, plans to continue awarding ultrasound research grants to its members and to sponsor cutting-edge research in the field of ultrasound. The winners of the 2007 AIUM EER grants are posted on the AIUM Web site at www.aium.org.

— AIUM

Genetic Breast Cancer Assessment

Since recent medical findings have revealed that some families have increased breast cancer risk, a number of people are turning to cancer genetic services to learn more. Most often they leave satisfied and with less stress and worry about getting the disease, according to a new review by Welsh researchers.

Patients concerned about developing familial breast cancer, which relates to a genetic problem, are increasingly requesting referrals to genetic centers to have an assessment of their risk, for reassurance and counseling, or for genetic testing.

This demand has led to the opening of a number of genetic clinics across the country specifically dedicated to cancer.

The systematic review aimed to evaluate what impact these genetic services are having on patients, and the reviewers weren't surprised to find positive results.

"Many people have spent years worrying about cancer in their family," says review co-author Rachel Iredale, PhD. "A genetic risk assessment enables people to reach a better understanding of hereditary breast cancer, their own personal risk, and means access to additional services, such as extra mammography screening or genetic testing, is often easier. Most people are satisfied with the service they receive."

— Health Behavior News Service

Stress May Help Cancer Cells Resist Treatment

Scientists from Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest University School of Medicine are the first to report that the stress hormone epinephrine causes changes in prostate and breast cancer cells that may make them resistant to cell death.

"These data imply that emotional stress may contribute to the development of cancer and may also reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatments," says George Kulik, DVM, PhD, an assistant professor of cancer biology and senior researcher on the project.

The study results are reported online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Levels of epinephrine, which is produced by the adrenal glands, are sharply increased in response to stressful situations and can remain continuously elevated during persistent stress and depression, according to previous research.

The goal of the current study was to determine whether there is a direct link between stress hormones and changes in cancer cells.

While a link between stress and cancer has been suggested, studies in large groups of people have been mixed.

"Population studies have had contradictory results," says Kulik. "We asked the question, "If stress is linked to cancer, what is the cellular mechanism?' There had been no evidence that stress directly changes cancer cells."

Studying prostate and breast cancer cells in the laboratory, Kulik and colleagues found that a protein called BAD – which causes cell death – becomes inactive when cancer cells are exposed to epinephrine.

Kulik says that connection between stress and prostate cancer has been largely unexplored. However, recent studies suggest that these laboratory findings may apply to cancer patients.

"A study from Canada showed that men who took beta blockers for hypertension for at least four years had an 18 percent lower risk of prostate cancer," says Kulik. "These drugs block the effects of epinephrine, which could explain the finding. Another study of men after radical prostatectomy reported increased mood disturbances, which are often associated with elevated stress hormones. Although these studies do not directly address the role of stress hormones, they suggest that stress hormones may play an important role in prostate cancer."

Kulik says the findings have several implications for patients and for researchers.

"It may be important for patients who have increased responses to stress to learn to manage the effects," says Kulik. "And, the results point to the possibility of developing an intervention to block the effects of epinephrine."

Kulik is now studying blood samples of prostate cancer patients to determine if there is a link between levels of stress hormones and severity of disease and has begun studying the effects of epinephrine in mice with prostate cancer.

— Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center