Spring 2008
(Download pdf version of Spring 2008)

On the Cover:
Bogdan Czerniak, M.D., Ph.D., and collegues have identified and charted the location of key forerunner genes, which drive the initial growth of precancerous cells and set in motion the beginning stages of cancer.

Table of Contents

Frontline

One More Reason Not to Smoke 
A team led by M. D. Anderson scientists discovered that two commonly inherited genetic variations are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer for smokers and former smokers.
 View video: Christopher Amos, Ph.D., discusses genetic risk factors associated with lung cancer.

Features

Life Is Full of Adventures
One Saturday every month, elementary school children come to M. D. Anderson to learn everything from how to package medicine to what goes on in the operating room.
 View video: Children visit M. D. Anderson’s Rehabilitation Services.

Cancer's Ignition Switch
Scientists have identified forerunner genes, whose inactivation paves the way for the silencing of tumor-suppressing genes and jump-starts cancer development.

A Personal Investment
David H. Koch’s $18 million gift will bring together basic, translational and clinical scientists to rapidly move scientific findings to patients with genitourinary cancers.

Profile

Ernest T. Hawk, M.D.
As leader of M. D. Anderson’s cancer prevention programs, Ernest T. Hawk, M.D., is committed to translating prevention discoveries into widespread use.

ASPIRE Kicks Butt
M. D. Anderson expands its multimedia tobacco prevention and cessation Internet site to students nationwide.

Reducing Cancer Risk Naturally
Study suggests that a healthful diet and gardening may reduce a person’s risk of developing lung cancer.

Moving Forward

Moira Podgurski
Moira Podgurski has been going non-stop since she was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia 11 years ago.