Benign Breast Disease: A New Frontier for Prevention

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For the past twenty years, I have been involved with the care of women with breast and ovarian cancer, and their families. During that time my research focus has gradually shifted from management of the disease to its prevention. This direction has been enhanced by the work of the Human Genome Project, which has made tremendous progress in advancing our understanding of the genetic basis of cancer, and by the increased awareness on the part of both the public and the health care community of the tremendous potential for disease prevention and control. Building on this framework, I have developed a nationally recognized research-based program, defined by familial cancer risk, in which to explore novel education and counseling interventions and prevention strategies. I have formed longstanding collaborations with colleagues in the basic sciences, population sciences and behavioral sciences to foster translational research. I have contributed to the training of scientists at many levels who are new to the field of cancer prevention and control. I represent one of a handful of investigators in the field of cancer prevention and control who combines theory-driven research initiatives with actual translation to the clinical setting. At this point in my career, the K05 award will allow me to extend these efforts to a growing and underserved population of women who are at increased risk for breast cancer because of a diagnosis of benign breast disease. In the new era of molecular medicine, this population provides an ideal opportunity to study early molecular signatures of cancer risk, to identify genetic modifiers of risk, and to tailor preventive options to the biology of the lesion. The award will also facilitate my efforts to formalize a novel clinical genetics training rotation within the medical oncology fellowship, and will afford more opportunities to mentor students at all levels of training.