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Health Center Today, May 24, 2010

Breast Cancer Translational Research Seminar an Exchange of Knowledge

By Chris DeFrancesco

Photo of Dr. Faryal Mirza

Dr. Faryal Mirza presents at the Breast Cancer Translational Research Seminar in the Low Learning Center.

Photo by Chris DeFrancesco

Certain drugs used to treat breast cancer are believed to be connected to an increased risk in developing hypertension.

Dr. Faryal Mirza, a Health Center endocrinologist who’s studying the effects of aromatase inhibitors on postmenopausal women with breast cancer, discussed her research at the Breast Cancer Translational Research Seminar May 20.

"The greatest cause of death in women with early stage breast cancer is heart disease, it’s not typically breast cancer that kills them," Mirza said.

The data from a pilot study Mirza conducted with Drs. Susan Tannenbaum and Pam Taxel showed increases in blood pressure after 12 weeks. It also showed a trend toward mild impairment of memory.

Mirza is seeking postmenopausal women who have breast cancer and who are starting or switching to aromatase inhibitors for further study of the drugs’ effects.

Her presentation was one of 11 at the Breast Cancer Translational Research Seminar, held in the Low Learning Center:

  • Dr. Lori Wilson, Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center
    "Breast Program Accreditation"
  • Dr. Lyndsay Harris, Yale Cancer Center
    "Treatment of Breast Cancer in the Post-Genomic Era"
  • Michael Smith, UConn Department of Chemistry
    "Targeting Hypoxic Tumors with Nitroimidazole-Indocyanine Dye Conjugates"
  • Henry Smilowitz, Health Center Graduate School
    “MicroCT Enables the Microlocalization and Quantification of Her2-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles within Tumor Regions”
  • Helen Swede, Department of Community Medicine & Health Care
    "Prognostic Value of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Data from the CT Tumor Registry"
  • Dr. Faryal Mirza, New England Musculoskeletal Institute
    "Effect of Aromatase Inhibitors on Blood Pressure and Neurocognitive Changes in Postmenopausal Women with Breast Cancer"
  • Paul Epstein, Department of Cell Biology
    "Inhibition of Breast Cancer Metastasis by Activation of cAMP Signaling"
  • Bruce White, Department of Cell Biology
    "EMT, microRNAs and Luminal A-Basal-like Switch in Breast Cancer"
  • David Han, Center for Vascular Biology
    "Breast Cancer Biomarkers"
  • Kevin Claffey, Department of Cell Biology
    "Recovery of Patient-Specific Antibodies from Reactive Sentinel Lymph Nodes"
  • Dr. Molly Brewer, Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center
    "Cancer Stem Cell Research"