Jame Abraham, M.D., section chief of hematology/oncology at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, will help lead the national organization that designs and conducts promising new clinical therapies for breast cancer treatment and prevention.

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project has invited Dr. Abraham to serve on the group’s working committee. He joins a core group of 20 cancer specialists from major medical centers in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and Ireland.

“I am honored to be selected to join this prestigious group and am excited about working with my colleagues to continue advancing medical science that will benefit breast cancer patients,” Abraham said.

Abraham leads the Breast Cancer Research Program with Mike Ruppert, M.D., Ph.D., at WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. He is also the Bonnie Wells Wilson Distinguished Professor and Eminent Scholar in Breast Cancer Research. Since joining WVU, Abraham has been the principal investigator of more than 25 breast cancer clinical trials and currently leads an effort to develop a statewide clinical trials network. His research in chemotherapy induced cognitive dysfunction has earned him the reputation as a national and international expert on “chemobrain.”

“Jame is an outstanding physician and a dedicated researcher whose work has made a profound impact on breast cancer treatment,” said Scot C. Remick, M.D., director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. “His appointment to the NSABP is a testament to his expertise and is a reflection of the Cancer Center’s high standards for providing top quality care.”

Abraham’s initial research at the National Institutes of Health focused on developing new drugs to overcome drug resistance in patients with cancer. He was the study chairman of one of the first human trials on the novel drug, ixabepilone, which was approved by the FDA for treatment of advanced breast cancer in 2007.

The NSABP has 50 years of clinical trial history. The group’s studies led to the establishment of lumpectomy plus radiation over radical mastectomy as the standard surgical treatment for breast cancer. Large-scale NSABP studies in the prevention of breast cancer have demonstrated the value of the drug tamoxifen in reducing the incidence of breast cancer in women with increased risk for the disease.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Amy Johns, HSC News Service
304-293-7087, johnsa@wvuh.com

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