Ethan Dmitrovsky, M.D.
Institutional Affiliation
Andrew G. Wallace Professor
American Cancer Society Professor
Dartmouth Medical School
http://www.cancer.dartmouth.edu/doctors/Dmitrovsky.shtml
Education
Harvard University
Cornell University Medical College
Internship
New York Hospital – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Residency
New York Hospital – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Research
Rexinoid Therapy for Lung Cancer Prevention
Impact
This research program seeks to further develop a promising innovative strategy to treat or even prevent lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer mortality for both women and men in our country.
Summary of Research
This team has uncovered a previously unrecognized pathway that can lead to abnormal growth of lung cancer cells. They have already shown in the laboratory that this pathway can be engaged by vitamin A derivatives known as retinoids and rexinoids. They have even shown in the laboratory that rexinoids prevent lung cancers in mouse models. They have now begun to translate this work from the laboratory bench to the clinic by conducting early phase trials in patients with lung cancer. These have led to promising results and to an ongoing multi-institution trial that will learn whether use of these vitamin A derivatives enhances survival in lung cancer. This team is eager to build on these encouraging findings through support of the Foundation, which is helping to move this work from the bench to the bedside through proof of concept clinical trials. Those trials are yielding positive results for lung cancer patients. Ongoing work will determine whether engaging this novel pathway leads to new ways to treat or even prevent lung cancer. |
