Summer is here and we’re excited to share that each of our signature fundraising events have launched with in-person and virtual dates throughout the fall! Summer started strong as we kicked off National Cancer Survivor’s Month, a notable moment for our community to share supportive Messages of Hope for patients. In addition, applications for the Seed Grant Program are being accepted and reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Board and we’re happy to share a career progress update from a past awardee. Each of our programs benefiting research and patients has a positive impact on our community. Your participation makes a difference whether you make a donation, join us for a Patient & Family Webinar or register for an event to increase awareness, raise funds and encourage healthy living. We hope you will take this opportunity to get involved and champion the fight to cure pancreatic cancer in 2021!

Our research, programs, and services are made possible thanks to your support. Every donation has a positive impact on our pancreatic cancer community.

On October 31st the LA Cancer Challenge is making a triumphant return to the UCLA campus once again! We are delighted to share that a dedicated supporter of the Foundation, Dr. Zhaoping Li, Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition, has accepted our invitation to be LACC Honorary Medical Chair. It is fitting that we begin a new post-pandemic chapter with Dr. Li at the helm; her exceptional commitment to wellness and expertise in nutrition impacts pancreatic cancer survivors every day.

Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD was welcomed into our Foundation family in 2016 when she was awarded a Seed Grant for ‘Nutrition Support to improve outcomes in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.’ It was the first study of its kind to be funded by the Hirshberg Foundation. A couple years later she would also launch a medically supervised study investigating how dietary counseling, with and without nutrition supplementation, can affect outcomes of non-surgical patients. Dr. Li’s research and position at UCLA continue to enrich our partnership and effectively serve patients in new ways.

In 2017, Dr. Li presented for the first time at the Hirshberg Foundation’s Symposium for Pancreatic Cancer. Her unique insight made a memorable impression on patients. She was immediately a crowd favorite, sharing with patients how to achieve optimal nutrition. Not long after, the Hirshberg Foundation hosted a hands-on Cooking Healthy class, and Dr. Li answered the call once again. She patiently led survivors and caregivers through a fun cooking experience sharing nutritious recipes and cooking tips. Dr. Li continues to be instrumental in educating patients as they find themselves balancing the complexities of a changing diet during and after treatment.

Whether she’s discussing nutrition and pancreatic cancer at the 2019 Symposium or hosting our very first webinar during the pandemic, ’Eat & Live Well During the Corona Virus,’ Dr. Li always has patients’ best interests at heart. Nutrition can be a contentious topic for many patients navigating side effects, but Dr. Li’s compassion, knowledge and warm personality make each event outshine the last. We are thrilled to welcome her as LACC Honorary Medical Chair and grateful to have her walk and fundraise on the UCLA Health Sciences Team!

More about Dr. Zhaoping Li

Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Li completed her MD and PhD in Physiology at Bejing University. Dr. Li has been a faculty member at UCLA and VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System since 1997. Dr. Li is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Physician Nutrition Specialist. Dr. Li has been a principal investigator for over 100 investigator-initiated NIH and industry-sponsored clinical trials; she has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and co-authored two books focusing on nutrition and nutrition-related to oncology.

One of the main ways to improve the outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients is early diagnosis and the way to better diagnostics is through a greater understanding of the initiating events in tumor progression. That is exactly what Kathleen DelGiorno, Ph.D. and her lab at Vanderbilt University are studying.

Dr. DelGiorno was a 2018 Seed Grant Awardee back when she was at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Wahl Lab. Thanks to funding from the Hirshberg Foundation, she was able to publish her research, collaborate on other publications, and in her words, “become a much more attractive candidate for Assistant Professor positions.” We were thrilled to hear that in July 2020 she was offered the position of Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She wrote to Agi, “Your generous funding has allowed me to be very productive over the last year. Thank you so much for launching my career!” Dr. DelGiorno’s success is emblematic of what our Seed Grant program aims to achieve.

Below, read more about Dr. Kathy DelGiorno’s research and what she has been studying thanks to support from the Hirshberg Foundation.

Dr. DelGiorno’s research is looking to uncover early changes in the pancreas that lead to tumor formation. Chronic pancreatitis is a known risk factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which accounts for more than 90% of pancreas cancers, and is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis and acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM). ADM is a process where acinar cells (differentiated specialized cells in the pancreas) undergo remodeling back to ductal-like cells when the pancreas is injured. When oncogenic KRAS is present, ADM can be initiated, but the reversal of ADM does not happen, leading to metaplastic cells (less differentiated cells) that can then lead to precancerous lesions such as pancreatic intraepitheliel neoplasia (PanINs) or directly into PDAC. Dr. DelGiorno also studies tuft cells, which are solitary chemosensory cells seen throughout the hollow organs of the digestive tract and have been found to form spontaneously in the pancreas as the result of injury or tumorigenesis. 

Research published by Dr. DelGiorno in Frontiers in Physiology details the landmark formation of tuft cells in the pancreas of wild-type mice, those with no genetic mutations, in the context of wound healing. This study linked tuft cell formation to ADM and shows that ADM takes place in the pancreas of mice after injury. This research demonstrates that wild-type mice can be used as a model and establishes a system to further study pancreatic tuft cells. 

Subsequent research published in Gastroenterology, demonstrated that the formation of tuft cells originated during ADM, and that tuft cell generation may be a step in the process of tumorigenesis in the pancreas. The study found that when tuft cell formation was inhibited, pancreatic cancer development increased. They analyzed gene expression and found differences in the genes involved in inflammation, lipid (fat) synthesis, and metabolism. Prostaglandins, lipids that have hormone like functions, specifically prostaglandin D2, was shown to be lower when tuft cells were deleted. These lipids play an important role in keeping the pancreas from becoming inflamed and activating stromal cells, which contribute to pancreatic tumor formation. This suggests that tuft cells may actually restrain early tumor progression by secreting lipids, which inhibit inflammation.

Recently, Dr. DelGiorno’s lab at Vanderbilt released a pre-print (a research paper that is still under peer review) at bioRxiv using single cell sequencing to characterize all of the cell types that result from ADM and pancreatic injury. They found that, in addition to tuft cells, ADM is also characterized by enteroendocrine cell formation, cells that generate hormones with the potential to control information, tissue injury, and tumor formation. The DelGiorno lab is now studying how these cells control tumor formation and their potential to become tumors themselves.

Through her lab at Vanderbilt, Dr. DelGiorno’s research continues studying how tuft cells inhibit tumors in the hopes that these pathways can be mimicked therapeutically. Her ultimate goal is to exploit anti-tumorigenic signaling or target pro-tumorigenic signaling pathways in the hopes of benefitting patients. We applaud the work of Dr. DelGiorno and her lab for their contributions to understanding the early mechanics of tumor formation.

These advances are made possible thanks to your support. Thank you for helping us fund this vital research.

Since her diagnosis with an inoperable pancreatic tumor in 2002, Roberta Luna has embarked on many new adventures. From her first half-marathon, to her first tattoo to her first of many sky diving trips, Roberta has embraced living life to its fullest. As she said, “we tend to put off doing things we want to… because we think there’s plenty of time down the road.” So when the opportunity to host a podcast radio show on OC Talk Radio presented itself, Roberta, along with her husband and caregiver, Vic, began yet another first.

“Vic and I recently had the opportunity to take another leap of faith and embark on a new journey with OC Talk Radio. We have created the podcast and radio show, Living Hope; Your Journey with Pancreatic Cancer.”

Through their podcast, Roberta and Vic hope to provide information and resources, share inspirational stories, give hope to those affected by pancreatic cancer. With new episodes available on Thursdays, Roberta is not only sharing her story, but stories from across the pancreatic cancer community. As she shared, “through my experience with this horrific disease, I believe I am here to help those who have also been affected by pancreatic cancer, to hopefully inspire them and give them much needed hope.”

Roberta is a wife, mother, self-proclaimed thrill-seeker, tireless advocate and volunteer, and as of April 1, 2021, a 19-year pancreatic cancer survivor, with an inoperable tumor due to artery & vein involvement.

Vic and Roberta hope to share the journeys of various patients, caregivers and advocates, including the good, bad and ugly of facing this disease. They aim educate, raise awareness, provide hope and spark inspiration in their audience. Together, the pancreatic cancer community can weather the storm with the support of loved ones, family, “the purple family” and the many people encountered along this often-difficult journey. We are happy to support Roberta and Vic on their latest endeavor!

Learn more and listen to their show → https://livinghopepc.com/
Follow along on their Facebook page → https://www.facebook.com/LivingHope2055

We are excited to have Dr. William H. Isacoff return to our Patient & Family Webinar series with a follow-up to his previous webinar Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Less is More! Dr. Isacoff is a fan-favorite and we are happy to have him share, once again, with our community.

Dr. William H. Isacoff, who leads the Pancreatic Cancer Center of Los Angeles, has earned a reputation as one of the foremost gastrointestinal oncologists within the United States. He has developed treatment regimens which were not only more effective, but less toxic and extended the lives of pancreatic patients throughout the country. He continues to focus on the development of newer, more effective and less toxic treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer.

In July of 2020, Dr. Isacoff shared important information about his low dosage “metronomic” chemotherapy without radiation therapy. Dr. Isacoff and the Pancreatic Surgical Team at UCLA have down staged more than 60 patients who upon initial diagnosis were felt to be inoperable. After successful “metronomic” treatment with a combination of chemotherapies, the patients were then able to become surgical candidates. In addition, as a result of the prolonged use of effective chemotherapy, 75% of the patients had lymph nodes that did not show metastatic disease. Dr. Isacoff shared these promising results and looks forward to continuing the conversation with his latest presentation.

William H. Isacoff, M.D., currently holds an academic appointment within the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen-UCLA School of Medicine. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Foundation. He serves on the International Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a lifetime trustee of that university. He has designed clinical trials for and served as a consultant. He has worked for four decades to form better, safer and more effective treatments for patients battling pancreatic cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers.

Watch Webinar

Cancer can be a very expensive illness. Even those with excellent insurance can face an array of new costs associated with their treatment. From transportation to hospital stays, prescriptions to medical devices, daily living expenses to holistic care, there are a multitude of expenses to consider. Being organized and understanding your rights can give you a sense of control while helping prioritize.

Through our longstanding partnership with Cancer Care, patients are able to apply for a one-time grant to help cover the costs associated with cancer treatment. Cancer Care also provides an array of financial assistance resources to help cancer patients and their families better cope with financial concerns.

Below are some of the resources Cancer Care offers to help manage the financial costs of cancer.

• Managing The Cost of Cancer booklet. This guide will help you navigate what is covered by health insurance and what is not, as well as tools to help handle the cost of cancer.
• Tips for Managing the Cost of Cancer is a great overview of things to consider as you begin navigating a cancer diagnosis.
• Co-payment assistance is a program to help cancer patients overcome the financial barriers to prescribed treatment through co-payment aid.
• Understanding the Costs of Care and Your Health Care Coverage is a workshop that addresses the medical and indirect costs of treatment, benefits and limitations to health care plans, as well as advanced health care directives, led by a panel of experts.
• In addition to finances, there are legal considerations when facing cancer and Cancer Care offers legal assistance as well.
• A Helping Hand is a resource guide to help cancer patients and their families take control of their finances. This booklet can help you understand your options, know your rights and know where to turn for help. It will introduce issues to consider such as government assistance, nonprofit hospitals and community programs near you that may help defer some of the costs.

>We are here to help, contact Patient Support today to receive additional information and resources.