• Cancer

    James Ingle, M.D., of Mayo Clinic Recognized for a Career of Contributions to Breast Cancer Research

SAN ANTONIO — James Ingle, M.D., an internationally recognized breast cancer expert, will receive the 2014 William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award on Dec. 10 at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

James IngleDr. Ingle is a professor of oncology and the Foust Professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. He has been the leader of breast cancer research at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, serving as program co-leader of the women's cancer program with responsibility for breast cancer. He is currently co-director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE). SPORE grants are funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and are the major NCI translational research grants in which clinicians and basic scientists work together to conduct the most promising research.

Dr. Ingle's research has had a significant impact on clinical practice. He has a long track record of leading or co-leading studies in breast cancer, first with tamoxifen and then with aromatase inhibitors, which are the two major endocrine therapies in breast cancer. More recently, Dr. Ingle has a leadership role in the Mayo Clinic Pharmacogenomic Research Network, leading multiple genome-wide association studies to investigate genetic variability in patients’ response to tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors as well as chemotherapy. This work is central to developing precision medicine in which the right dose of the right drug is given to the right patient.

One facet of the research Dr. Ingle and his colleagues are conducting relates to the identification of genetic biomarkers that can predict who is most likely to benefit from selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) therapies, such as tamoxifen and raloxifene, for breast cancer prevention.

Studying the largest collection of patients worldwide treated with SERM therapy, they have identified two genetic markers that are associated with prevention of breast cancer in women at high risk of developing breast cancer. The same genes are involved in regulation of the BRCA genes and so may also be important in selecting patients, not only for SERM therapy but also for other targeted drugs which are being studied in the laboratory. Researchers hope these studies will lead to more personalized approaches to breast cancer prevention for women with high risk.

Dr. Ingle has served on numerous national and international bodies including those at the National Institutes of Health, the NCI Breast Cancer Steering Committee and the St. Gallen Consensus Conferences.

Dr. Ingle's research has been supported through multiple sources including the National Institutes of Health, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and many generous benefactors including Bruce and Martha Atwater.

Dr. Ingle will give the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture entitled “Pharmacogenomics in the Quest for Precision Endocrine Therapy of Breast Cancer” on Dec. 10 at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

About the William L. McGuire Memorial Lectureship

Dr. William L. McGuire, along with Dr. Charles A. Coltman, founded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 1977. The William L. McGuire Memorial Lectureship was established in 1992 to commemorate the significant contributions of Dr. McGuire to our understanding of breast cancer biology and treatment. His research played a major role in introducing estrogen receptor assays on breast tumor tissue as a guide to treatment decisions for women with breast cancer. Breast cancer patients everywhere now receive these tests. The lecturer is selected by the SABCS Executive and Planning Committees from persons nominated by distinguished researchers in the field.

About Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
As a leading institution funded by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center conducts basic, clinical and population science research, translating discoveries into improved methods for prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. For information on cancer clinical trials, call 1-855-776-0015 (toll-free).

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, 
newsbureau@mayo.edu

 

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