Dear Dr. Bertagnolli,
I am approaching 5 years since being diagonsed with rectal GIST. I am 4 years post surgery and have continued taking Gleevec for all this time. Is there information addressing extended use of Gleevec? I am getting 6 month CT scans and am tumor free. Is there information about disease recurrance if I discontinue taking Gleevec?
Thank you for your time,
Steve
Monica Bertagnolli, MD
Intestinal Tumor Biology Research
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Dr. Bertagnolli’s research focus is on the study of intestinal tumor biology. The laboratory’s goal is to identify markers of early cancer development or cancer progression that can then be modulated to prevent tumors or to treat existing cancers more effectively. A major project of Dr. Bertagnolli’s laboratory is the investigation of the APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) gene, an important factor in colorectal carcinogenesis. This project emphasizes a translational bench-to-bedside research approach, as it includes examination of colorectal cancer cell lines, animals with APC gene mutation, and patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a human disease caused by mutation of the APC gene.
Dr. Bertagnolli actively collaborates with the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. As the head of the CALGB Gastrointestinal Solid Tumors Correlative Sciences Committee, Dr. Bertagnolli reviews and facilitates the integration of molecular markers of treatment outcome into nation-wide clinical cancer treatment protocols. She is the Study Chair of four CALGB protocols. Three of these studies are designed to investigate the molecular characteristics of colon cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and the fourth is a study to screen for new susceptibility loci for colorectal cancer. Dr. Bertagnolli is also the PI of an NCI-sponsored trial of selective Cox-2 inhibition for prevention of colorectal adenomas. This 5-year, placebo-controlled, randomized study of 2,000 adenoma patients involves 91 clinical centers in 4 countries. The trial will determine whether the study drug prevents colorectal adenomas, but it will also characterize genetic and biochemical events in the intestinal tissues of participants, seeking correlates of chemoprevention efficacy. This trial, therefore, represents an integration of Dr. Bertagnolli’s basic research efforts with her clinical practice
