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- Posted Friday March 7, 2014
TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare cancer expert Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff is named one of ASCO's 50 Oncology Luminaries
Dr. Von Hoff's research led to development of numerous therapeutic agents, and improved patient care
PHOENIX, Ariz. - March 7, 2014 - In association
with its 50th anniversary, the American Society of Clinical
Oncology (ASCO) has named Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff one of ASCO's 50 Oncology
Luminaries, celebrating 50 doctors who over the past
half-century have significantly advanced cancer care.
Dr. Von Hoff, M.D., FACP, is Physician-In-Chief and Distinguished
Professor at Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen), and Chief Scientific Officer for
Scottsdale Healthcare's Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical
Trials. He is an internationally recognized physician and
scientist whose research during the past 30 years has contributed
to the development of many anticancer agents that are routinely
used in clinical practice. Among these drugs are fludarabine,
mitoxantrone, paclitaxel, docetaxel, irinotecan, topotecan,
nelarabine, gemcitabine, vismodegib, and nanoparticle
paclitaxel.
ASCO was founded in 1964 by oncologists to improve the care of
cancer patients. Profiles of the 50 Oncology Luminaries
are being featured on the ASCO website, and their accomplishments
will be celebrated at ASCO's 50th annual meeting, May 30-June 3 in
Chicago.
Although it is difficult to pick one highlight of his career, Dr.
Von Hoff and his team played an instrumental role in the
development of gemcitabine, the first drug to improve the survival
of patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In 1997, they
published the results of a clinical trial that showed that
gemcitabine not only increased the rate of clinical benefit in
patients with pancreatic cancer compared with fluorouracil (5-FU),
but it also improved overall survival.
This work was followed by recognition of the activity of
nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine against pancreatic cancer with the
recent finding that that regimen also improved survival for
patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer. On Sept. 6, 2013, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nab-paclitaxel as
a frontline therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic
cancer.
International clinical trials that led to the FDA's approval were
led by Dr. Von Hoff at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical
Trials at Scottsdale Healthcare, a partnership of Scottsdale
Healthcare and TGen, at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center
in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dr. Von Hoff has also been instrumental in the concept of
development of personalized therapy for patients with refractory
cancer based on using molecular techniques to profile their
cancers. This work included the initial clinical trials to
determine what percentage of patients could benefit from that
approach.
Dr. Von Hoff has spent the past 30 years of his career leading
teams in phase I trials and the development of new therapies, first
as the founding director of the Institute for Drug Development at
the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio, then as the
director of the Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at the
University of Arizona. He also is Professor of Medicine at the Mayo
Clinic and serves as Chief Scientific Officer for US
Oncology.
When Dr. Von Hoff was awarded ASCO's David A. Karnofsky Memorial
Award in 2010, he took several minutes at the beginning of his
lecture to memorialize all of the patients that he and his team had
lost during phase I trials the previous year, mentioning several of
them by name. The gesture reflected what Dr. Von Hoff named as the
greatest accomplishment of his career: working hard to help as many
people as he could.
"I have been extremely fortunate to have many great (and
incredibly patient) teachers, mentors, and co-workers," Dr. Von
Hoff said. "Truly though I think the greatest teachers and mentors
for me have been those I have been privileged to care for."
# # #
About ASCO's 50 Oncology Luminaries
The 50 Oncology Luminaries series profiles visionaries and key
contributors to the field of oncology, as identified by several
volunteer leaders of the ASCO. The list of luminaries is not
exhaustive, and the leaders of ASCO recognize that there are many
more people throughout history who have helped advance progress
against cancer. Learn more about these luminaries by checking
out the full series on CancerProgress.Net
throughout 2014.
About the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale
Healthcare
The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare in
Scottsdale, Ariz. offers comprehensive cancer treatment and
research through clinical trials, diagnosis, treatment, prevention
and support services in collaboration with leading scientific
researchers and community oncologists. The Virginia G. Piper Cancer
Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale Healthcare Research
Institute, Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, Scottsdale
Healthcare Shea Medical Center and Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson
Peak Hospital and related entities are part of the non-profit
Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network. For more information, visit www.shc.org.
Press Contact:
Jamie Grim
Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare
480-323-1387
[email protected]
About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused
on helping patients with cancer, neurological disorders and
diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process
of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen
physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of
both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children.
Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical
communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial
contribution to help our patients through efficiency and
effectiveness of the translational process. For more information,
visit:www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
