Press Release from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
November 1, 2007
Contact: Michele Fisher
732-235-9872
fisherm2@umdnj.edu
Internationally Recognized CINJ Researcher
Serves as Keynote for Lymphoma Education Event
CINJ Interim Director Dr. Joseph R. Bertino Takes Part in ‘Ask the Doctor’ Series
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NEW BRUNSWICK — With a combined 71,000 new cases of Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma expected to be diagnosed nationwide this year – with 19,000 deaths – Joseph R. Bertino, M.D., the interim director and chief scientific officer at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and university professor of medicine and pharmacology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will speak to lymphoma patients, caregivers and loved ones about the topic at a special education forum.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which contains tissues and organs (like bone marrow and the spleen), as well as a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection and disease. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is more prevalent than the Hodgkin’s type, affects both children and adults and is more common in men than women. According to the American Cancer Society, a person’s risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is one in 50.
Dr. Bertino will take to the podium November 14 at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick at the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) – New Jersey Chapter “Ask the Doctor” education program, which is held multiple times per year at LRF chapters across the country. Bertino, who also is an American Cancer Society professor, has been recognized internationally for his role in finding curative treatments in the areas of lymphoma and leukemia.
He is the author and co-author of more than 400 scientific publications, and is currently leading his laboratory in the study of the relationship between tumor suppressor gene abnormalities and drug resistance and the use of drug resistant genes to protect bone marrow from chemotherapy toxicity. Bertino’s lab also is focusing on umbilical cord blood stem cells and gene therapy as a way to develop new treatments for lymphoma.
Bertino also serves on LRF’s Scientific Advisory Board – of which he was a founding member – as well as LRF’s Board of Directors. The Scientific Advisory Board in particular is instrumental in helping to shape the nation’s lymphoma research agenda by prioritizing research projects for which LRF provides grant funding.
For more information or to register for the “Ask the Doctor” program, please call 800-500-9976 or visit http://www.lymphoma.org/askthedoctor.
About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. To support CINJ, please call the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation at 1-888-333-CINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Partner Hospitals: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Atlantic Health (Morristown Memorial Hospital and Overlook Hospital). Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital*, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ-Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate
