Maryland researchers win Komen grant to study breast treatment complications

As part $2m fund, Susan has granted $450,000 to a team led by Lisa Gallicchio at Mercy Medical Center to study why African American breast cancer patients may be more likely to develop heart problems after being treated with a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors.

Also at Mercy, Kathy Helzlsouer will receive almost $600,000 to develop a web-based program to remind breast cancer patients about upcoming treatments and to better manage their symptoms.

At Johns Hopkins, Christopher Umbricht will use a $600,000 Komen grant to find better ways to identify patients who are most likely to respond to chemotherapy as they fight triple negative breast cancer.

Another $180,000 grant to Gregg Semenza and Daniele Gilkes will be used to study whether dense breast tissue is a cause or a consequence of breast cancer, and whether and how breast density contributes to cancer’s spread.

Komen president Elizabeth Thompson said these grants may help them find better treatments, while also ensuring that breast cancer patients are meaningfully followed during their treatment.

"They tie squarely to our mission to fund cutting-edge breast cancer research along the entire cancer continuum – from prevention to early diagnostics, disparities in outcomes, more effective treatments, and answers for aggressive and metastatic disease," Thompson said.