Dr. Richard Love, MD

Over 15 years ago, Richard Love, MD, a medical research expert in cancer with a special focus on breast cancer, began to talk about the benefits of a greater U.S. investment in global cancer research. And today, this investment has led to better treatment for millions of women worldwide suffering from breast cancer.

21st century medicine already has been, and will continue to be, changed in amazing ways by the lessons we are learning from DNA and genetic research. Like Love, researchers are learning the critical role an individual's genetic makeup plays when it comes to how he or she responds to the disease and to treatments. "This is what we call personalized medicine and it is the future of better health. And the only way to learn this is by studying diverse populations of people. This is a win-win situation for everyone."

Love began to speak out about global cancer research as a result of his unsettled feelings about the post-war environment in Vietnam. "It was the monkey on my back. I went to Vietnam in 1991, prior to our country's reconciliation with them. My feelings about what has happened there since and after the war were only strengthened by talking to the people. People come, they visit, then they go away' they said. So I started thinking about how research could have long-term mutual benefits for both the U.S. and Vietnam. And today, the monkey is almost gone!"

Love has worked with the director of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to draw a greater attention to cancer globally, and to make this issue a higher priority for the U.S. In 1993, Love began a clinical trial in breast cancer treatment for Vietnamese women. In retrospect of his time and effort devoted to this study he says, "This has been a tremendous teaching exercise in sorting out how to best treat people, and what is involved in scientific, evidence-based medicine, cancer medicine in particular."

Most women in the U.S. are of European descent, and at risk of different types of breast cancer and different side effects from treatments than black and Asian women. "In the U.S., our standards for breast cancer care have come about by studying such women - those that are well nourished and upper-middle class, and even some women in this population don't fare as well with treatment as their counterparts. Only by studying other populations can we better learn how different individuals of different ethnicities handle medicine."

And his research is likely to prove this. Love's work has been largely influenced by the global standard use of hormonal therapy among pre-menopausal women with breast cancer, and the results of his research studies have led to new ideas about how hormone therapies work in fighting breast cancer. "This involves thinking about how treatments work in different ways than we have previously considered. If we are right, it will change the way we think about how to control cancers, especially breast cancer. And this all came about because of foreign circumstances."

Breast cancer is the most deadly form of cancer for women in the world. An estimated 1.5 million cases will be diagnosed this year, and about 500,000 deaths will be attributed to the disease. In the U.S., one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer awareness and research in the U.S. is a national priority, largely due to the patient advocacy community's effective and successful campaigns. However, in low and low-middle income countries, breast cancer has only recently attracted some attention, and thus little is known about the disease or how to treat it. Love's research can help change this, and help individualize treatment for all women who have breast cancer.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism