FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 12, 2008

CONTACT: Danielle Potuto
703-519-1422
danielle.potuto@asco.org

Alexandria, Va. – The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today announced the winner of the annual Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award. Jay R. Harris, MD, will accept the award and present his award lecture, “Local Treatment of Breast Cancer: Looking Backward to Gaze Forward,” at the upcoming 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium, being held September 5-7 in Washington, DC.

“I am thrilled to be a recipient of the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award,” said Dr. Harris. “Dr. Bonadonna has devoted his life and career to advancing medicine and improving the care and treatment of people living with cancer. He is an amazing scientist with a human connection and I look forward to honoring his legacy with my future research endeavors.”

Dr. Harris’ main research interest is the use of radiation therapy in the multidisciplinary management of breast cancer, with a focus on establishing the most effective and safe radiation treatment for patients. During the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture, he will share his recent research on the evolution and changes in local treatment of breast cancer and its implications in the clinical setting. He will also look forward in terms of the future of breast cancer treatment.

“ASCO has a longstanding tradition of honoring distinguished physician-scientists and cancer researchers through recognition such as the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award,” said Allen S. Lichter, MD, chief executive officer of ASCO. “Support and recognition of excellence in clinical research is one of the Society’s core values and Dr. Harris’ work has led to some of the most important advances in the treatment of breast cancer with radiation therapy. We know that his forthcoming efforts will lead to more.”

Currently, Dr. Harris is professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as residency program director for the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. Dr. Harris has been an active member of several professional medical societies, including the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), where he served as president and chairman of the Board of Directors, and the American Board of Radiology, where he served as trustee. He also served on the ASCO Board of Directors from 1997-2000.

Dr. Harris graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine and did his residency at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School. He has written six books and currently sits on four editorial boards in the oncology field. He is the senior editor of Diseases of the Breast, now in its third edition.

Supported by a grant from GlaxoSmithKline Oncology, the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Research Fellowship is a $10,000 annual award that recognizes an active clinical or translational researcher with a distinguished record of accomplishments in advancing the field of breast cancer. The Bonadonna Award is comprised of an endowment, allowing the award to be available for many years to come, and it is accompanied by a one-year, $50,000 fellowship grant that will be awarded by The ASCO Cancer Foundation to an early-career breast cancer researcher who will work in the lab at the recipient’s institution. The 2008 fellow will be announced at a later date.

The award is named after renowned international researcher Gianni Bonadonna, MD, whose work has led to the development of successful and widely used treatment regimens. Dr. Bonadonna conducted the pivotal cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) trial that ushered in the widespread acceptance of adjuvant chemotherapy as part of the curative treatment of breast cancer, a finding that changed the course of how breast cancer is treated. Additionally, Dr. Bonadonna designed and conducted the first clinical trials exploring the use of doxorubicin and developed the doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD) protocol, which remains the gold standard for treating Hodgkin’s disease. Dr. Bonadonna works at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy.

Dr. Harris is the second recipient of the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Award, preceded by Daniel F. Hayes, MD, clinical director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Hayes named Dr. Vera Maranci of the University of Michigan as the 2007 Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellow.

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About ASCO
ASCO is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 25,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org/presscenter. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.

About The ASCO Cancer Foundation
The ASCO Cancer Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which is composed of over 25,000 oncologists globally who are the leaders in advancing cancer care in the 21st century. The ASCO Cancer Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of people with cancer through programs that support cutting-edge research and education in oncology. The ASCO Cancer Foundation is the torch bearer for the next generation of oncology researchers and the purveyor of knowledge to people living with cancer. With the support of the cancer community and the public at large, The ASCO Cancer Foundation is making a world of difference in cancer care. Visit www.ascocancerfoundation.org for more information.