by Dr. Carolyn Sartor
Volume 2/Number 4
|  | | Co-Directors of the UNC Breast Center: Dr. Lisa Carey, Dr. David Ollila and Dr. Carolyn Sartor. | Editor's Note:One of the goals of the Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic is not only to bring together the best women’s basketball teams in the nation, but to use this special opportunity to help fund a research grant for a women’s cancer initiative.
The second recipient of a Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic-funded research grant is Dr. Carolyn Sarator of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
My patients and friends often ask me whether I became an oncologist because of my personal experience with cancer, since I was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma while I was in Medical School. While I don’t think that having cancer necessarily motivated my interest in cancer, it certainly did interest me in Radiation Oncology. I had already long held a fascination for the workings of the cell, especially the malignant cell. The tumor cell is one of the most dauntingly creative examples of nature’s ability to tell us how our bodies work by showing us how normal, carefully regulated cells can learn to escape appropriate growth controls. I was intrigued by a group of proteins that play an important role in tumor cell growth and response to therapy, the epidermal growth factor receptor family, focusing on the role of these proteins in breast cancer behavior. I was so excited by research I took a leave from Medical School to decide whether I really belonged in the lab instead of the clinic. I thought, “Why should I become a physician? What special talents do I have that would make me a good doctor?” Well, my illness gave me a rather unique perspective from the patients’ standpoint, and, not surprisingly, I became just as fascinated with Radiation Oncology as I was with the epidermal growth factor receptor proteins.
So, I continued both pursuits. I became a Radiation Oncologist and specialized in breast cancer treatment. I continued my laboratory research, thinking that my laboratory research on the epidermal growth factor receptors would have little to do with the radiation treatment I delivered to patients with breast cancer. However, in one of those interesting twists of fate, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family turns out to be quite important to radiation treatment.  | | Dr. Sartor with lab team Alan Lebetkin, Hong Zhou and Xi-Hui Yang. | Not only are these proteins important in aggressiveness of breast cancer, but they also affect the tumor cell response to radiation, in that dysregulation of these proteins may cause cells to be resistant to radiation treatment. It’s a very exciting time for the field of breast cancer research because of the discovery of effective targeted therapies. Herceptin, one of the most exciting new developments in breast cancer treatment, is a targeted therapy directed against HER2, one of the members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family that I study. The discovery of Herceptin allowed me the unique opportunity to see whether we can improve radiation therapy for patients with aggressive breast cancer by making the tumor cells more sensitive to radiation with Herceptin. In a similar manner, we are investigating whether a new agent that targets both EGFR and HER2 will be able to help improve radiation for even more patients with breast cancer.
By far the most rewarding part of my work is the opportunity to work with such wonderful patients. I am amazed on a daily basis by the grace, courage, and humor of these strong, beautiful women. I sincerely believe that I am a better person because of the examples of my patients, who illustrate that, while the tumor cell is a selfish island proliferating at the expense of its neighbors, the typical breast cancer patient is the complete antithesis, caring more for her friends and family during a time of strife than herself, and turning a difficult experience into a period of personal growth. I know firsthand how generous these women are because, without exception, my patients poured out uncompromising support when I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This new turn in my life hasn’t had the effect of my previous diagnosis in that it hasn’t caused me to become interested in the field, since I already am fascinated, but it has caused me to broaden my horizons in ways that I am only beginning to appreciate. My learning process about this disease is still very much evolving. It reminds me that there is so much to life, and revitalizes my commitment to enjoy every day to its fullest. It adds poignancy and clarity to the joyful moments of small events, like seeing my son and husband laughing together, and great satisfaction to the sense of doing my best to understand and treat this disease.
I thank the V Foundation and all its supporters for their commitment to finding a cure for cancer and their belief in my research. | ..............................................................................................................................
Editor's Note: |  | Dr. Sartor with her son Keegan. | | Dr. Carolyn Sartor is Co-Director of the UNC Breast Center, a member of University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the UNC School of Medicine. She received her B.A. and her M.D. from the University of Michigan. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Nick and her son, Keegan, age 18 months. |
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My V Grant - Funded Researchers Tell Their Stories 
