The Cause

 
About the Cause
We know there are several important causes that deserve financial support, so we appreciate your commitment to our event which was created in memory of Rob Campbell – a beloved son, brother, friend and devoted hockey player – who was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a particularly aggressive form of the disease, at age 19. Rob passed away in 1985, he was 21 years old. This event is acknowledged as the only official hockey tournament that supports Dana-Farber.

Rob was an athletic, charismatic young man who loved hockey, cars and, most of all, his friends and family. With this tournament, we hope that in some small way we have captured his passion for life, and his love of the game. Rob was a 1982 Whitman-Hanson High School graduate who is remembered for many things, including his courageous personality, competitive nature, sharp wit, and trademark Campbell smile.

An accomplished hockey player, Rob participated in the Pembroke Youth Hockey Program from age 10 through high school. He also played goal for the Whitman-Hanson Panthers as well as the South Shore Braves, a team in the New England Junior Hockey League. During the winter, Rob could be found skating with neighborhood kids from dawn to dusk on the pond behind the family’s house, and, during warmer weather, Rob would run street hockey games and whiffle ball tournaments, or work on his pride and joy – a 1973 red Chevy Nova. Rob also earned a certificate in coastal piloting from the Coast Guard. With this tournament, we hope that in some small way, we have captured his passion for life and love of the game.

About the Disease
Leukemia is a malignant disease (cancer) of the bone marrow and blood. It is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. Leukemia is divided into four categories: myelogenous or lymphocytic, each of which can be acute or chronic. The terms myelogenous or lymphocytic denote the cell type involved. Acute leukemia is a rapidly progressing disease that results in the accumulation of immature, functionless cells in the marrow and blood. The marrow often can no longer produce enough normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and allows greater numbers of more mature, functional cells to be made.

Breakthroughs in the Treatment of AML*
There are several important research projects currently being conducted at Dana-Farber.  One in particular focuses on alleviating the toxicity associated with traditional cancer treatments.  In hematological malignancies, as for all cancers, the goal is to shift away from chemotherapy agents, which along with destroying cancer cells also damage many good cells and can cause debilitating (and life-threatening) side effects.

Therefore, researchers like Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD and his team seek to find drugs that more specifically target the cancer cells. To address this problem for AML, the type of leukemia that Rob had, Dana-Farber began with re-thinking the complex biology that is leukemia in order to identify a “vulnerable spot” where they can intervene and prevent the myeloid leukemic blast from multiplying. They are cautiously optimistic that they have found such a target in AML: the molecule HCELL.

In short, HCELL is a bone marrow “homing” molecule.  Accordingly, the research team turned its attention to making antibodies against HCELL; these antibodies have no effect on normal blood-forming stem cells or other cells.  These findings are extraordinary in their implications and put the team at an exciting juncture in the quest to find a cure for leukemia without toxicity.  To learn more about cancer research underway at Dana-Farber, visit http://www.dana-farber.org/res/.

* This information was reprinted with permission from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Helpful information sites you may want to visit for more information include:
  
About Dana-Farber
The Adult Leukemia Program at Dana-Farber provides comprehensive, high-quality care to patients with leukemia and similar bone-marrow disorders. Through an active program of clinical research, the program also strives to rapidly translate advances in the understanding of leukemia and related disorders into therapies that will benefit patients today and in the future. For more information go to http://www.dana-farber.org/ or call (617) 632-3000.
 
 

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