Tobacco Documents Online

-10- Since that time, Dr. Doll has continued to investigate the relatienship between lung cancer and other forms of smoking (specifically cigars and pipes). Because of his work we now know that this relationship is linear -- all s~oking, whether heavy or light, can cause lung cancer. His studies have also show~ that at least some of the effects of s~oking are reversible. Smokers who quit had, after five years, lung cancer rates only slightly higher than those of non-smokers. Dr. Doll was the first investigator to quantify the increased risk of lung cancer among asbestos workers. He has also been a pioneer in the appli- cation of modern statistical methods to the study and ~easurement of such risks. Dr. Doll has also contributed importantly to knowledge of the carcino- ginic effects of radiation in humans. He has helped to clarify the relation- ship between radiation dose and leukeumogenic and carcinogenic effects. The Charles S. Mott prize was awarded in 1980 to James A. Miller,. Ph.D., professor of oncology, and Elizabeth C. Miller, Ph.D., professor of oncology and associate director of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Univer- sity of Wisconsin, Madison. They were jointly awarded the prize for their contribution to knowledge of the metabolic stages that are required for the interaction of environmental carcinogens and cellular constituents in the body. The Millers' contributions have provided not only a unifying concept of the mechanism of chemical carcinogenesis, but the basis for the development of effective short-ter~ tests for carcinogenecity. They have therefore contri- tributed in a most unique way to both the understanding of carcinogenic mechan- ist, s at their ~ost fundamental level and to the practical technique that is now being widely applied towards the control of carcinogens in the environment. Tl10152079

-11- The importance of the Miller's work has been highlighted in recent years by growing public awareness and concern about human exposure to food additives and contaminants, drugs, environmental pollutants and industrial chemicals which may play a role in the development of cancer. Knowledge of environmen- tally-induced cancer has been accumulating at a continuously increasing rate since the 1940s. Two of the foremost contributors to their body of informa- tlon have been the Millers. Awards Given For Basic Scientific Contributions to Understanding Cancer ('The Sloan Award) In lgTg the first Alfred P. Sloan prize was awarded to George Klein, M.D., Ph.D., professor of tumor biology and head of the Institute for Tumor Biology at the Karolinska Institute Medical School in Stockholm, Sweden, for his work m the interrelationship between cancer and the immune system in manmalian species. Studies by Dr. Klein and his associates have clarified important infor- matio~ about how viruses transform normal cells into cancer cells and what immunological mechanisms prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous. Particularly important are Dr. K1ein's observations regarding the only fo~m of human cancer thus far indisputably linked to the presence of specific viruses. He found that Burkitt's ly~phoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma ceils contain both integrated and non-integrated Epstein-Barr DNA sequences. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpes-type virus. An integrated EBV-DNA sequence is one that has become a part of the genetic information of a target cell. T110152080

-12- Klein found that only integrated EBV-DNA sequences are responsible for tumorgenesis because integration causes a genetic change in the makeup of the host cell. The Epstein-Barr virus is widespread in humans but appears to live in harmony with host individuals because the EBV-DNA sequences are present as free plasmids (non-intergrated). They usually remain latent during a lifetime. Dr. Klein also demonstrated in man~nalian species, other than humans, that several forms of cancer have specific virus-related antigens associated with them. In most cases, Dr. Klein found, that tumor resistance was mediated through "T" cell-dependent (from th~nnus gland cells) mechanis~s. The 1980 Sloan Award was made to Isaac Berenblum, M.D., professor (emeritus) in the Department of Experimental Biology, Weizman Institute, Rehovot, Israel. It was given for his contribution to the concept that carcinogenesis is a two-stage process. The belief that cancer can indeed be prevented was based upon Dr. Berenblum's discovery of a two-step mechanism, called initiation and promo- tion, that is necessary to induce cancer in a cell. This was discovered as follows: Investigating the notion that chemical irritation might be responsible for cancer, Dr. Berenblum applied the chemical benzopyrene to mouse skin. This was the chemical found in soot associated with cancer of the scrotum in chimney sweeps in England in the 1700s. He found the chemical caused a few, small tumors. Dr. Berenblum then applied an irritant, croton oii, which comes from East Indian shrubs, and is not capable by itself of producing cancer. TI10152031

-13- After further investigation, Dr. Berenblum discovered that large tumors occurred only when croton oil was applied after exposure to benzopyrene. The reverse was ineffective. He concluded that one chemical caused a change in cells (initiation) that only became apparent when a second chemical (a promoter) was applied. The initiation substance caused cell mutations which might stay silent forever unless a promoter appeared. Today it is known that cell mutation, which takes place during the ini- tiation stage, is irreversible, while changes during promotion, a slow process, are reversible, l~e recognized that this finding might have profound implications for human cancer. THE 1981 GENERAL MOTORS CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION AWARDS Invitations to nominate candidates for the 1981 General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Awards were sent out July 1, 1980. The deadline for receipt of the nominations was Oct. 6, the day the selection process officially began. Final decisions on the award winners were made in May, 1981, by the Awards Assembly. An awards ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1981. Washington, D.C. was also the setting for the two previous awards ceremonies held on May 2, 1979 and June 18, I980. T[10152082

-14- Collusion Founders of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation realized the prestige of the awards would derive from: a distinguished selection panel, worldwide eligibility for the awards, the severity of the selection process and the generosity of the gifts. Roger Smith, Chairman of the Board of General Motors, and CEO, is the originator of the Foundation. ~e hoped the prize would not only be an impetus for further scientific research, but would demonstrate to the public that progress is being made in the fight against cancer. The award, he anticipated, would also encourage more public support for cancer research. Tl10152033