ACC C.U.R.E.- Crusade Until a Resolution Exists is a non profit 501C-3 organization established in 2012 dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Adrenal Cortical Cancer (ACC) or Adrenal Cancer. ACC C.U.R.E.'s president Linda Gannon was gifted the organization by her husband and 2 children after being diagnosed with ACC in 2009. Linda lives in New Jersey and after researching her cancer she found one of the head researchers and physicians treating this cancer was Dr. Gary Hammer and made a vow to give back. In the 6 years that she has headed the organization she has raised over $250,000 for ACC research at the University of Michigan. Linda's dream is for others to raise awareness and funds for ACC research.
Adrenal cancer (Adrenocortical Carcinoma) is an extremely rare and aggressive cancer affecting the adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney. These glands are essential for the regulation of various important body functions, including blood pressure, heart rate, and the production and regulation of various hormones. They are also responsible for the body’s ability to respond to stress. Although the average age of those diagnosed is between 45 and 50, adrenal cancer has been found to affect those of all ages, even young children. Oftentimes there are no physical symptoms of the disease in adults, making it very difficult to diagnose. Adrenal tumors do appear on CT scans or MRIs that are typically done on an individual for a different reason.
The incidence rate of adrenal cancer is about 600 new cases per year in the United States, or 1 to 2 diagnosed individuals per million. This type of cancer is extremely aggressive and can spread very rapidly. The rarity of adrenal cancer means that many physicians are not familiar with it and therefore are unsure of how to treat it. Thankfully, there are locations such as Moffitt Cancer Center that specialize in adrenal cancer and are making outstanding efforts to understand and treat this rare disease. Moffitt Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center based in Florida.
ABOUT
Dr. Julie Hallanger-Johnson
Program Leader, Endocrine Oncology Program
On the endocrine side, we have a retrospective analysis ongoing for adrenocortical cancer. With funding, the work would aim to correlate cell free DNA, circulating tumor markers with tumor burden, outcomes, response to therapy. There is also the desire to move into the immunotherapy realm as there are some early suggestions that immunotherapy in select cases may hold promise.
Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez
Dr. Julie Hallanger-Johnson
Program Leader, Endocrine Oncology Program
On the endocrine side, we have a retrospective analysis ongoing for adrenocortical cancer. With funding, the work would aim to correlate cell free DNA, circulating tumor markers with tumor burden, outcomes, response to therapy. There is also the desire to move into the immunotherapy realm as there are some early suggestions that immunotherapy in select cases may hold promise.
Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez
Chief, Surgery Service
Chair, Sarcoma Department
Currently Moffitt has genomic and immunohistochemical data on patients with adrenal cancer. Of the patients with both genomic and immunohistochemical data we have found two interesting mutations. One mutation is in CTNNB1 and the other mutation is in CHECK2. We are doing clinical correlative work now.