Breast Cancer

The Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute at Sylvester is recognized in the South Florida medical community as a major academic center for expert breast cancer consultation service linked to state-of-the-art research. Our commitment to breast cancer research includes many different types of research opportunities for patients, physicians, and scientists.

Clinical Trials
Clinical trial participation is integral to Sylvester’s commitment to ground-breaking research. Clinical trials, which are research studies used to answer specific questions about new therapies or new ways of using known therapies, allow patients to participate in the newest treatments in development. 

Clinical trials activated at Sylvester for breast cancer patients are in breast cancer genetics, prevention, imaging, pre-operative therapy, and new surgical techniques. These trials also look at post-surgical chemotherapy and radiation, and at how to better treat advanced stages of breast cancer. Active trials use novel chemotherapies, anti-estrogen treatments, as well as novel molecular targeting drugs.

For more information about clinical trials at the Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute and Sylvester’s Clinical Trials Matching Service for breast cancer patients, click here.

Types of Research
Clinical Research
Translating research breakthroughs into more effective treatments remains one of Sylvester’s and the Institute’s highest priorities. To facilitate collaboration, communication, and drive progress, the Institute offers a number of forums for interdisciplinary dialogue among its research scientists and clinicians covering basic science, clinical, and translational aspects of breast cancer research. These venues include weekly Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute Research Lab data reviews, bi-weekly Breast Site Group multidisciplinary meetings and the following monthly meetings:

• Clinical breast journal club for the hematology-oncology fellows
• Grants workshop on the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer
• Grants workshop on breast cancer social sciences
• Braman molecular research scientists meetings
• Breast cancer research seminar series

For more information about our scientists, including their research interests, click here

Social Sciences
Comprehensive breast cancer research goes beyond the physical to look at how mental health, lifestyle, and behaviors play roles in breast cancer incidence, detection, outcomes, and more.

Epidemiology
Our social scientists look at the epidemiology of breast cancer, studying such topics as social barriers to clinical trials entry and what helps determine survivorship in a multi-ethnic breast cancer population. Psychosocial issues play roles in breast cancer and we look at those, as well. For example, our scientists have studied how women find benefit (personal growth) during the experience of breast cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Psychosocial Support Research
The Institute’s team of social scientists study patient risks and behaviors to optimize breast cancer care. Their work includes the study of breast cancer patients in different ethnic communities to better understand how to educate our culturally diverse population about breast cancer screening, access to care, and to improve early diagnosis.  

For more information about our scientists, including their research interests, click here

Molecular Sciences
Molecular scientists at the Institute work to understand the molecular pathways that cause breast cancer growth and treatment resistance. Our scientists work on various aspects of breast cancer including cell cycle/signaling, signaling/structure, transcriptional regulation, breast development models, tumor immunology/pathology, and experimental therapeutics. The team has developed a highly collaborative network of research projects, and increasingly, research scientists and clinical investigators work together to plan, design, and implement study programs that impact our understanding of the molecular causes of cancer, its prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

For more information about our scientists, including their research interests, click here

Research Resources
Facilities and Labs
Currently, the Institute’s research laboratories are located in four buildings. The research scientists and clinicians have access to 10 shared research resources that markedly facilitate breast cancer research. These resources are defined as laboratory and clinical research support facilities, equipment, and services that will be used by multiple investigators for projects or programs supported by peer-reviewed grants and contracts. For more information about Shared Resources, click here.

In 2007, with the completion of the Institute’s wet lab research building, many of our current laboratories will relocate into the new building. One floor with 13,461 square feet of lab space will house 8 to 10 of the Institute’s investigators. Additional lab space will be available for the Breast Molecular Pathology Lab and Tumor Bank in an area for cancer research assigned to the Pathology Department and funded by Sylvester.