The Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) and Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation have announced the selection of Karen Van Baelen, MD, of KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, as the recipient of the 2022 Conquer Cancer – Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Award (YIA) for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Research.
Dr. Van Baelen’s project is titled Unravelling progression and treatment resistance mechanisms of invasive lobular breast cancer through a unique post mortem tissue donation program. This program will allow people with ILC in or near Leuven to donate tissue samples after their deaths. Van Baelen will be able to study cancerous lesions and attempt to reconstruct how lobular breast cancer spreads throughout the body. It is hoped that this will lead to a better understanding of how invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) spreads, grows, and protects itself against different therapies. This research may lead to better treatments that prevent metastatic ILC.
“LBCA is excited to be able to support Dr. Van Baelen’s research into the behavior of metastatic ILC with our second ILC research grant and first two-year grant with Conquer Cancer. There is still so little understood about ILC overall, and even less about how and why ILC metastasizes in the sometimes-unique ways that it does,” commented LBCA Executive Director Laurie Hutcheson. “We are optimistic that this dedicated ILC research will help the scientific community take great strides forward in better understanding and ultimately eradicating lobular breast disease. We look forward to hearing about Dr. Van Baelen’s progress.”
The 2022 Conquer Cancer – Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance YIA for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Research provides up to $100,000 of funding over two years to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology with a focus on ILC.
Learn more about Dr. Van Baelen and her upcoming research by watching her interview with LBCA Communications Director Colleen Fitzwater.
For more information about lobular breast cancer or to make a gift visit lobularbreastcancer.org.
