IU doctor treated Armstrong

He would have never won a record-setting seven consecutive Tour de France titles. He would not have been named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year three years running. He probably would not be alive today had it not been for the work of Dr. Lawrence H. Einhorn, a leading clinical oncologist at the IU Cancer Center and distinguished professor.\nAfter being diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer in the fall of 1996, cyclist Lance Armstrong arrived at the IU Cancer center, where he was treated and cured by Einhorn, who had developed a revolutionary chemotherapy regimen years before to treat testicular cancer. \nNow the Lance Armstrong Foundation is honoring Einhorn and thanking the University by establishing the Lance Armstrong Foundation Chair in Oncology at IU. The $1.5 million endowment will provide funding for research and related programs within the department. \n"For many people, (Einhorn) has given them their lives back and Lance is one of those people," said LAF Associate Director of Public Relations Stephanie Elsea. "That's obviously one of the reasons we wanted to endow the chair."\nThe $1.5 million will not all be spent initially, as Steve Williams, director of the IU Cancer Center, said the yield on most endowments is about 4 or 5 percent to be used by the recipient of the title. The rest, he said, will be used as principal to create interest so the chair lasts indefinitely. \n"In Dr. Einhorn's case, approximately $75,000 will be paid annually to the Department of Medicine to support cancer research initiatives directed by Dr. Einhorn," said IU School of Medicine Senior Associate Director Mary Maxwell.\nBecoming the first chairman of the endowment, Einhorn, along with the University, will decide how exactly they will put the money to use for research and clinical trials that will directly support Einhorn's studies. Williams said Einhorn will hold the chair indefinitely until he either chooses to give it up or is no longer a full-time professor at IU. \nEinhorn said the areas he would like to focus the money on include the human genome study and trying to identify individual genes and proteins that can be identified in the tumor tissue or the bloodstream. He also said it will help in individualized cancer therapy for patients. \nHe added that the endowment has extra benefits in the freedom it provides. As opposed to grants, which have to be approved and are not easily modified, this gives him more control to do the research he feels will be the most useful. \n"It's a great feeling, and not only because of the financial amount that allows us to do some cancer research we wouldn't otherwise be doing," Einhorn said. "But it's because it's coming from Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation."\nEinhorn's most accredited medical contribution is his work in the mid-1970s to develop a ground-breaking chemotherapy regimen that dramatically increased the rate of survival for testicular cancer patients. Elsea said because of his work, the survival rate for those diagnosed with testicular cancer is currently at about 95 percent, up from what was essentially a death sentence in the early 1970s. \n"In the world of cycling, Lance Armstrong is a superstar -- everyone knows Lance as a cyclist," Elsea said. "In the world of oncology, Dr. Einhorn is pretty much the equivalent." \nOn Oct. 2, 1996, at the age of 25 and already one of the top cyclists in the world, Armstrong was diagnosed with an advanced stage of testicular cancer that had spread to his abdominal cavity, brain and lungs. \nThat is when he sought out the world-renowned Einhorn.\nTreated at the IU Medical Center by Einhorn and Dr. Craig Nichols of the Oregon Cancer Center, he first underwent surgery Oct. 24 of that year to remove the two tumors in his brain.\nIntensive chemotherapy treatments followed. He arrived in Indianapolis and, for five days, was administered the therapy by Einhorn before returning home for about two-and-a-half weeks to recover. This was repeated four separate times for a total of about 10 months. \nOne year after being diagnosed, in October 1997, the tumors had disappeared from the chest X-ray and his HCG count had stabilized at a normal 1.5. He was finally pronounced cured. \nIt was during his final stages of his treatment, before being cured, that Armstrong founded the LAF to fund cancer research and create survivor centers around the country. The group is most famous for its yellow Livestrong wristbands, of which they have already sold about 56 million. Also, the group sponsors a number of events, such as the recent Ride for the Roses, which took in $7.5 million to raise money for programs and grants like the IU endowment. \n"In this day in age (it is) increasingly difficult to get state or federal funding for cancer research," Einhorn said. "We are dependent on foundation support and philanthropy to achieve the goals we set out to do"