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by Tom Swartz
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, an ideal time to draw attention to the issue by having a proclamation issued for your state or town. Proclamations can raise awareness at the state and local levels as well as with members of Congress who are interested in knowing about activities in their home states. CureSearch has put together the following Guide to Childhood Cancer Proclamations which includes a sample letter you can personalize to request a proclamation, draft language for a childhood cancer awareness proclamation, and a fact sheet on childhood cancer. In addition, the organization Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation asks its members and friends to contact local media outlets to bring childhood cancer and survivorship matters to the attention of the press. Although it has historically been hard to get articles about childhood cancer in newspapers and magazines, Candlelighters believe that personalized letters from parents in individual communities might help turn the tide. It provides the following letter template that you can personalize and send to local newspapers, and radio and television stations.
When the News is Not Good - Doctors Develop Protocol for Talking to PatientsDelivering a cancer diagnosis to a patient is a difficult task for a doctor. It is news that destroys a patient’s life. Yet doctors are not taught the skills in communicating this news, and patients often remember more about how their doctor broke bad news than they do about their diagnosis or treatment options. That is why two doctors have developed a protocol for delivering news that they know will be devastating. "It acknowledges the fact that giving bad news is very hard and doctors aren't taught those skills," said Dr. Walter Baile, chief of psychiatry at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Earlier in his career, he was director of consultation-liaison psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Five years ago he joined with Dr. Robert Buckman, an oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, in creating the technique for cancer patients. They now teach it to professional oncologists and fellows throughout the country. It is known as SPIKES, which stands for "Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy and Strategy/summary). SPIKES:
S - Setting. Pick a private location.P - Perception. Find out how the patient views the medical situation.I - Invitation. Ask whether the patient wants to know.K - Knowledge. Warn before dropping bad news.E - Empathy. Respond to the patient's emotions.S - Strategy/summary. Once they know, include patients in treatment decisions.
It emphasizes skills that Buckman and Baile say are useful for physicians who have to deliver bad news. As part of the six-step process, Baile says, physicians should take their time when delivering news to ensure that patients understand what is being said. Too many doctors, he says, toss too much medical terminology at their patients. Baile said it's also critical to choose a location that's comfortable for the patient and to pay attention to the patient's emotions as he receives the information. "The most important thing is to make an empathetic statement, to say something like, 'I can see that you weren't expecting bad news,' or 'wish' statements like, 'I wish there was something I could do.' That's very different from saying, 'There's nothing I can do,' because that's abandonment," he added.
Baile is reluctant to teach the protocol to young medical students who don't have the experience to put SPIKES into context. "If you teach it too early in the medical career, before they've had patients, it really doesn't make much sense to them. I think that students can learn it, but whether they retain it is the question," Baile said. Jay Bhatt, president of the American Medical Student Association, disagreed. "I don't think that it's ever too soon to understand human interactions, human emotions and how that impacts people's health," he said.
In fact, AMSA sponsors the End of Life Education Fellowship, a six-week program that matches medical students with doctors, nurses and social workers dealing with end-of-life issues. Another supporter of teaching medical students how to deliver bad news is Dr. Jacek Mostwin, who teaches a training course titled "Patients, Physicians and Society" at Hopkins' School of Medicine. "I think the initiative should expand across the entire spectrum of physicians," he said. "You need to introduce it at all levels, but it needs to be proportionate to the experience that people have." Mostwin's course devotes two to three weeks to the topic of delivering bad news. During that period, students participate in simulated doctor-patient encounters that are evaluated by practicing physicians and watched by the class. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Douglas Ross, an oncologist and professor who specializes in hospice care, says students are introduced to end-of-life issues within the first two years of their program. They begin visiting hospices during the junior year through a program funded by the National Cancer Institute. However, they are only formally trained to use processes such as SPIKES once they are residents. "Our philosophy is that the medical students will often be taught by the residents, and we will not graduate residents unless they complete this training," Ross said. Whether it is SPKIES or other methods, better communication between doctors and patients is always welcomed. These efforts should be encouraged.
Focus on Gynecological Sarcomas Suzie Siegel, who wrote an article titled, Options and Follow-up Care for Women with Uterine Sarcoma, in the June 2006 issue of ESUN has just published an article, Focus on Gynecological Sarcomas, on the Sarcoma Alliance's website on sarcoma that starts in the female reproductive tract, with an emphasis on leiomyosarcoma.
UCSF Researchers Fingerprint Lung Tumors, Test New Drug Candidate University of California, San Francisco researchers - along with colleagues from Incyte Corporation and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - have described new targets in lung cancer and evaluated a promising new drug candidate that halts growth signals in tumor cells grown in the lab. Their report is featured in the July issue of the scientific journal Cancer Cell. The researchers focused on growth signaling through the EGFR pathway. EGFR is a protein "receptor" molecule that spans the outer membrane of the cell. From the outside of the cell, it hooks up with growth factors. EGFR then relays a growth signal - through a series of protein intermediaries - to the nucleus of the cell, where the DNA that makes up genes resides. In response to EGFR signaling, genes are switched on and off - new proteins are made or destroyed. Depending on how the cell weighs the signal, along with other signals it is receiving, it may grow or divide. However, an abnormally high amount of EGFR is present in roughly 80 percent of lung tumors. The excess is believed to be responsible for driving abnormal growth. Unfortunately, clinical trials of two drugs that target EGFR - Tarceva and Iressa - were somewhat disappointing. The drugs were designed to prevent EGFR from relaying its growth signal inside the cell. When tested on the most common category of lung cancer, nonsmall cell lung cancer, neither drug caused tumors to shrink in a majority of advanced-stage cases. In various trials, tumors shrank by 50 percent or more only in about 9 percent to 18 percent of patients. As those results suggest, there is still much more to learn about the role of the EGFR signaling pathway in lung cancer. The Cancer Cell study marks further progress. Basically, the researchers concluded that lung cancers may often be evading the effects of EGFR inhibition by sending growth signals into cancer cells along slightly altered routes. Researcher Biao He probed molecules within lung tumor samples from UCSF's tissue bank. He found that a receptor related to EGFR, called HER3, was overabundant in most of the 14 lung tumors examined. There also was excessive production of a growth factor - called heregulin - which is secreted by the same tumor cells. Heregulin attaches to HER3 from outside the cell and activates the receptor. After EGFR inhibitors were first developed, researchers learned that one of the requirements for EGFR signaling is for two receptors to pair up at the cell surface and work together. EGFR can pair with itself, but it also can meet the requirement by pairing with one of its sibling receptors, HER2 or HER3. Even without EGFR, HER2 and HER3 - when activated by heregulin and similar growth factors - can pair up to trigger growth signaling. The research collaborators on the Cancer Cell study also conducted preclinical tests on a new type of drug, called a selective ADAM inhibitor. Taking yet another step upstream along the signaling pathway, the specific drug candidate tested - called INCB3619 - inhibits a protein called ADAM17. ADAM17 activates the growth factors that in turn activate any of the EGFR-like receptors. In the lab studies, INCB3619 - by preventing activation of heregulin and its ilk - inhibited HER3 growth signaling in Tarceva-resistant tumor cells. The drug also augmented the inhibitory effect of Tarceva in nonresistant tumors. Certain subsets of patients are the most likely to benefit from EGFR inhibitor treatment. Studies from around the world have found that mutations in the EGFR gene were almost always observed in lung cancers that shrank in response to treatment. These mutations have been observed in roughly half of nonsmokers, East Asians and women, but rarely in other groups of lung cancer patients. However, even though EGFR mutation has been associated with response to treatment, it has not been strongly associated with increased survival. By the same token, some patients with advanced lung cancer whose tumors do not shrink in response to Tarceva nonetheless survive longer than patients who receive placebo. For instance, men with the squamous cell type of nonsmall cell lung cancer who smoked at some point in their lives appear to survive longer on average with Tarceva treatment, despite a very low tumor response rate. Smokers with other types of lung cancer did not have the same benefit from treatment. So far, at least one molecular measure does appear related to survival. Last year, researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that extra copies of the EGFR gene - not necessarily mutated - appear to improve the chances that patients with advanced lung cancer will respond to Tarceva treatment and live longer than they would without the additional treatment. There already are tests to detect EGFR mutations. UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center member Fred Waldman, MD, PhD, now is developing a test to enable clinical researchers to quickly gauge how many copies of the EGFR gene are present in tumor tissue. A similar test for a related protein, called HER2, already is used to determine which breast cancer patients should receive a drug, Herceptin, which is targeted against HER2. EGFR plays a role in several types of solid tumors, not just lung cancer, so the test should be quite popular, and even more so as additional targeted treatments become available.
Patient to Patient: Laser Lung Surgery This website is constructed by a Leiomyosarcoma Survivor who had multiple metastatic tumors removed from her lungs using a particular type of laser surgery performed by Dr. Axel Rolle, Chief of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery in Coswig, Germany. It is a very informal site created for those interested in pursuing laser lung surgery as an alternative to other more traditional surgical methods. There is a brief description of laser resection surgery. In addition, contact information, procedure fees, travel/lodging information as well as personal accounts from those having experienced this type of laser surgery is covered on the site. Again, this site was created for patient-to-patient assistance. Electing for this procedure is a decision to be made between you and your doctors, and the creator of the site makes clear that the information and statements expressed on the site do not represent those of Dr. Rolle or his affiliates from Fachkrankenhaus GMBH.
How Drug Cocktails Are Changing the Way We Treat Cancer It has been five years since the drug Gleevec, electrified doctors, grabbed headlines and changed the way doctors think about treating cancer. Because Gleevec was exquisitely targeted to interrupt a specific step in the cancer cell's growth process, it heralded a new era of kinder, gentler treatments that would pack all the anti-cancer wallop of chemotherapy without the toxic side effects. But five years later, while targeted drugs have certainly changed cancer treatment, they have not had quite the impact that all the fanfare promised. People are still dying at almost the same rate as they were when surgery and chemotherapy were their only options. So what happened? It turns out that Gleevec was a Cinderella story — a perfect matching of drug to cancer. The specific cancers for which Gleevec has wrought such miracles — chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) — rely pretty exclusively on a pathway that Gleevec targets, making these diseases ideal victims for a targeted therapy. But breast, lung, colon and prostate cancers, the leading types of cancer in the U.S., aren't as accommodating. So that's why doctors at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in June were taking the next logical step: if one drug isn't enough to control these tumors, then maybe creating a cocktail of several drugs, and adding them to chemotherapy, will be. In some ways, it's a fallback strategy, says Dr. Leonard Saltz, a colon cancer specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "Nobody set out to develop [these drugs] as an additive to chemotherapy," he says. "They were supposed to replace chemo, and make us look back and say, ‘Can you believe that we had a barbaric age when we were treating patients with something that made them lose their hair and vomit their guts out?' But they didn't work, and if you can't beat them, join them." So doctors may have to become molecular chefs, cooking up new anti-cancer recipes with a growing number of promising drug ingredients. If the number of presentations at ASCO is any indication, their lab cupboards are plenty full of just such compounds. So far, the best cocktails, still in early testing in the most advanced cancer patients, try to include some agents aimed at cutting off a tumor's blood supply (so-called angiogenesis inhibitors), others designed to trigger a cancer cell's pre-programmed suicide pathway, or still other compounds that muck up the intricate signaling system that a cancer cell uses to guide and control its growth. Scientists are also turning their attention to metastasis, which is responsible for over 90% of the deaths from solid tumor cancers, by finding the genes and pathways responsible for launching tumor cells to distant sites. By blocking these pathways, they hope to keep cancer corralled and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body, where it becomes more difficult to treat. All this sounds incredibly logical, but it has also led researchers to talk about their results earlier and earlier. It used to be that only wild horses would get a scientist to report on Phase I of a drug trial — the first study of a drug in human patients, which usually involve a handful of the sickest patients who have not responded to standard treatments. The purpose of Phase I studies is to establish what's known as the maximum tolerated dose — that is, the dose at which the drug then becomes too toxic and dangerous to take. But because the number of patients is too small and the safety of the drug hasn't been established, such tests are not designed to determine the drug's effectiveness. But at ASCO this year, a stunning number of Phase I studies were front and center, in key sessions attended by thousands of doctors. Dr. Branimir Sikic, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine who chaired the committee that designed ASCO's program, stated, "It's correct that there were more Phase I studies in the clinical science symposia. And we did that deliberately. It was a way to inform both practicing [cancer doctors] and clinical researchers about early data and the scientific background of new targets. We now have a huge amount of scientific research and much more knowledge in depth of why we should be targeting a particular gene or protein and how these drugs might work." All this is good news for patients, as long as they remember that, as promising as drugs sound in Phase I, they still have a long way to go before they make it to the pharmacy, if they make it at all. But with more candidates in the cancer kitchen, better cocktails are bound to emerge. "For those of us in cancer research, it's a very exciting time," says Sikic. "And we're hoping that with every year, it's going to be a better and better time to be a cancer patient."
Dinosaur Bones and Osteosarcoma Think you have nothing in common with a Tyrannosaurus rex or animals from the Jurassic era? Think again. A first-of-its-kind program combines med students, paleontologists, and cutting-edge technology. And the program's founders say doctors of tomorrow will be better if they study dinosaurs to uncover prehistoric medical links between the present and the very distant past. What do dinosaurs have in common with people today? More than you might think! Fossil technicians process dinosaur bones to find out. With the use of medical physics like a CT scan of a dinosaur bone, paleontologists find themselves light-years ahead. Carnegie Museum of Natural History paleontologist Chris Beard, Ph.D., says by studying the evolution of prehistoric animals, today's medical students can understand the origins of some common medical problems. Beard points to the oldest evidence of cancer in the fossil record as a softball-sized osteosarcoma tumor in a 150-million-year-old dinosaur bone. First-year med student Katherin Peperzak says, "The first thing I thought was, 'Wow! I didn't realize cancer was that old.'" Beard says these are examples that med students are unlikely to forget. "I think that it'll make [them] better physicians just in the sense of being able to diagnose a potential osteosarcoma at an early stage," he says. "They'll be more ready to look out for it, just knowing and being exposed to this dramatic example in the past." Paleontologists say they've also gained invaluable insight during their partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. For example, the discovery of the osteosarcoma in the dinosaur bone strengthens the idea that dinosaurs grew quickly, more like birds and mammals do instead of how reptiles grow.
ASCO 2005 Presentation - Pitfalls in the Management of Soft Tissue Tumors This education session occurred at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 2005 Annual Meeting. Three speakers present 20-25 minute lectures on different aspects of the pitfalls of soft tissue tumor treatment: (1) Dr. Fritz C. Eilber, UCLA Division of Surgical Oncology, discusses surgical pitfalls; (2) Dr. Leeanne Seger, head of UCLA’s musculoskeletal radiology group discusses pitfalls in pre-operative and post-operative imaging; and (3) Dr. Scott Nelson, head of UCLA’s sarcoma pathology group, discusses pitfalls of making the proper diagnosis of the type and subtype of biopsied sarcoma tissue sample. Each lecturer’s audio and slides are available.
Newcastle Disease Virus as Possible Cancer Treatment The above link from The National Cancer Institute provides information about using the Newcastle disease virus as a possible cancer treatment. That information is summarized below. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a virus that causes a deadly infection in many kinds of birds. In humans, NDV causes only mild flu-like symptoms or conjunctivitis (an infection of the eye that is also called pink eye) and/or laryngitis. Like other viruses, NDV infects cells (called host cells) and then uses those cells to replicate (make copies of) itself. In the process of replicating itself the virus kills the host cell. Researchers are interested in NDV because it replicates itself more quickly in human cancer cells than in most normal human cells. In fact, NDV replicates up to 10,000 times faster in human cancer cells than in most normal human cells. For these reasons, the virus is being studied as a treatment for cancer. Researchers are studying 3 ways of using NDV as a possible cancer treatment:
1. Infection of the cancer patient with NDV - NDV can be injected directly into the tumor, a muscle, or a vein, or into the colon. The virus can also be inhaled. NDV infects cells and then replicates itself, creating more copies of the virus that can then infect cells throughout the body. This process targets and kills cancer cells by damaging the cells' outer membranes. 2. Oncolysate vaccine - Oncolysate vaccines are made using pieces of cancer cell membranes infected with NDV. Oncolysate-based vaccines are injected under or into the skin.
3. Whole-cell vaccine - Whole-cell vaccines are made using whole tumor cells infected with NDV. The tumor cells used in the vaccine are changed in the laboratory so that they cannot multiply or infect the patient. Whole-cell vaccines with NDV are given only by injection under the skin.
Preclinical studies have so far confirmed that (1) NDV replicates more quickly in human cancer cells than in any other type of cell; (2) Some types of NDV are able to directly kill certain types of cancer cells; and (3) NDV and NDV-infected cancer cells can cause the immune system to respond in different ways. Some human clinical trials of NDV have taken place but as of yet they have not proven that NDV is effective as a cancer treatment. The trials have taken place in the United States, Germany, and Hungary. Some of the trials reported positive results and some did not. Most of the studies enrolled only small numbers of patients who also received standard treatments. None of the trials published in English were randomized and few were controlled. More research and studies are planned, but as of yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Newcastle disease virus as a treatment for cancer.
NCI Listens & Learns – Comment on NCI’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine Summaries The National Cancer Institute’s NCI Listens and Learns is a pilot program designed to improve communication and collaboration between NCI, the cancer advocacy community, and the public. From August 1st until September 30th, the program is seeking feedback from the advocacy community and the public on the fourteen patient-version of cancer information summaries that are related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). To view the list of CAM summaries, click here. In particular the NCI is interested in knowing (1) Is the type of information provided in the CAM cancer information summaries for patients useful?, and (2) Is there a CAM therapy for which you would like to see a summary written? To participate in NCI Listens and Learns, register as a new user and then simply begin posting comments. The program is NOT intended to answer specific questions about cancer. Following the request for comments phase, NCI will review all comments and then create and post a summary of the cancer advocacy organization comments. Following the posting of the summary of comments, anyone may comment on the summary. NCI will then review all comments and the summary and will then publish an official response. This will conclude the dialogue process. This is an important opportunity for the sarcoma advocacy community to add its input on the information provided by the NCI about complementary and alternative medicine. Please take the time to review the CAM summaries and make your comments.
Britain Gets Cancer Drug Sutent The drug Sutent recently received licensing approval in Great Britain to treat kidney cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Early trials suggest that Sutent may also be effective against breast, lung and pancreatic cancers. Sutent aims to build on the huge success of Glivec, which acts by inhibiting a key enzyme that signals cells to multiply and which is overactive in some cancers. In addition, Sutent starves tumors of the nutrients they need to develop by preventing the growth of blood vessels. It is the first drug to combine both these modes of action. In GIST cases where the tumors become resistant to Glivec, Sutent quadrupled progression-free survival from six weeks to six months. In a third of cases, the disease stabilized. Judith Robinson, from the charity GIST Support UK, said: “Sutent is the first drug shown to be effective in patients with advanced GIST where the current standard of care has failed. For patients it can offer precious extra months of life.”
Aida Pharmaceuticals Announces Completion Of Phase I Trials For Gene-Therapy Drug Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of mainland China's leading pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it has successfully concluded the Phase I trials for its gene-therapy anti-tumor drug Rh-Apo2L. Rh-Apo2L was approved for clinical trials in May 2005 by China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The trials were conducted from September 2005 through May 2006 at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Rh-Apo2L is a broad spectrum genetic cell apoptosis (cell- killing) agent, which can be used for the treatment of a variety of tumors. The Phase I clinical trials included 20 patients with advanced-stage malignant tumors. The researched cancer types included non-Hodgkin lymphoma, sarcoma, adrenal gland cortical tumors, non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and parotid gland capsule adenocarcinoma. Researchers found that clinical trials support the belief that Rh-Apo2L reduces the tumor size of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, sarcoma and adrenal gland cortical tumors. Additionally, researchers found that Rh-Apo2L also affects the tumor size of non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and parotid gland capsule adenocarcinoma. Specific curative results of Rh-Apo2L will be confirmed in Phase II and III clinical trials. Jin Biao, Aida Pharmaceuticals' Chairman, stated, "The preliminary results of the Phase I trials indicate that Rh-Apo2L is effective in reducing the size of tumors through a genetic process to the benefit of patients. Not only is tumor size reduced, but patients only experienced the nominal side-effects which are common in similar cancer fighting treatments. However, more severe side effects such as blood cell toxicity were not apparent. To date, our studies on Rh-Apo2L indicate that it may be one of the safest drugs for tumor therapy available. This is a great success for China's biotechnology industry and an encouraging event for us at Aida." Aida Pharmaceuticals is scheduling a press conference in August to discuss the conclusion and positive results of Rh-Apo2L Phase I trials. The Company plans to imminently apply for Phase II and Phase III clinical trials with the SFDA. The Company also reiterates its previous statement that it anticipates the completion of all clinical trials by the end of 2007 and that Rh-Apo2L will receive all regulatory approval needed for commercialization in 2008.
So I will Pause and Rest This is one of the slides in a beautiful slide show called "The Survivor's Movie". Click here to view it.
In addition to professional articles on dealing with stress, this web site offers user stress stories and tips, a stress helpline, and an opportunity to submit your stress questions to their stress experts.
Gary Schwartz is Chief of New Melanoma and Sarcoma Service at MSK Gary K. Schwartz has been named Chief of the newly created Melanoma and Sarcoma Service in the Department of Medicine's Division of Solid Tumor Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Schwartz is a physician-scientist who has been a member of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service for 16 years and is widely known for developing new drug treatments for tumors. In his laboratory, he and his colleagues have explored the underlying mechanisms of apoptosis (programmed cell death), and developing cell cycle active drugs to enhance the effects of chemotherapy. He has focused on the development of new drugs for both sarcoma and melanoma. "Patients with melanoma or sarcoma have unique needs," said Dr. Schwartz. "They require special therapies that are distinct from other tumor types." Two approaches that hold particular promise for these cancers are targeted therapies and vaccines. Targeted therapies are aimed at specific genetic mutations, or targets, and investigators are discovering that some of these targets are found in both sarcoma and melanoma. "If you look at the molecular biology of these cancers," explained Dr. Schwartz, "they have shared targets for which there should be common therapeutics and common treatments that will be effective in both diseases." Vaccine therapy, which has been pioneered for melanoma at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, also appears to have direct applications to the treatment of sarcoma. In announcing the formation of the new service, George J. Bosl, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, explained that the service "will consolidate the treatment of patients with these cancers into a single group of physicians, enhance ongoing and overlapping research programs, and recognize the team approach embedded in the Sarcoma and Melanoma Disease Management Teams." Joining Dr. Schwartz on the new service are medical oncologists from the Clinical Immunology and Gastrointestinal Oncology Services -- Paul B. Chapman, David R. D'Adamo, Samuel Ejadi, Alan N. Houghton, Mary Louise Keohan, Susan E. Krown, Philip O. Livingston, Robert G. Maki, and Jedd D. Wolchok -- as well as immunologist Govindaswami Ragupathi. "We have a great group of medical oncologists and scientists who have both clinical and laboratory experience," said Dr. Schwartz. "We have the opportunity to develop amazing new therapeutics for treating two diseases for which there are very few active agents."
Upcoming Events and Fund Raisers
The Silver Fox Club Continues its Pledge to Help Those with Sarcoma The Silver Fox Club i contributes 10 percent of its sales to helping those with sarcoma, which has affected the founder’s wife. On August 11, 2006 The Silver Fox Club will host its 2nd Annual Day at the Races to “OutFox” Sarcoma. More than 80 guests joined the event last year for a spirited afternoon at Monmouth Park Racetrack, NJ and helped to raise over $20,000 for sarcoma cancer research. The Club hopes to surpass last years' totals and continue its mission to pledge time, energy and resources to build cancer awareness, fund research and support patient programs. Their goal this year is to provide funding for SARC (Sarcoma Alliance Research through Collaboration) to support research focused on discovering and developing new weapons with which to treat and eradicate sarcoma. Once again the event will take place at Monmouth Park Racetrack, New Jersey.
Norm Creel's participation in the Leadville Trail 100-Mile Ultramarathon to benefit SFA The race begins at 4:00a.m. on August 19 and ends at 10:00a.m. on August 20, 2006. It is known as "The Race Across the Sky," named after the elevation of the Leadville, Colorado course, which start a little over 10,000 feet and climbs to 12,600 as the runners go over Hope Pass, approximately 40 miles from Leadville. 50 miles out and 50 miles back over some of Colorado's beautiful high country, the Race is the highest 100 mile race in the U.S., perhaps in the world. Norm Creel is running the race for pledges tied to the miles he completes in memory of his wife who died in December 2005 after a two-year struggle with sarcoma. All donations will go to the Sarcoma Foundation of America.
The Sarcoma Alliance's Ocean of Hope The Ocean of Hope (Team O2H) is a group of paddleboarders who dedicate their race in the Catalina Classic to the Sarcoma Alliance. This dedication honors those with this rare and deadly form of cancer and assists them to find the guidance, education, and support that they need. This team of courageous men and women will be individually paddling 32 miles in the Pacific Ocean, spanning six to eight hours in the waters from Catalina Island to Manhattan Beach. On that day, many courageous patients with sarcoma will devote similar hours in treatment, preparing for surgery, or resting up for another week of radiation. The Sarcoma Alliance invites you to join them on August 27, 2006 in celebrating the 7th annual Ocean of Hope campaign (O2H). For more information, click on the above link.
2006 Ty Cheverier Open to Benefit Chondrosarcoma Research Due to the generosity of the Cheverier family, proceeds from the first annual Ty Cheverier Open will benefit the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative and the Cheverier Children's Trust Fund. The funds received by the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative will be targeted toward chondrosarcoma research. The golf tournament will take place on September 8, 2006 at the Gillette Ridge Golf Club in Bloomfield, Connecticut. If you are interested in participating in it, please contact Kathleen Cheverier.
Cure Magazine Patient and Survivor Forums Cure Magazine is sponsoring two upcoming patient and survivor forums. The first will take place September 16th & 17th in Washington, D.C. and the second will take place November 4th & 5th in San Diego. Learn about the latest cancer breakthroughs and hear inspiring speakers discuss how to live with and thrive after cancer. Each Saturday session will discuss today’s newest treatments with breakouts for breast, lung, colon, prostate, ovarian, and leukemia & lymphoma (and maybe more) when you can talk directly to the experts. Saturday afternoon and Sunday will focus on psychosocial issues, such as fear of recurrence, pain management, intimacy, being a co-survivor and much more! A registration fee of $50 includes breakfast, lunch [Saturday only] snacks, reception, tote bag and conference materials. Click on the link above for further information on accommodations, and contact info. A full agenda for the forums has not yet been posted on the above link; check back in the future.
Cancer Survivorship Research Conference On October 4-6, 2006, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation will co-sponsor the Third Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference, entitled “Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future.” Attend stimulating scientific presentations, participate in discussions focused on innovative research findings, and network with multidisciplinary experts vested in the continued evolution of survivorship research. The 2.5 day conference will include plenary talks, panel presentations, and breakout sessions relevant to the focus of the meeting. In addition, a poster session will ensure time for open, informal discussion of meeting topics. The conference will take place at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland. The conference agenda can be viewed by clicking here.
Third Annual Catwalk for a Cure® awareness luncheon and fashion show benefiting the Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation will take place in Houston, Texas on Thursday, October 12, 2006. Champagne check-in begins at 11:00 AM. Carole Radziwill, author of What Remains, is the "Celebrity Guest". For more information about the event, please call (832) 367-9474.
GIST Cancer Research Fund's 6th Annual WALK (for a GIST cancer) CURE Everyone will meet on Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 10:30 AM in Parking Lot #1 - North Side of the Rockland State Park in Congers, New York between 9:30 & 10:15 AM, rain or shine. The three mile walk around the very beautiful & picturesque lake will start at 10:30 AM. Should anybody care to there are benches along the way to sit and rest awhile. Lunch will be served in the park directly after The Walk, so that those who want to network, get acquainted, socialize, compare experiences with the many other GIST patients, their families, care givers, friends and GIST expert doctors and researchers that will be there.
The goal of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) is to "advance the care of patients with connective tissue tumors and to increase knowledge of all aspects of the biology of these tumors, including basic and clinical research". The Annual CTOS Meeting brings together sarcoma researchers and clinicians from all over the world to discuss recent results and findings.. This meeting will be held on November 2-4, 2006 in Venice, Italy. There will be a "Patient Advocacy" session on November 4th in which several Sarcoma Advocacy groups, including the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, will make presentations.
The “Two by Two” Campaign The Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation announced the launch of the “Two by Two” campaign as part of Team Sarcoma 2006. Between 30-40 people participated in the first two meetings of the campaign which were held in Burton, Texas. Two by Two was created by Kristin Murray (a college student and volunteer). Her inspiration comes from the fact that sarcoma remains a "forgotten cancer". As a result, those impacted by the disease often find themselves feeling a sort of isolation that comes along with having such an orphan disease. Murray, who with her mother has volunteered working with pediatric cancer patients for years, feels that "there is nothing more heart-tugging than a child suffering from cancer." Knowing that sarcomas impact both children and young persons as well as adults, she feels certain that Two by Two has the power to connect with people on a personal level with the ultimate goal of bringing sarcoma out of the shadows of the destructive behemoth we know as cancer and acknowledging that sarcoma patients deserve the same support as other cancer patients. With that, the dynamic young Murray along with a team of young volunteers aims to transfer this energy into action. The name, Two by Two, is based on the two steps participants must take to participate in the campaign and will largely work in concert with the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative’s Team Sarcoma project. All program participants will be asked to 1) Wear their Two by Two T-shirts, and 2) Tell two more people about the campaign.
Kristin Murray (right) and her mother, Mary
The campaign aims to focus its energies on engaging the youth across our communities, especially on college campuses. Two by Two has the potential to grow within the college community. It's a basic fact: a college student can never have too many t-shirts. During college, many students feel a sense of new-found independence and liberation. With this comes a belief that they have the power to influence our society. Although this image of today's college student is a cliché, it's true. For years they have heard that they are the future. If college students are passionate about a cause and believe they have the potential to make an impact on a real-world issue, why not channel the youthful spirit and sense of power towards Two by Two?"
The campaign will run for 10-months. Two by Two will take place on college campuses and at work places around the country. More than 30 individuals have signed on to participate in Two by Two and have expressed an interest in taking the campaign to their school or organization. For more information on the Two By Two campaign please contact Kristin Murray or Melissa Amschwand Bellinger at 832-367-9474 or by sending either of them an e-mail note at info@sarcomacancer.org.
V3N4 ESUN Copyright © 2006 Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.
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