When a child is diagnosed with cancer, their family is presented with treatment options – often a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy have been used to treat kids’ cancers for more than 50 years and often come with long-term late effects including secondary cancers, heart damage and cognitive issues. Often a child’s best chance at survival is a clinical trial which offers them the newest treatment options available.
In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will highlight the critical need to fund lifesaving research and share stories of kids affected by cancer – like Micah, who is alive today because there was a clinical trial available.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8284352-st-baldricks-foundation-conquer-childhood-cancers/
Let’s Win, an initiative supported by the Lustgarten Foundation, launched the Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer Survivors video series Friday, January 19, 2018, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. The new online video series, featuring long-term pancreatic cancer survivors of all ages and diverse backgrounds, has been created to show pancreatic cancer patients and their families that people do survive this disease. The survivors have responded exceptionally well to pancreatic cancer therapy that incorporates clinical trials and treatments that go beyond traditional protocols.
When patients are first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, they often turn to the internet, only to find devastating and frightening statistics about the disease. “Our goal is to provide hope and inspiration to patients and their families,” says Cindy Gavin, founding executive director of Let’s Win. “We are so grateful for the incredible vision of one special patient and the generosity of The Flora Family Foundation for their support of this incredible initiative.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8213752-lets-win-pancreatic-cancer-survivor-video-series/
Lustgarten Foundation funded researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins have designed a multi-analyte blood test that can detect the presence of pancreatic cancer as part of a panel of eight common cancers (pancreas, ovary, liver, stomach, esophagus, colorectum, lung and breast) as reported in the online edition of Science today. The test utilizes combined assays for genetic alterations and protein biomarkers and has the capacity not only to identify the presence of relatively early cancer, but also to localize the organ of origin of these cancers.
“The potential this has for pancreatic cancer is unprecedented,” says Anne Marie Lennon, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Pancreatic Cyst Center of the Ludwig Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. “We know that in 80-85 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, it’s detected too late, leaving the patient with few options. Developing a blood screening test for pancreatic cancer has been an urgent goal, because catching the disease early will be the way we get to long-term survival.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8213751-lustgarten-foundation-pancreatic-cancer-blood-test/
In honor of World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Nov. 16, people around the world will come together to Demand Better in the fight against the world’s toughest cancer, starting with earlier diagnosis. The annual one-day campaign is an initiative of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, which is comprised of more than 60 organizations from 27 countries on six continents.
Every day, more than 1,000 people worldwide will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of that, an estimated 985 will die from the disease. Additionally, pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate among all major cancers, and in nearly every country, it is the only major cancer with a single-digit five-year survival rate (2-9 percent). These stunning figures are not merely statistics, they represent family members, friends and colleagues on every corner of the globe.
“This year, we are turning World Pancreatic Cancer Day from a day of awareness to a day of action,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition chair. “As we expand our global movement to end pancreatic cancer, we are demanding better for pancreatic cancer patients now and in the future.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8201651-world-pancreatic-cancer-day-demand-better/
Blood cancers are the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. However, many Americans are unaware of the impact of these cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, which affect the bone marrow, the blood cells, the lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system.
A new survey commissioned by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) reveals more than four in five adults (82%) are surprised that blood cancers are the third leading cancer killer of Americans. Further, nearly four in five adults (78%) are surprised that acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and young adults under age 20.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8128551-lls-blood-cancer-awareness-month/
In an effort to improve outcomes for patients with some of the deadliest childhood cancers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have created the world’s largest collection of pediatric solid tumor samples, drug-sensitivity data and related information and have made the resource available at no charge to the global scientific community.
St. Jude and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated to create the resource, known as the Childhood Solid Tumor Network. The work is reported today as an advance online publication in the scientific journal Nature.
“Survival rates for children with recurrent solid tumors have not improved significantly in more than 20 years and remain below 30 percent,” said corresponding author Michael Dyer, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “This research will change that by promoting scientific collaboration to leverage the efforts of researchers worldwide to advance understanding and ultimately treatment of pediatric solid tumors.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8121952-st-jude-childrens-childhood-solid-tumor-network/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients who completed kindergarten during their treatment for pediatric cancers celebrated at a graduation ceremony.
For the 10th straight year, St. Jude honored 14 patients from around the United States who completed kindergarten while battling life-threatening illnesses like leukemia and brain tumors. Dozens of families and St. Jude doctors, nurses, and staff cheered for the young students, who completed kindergarten in the St. Jude School Program by Chili’s.
Each year, the school program commemorates students who have completed kindergarten coursework with a special ceremony. The children present a song for the families and St. Jude staff, receive their diplomas and celebrate the milestone with their fellow students.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924755-st-jude-celebrates-kindergarten-graduation/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is naming the institution’s principal research tower after Donald Pinkel, M.D., whose legacy of driving progress toward advancing cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases continues at the institution today.
When St. Jude was established 55 years ago, Pinkel, the hospital’s first medical director, committed to finding cures for childhood cancer, leading to groundbreaking treatments that saved countless children’s lives. Many of these cancers were deemed incurable prior to Pinkel’s research, but his distinct approach to eradicating diseases established a model for how cancers could be treated.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924752-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital-donald-pinkel-tower/
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has committed $40.3 million in new research investments to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical centers around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Fondazione Centro San Raffaele in Milan; and South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute in Adelaide.
This $40.3 million investment, comprised of 75 new research grants in LLS’s portfolio of 300 projects, will fund a diverse array of research to find better treatments and cures for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554855-lls-invests-millions-new-research-treatment-cures/
Going on the offensive against one of the most daunting challenges in cancer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced the launch of a groundbreaking, collaborative clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly disease which has seen few improvements in treatments in more than 40 years.
Beat AML was announced yesterday by Vice President Biden, along with many new, Moonshot inspired initiatives across industry, non-profit and government.
AML is the most lethal of the blood cancers, which together are the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.; AML is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths each year. Despite advances in treating other blood cancers, the standard of treatment for AML – a combination of toxic chemotherapies – has remained the same for more than 40 years. Overall prognosis remains poor, with a five-year survival rate below 20 percent for patients over age 60.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554854-lls-beat-aml-acute-myeloid-leukemia/
Breast cancer now represents one in four of all cancers in women worldwide and touches lives every day. While experiences with the disease may vary, the desire to defeat breast cancer is universal. This year, in honor of a shared vision for a world without this disease, The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign celebrates the power of global solidarity by encouraging people around the world to “Take Action Together to Defeat Breast Cancer.” The 2016 BCA Campaign invites women, men and families to draw inspiration from one another and unite in action on BCAcampaign.com and social media, while supporting lifesaving breast cancer research.
Over the past two decades, The Estée Lauder Companies’ BCA Campaign, launched by the late Evelyn H. Lauder, co-creator of the Pink Ribbon and founder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF), has been a leading voice for breast cancer awareness around the world, igniting a global movement that has helped save millions of lives and fund innovative breast cancer research. Today, The BCA Campaign is active in more than 70 countries and has raised more than $65 million to support global research, education and medical services, with more than $50 million funding 200 BCRF medical research grants worldwide over the past 22 years. These funds help accelerate critical research across wide-ranging areas such as tumor biology, heredity and ethnicity, lifestyle and prevention, treatment, survivorship and metastasis. Around the world, The BCA Campaign partners with more than 60 breast cancer organizations focused on breast cancer research, education and medical services. This year, The BCA Campaign is committed to raising $6 million in support of its mission to defeat breast cancer through education and medical research.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7935851-estee-lauder-bca-campaign-2016/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® officials and guests today marked the opening of the St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children with cancer.
Patients are now being treated at the center using precisely delivered, high-energy particles called protons to kill or shrink tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue and organs. For patients with brain tumors and certain other cancers, research suggests proton beam therapy may be more effective than conventional radiation at preventing the growth and spread of tumors while reducing the risk of treatment-related side effects.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7713451-st-jude-proton-therapy-opening/