Most Promising Cancer Treatment Advances of 2011

December 29, 2011

New treatment therapies and promising results from a variety of clinical trials over this year are giving new hope to people affected by cancer. Showcased at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held this past June in Chicago, these advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatments were especially encouraging for people with melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and numerous other diagnoses which have been difficult to treat.

CancerCare has compiled these most promising findings in its new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2011, available online now. You can also order your free copies from our publications page.

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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett

New Treatment for Metastatic Melanoma is First to Prolong Lives

April 1, 2011

Experts in the treatment of melanoma answered listeners’ questions this week during CancerCare’s free Connect Education Workshop, Metastatic Melanoma Treatment Update.  Melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, is one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide.

The workshop coincided with the FDA’s approval of “breakthrough” drug Yervoy, the first drug shown to prolong the lives of people with metastatic melanoma.  Listen to the workshop.

Yervoy’s manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, is expected to present studies on its effectiveness at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be held June 4-8 in Chicago, IL.  

Yervoy is an immunotherapy drug that harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight tumors. A recent New York Times article about the development of Yervoy described how it works by “essentially disabling a break on the immune system.”

CancerCare’s offers free, professional services for people affected by melanoma. The Melanoma Helpline, a partnership between CancerCare and the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), is staffed by professional oncology social workers who provide free telephone counseling and reliable information about resources and ways to cope with melanoma. Call The Melanoma Helpline at 877-MRF-6460 (877-673-6460).

Teb’s Troops, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for people affected by melanoma, will hold its annual 5K in Chicago, IL on Sunday, July 24. Teb’s Troops provides a generous grant from funds raised at this event to support CancerCare’s free, professional services for anyone facing melanoma. Visit Teb’s Troops’ Facebook page to learn more.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Year in Review: The Most Promising Treatment Advances of 2010

January 3, 2011

CancerCare’s newest Connect® Booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments, highlights the year’s most exciting treatment updates on a number of different cancers. The information was presented by leading experts at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Some of the year’s most promising findings included:

Melanoma: For the first time ever, a new drug extended the lives of people whose melanoma no longer responds to other treatments and has spread beyond the skin to other parts of the body. (Learn more about CancerCare‘s free support services for people affected by melanoma).

Lung Cancer: Researchers reported that older patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer can be safely and effectively treated with more aggressive chemotherapy. Researchers also reported that supportive care not only improves the quality of life for people with metastatic lung cancer, but also extends their lives. (Visit www.lungcancer.org to learn about CancerCare‘s free resources for people diagnosed with lung cancer and their loved ones).

Blood and Lymph Cancers: For the first time, drugs such as lenalidomide (Revlimid) can be used not only to treat newly diagnosed or relapsed myeloma, but also as therapies to keep myeloma from coming back after successful first-time treatment. (CancerCare provides individual transportation grants to people with multiple myeloma through our “Door to Door” program, along with a wide range of additional free support services).

Head and Neck Cancer: Researchers discovered that testing a patient’s human papillomavirus (HPV) status helps doctors craft more effective treatments for the patient. (CancerCare helps people affected by head and neck cancer and their loved ones through free support services including counseling, support groups, education, financial assistance, and referrals to other resources).

Read the entire booklet online, or order free copies from our website.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Latest Advances in Cancer Care Showcased at Annual ASCO Meeting

June 15, 2010

CancerCare was proud a proud participant at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held June 4-8 in Chicago, IL. The ASCO Annual Meeting is the nation’s premier educational and scientific conference where more than 30,000 oncology health care professionals gather to discuss the latest in cancer care.

CancerCare’s ASCO-Sponsored Patient Advocacy Booth allowed our representatives to interact with health care professionals from across the country — and around the world — to promote our free support services for anyone affected by cancer.

ASCO President Douglas W. Blaney, MD, with CancerCare’s Monica Cavazos Mendez

Complete ASCO Annual Meeting coverage, including research summaries, podcasts, and video can be found on ASCO’s website.

CancerCare’s publication, Your Guide to the Latest Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2010, will be available soon.  Please stay posted for updates!

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

USA Today Examines Rising Costs of Cancer Treatments

March 19, 2010

An article published in USA Today this past Wednesday mentions CancerCare in an examination of escalating costs of cancer treatment.

The costs of treatment and care for a person with cancer have skyrocketed in recent years, with overall spending in the U.S. now exceeding $90 billion.  It is impossible to provide an estimate of the “average” cost of cancer treatment, as hundreds of different diagnoses and their respective costs are too extreme to yield an accurate median.

The only certainty is, cancer is an extremely expensive illness to treat.  Charitable organizations such as CancerCare provide financial help to thousands of people per year but are not the total solution to the financial hardships people with cancer too often face.

We are optimistic that this weekend’s vote on health care reform will spark a change towards more comprehensive coverage, and help to ease the already-tremendous financial burden of a cancer diagnosis on individuals and families.

For more than 60 years, CancerCare has provided financial assistance to help with some types of costs, including transportation, homecare, childcare, and pain medication. Our social workers and case managers are knowledgeable about financial issues, and will work closely with you to get you the help you need.

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation was created in 2007 to help people with health insurance who are struggling to cover their treatment co-payments.  Qualified individuals with certain diagnoses may receive up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance.

CancerCare is a member of the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC), a coalition of organizations that help cancer patients manage their financial challenges.  We encourage you to use the coalition’s resource directory to find financial resources in your community.

To learn more about managing the cost of cancer treatment, please visit the ASCO Cancer Foundation’s financial assistance section of their website.

Read the full USA Today article here.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Cancer.net Reliable Source for Cancer Information

August 5, 2009

When you’re facing a serious illness like cancer, finding out more information about your diagnosis can be confusing and frustrating –especially if you’re looking for it on the Internet. The web is full of medical information — the challenge is determining which sources you can rely on for accurate, current and trustworthy information, and which ones are out of date, not relevant or just plain wrong.

Cut through the confusion by going to http://www.cancer.net. The official website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s  foremost organization of cancer physicians, cancer.net provides easy-to-understand, up-to-date, reliable cancer information, reviewed and approved by oncology experts.

The site provides comprehensive information about diagnoses by cancer type, treatments, survivorship issues, policy and advocacy, and much more. CancerCare Executive Director Diane Blum, MSW serves as editor-in-chief of cancer.net; watch the new video on the cancer.net homepage in which she and several of the nation’s top oncologists talk about this important resource, relied on by patients and health care providers alike.

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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett

CancerCare Booklets Make Latest Research Easy to Understand

July 22, 2009

The latest findings in cancer research presented during annual medical conferences or scientific meetings can be hard for patients to sort through and comprehend.  CancerCare’s free booklets present these findings in an easy-to-understand format that helps patients, their loved ones and caregivers determine what impact new research might have on their particular diagnosis or treatment plan. Our latest booklets cover breast cancer (highlights from the 2008 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium), blood cancers (covering the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology), and other cancers (from the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology).

All CancerCare publications are completely free of charge and can be ordered directly from our website.

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Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez