Free Support Available for Ovarian Cancer and Prostate Cancer Patients

September 2, 2010

September is both Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

CancerCare partnered with L’Oreal Paris and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to create a free telephone counseling and referral service for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 

Launched one year ago, The L’Oreal Paris OCRF Hopeline has proven to be a great source of support for many women facing an ovarian cancer diagnosis. The Hopeline is staffed by professional oncology social workers and operates Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Call the L’Oréal Paris OCRF Hope Line at 877-OV-HOPE-1 (877-684-6731).

CancerCare responded to the needs of men facing prostate cancer by publishing two new fact sheets: Caring for Your Bones When You Have Prostate Cancer and Prostate Cancer: What You Should Know About Screening and Diagnosis. 

For more resources on these cancers, including additional publications, support groups and archived connect education workshops, visit the diagnoses pages on our website.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

The First 100 Days: Article Explores How Newly Diagnosed Can Better Cope with Treatment

July 27, 2010

A new online quarterly magazine from the Lance Armstrong Foundation examines how complete patient care–physical as well as emotional–is being increasingly emphasized as a critical component in the treatment of cancer patients.

Traditional care has focused mainly on treating cancer as a medical condition in which emotional concerns and issues resulting from the diagnosis are often downplayed or not addressed at all. This is changing, as more and more oncologists and other health care providers acknowledge the integral role of counseling and emotional support for patients, their families, and caregivers.

Oncology social workers provide critical support to patients, notes CancerCare’s Win Boerckel, who is quoted in the article;  they can “help people normalize the experience of having cancer, so they can answer questions from their children or get to their next chemo appointment.”

Read the article, “Surviving the First 100 Days,” in the debut issue of LIVESTRONG Quarterly , beginning on page 22.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Inspirational Stories of Metastatic Cancer Patients Leading Long and Active Lives

July 23, 2010

A recent article in Cure Magazine highlights how some people with metastatic cancer have benefited by “hitchhiking,” meaning when one treatment stops working, they can move on to the next.

When Suzanne Lindley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and informed she had six months to live, she and her family moved to the country, where she’d always dreamed of living.  Twelve years later, Suzanne leads an amazingly active life, traveling all around the country as a colorectal cancer advocate.

She credits her current quality of life to hitchhiking treatments, as well as to her CancerCare social worker Keith Lyons, who provided her with essential support and motivation through individual counseling and a support group.  “[Keith] said I could see cancer as a death sentence or I could celebrate the fact that I was very much alive and experience now,” Suzanne recalls.

The complete article is available here.

CancerCare offers online, telephone and face-to-face support groups that connect you with people who are in a similar situation. All support groups are free and led by professional oncology social workers who are experienced with cancer-related issues and concerns.

 

 

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Survey Seeks Patients’ Insights About Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer

July 20, 2010

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN) have partnered with Genentech to conduct a 10-question survey to better understand how people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer identify with and feel about living with the illness.

Genentech will donate $5 for each survey completed to programs and services designed specifically for metastatic breast cancer patients.  Survey results will be used to produce video and media materials that will be distributed on Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day (October 13).

The survey is open and available online until August 31. Please visit facesofmbc.org or text MBC to 74471 to share your story.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Practice Sun Safety All Summer Long

June 21, 2010

Today, June 21, marks the official the start of summer!

Spending time in the sun can be relaxing and enjoyable, but it’s important to always practice sun safety. A few tips for staying safe in the sun include:

  • Wearing waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher
  • Donning lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that covers your whole body
  • Seeking shade or avoiding the sun during its peak hours of 10am-4pm
  • Reapplying sunscreen often
  • Wearing a hat and sunglasses

Our free publications on sun safety and melanoma prevention and screening offer more great tips on how to protect yourself from skin cancer.  All of our publications can be ordered free of charge through our online order form. 

We at CancerCare hope you’ll keep these tips in mind this summer, whether you’re sunbathing at the beach,  lounging in the backyard, or taking a relaxing walk outside.  We encourage all of you to spend some time ourdoors, and to safely enjoy the summer sunshine!

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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

Three New Studies Seek Men, Women Diagnosed with Breast or Prostate Cancer

June 7, 2010

Researchers at the University of Colorado, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and UCLA have joined with the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service to investigate how to better provide information about the best treatments possible for patients affected by breast cancer and prostate cancer. 

Each of the three studies are seeking participants, who will receive a variety of  types of  educational information about their diagnosis, and will then be asked to participate in two brief telephone interviews with researchers over a period of nine months.  All information is completely confidential.

Healing Choice for Prostate Cancer is for men who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but have not yet begun any treatment. The goal is to help men decide on the treatment that’s right for them.

Healing Choices for Women with Breast Cancer is for women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, but who have not yet begun any treatment. The study’s purpose is to determine the best way to provide treatment information to women, and whether the information helped them in making decisions about their treatment.

Pathways to Recovery after Breast Cancer Treatment is for women who are just completing treatment for breast cancer or have completed treatment within the past six months. The goal is to find out the best way to help women get information about life after breast cancer treatment.

To find out if you are eligible to participate in any of these studies, please call 1-866-258-7981.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services to anyone affected by breast cancer or prostate cancer.  People affected by either diagnosis may qualify to receive up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance through the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Presidential Mandate Allows Extended Hospital Visitation Rights to the LGBT Community

April 23, 2010

CancerCare applauds President Obama’s April 15 memorandum that ends sexual-orientation-based discrimination in hospital visitation rights and ensures that all people receive equal hospital visitation privileges.

The new rule, which the President directed Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to implement within the next 180 days, will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding–that is, the majority of the nation’s health-care institutions.

Previously, hospitals were able to bar visitors who are not related to a patient by blood or marriage; and to prevent same-sex couples’ efforts to designate a partner to make medical decisions on their behalf should they become incapacitated.  Also affected by these policies were widows or widowers with no children, members of a religious order, or others whose loved ones who were not the patient’s immediate relatives.

The new rules are seen as a major step forward for the rights of same-sex partners and their families.

Read the presidential mandate in its entirety here. 

Addressing concerns unique to the LGBT population are among the many specialized programs offered by CancerCare’s staff of oncology social workers. Our services, all completely free of charge, include individual counseling, support groups, financial assistance, and community programs, available to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis.

Learn more about CancerCare’s supportive services for the LGBT community.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Lung Cancer Treatment Guide Details New Treatments, Hope for Patients

April 5, 2010

Be a Survivor—Lung Cancer Treatment Guide is an optimistic, encouraging treatment guide that details the lung cancer experience from diagnosis to recovery. 

The guidebook was written by Vladimir Lange, M.D. to empower patients to seek a cure, rather than to accept defeat.  “New treatments, new drugs, and earlier diagnosis make survival much more likely than it was just a few years ago,” he notes.

CancerCare Lung Cancer Program Coordinator Win Boerkel calls Be a Survivor “one of the best lung cancer patient guides I’ve seen in my 13 years of working with lung cancer patients.”

In 2009, CancerCare collaborated with leading patient advocacy groups to launch The Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Call to Action campaign, designed to help patients and their families navigate the complicated landscape of researching and identifying clinical trials. Patients can call 1-800-698-0931 to be matched with a Clinical Trial Specialist who will guide them through the entire process.

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation offers up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance for lung cancer patients in their families.

To order the guide, call 1-888-LANGE-88 (888-526-4388), or print out and fax back the order form.

Learn more about our free services for lung cancer patients and visit our sister website, www.lungcancer.org.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Survivorship Workshop Series Begins Apr. 13

March 23, 2010

This Spring, CancerCare, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, LIVESTRONG, Intercultural Cancer Council, Living Beyond Breast Cancer and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, will present a four-part telephone workshop series, The Eighth Annual Cancer Survivorship Series: Living With, Through & Beyond Cancer. 

This free series, made possible by support from the National Cancer Institute and LIVESTRONG, offers cancer survivors, their families, friends and health care professionals practical information to help them cope with concerns and issues that arise after treatment ends.

Part I, which takes place on Tuesday, April 13th, is entitled, Trouble Sleeping? Sleep Better to Feel Better: Tips You Can Use. The faculty for this program includes Elizabeth D. McKinley, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Dean, Emily Blackwell Society, Case School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University; Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, Director, Gillin Sleep and Chronomedicine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Professor of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego; and Stewart B. Fleishman, MD, Director, Supportive Services, Continuum Cancer Centers of New York, Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital. 

Part II, Communicating with Your Health Care Team After Treatment: Making the Most of Your Visit, will take place on May 18th.  Part III, Survivorship and Workplace Transitions, will take place on June 22nd.  And Part IV, Survivors Too: Communicating With and Among Family, Friends and Loved Ones, will take place on July 13th. All of the workshops take place from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

These workshops are free – no phone charges apply.  However, pre-registration is required.  To register simply go to the CancerCare website, www.cancercare.org/connect.  Please plan to join us, and share this information with cancer survivors, their caregivers and your colleagues.

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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett

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