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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Clinical Trials, Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Treatment Guidelines, Treatment Side Effects, Women's Cancers | Tagged: ASCO, breast cancer, cancer patients, cancer research, cancer survivors, chemotherapy, Clinical Trials, leukemia, lung cancer, melanoma, Men's Cancers, multiple myeloma, Women's Cancers | 
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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
July 7, 2011
Longtime CancerCare Connect Education Workshop presenter Mario E. Lacouture, MD writes about treating rash and dry skin as a result of cancer treatment in the latest issue of Oncology Times.
Dr. Lacouture, a world-renowned dermatologist, has served as a medical expert during numerous CancerCare Connect Education Workshops, including “Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects.”
Dr. Lacouture with CancerCare Director of Education and Training Carolyn Messner, DSW at CancerCare's Annual Spring Gala
Read the Oncology Times article.
More tips for coping with rash and dry skin from treatment can be found in CancerCare’s free publications, “Tips for Managing Treatment-Related Rash and Dry Skin” and “Caring for Your Skin During Cancer Treatment.”
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Treatment Side Effects | Tagged: chemotherapy, side effects | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak
May 6, 2011
The FDA has approved a new drug for the treatment of advanced-stage pancreatic cancer.
Approximately 60% of people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in its advanced stages, where the disease has spread to other parts of the body and is difficult to treat. Afinitor, made by Novartis, is the first drug in nearly 30 years to be approved for advanced pancreatic cancer.
Read Novartis’ press release about Afinitor.
CanceCare offers free, professional support services for people affected by pancreatic cancer, including financial help, thanks in part to funds donated by the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and support to pancreatic cancer patients and their families.
Leave a Comment » | Clinical Trials, Financial Assistance, Learn More About Your Diagnosis | Tagged: cancer research, chemotherapy, pancreatic cancer | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak
May 3, 2011
This past Friday’s Connect Education Workshop, What’s New in Metastatic Prostate Cancer, coincided with the FDA’s approval of a new treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
Zytiga, a pill that decreases the production of a hormone that stimulates cancer cells to grow, prolonged the lives of men with late-stage prostate cancer who had received prior treatments and had few available therapeutic options. Listen to the workshop.
Learn more about Zytiga.
CancerCare offers free support services for people affected by prostate cancer, including an online support group for men affected by cancer. We are also recruiting participants for a face-to-face men’s cancers support group. Register and learn more about CancerCare’s free support groups.
Men who are affected by prostate cancer may also be eligible to receive up to $5,000 per year in co-payment assistance through the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation. Learn more.
Leave a Comment » | Clinical Trials, Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Men's Cancers | Tagged: cancer information, cancer research, chemotherapy, Men's Cancers | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak
March 10, 2011
CancerCare’s new booklet, Caring for Your Bones When You Have Cancer, is now available.
This latest title, part of our award-winning Connect booklet series, includes:
- An overview of bone pain caused by cancer and its treatment
- Tips for communicating with your health care team
- Information about the important role of nutrition and exercise
- Advice for maintaining bone health
Read the booklet online now.
You can also order up to 400 copies of the booklet completely free of charge, using our online order form.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer | Tagged: bone health, chemotherapy, coping, side effects | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak
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.
Leave a Comment » | Clinical Trials, Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Mind-Body-Spirit | Tagged: cancer information, cancer research, chemotherapy, Clinical Trials, colorectal cancer, coping | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak
December 15, 2009
Pfizer Inc. announced last week that it will extend through 2010 its program providing free prescription medications for people who have lost their jobs.
According to the Associated Press, the Pfizer program makes available more than 70 types of widely prescribed medications it manufactures, such as anti-pain drugs and anti-depressants. The program helps people who have lost jobs since Jan. 1, 2009 and have been taking the drug for three months or more.
Visit the Pfizer website for more information about the program and the medications offered. For more information about specific chemotherapy drugs available through Pfizer’s patient assistance program, call 866-706-2400.
Leave a Comment » | Financial Assistance | Tagged: cancer information, cancer patients, chemotherapy, coping, cost of care, financial resources, low-income | Permalink
Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
October 14, 2009
CancerCare's Jane Levy (center) with Avon's Carol Kurzig and financial expert Suze Orman, accepting a $1.125 million grant award, made possible by participants in Avon's annual Walk for Breast Cancer.
CancerCare was among 8 non-profit organizations receiving substantial grants this past weekend from the Avon Foundation for Women to support direct services and care for women facing breast cancer.
The grant funds were made possible by the more than 4,000 men and women, including hundreds of breast cancer survivors, who walked in the seventh annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on Oct. 10 and 11 in New York City and raised a record $8.7 million to support a variety of health care non-profits that assist women facing breast cancer.
The Walk is a noncompetitive event, in which participants collect pledges for completing either a walking marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon and a half (39.3 miles), split over 2 days.
The Avon Foundation is a long-time supporter of CancerCare‘s free counseling, education and financial assistance programs for underserved women with breast cancer who live in New York City and the tri-state area.
CancerCare received nearly $1.13 million — the second largest grant award presented — during the celebratory Closing Ceremony of the Walk. Suze Orman, financial expert and Special Ambassador for the Avon Foundation for Women, and Carol Kurzig, President of the Avon Foundation, were on hand to present the ceremonial check to CancerCare Director of Patient Services Jane Levy.
To date, Avon’s support has allowed CancerCare to provide its free, professional services to more than 39,000 low-income women facing breast cancer.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Financial Assistance, Support CancerCare, Women's Cancers | Tagged: Avon Foundation, breast cancer, cancer survivors, chemotherapy, cost of care, financial resources, low-income, New York City, Women's Cancers | Permalink
Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
July 28, 2009
Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus (Da Capo Press, 2009) draws on the latest scientific research on chemobrain and on post-treatment survivor stories to present a clearer picture of what chemobrain is and how people experiencing it can cope.
Co-authored by Idelle Davidson, an award-winning health and medicine journalist; and UCLA’s Dan Silverman, MD, PhD, Your Brain After Chemo gives readers practical tips for coping with fatigue, inattention, poor concentration and other chemobrain symptoms; it also lists organizations, websites and other resources that can help.
Also see CancerCare‘s Chemobrain Information Series, for more information. These fact sheets cover cognitive problems after chemotherapy, how to talk to your doctor about chemobrain, ways to improve your concentration, and techniques for sharpening your memory.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Mind-Body-Spirit | Tagged: chemobrain, chemotherapy, side effects | Permalink
Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez
