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/
In recent years there has been a shift in the understanding of cancer. Immunotherapy with vaccines has been emerging as the most promising direction towards a decisive improvement of treatment outcomes.
The Dendritic Cell Vaccine has received FDA approval for prostate cancer and trials are now under way for a variety of other cancers. These vaccines are usually administered on their own.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64654-issels-integrative-immunotherapy-for-standard-therapy-resistant-cancers
Nucletron, an Elekta company, and the world leader in brachytherapy, has launched Esteya®, a new approach for treating patients with skin cancer.
Over the last 30 years, more people were diagnosed with skin cancer worldwide than all other cancers combined, making it the most common type of cancer1. This represents a challenge for health care providers in the years to come. With a cure rate of more than 95 percent2, electronic brachytherapy offers a refined treatment modality with excellent cosmesis.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62823-elekta-nucletron-esteya-electronic-brachytherapy-treating-skin-cancer
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/
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/
During a live global event, Elekta announced the launch of Versa HD™, an advanced linear accelerator system designed to improve patient care and treat a broader spectrum of cancers. Featuring high precision beam shaping and tumor targeting, Versa HD also unveils new capabilities designed to maximize health care system resources and deliver highly sophisticated therapies without compromising treatment times.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60246-elekta-sets-new-benchmark-for-cancer-treatment-launch-of-versa-hd-system
The Light of Life Foundation, ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., and Eisai Inc. today announced the launch of Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer, an interactive, educational campaign designed to help dispel the myth that thyroid cancer is a “good cancer.” Because most thyroid cancers can be successfully treated, many are told if you are going to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the one to have, which has led to this misperception. However, whether successfully treated or not, the truth is all cancers can have a significant impact on a person’s life, beginning with the shock and distress of hearing the word “cancer” at diagnosis. In honor of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and the tens of thousands who receive a thyroid cancer diagnosis each year, Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer illustrates the life-changing realities of this disease.
“As a thyroid cancer survivor, I urge people to stop referring to thyroid cancer as the ‘good cancer,’ as I believe it downplays patients’ experiences,” said Joan Shey, founder of the Light of Life Foundation. “I hear time and time again from patients how difficult their diagnosis and treatment were and that their scars are more than skin deep. My hope is that this campaign can educate about the many types of thyroid cancer and change the thyroid cancer conversation.”
“Being part of a community of survivors is very important for people coping with thyroid cancer,” said Gary Bloom, thyroid cancer survivor and co-founder and executive director of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. “ThyCa takes this to heart, which is why we are proud to provide support and resources to the thyroid cancer community. We also know more needs to be done to elevate awareness of thyroid cancer and what patients need in terms of support for the rest of our lives.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7595951-eisai-thyroid-cancer-myths/
In the United States for 2014, about 62,900 new thyroid cancer cases will be diagnosed. Medullary thyroid cancer – a rare form of cancer located in the thyroid gland at the base of the throat – represents only about three to four percent of all thyroid cancers. Of those cases, just one third will be locally advanced or metastatic disease. With Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month in full swing, AstraZeneca has launched the aMTCSupport.com online resource center to provide information and support specifically designed for people living with advanced medullary thyroid cancer (aMTC) and their loved ones.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7080731-astrazeneca-amtcsupport-resources-for-advanced-medullary-thyroid-cancer/
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered charity dedicated to funding childhood cancer research, announces its Kids Are Special: Let’s Treat Them That Way national campaign. Focused on celebrating kids and giving them the happy childhoods they deserve, the campaign highlights the need for finding treatments that are specifically designed for kids with cancer.
With this bold new initiative, St. Baldrick’s looks to change the narrative around pediatric cancers, by showing kids as their truest selves – fun-loving, carefree, refreshingly honest, and always a little goofy. St. Baldrick’s puts the emphasis back on kids, while disempowering the label of “cancer.” All communication is strategically designed to remind us all that as adults we have the power to give kids happy childhoods free from cancer by helping to fund the best research worldwide. The campaign includes TV, print, radio, digital, and billboard placements featuring real kids doing kid-like things; from playing with their food to getting caught with paint on their faces, all with the message: Kids Are Special: Let’s Treat Them That Way.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7610752-st-baldricks-kids-are-special/
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/
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/
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/