Archive for March, 2012

Paul S. Falkowski discusses Integrated Health at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Paul S. Falkowski is enthusiastically involved with the Integrated Health program at Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, SC.  He stresses that this program addresses the “look and feel good” part of going through cancer treatment.  External image, how we feel about ourselves, is an extremely important part of our self-esteem.  Many times cancer patients lose sight of this while they undergo treatment.  MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is there to address these intrinsic needs.   Falkowski states that simple things like prosthetics, wigs, and massage therapy can make a world of difference to patients.  Feeling good about yourself and adopting a healthy lifestyle is part of a multidisciplinary approach to change the face of cancer.

Team Draft was founded by Chris Draft, former NFL player, and his wife, Keasha, whose life was sadly cut short by lung cancer in December 2011.  Their goal was to inspire patients to hope and to provide them with information on the multitude of programs available to help them in their fight.  The foundation is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and securing funds desperately needed for research. Programs like the one at MUSC give patients hope and are a vital part of cancer treatment. Team Draft’s visit to MUSC was part of an extensive National Campaign public awareness campaign to visit cancer research and treatment facilities working diligently to prevent and treat lung cancer. Respond and Donate

Tackling Lung Cancer: Team Draft’s East Coast Tour

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Team Draft and the National Lung Cancer Partnership are joining forces to bring much needed attention and critical resources to lung cancer.

“Lung cancer came into my house, and it took my wife. Too many families are affected by this horrible disease.  It’s time to respond,” said CDFF founder, Chris Draft, of his Team Draft initiative.  “That’s why Keasha and I launched Team Draft.  She wanted to be an inspiration to those battling the disease and we wanted to raise awareness so that other families wouldn’t have to go through what we went through. Team Draft is committed to changing the face of lung cancer, but it takes a team to tackle cancer, and we are proud to partner with the National Lung Cancer Partnership.”

Along with the Partnership, Team Draft is launching the East Coast leg of a nationwide public awareness campaign to change the face of lung cancer.  The two-week tour will include stops at some of the top cancer research and treatment facilities in the country, including several members of the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (the LCMC).

The Team Draft East Coast Tour will visit several cities to share the vision of Team Draft, including:

Charlotte, NC
Chapel Hill, NC
Washington, D.C.
Baltimore, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Mt. Laurel, NJ
New York, NY
Boston, MA
Washington. D.C.
Charleston, SC

John Roberts, M.D. Director of Clinical Research, Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

John D. Roberts, M.D., is associate director for clinical research at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Also a professor of internal medicine and hematology, oncology and palliative care at the VCU School of Medicine, Roberts is an expert in the treatment of melanoma and urological cancers. His research focuses on the development of new agents and treatments for fighting cancer. He oversees more than 100 cancer clinical trials at VCU Massey. Respond and Donate

ABC2 Baltimore: Team Draft in town raising awareness for lung cancer after losing his wife

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012


FROM ABC2 BALTIMORE – Chris Draft, a 12-year-veteran of the National Football League, got a special tour of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins today.

Draft says he was happy to bring awareness to the work being done at Johns Hopkins, especially for the fight against Lung Cancer.

He lost his wife Keasha Rutledge to the disease last December.

Rutledge was diagnosed with stage four Lung Cancer just 11 months before the couple married.

Draft says she had never smoked, and lived a very healthy lifestyle.

Although there is still a huge amount of work to be done, Draft says he has already seen tremendous progress.

“Yes, when you look at some of the numbers see a five-year mortality rate, it might not be that different than say 30-years-ago.  But there’s a lot of things that are changing and there is hope for people.”

In addition to bringing attention to the important work being done at Johns Hopkins, he is also an Ed Block Courage Award Winner.

Read more: http://www.abc2news.com//dpp/news/health/nfl-veteran-in-town-raising-awareness-for-lung-cancer-after-losing-his-wife#ixzz1r8Q7LEFJ

Dr. Malcolm V. Brock is Tackling Lung Cancer

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Dr. Brock’s research has focused primarily on developing and clinically applying molecular biomarkers, namely DNA methylation, to facilitate the early detection, accurate prognosis and specific chemosensitivity of lung and esophageal cancers. Current projects include using DNA methylation as a more accurate molecular indicator of lymph micrometases in a large cohort of lung cancer patients and as a means of predicting sensitivity of esophageal cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on endoscopic biopsy samples. Dr. Brock actively collaborates with Drs. Stephen Baylin and James Herman in the Division of Tumor Biology in the Cancer Center. Recently, Dr. Brock has received NIH funding to investigate the rising incidence of lung cancer in HIV patients and has begun both a clinical study and a tumor-profiling project in this regard. Finally, the Brock laboratory has developed large relational databases of lung and esophageal patients with matching biological samples to validate biomarker discovery. Respond and Donate

Dr. Pasi A. Janne is Tackling Lung Cancer

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Chris Draft leads Team Draft to meet with Pasi Janne, MD,PhD at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston to support lung cancer research.

Associated with the world-renowned Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Pasi A. Janne, MD, PhD, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania – School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Upon earning his medical degree from this prestigious institution, Janne completed a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and earned a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Dana Farber. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and works in the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Respond and Donate

 

Team Draft visits to support lung cancer research | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

From Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s YouTube Channel

Former NFL linebacker Chris Draft’s foundation, Team Draft, has teamed up with the National Lung Cancer Partnership to help fight the stigma of lung cancer and promote research to find new treatments. Chris Draft stopped by Dana-Farber to meet with Pasi Janne, MD,PhD, a thoracic oncologist and one of the scientific directors of the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science, to learn more about the lung cancer research being done at Dana-Farber. Respond and  Donate

Dr. Lecia Sequist, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Dr. Sequist and her colleagues at MGH have been at the forefront of research in EGFR mutations: her group was among the first to identify activating mutations and observe the correlation with response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and they continue to do much of the leading clinical research on acquired resistance — the development of progression after an initial good response — and potential mechanisms for reversing this.

Respond and Donate

Dr. Abraham Chachoua, NYU Langone Cancer Center

Monday, March 26th, 2012

Dr. Chachoua started the multidisciplinary lung conference which now meets weekly, where all patients are discussed and management decisions are made based on the input of experts from multiple fields including surgery, radiation oncology, pulmonary and radiology. Respond and Donate

The National Cancer Institute is Changing the Face of Lung Cancer

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of 11 agencies that compose the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NCI, established under the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937, is the Federal Government’s principal agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice.

The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Respond and Donate