They come from around the world every year to learn more about cancer. Now you too can learn much of what they’re learning from the comfort of your computer.
More than 30,000 people came to Chicago for the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, a forum in which major developments in the treatment of cancers are announced and shared with the world. Established for healthcare professionals, the conference today has a much broader audience. Patients, caregivers and patient advocates are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Significant announcements from the 2010 conference include:
* Advances in the prevention and treatment of some forms of lung cancer;
* Advances in the treatment of genitourinary, gastrointestinal and gynecologic cancers including cervical and ovarian cancer;
* Improvements for previously treated advanced melanoma patients through the use of an antibody drug that improves long-term survival;
* Second-generation drug therapies that are more clinically effective than the current first-line drug treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia;
And much more.
How can you, a cancer patient or a caregiver, learn more about these developments? In addition to a broad range of venues at the conference itself, ASCO provides access online to anyone who’s interested and wants to learn more about the most current cancer treatments.
Main website: http://chicago2010.asco.org/Home.aspx
News: http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/Press+Center/Latest+News+Releases
Abstracts: http://abstract.asco.org/
If you find clinical data too technical ASCO also has resources in consumer language through their patient website, www.cancer.net. You will be able to access free videos, podcasts and research summaries. There are also helpful tools such as a report on how consumers can read and better understand a clinical abstract. Note also that this site has a lot of additional helpful information for cancer patients, including information on 120 types of cancer, tips for the newly diagnosed and how to find an oncologist.
For news reports on a specific cancer or a specific study just Google what you’re looking for and be sure to put in “ASCO 2010.” For example, if you are interested in the reports on ovarian cancer then search for the following: ovarian cancer ASCO 2010 at the Google News search engine: http://news.google.com/news/
Another resource is being provided by EmpowHER member and partner Andrew Schorr through his Patient Power website, at this link: http://www.patientpower.info/asco/
Andrew, a leukemia survivor and patient advocate, is interviewing several leading medical experts about the major breaking news in cancer. He’s covering advances in prostate cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, proton therapy, multiple myeloma, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and other conditions where there is news.
Posted videos include:
New Hope for Lung Cancer Patients: Dr. Corey Langer of Penn Medicine reveals promising news behind the latest trials and therapies for a subset of lung cancer patients.
http://www.patientpower.info/p2tv.asp?video=12335515&autoplay=1
More Powerful Treatments Superseding Gleevec's in CML?: Dr. Jorge Cortes, noted Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) expert from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, gives his latest expert perspective on CML treatments as more powerful second line treatments seem destined to become first line.
http://www.patientpower.info/p2tv.asp?video=12339147&autoplay=1
Promising News About Immunotherapy: Dr. Lynn Schuchter discusses novel therapies and clinical trials for patients with advanced melanoma and what these new developments could mean in treating other cancers.
http://www.patientpower.info/p2tv.asp?video=12329482&autoplay=1
The average person seems to view cancer as one disease that affects all people in the same way and is treated the same way. As any cancer patient knows, and as this conference proves, there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” cancer or cancer treatment. Today’s cancer patient has more tools than ever before in history to enable themselves to play an active role in understanding their condition, staying on top of treatment advancements and partnering with their medical team for their best health.