Those who go into medical research often have science on the mind.

Not politics.

But researchers who joined us for the 2013 Call-on Congress showed how the two fields merge. Particularly when funding is involved.

Fighting Colorectal Cancer at the Research and Policy Levels

I love how Nancy Roach, Founder and Chair of the Board, explains the importance of advocacy AND research in the One Million Strong PSA,

“I founded Fight Colorectal Cancer in 2006 because people who have been touched by colorectal cancer need a voice at the tables where decisions are being made that impact their survival.” – Nancy Roach

Fighting colorectal cancer demands more than raising awareness of disease. We must also push for funding that enables researchers to get closer to a cure and understand survivorship.

Talking Research

A fantastic panel of distinguished researchers joined us at the 2013 Call-on Congress:

• Dan Dixon, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Kansas
• Andi Dwyer, Project Director for the Colorado Cancer
• Johanna Bendell, MD, Director of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research and associate director of Drug Development at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute

Great speakers also enlightened us on the impact of research:

• Max G. Bronstein, MPP, Research!America
• Camille Bonta, Fight Colorectal Cancer Policy Expert

These professionals trained our advocates about many issues related to advancements in medical research and the federal budget’s impact:

Federal budget cuts mean cuts in medical research

Max Bronstein from Research!America walked us through budget cuts, sequestration and debt ceilings. He showed us how funding cuts impact the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – two big agencies that fuel much of our country’s medical research.

Furthermore, policy expert Camille explained that the cost of doing business (and research) in the U.S. has gone up over the years… but federal budgets have not kept up.

Check out the slides from Max’s presentation: Funding Research in a Time of Fiscal Chaos

Young researchers may be leaving

The United States leads the world in medical research for now; however, Max explained that other countries are gaining on us, if not surpassing us, when it comes to federally-funded medical research.

“Young researchers may be leaving the field. All of us are waiting for new treatments. If we cannot fund research, we may miss out on those opportunities.” – Max Bronstein, Research!America

Read more – Research!America’s Facts About Cancer 2013

Cuts in Research Dollars Hit Home

Andi Dwyer walked us through the specifics of what happens when a research program is cut. She showed us that a center may be shut down, research assistant position eliminated, a program halted, a waiting list lengthened and trials discontinued.

Max also explained the challenging plight of researchers at the NIH who attempt to run massive research programs without a known budget.

Review Andi’s presentation slides: Cancer Survivorship Research

New, EXCITING findings in Colorectal Cancer Research

Although medical research faces challenges, Dr. Bendell shared the hope and advancements in research. She passionately explained how clinical trials increase understanding of colorectal cancer – especially when it comes to biomarkers and tumor classifications.

Understanding the exact type of tumor leads to life-saving treatments designed to combat specific disease states.

Read Dr. Bendell’s slides from her presentation: Promising Agents for CRC Treatment

Researchers Hit the Hill

Dan Dixon, PhD, and Senator Roberts from KS

Researchers joining us did not only offer training. Dan, pictured above, met with our RATS team.

Several of them joined us on The Hill. They experienced the power of telling their stories and explaining the importance of research funding with representatives first-hand.

Because the researchers themselves took time to advocate for colorectal cancer on Congress, it got their attention!

See, research and advocacy DO go together.

And Fight Colorectal Cancer makes that happen.

by Mary Miller

Fight Colorectal Cancer is thrilled to announce during this holiday season that thanks to the generous donations made to the Lisa Fund, it will be awarding its first-ever two-year $100,000 grant to a scientist whose work fights advanced stage colorectal cancer.

Andrea Bertotti, MD, PhD, of the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (IRCC) in Candiolo, Italy, has learned that his lab will receive this major grant. “His work will be ground-breaking and exactly in line with the reason Lisa Dubow created this fund—to support a promising researcher working to advance the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer,” said Carlea Bauman, president of Fight Colorectal Cancer. Fully 100 percent of donations go directly to support young scientists. Each year’s winner is selected by an expert panel of researchers, through a review process administered by the American Association for Cancer Research. Read the rest of this entry »

Fight Colorectal Cancer has posted a recording of its February webinar, Report from the 2012 GI Cancers Symposium, held in partnership with the Colon Cancer Alliance.

Each year, the best and brightest minds in gastrointestinal oncology meet to discuss the latest research into colorectal, pancreatic, esophageal and other GI cancers. The 2012 symposium offered major news for people living with colorectal cancer, and we were proud to be able to bring that information to you.

Listen in as Dr. Dan Sargent of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and Kim Ryan, Fight Colorectal Cancer’s Director of Patient Information Services, discuss what is on the horizon for patients living with colorectal cancer.

While there weren’t new blockbuster announcements for colorectal cancer this year at the American Society for Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Annual Meeting, there was plenty of focus on making what we already have work better and on choosing the patients who will benefit the most from treatments, as well as those who might not be helped at all. (Note, many of these issues will be discussed in detail on our upcoming patient webinar.)

Highlights:

• While adding oxaliplatin to 5-FU improves five year survival slightly for stage II colon cancer, it increases side effects, particularly tingling and numbness in the feet.  An analysis of several NSABP trials found that two or three more stage II patients out of every 100 would be alive five years later if they were given oxaliplatin in addition to 5-FU than if they only got 5-FU.  Risk of cancer returning was similar with an absolute improvement of 3 to 5 percent, depending on risk factors.  Doctors and patients need to think about whether the small benefit is worth the risk of neuropathy that may become permanent.
• Two speakers at the Saturday colorectal cancer oral abstract session addressed adding oxaliplatin to 5-FU as part of pre-surgical chemoradiation treatment for rectal cancer.  NSABP R-04 found that oxaliplatin did not help increase complete response rates, avoid colostomies, or downstage cancers. It did increase diarrhea significantly. On the other hand, early results from a German trial did find an increase in complete responses with oxaliplatin, and they didn’t see worse side effects.
• In the PRIME phase III clinical trial, patients receiving their first treatment for advanced colorectal cancer who had normal or wild-type KRAS genes in their tumor did better when Vectibix® (panitumumab) was added to FOLFOX chemotherapy.  But those patients whose tumor KRAS was mutated actually did worse than patients who only got chemotherapy.
• Side effects, while difficult for patients, may predict better outcomes from treatment.  Patients who got capecitabine as part of pre-surgical chemoradiation and developed hand-foot syndrome had fewer recurrences three years later and better survival at five years.  In another study of breast, lung, and colorectal cancer, patients who got high blood pressure while on Avastin® (bevacizumab) lived longer and it took longer before their cancer got worse.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Edith Mitchell

Last night, Dr. Edith Mitchell of Thomas Jefferson University Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA, updated colorectal cancer patients on the latest research and treatment news in an online webinar.

Dr. Mitchell highlighted the most important news for colon and rectal cancer patients to come from the 2011 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium held in San Francisco last month. She answer such questions as…

“Can doctors determine the chances that my cancer may return?”

“Can my doctors determine if I need chemotherapy?”

“Does Avastin or Erbitux benefit my stage III cancer treatment?”

“Are there any promising new treatments on the horizon?”

Read the rest of this entry »