What's new in June... No Images? Click here Lung Cancer News from ASCODuring the first weekend of June each year, dedicated lung cancer professionals from the U.S. and around the world come together for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago. At the conference, attendees present and discuss the implications of important data from the latest research. This group includes a strong representation from members of the LUNGevity Scientific Advisory Board and LUNGevity awardees. This year, ASCO hosted approximately 40,000 attendees, including oncologists, scientists, biotech, and pharmaceutical representatives, advocacy groups, and patients. The theme for this year’s conference was “Caring For Every Patient, Learning From Every Patient.” Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, LUNGevity's Vice President of Research, shares the important findings and updates in lung cancer at this year’s ASCO conference in our ASCO Highlights blog. LUNGevity advocates for lung cancer patientsRecently, LUNGevity signed two policy letters in support of an out-of-pocket cap for Medicare Part D that would limit the amount of money patients would have to pay for their Part D drugs. Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs, has largely been considered a success, but the lack of an out-of-pocket cap is one of the biggest challenges facing the program and could be preventing patient access to vital and lifesaving medications. LUNGevity is advocating for the cap to ensure all patients have access to the best treatment available to them. In addition to the two sign-on letters, LUNGevity participated in an ad campaign, along with more than 30 other organizations, urging Congress and the Administration to consider the cap. LUNGevity ensures that the lung cancer community’s interests are represented and heard through a variety of vehicles, including submitting and signing letters to legislators and regulators. To learn more about the Medicare Part D out-of-pocket cap and other issues LUNGevity has advocated for recently, check out our public policy page and our sign-on letters. LUNGevity's continued efforts to ensure access to precision medicineMolecular testing, molecular profiling, mutational testing, genomic testing, genomic profiling, tumor profiling: in the world of precision medicine, all these terms are used interchangeably. Unfortunately, this inconsistent terminology leads to confusion and could hinder patients from receiving the testing they need to receive the best care. LUNGevity, along with other lung cancer and pan-tumor organizations, joined in a collaborative effort to introduce a pledge to commit to the consistent use of “biomarker testing” instead of the other interchangeable synonyms. We are excited to announce the pledge has been adopted by a majority of lung cancer patient advocacy organizations and has even been incorporated into the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Moonshot Initiative thanks to LUNGevity's efforts. Information on the need to use consistent language is making its way into clinician-focused publications like the Journal of Thoracic Oncology as well. This pledge and its adoption is a step in the right direction to ensure precision medicine is available for all people diagnosed with lung cancer. LUNGevity is excited by the potential for ongoing collaborative work with the organizations that are working on this, including CancerCare®, LiveLung, Caring Ambassadors, and the ALK Positive patient group, to expand adoption of the pledge or statement of support to more advocacy groups outside lung cancer, medical societies, and industry. Join us in funding impactful lung cancer research!Thanks to all of our generous supporters, LUNGevity has been able to invest in extremely impactful scientific research. The findings from this research are leading to early detection, new treatments, and more clinical trials. LUNGevity needs you to help us continue the momentum by making a donation to our research campaign. Please give today. Thank you for your generous contributions. Together, we can make sure no one dies of lung cancer. |