Healthy holiday eating for people living with lung cancer
While holidays are a joyful time for many, they can often be a challenging time for lung cancer patients who are undergoing or have recently completed treatment. We’ve gathered some tips and a recipe to help make the most of the holiday season by identifying foods that are not only tolerable, but enjoyable and full of good nutrition.
Check out the delicious chestnut recipe in our most recent nutrition blog post; it will bring you the fall flavors you love along with valuable nutrients.
Looking for more nutrition advice? Read our past nutrition posts for more tips and advice, or submit your questions here and the experts at Savor Health may answer them in an upcoming blog!
Then sign up with Ina®, Your Personal Intelligent Nutrition Assistant, to receive instant, personalized nutrition advice.
Advocating for comprehensive biomarker testing
In October, LUNGevity hosted the annual partner meeting for Take Aim, our multi-year, multi-stakeholder initiative to increase comprehensive biomarker testing for lung cancer patients. Nearly 30 representatives from partner organizations participated, including numerous clinical and biomarker testing experts.
Featured guest speaker Tabetha Sundin, PhD, Molecular Diagnostics Scientific Director, Sentara Health System, spoke about how she has worked within her healthcare system to perform comprehensive biomarker testing for all lung cancer patients.
Attendees found her presentation very valuable as she is on the front lines of decision making to ensure patients in her health system receive the best possible care through comprehensive biomarker testing. LUNGevity will leverage the constructive feedback from partner organizations to enhance existing biomarker advocacy programs and will launch new efforts in 2020.
This month, LUNGevity worked with a leading pathologist, Dr. Carolyn Compton, Arizona State University, to host a two-day meeting in Washington, DC, with leading stakeholders from government, academia, medical societies, industry, and advocacy across cancers. This “Do-Tank” will work toward adoption of consistent preanalytics standards for biospecimens. LUNGevity is proud to be working on this landmark initiative to pave a foundation for the promise of precision medicine for all cancer patients.
Have you talked to your doctor about comprehensive biomarker testing? Learn more about testing and if you should be tested, and check out our conversation starter for tips on how to talk to your doctor.
Making the patient voice heard
LUNGevity continues to advocate for the patient voice to be heard. We presented our patient-focused research at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) annual Patient Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC, on December 11, where the topic was “Delivering Value for Patients Across the Oncology Ecosystem.”
Launched in 2017, LUNGevity’s Patient-Focused Research Center (Patient FoRCe) serves as a bridge to connect the patient voice with healthcare professionals, regulators, policymakers, and developers of drugs to ensure that patient voices are heard, understood, and incorporated into decisions that affect their healthcare.
Through Patient FoRCe, LUNGevity brings evidence-based research and scientific rigor to understanding what patients want and need in their treatment journey in the hope of ultimately improving overall quality of care in lung cancer.
The purpose of the NCCN summit was to:
- Discuss the gap in understanding value-based care from a patient perspective compared to healthcare providers;
- Highlight the patient perspective related to delivering value-based and high-quality cancer care; and
- Assess the progress being made in prioritizing value in healthcare.
By presenting at summits like this, LUNGevity is able to continue to stress the importance of the patient voice while ensuring that relevant stakeholders are made aware of our study findings and implications in order to drive practice change.
You can learn more about LUNGevity’s work in patient research on our website..
Thank you for your support during Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Thank you to all who joined us to spread awareness and make an impact this November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. A special thanks to all who participated in our #ChangeLungCancer social media campaign by sharing a selfie with one of our downloadable signs. Please continue to share your selfies to spread awareness with your friends!
You can help #ChangeLungCancer all year long. Stay engaged by reading our online blogs, sign up for our newsletters on our homepage, and check out the website for updates and important information for patients and caregivers. Attend an event near you or create your own in 2020. There are so many ways to get involved and support those affected by lung cancer.
Give the gift of hope!
Please help LUNGevity finish 2019 on a high note and consider giving a year-end donation. LUNGevity is committed to making an immediate impact on all those who live with lung cancer. Survivors count on LUNGevity to provide educational resources, host annual survivorship conferences, and fund scientific research.
Your year-end donation will mean the world to the community and help us make a larger impact on lung cancer.
