SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER
Sarcoma News Corner
Researchers have discovered a new structure (an organelle) within cancer cells that seems to be particularly involved in metastasis. This amazing discovery could lead to completely new lines of treatments. Exciting!
A chondrosarcoma survivor who had a hip reconstruction walked a marathon - and his surgeon was with him all the way, virtually. Way to go, Colin Jackson and Dr. James Flint! So inspiring!
The National Cancer Institute recently awarded a large grant for patient-partnered research into two sarcomas: osteosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. We will keep you updated on any news.
A mobile oncology clinic for people who live far from any specialists? Great idea! This article focuses on a woman with an unusual sarcoma, who previously had to drive three and a half hours each way for treatment at a specialist center, until the pandemic struck. Now treatment comes to the parking lot of her local hospital.
If you have cancer, or any symptoms, PLEASE don't wait to visit the doctor. You might be able to do a lot via telehealth. Stay safe AND healthy!
Interested in more sarcoma-related news? Stay up-to-date with our daily Facebook posts on the latest happenings in the sarcoma landscape. Check us out at facebook.com/sarcomaalliance.
Brand Ambassador Brandi Benson
We're excited to announce that Brandi Benson has joined the Sarcoma Alliance as our Brand Ambassador. Brandi is an Ewing's sarcoma survivor, an accomplished author, athlete, entrepreneur, speaker, and veteran. Earlier this year, Brandi shared her story with us on our website where she described the importance of self-love and acceptance following cancer treatment. Together, we decided to continue our collaboration and Brandi has since deepened her role in the Sarcoma Alliance's activities as the organization's Brand Ambassador. Through her speaking engagements and platforms, Brandi not only raises sarcoma awareness but also awareness of the Sarcoma Alliance and our programs.
We are incredibly honored to have Brandi on our team. Her energy, positivity, and talent are unparalleled, and we're continually amazed by everything she does. Recently, Brandi became an American speaker for TLC Lions, modeled Tommy Hilfiger in the Runway of Dreams Foundation fashion show, and has been on numerous podcasts and talk shows including on Lakithia Nicole Talk, Kelly's Reality, and Before You Kill Yourself. Among her upcoming engagements are interviews with the Savage Beauty Podcast and the Douglas High School American Cancer Society Podcast. She will also be featuring in an upcoming issue of the Pretty Women Who Hustle Magazine.
Brandi is also the author of The Enemy Inside Me: A Young Soldier's Unexpected Battle with Cancer, a book that started as a journal for her three-year-old nephew. In The Enemy Inside Me, Brandi takes readers through her experiences with Ewing's sarcoma, which she discovered in 2009 during her deployment as a U.S. Army soldier in Iraq. Pushing beyond the prognosis she was given, Brandi focused on small goals and positivity that ultimately kept her going. The Enemy Inside Me highlights the importance of hope, faith, and strength in an incredible read about persevering through the adversity and obstacles that we all face in one way or another. Brandi will be donating 100% of the proceeds of this book to the Sarcoma Alliance to support the sarcoma community. Please visit Brandi's website to learn more and to get your own copy!
Want to join Brandi's mission to raise sarcoma awareness?
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Join Our Upcoming Webinar!
On April 24, 2021, at 1 PM Eastern Time, the Sarcoma Alliance will be hosting a Survivor Saturday webinar with Brandi Benson. Join us to hear from Brandi on topics pertinent to sarcoma survivorship and living well after a sarcoma diagnosis. Through her messages of hope, positivity, and overcoming adversity, Brandi encourages her audiences to take charge of their healing and wellness by pursuing different avenues of physical and mental therapy. This webinar will also include a Q&A session. All are welcome, and we'd love for you to join.
Our Team is Growing
This year has brought about many new additions to the Sarcoma Alliance team. Along with our new board member, Dr. William Tseng, and brand ambassador, Brandi Benson, we've hired an Associate Director. Kalyse Engebretson has been actively involved in the Sarcoma Alliance's activities since 2019 as both an intern and consultant. She has a background in sociology and nonprofit work, both of which she puts to use in our communications and development efforts. We're happy to have Kalyse on the team and look forward to continuing to grow!
Date Change
This year's Sarcoma Exchange event was originally scheduled to take place in July. Hoping that more people will be able to participate in person, we have rescheduled the event. The Sarcoma Exchange will still be in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency LAX, but will now be held September 10-12, 2021. As a hybrid event, the Sarcoma Exchange will also contain virtual seminars and activities for those who are unable to attend in-person. Stay tuned for more information!
Assistance Fund Grant Amount Increased
We are pleased to announce that we raised the maximum amount of our assistance fund grants to $1,000. Our hope is that this change will have an even greater impact on sarcoma patients seeking a second opinion from sarcoma experts. Please feel free to share far and wide! For more information or to apply for our Assistance Fund grant, visit our website's financial assistance page.
When developing treatment plans for sarcoma patients, oncologists draw on 11 different FDA-approved chemotherapy drugs and two immunotherapy options considered standard of care*, plus many more being investigated in clinical trials. And because therapies are almost always used in combination with one another—sometimes with off-label drugs as adjuvant therapy—treatment decisions are exponentially more complex than they may seem.
Tumor genetics and a patient’s health and treatment histories can provide directional guidance but deciding what therapy to try next is still a well-educated guess. And when we don’t guess correctly, patients lose what they need most—time and strength to fight.
In this webinar, UCLA medical oncologist, Arun Singh MD and Certis Oncology Solutions Chief Scientific Officer, Jonathan Nakashima, PhD will discuss the clinical application of personalized mouse avatars (orthotopic patient-derived xenografts, or O-PDX models) in oncology. O-PDX models have been shown to predict clinical outcomes in the human counterparts in a wide variety of cancers—including many sarcomas.* This presentation will include case studies that demonstrate the utility of individualized pharmacology testing in O-PDX models in precision oncology.
*Click here to view the above information with full source citations.
Certis Oncology Solutions is a precision oncology and translational science company based in San Diego, California. Learn more at www.certisoncology.com.
Thank You!
We are so grateful to each and every one of you for being a part of the Sarcoma Alliance community. Whether you are a new or long-time member, your participation strengthens our mission to provide people with the information, guidance, and support they need when facing sarcoma. With our community's generosity and dedication, we expanded our reach and initiatives in 2020. Check out some of our highlights from last year in the graphic below.
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