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The Lung Cancer Research Foundation’s annual Evening of Innovation gala celebrated scientific discovery, honored the work of lung cancer luminaries, and raised funds for research that will save lives. The event raised over $545,000 for lung cancer research. 

2023 Evening of Innovation gala at The Metropolitan Club, New York City

This year’s gala honored two incredible women in the lung cancer space.  

Honoree Katerina Politi, PhD

Katerina Politi, PhD, received the evening’s Gala Honoree Award. Dr. Politi is chair of LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board, a volunteer role she has held since 2019, and a member of LCRF’s Board of Directors, where she serves on the Executive Committee. Dr. Politi is also Associate Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine; Co-Leader of the Cancer Signaling Networks Research Program and Scientific Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers, Yale Cancer Center.  Dr. Politi has given countless hours of her time to LCRF, all while running her own lab and raising her family. She is a mentor to many other researchers, and is committed to unlocking the secrets of lung cancer to benefit patients.

Brendon M. Stiles, MD, and Katerina Politi, PhD

Dr. Brendon M. Stiles of Montefiore-Einstein Medical Center and 2022 Evening of Innovation Gala Honoree presented the award to Dr. Politi. “I like to say that research is our True North at the Lung Cancer Research Foundation,” said Dr. Stiles. “And certainly if that is our True North, then Katie is our North Star.”

Watch a short video about Dr. Politi below.

Honoree Colleen Conner Ziegler

Jen Cosgrove and Colleen Conner Ziegler

Jen Cosgrove, LCRF advocate and stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer survivor, presented the Research Advocate Honoree Award to Colleen Conner Ziegler, research patient advocate and incoming LCRF Board Chair. Ms. Conner Ziegler, diagnosed with Stage IV ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer in May 2015, has been a tireless advocate on behalf of patients with lung cancer for nearly eight years. In that role, she has initiated and supported patient-centered research, increased awareness of lung cancer, mentored newly diagnosed lung cancer patients, and served as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program. Ms. Conner Ziegler is a beacon of hope and inspiration to so many people – other lung cancer patients, her own physicians, the investigators whose research she champions – and represents the patient voice in LCRF’s research programs. “She has such a special way of relating to people,” says Ms. Cosgrove of Ms. Conner Ziegler, “…of talking to people, and of being there for people. I’m grateful for her friendship and her leadership in advocating for other lung cancer patients.”

Watch a short video about Ms. Conner Ziegler below.

Posted in EventsTagged ,

Coral Olazagasti , MD, and Estelamari Rodriguez, MD, MPH, led a Lung Cancer Community Talk in Spanish on September 21. With moderator Ana Velázquez Mañana, MD, MSc, they provided an overview of lung cancer, with a discussion about lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, biomarker testing, clinical trials, and more.

Dr. Olazagasti is a head & neck and thoracic oncologist for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Rodriguez is Co-Lead, Thoracic Site Disease Group for the institution. Dr. Velázquez Mañana is a thoracic oncologist and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Watch the recording below.

Posted in Together SeparatelyTagged , ,

The good news
A 2015 LCRF grant awardee, Benjamin Izar, MD, PhD, contributed to recent research published in the prestigious journal, Nature, by Samuel Bakhoun, MD, PhD from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The research shows how an immune pathway called STING, which normally defends against infection and cancer, can decrease the immune response and help the cancer spread.

Why it’s important
Even within one cancer there are many different tumor and immune cells. The researchers used a sophisticated computational tool to evaluate individual cancer and immune cells. By studying the interactions between these cells, they were able to identify biomarkers that can determine how cancer cells may respond to a particular treatment.

What it means for patients
The interactions between cancer and the immune system are very complicated.  Findings from this research will help scientists understand how to improve treatment of cancer patients. In the past, drugs that activate the STING pathway have not been successful in cancer treatment. However, STING is still very important in the immune system. Understanding the interactions between the cancer cell and the immune system may help to guide physicians in the use of the available drugs directed at STING.

What to watch for
This research may result in more biomarker driven trials that will use the findings to individually direct treatment.  Successes in this area could be applied to other trials using immunotherapy. 

Read more

Posted in Research, Science Made SimpleTagged , ,

“Know Your Risk: A Hispanic and Latino American’s Guide to Lung Cancer” launches at National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts annual gala

NEW YORK, NY and Washington, DC (September 20, 2023) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) announces today the launch of its newest awareness program, “Know Your Risk: A Hispanic and Latino American’s Guide to Lung Cancer,” at the Visioning Summit gala event this evening, presented by the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA).

Lung cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer overall and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic/Latino men, and the second leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic/Latina women.[1] Despite having a lower incidence rate of lung cancer than non-Latino white Americans, Latinos with lung cancer were 13% less likely to be diagnosed early, 2% less likely to receive surgical treatment, and 39% more likely to not receive any treatment in comparison.[2]

This new awareness program aims to educate Hispanic and Latino Americans about the many risk factors associated with lung cancer – exposure to air pollution, environmental toxins, radon, second-hand smoke – as well as signs and symptoms to be aware of, and the importance of screening for lung cancer to detect it early enough to increase survival.

Dr. Narjust Florez

Included in the program are a documentary video, featuring Dr. Narjust Florez, thoracic oncologist – Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Assistant Professor of Medicine – Harvard Medical School, and two of her patients; along with PSAs featuring award-winning actor, Esai Morales. LCRF offers several Spanish-language educational resources about lung cancer for patients and their caregivers. All elements of the program can be found on the foundation’s website at LCRF.org/KnowYourRisk. The PSA will premiere at the NHFA’s annual gala tonight as part of its Visioning Summit.

“It is our pleasure to launch “Know Your Risk” at this event,” says Felix Sanchez, NHFA Chair & Co-founder. “Our organization’s membership is very concerned about disparities surrounding health and health access; we believe that education and awareness help to combat those disparities. With lung cancer being the number one cancer killer of Hispanic and Latino men, and second highest cancer killer of our community’s women, it is important that we help share the message.”

Esai Morales

“As I have said, I hid my mother’s cigarettes from her when I was a child,” says Esai Morales, award-winning actor and spokesperson for this awareness campaign. “I have learned since then how many other exposures put people at risk for lung cancer. As a proud Hispanic American, I am honored to bring this message to my community and to be the face of this very important campaign.”

“Partnering with NHFA, Felix, and Esai is exciting for all of us at LCRF,” says Aubrey Rhodes, LCRF’s executive director. “By joining forces, we can more effectively spread the word about the risks, symptoms, and treatment options for lung cancer in Hispanic and Latino communities. Our hope is that earlier detection and access to treatment will give patients a better quality of life, as well as more time with the people who love them.”

This program is funded in part by Bristol Myers Squibb, with additional support provided by grants from Amgen, Lilly Oncology, Regeneron, Daiichi Sankyo, Pfizer, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Merck.

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About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 409 research grants, totaling more than $42 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit lcrf.org.

About the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA)
Actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia, and attorney Felix Sanchez created the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts in 1997 to advance the presence of Latinos in the media and entertainment industries. Since its inception, the Foundation has promoted and advanced the representation of Latino students, artists, and storytellers in the entertainment and media industries through advocacy, visibility, and talent cultivation work. By ensuring that the entertainment, media, and arts landscapes reflect the rich diversity of our society, the Foundation is driving progress and building a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

1. Hispanic/Latino 2021-2023 Cancer Facts and Figures

2. American Lung Association State of Lung Cancer, Racial and Ethnic Disparities

Posted in Announcements, DisparitiesTagged , , ,

By Wendy Lassen Feldman
September 2023

Looking back, the summer before my diagnosis I had some odd reverberating feelings in my lungs when I would laugh. I did see my doctor, but he thought it was reflux. Then, during a routine visit with a breast surgeon (because I am high risk for breast cancer) we found a lump. Turns out, that lump was not cancer, but because it scared me, I advocated for scans. While my doctor thought it was nothing, I insisted on a chest x-ray. I still can’t explain it to this day, but I knew something wasn’t right.

The day of my x-rays is also the day that my father died. I was in the car after my initial x-ray when my sister called to let me know that dad had died. Then, I got a call from the doctor’s office asking me to come back right away because I either had pneumonia or a tumor. I went back to Baltimore, had a CT scan, a PET scan a day after that, and was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer.

Not only treatable, but curable

I was diagnosed on September 8, 2016. The following night, I read my scan reports and looked up what I had and was freaked out. I called the thoracic oncology unit after seeing my scan results, and the head nurse called me back to discuss the results with me. She told me, “this is not only treatable, it can be curable.” And with that, I started my lung cancer journey with hope.

I completed biomarker testing, and my lung cancer was determined to be ROS1-positive – a type of non-small-cell lung cancer that occurs in only 1-2% of patients.

My life was dark. My father had passed away and I had just received a lung cancer diagnosis.

I needed purpose. That’s where my children come into the story. My kids were amazing, giving me the emotional strength that I needed. They truly showed up for me, as did my ex-husband, friends, family and community.

I met with a team of doctors at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and while receiving the treatment plan I asked a medical oncologist, “do you see me here in five years?” and without hesitation she said “yes” confidently. That saved me in that moment.

I started chemo and radiation on the same day. I was given cisplatin and pemetrexed, and simultaneously underwent aggressive radiation. I finished chemo-radiation on November 9, had surgery three weeks later on December 1, and an optional post-surgery radiation treatment on January 18, 2017 – then I was done. During my treatment I did not lose my hair, and I didn’t feel sick. I worked out, went on walks, and put on my makeup every day. It was important to me to still be me.

Don’t give up

My advice for someone with a lung cancer diagnosis sounds cliché, but it is true and important: don’t give up. When I went online after my diagnosis and saw my survival percentages, I could have given up. But lung cancer is not a death sentence. It is not all black and white. And if the survival rate is 20% – why can’t YOU be one of those 20%?

Remember, what you see online as a survival rate isn’t always reality – the data is often outdated, and it doesn’t take your personal circumstances into account.

Even at stage 4, lung cancer can be managed like a chronic illness with the advances doctors and scientists are making. Keep yourself alive. Don’t feel pressure to be “cured” – just keep yourself alive as long as possible so that you can benefit from the discoveries being made in the lung cancer space every single day.

I believe in manifestation. I didn’t hate my cancer. I didn’t fight it. Fighting something only keeps it alive to fight back. Instead, I grew to understand that my cancer was a part of me. It was just a part of me that I didn’t have room for in my life. As I laid on the radiation table, I would imagine the radiation killing the tumors and tell them, “it’s time for you to go now.”

My dollars go to research

LCRF’s mission resonated with me from the start. “Research” is in the name, and it’s what they do. Developments are occurring constantly, providing options for patients with lung cancer, and I want to be a part of that. I also appreciate that LCRF is a small organization, in that it is accessible and personal, and the staff make an effort to get to know their supporters. I thought at the beginning that LCRF was a huge organization with the amount of impact they have. But because LCRF is actually a small, accessible organization, I am able to truly know where my dollars are going and get to know the organization in a more personal way.

I plan to stay involved with LCRF, as a donor, a fundraiser, an attendee at events, and as a resource. I am happy to talk with anyone facing a lung cancer diagnosis. It is important to hear that there is hope. People are surviving.

Support lung cancer research
Posted in Journeys, PeopleTagged ,

The 16th annual Elliot’s Legacy, a beachside family carnival featuring kite flying in memory of Elliot Chalmé A’H, took place August 20. Elliot passed away from lung cancer in 2006 at the age of 56, and flying kites was a beloved activity of his.

At least 500 people – most of them families with children – enjoyed activities including airbrushing, rides, bounce houses, and (of course) flying kites.

LCRF Board member Ray Chalmé, his brothers Richie and Hy, their mother Robin and a new generation of Chalmés have raised close to $8 million since the event’s inception in 2007.

Robin Chalmé Rahmey, Elliot’s granddaughter, had a big role in planning this year’s event. “Growing up, my family’s commitment to funding research was second only to honoring my grandfather in a fun and family-oriented way,” she said. “It’s just who he was, so it seems natural that I help continue the tradition of bringing families together to fly kites in his memory for years to come.”

“It’s incredible to think that this event we started 16 years ago to honor our dad has supported the work of so many lung cancer researchers,” said Ray Chalmé. “The $8 million raised for lung cancer research through Elliott’s Legacy Kites for a Cure means an additional $48 million in follow-on funding will be received by LCRF grantees.”

“Elliot was a shining light to so many, and he continues to shine through this event. We’re so honored to have his legacy be the catalyst for giving other lung cancer patients more time,” said Elliot’s wife, Robin.

The Chalmé family is grateful to the generous sponsors and donors who have supported the event year after year, and are proud of the impact they are making on the future for patients with lung cancer.

“We not only keep my dad’s memory alive through this event, but research advancements are also directly impacted by the many generous donors who help us continue to fight for a cure every year,” Ray added.

“LCRF is indebted to the Chalmé family,” said Aubrey Rhodes, Executive Director. “Their commitment to funding lung cancer research is demonstrated year after year. Their impact is felt far beyond just what the family has raised through this event over the last 16 years. We are so grateful for their belief in the mission of LCRF.”

Below are a few photos of the event. More photos will be available soon.

Ray Chalmé
Posted in Events, Fundraise Your WayTagged ,

Volunteers to provide patient and caregiver perspective to foundation’s grant award process

NEW YORK, NY (August 29, 2023) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to announce the appointment of a select group of volunteers as its Research Advocates.  These dedicated individuals are patients, survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and advocates committed to identifying and funding innovative lung cancer research.

This group is tasked with playing a significant role in determining areas of research to fund, drafting requests for proposals (RFPs), reviewing, and providing input on grant applications, and supporting education, awareness, and funding efforts.

“It is important to include the patient voice in everything we do as an organization,” remarked Aubrey Rhodes, LCRF’s Executive Director. “Patient involvement in the decision-making process surrounding LCRF’s research investments ensures funding for the most promising projects with the greatest potential impact on patient outcomes.”

“At its core, research is about creating better outcomes for patients, so enabling us to participate in the process – from prioritizing areas of research to focus on through helping identify the most promising grant submissions – will help advance research that has the greatest chance of changing people’s lives,” says Bruce Dunbar, LCRF board member, chair of LCRF’s Corporate Development Committee, and Research Advocate. “The scope of innovative thinking and high-potential research in lung cancer science today is unprecedented and I’m excited to work with this prestigious group to advance the research in patient-centric ways.”

LCRF’s Research Advocates

Aaron Andersen, MD — Waukesha, WI 
Emergency Medicine Physician
Emergency Medical Associates of Waukesha, WI
Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Sarah Christ — Long Island, NY
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Colleen Conner Ziegler — Rochester, NY
LCRF Board of Directors, LCRF Scientific Executive Committee
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Denise Cutlip – Ypsilanti, MI
LCRF Education and Engagement Committee
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Dusty Donaldson — High Point, NC
Founder, Dusty Joy Foundation
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Bruce Dunbar — New Rochelle, NY
LCRF Board of Directors, LCRF Corporate Development Committee Chair
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Kristen H. Kimball, MS, MEM — Boston, MA
Educator, UCONN
Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Barbara LaMonaca — Falls Church, VA
BSN, Speech Pathology & Audiology, Retired
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Sulaiha Masten, PhD — Fairfax, VA
Clinical Psychologist, Retired
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Frank McKenna, MS Ed — Virginia Beach, VA
Cancer Exercise Specialist
Founder, Beach Better Bodies
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Emily Venanzi, PhD – Newton, MA
ALK Positive Inc. Medical Committee 
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

# # #

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 409 research grants, totaling more than $42 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.

Posted in AnnouncementsTagged

During our August 23 #TogetherSeparately webinar, Dr. Ishwaria Subbiah and Dr. Isabel Preeshagul discussed palliative care and support resources for patients with lung cancer. Dr. Subbiah is Executive Director, Cancer Care Equity and Professional Wellness for Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) and a member of LCRF’s Education + Engagement Committee.

Watch the video below.

Posted in Together SeparatelyTagged ,

Carebox to help LCRF advance lung cancer research by making identifying relevant lung cancer trials easier and more effective for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals

NEW YORK and RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 1, 2023 – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) and Carebox, a leading provider of clinical trial matching solutions, today announced the launch of a Carebox Connect experience optimized for lung cancer patients.

From the clinical trials page of the LCRF website, lung cancer patients, their caregivers and healthcare professionals can visit the Carebox Connect web application for an easy and effective way to search for and match to potentially relevant trials. By making this search resource available on its website, LCRF is connecting patients to research and enabling them to make the best treatment decisions for themselves.

Visitors to the web application can complete a ten-question questionnaire about the patient’s lung cancer condition and then instantly see which of over one thousand actively recruiting clinical trials with treatment options, are potentially relevant for them. They can then get connected to a trial research site for next steps.

The Carebox Connect trial database is synchronized daily with the ClinicalTrials.gov clinical trial data maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Applying its human-supervised AI, Carebox converts the unstructured text in ClinicalTrials.gov that describes eligibility criteria for enrollment, into a searchable index of clinical criteria for matching with patient characteristics.

For more advanced users, full search and filtering capabilities are available. Filters can be saved for future use. Furthermore, based on those saved filters, users can subscribe to receive Carebox Connect notifications in their email inbox whenever new trials open (or new sites open) in a defined distance radius from where they are located.

“LCRF is on a mission to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Patient participation in clinical trials is a critical component on the road to our vision of a world free of lung cancer”, explains Aubrey Rhodes, Executive Director of LCRF, adding that “Carebox Connect enables us to both advance research and make clinical trial treatment options much more accessible to the lung cancer patient community.”

“The Carebox Connect Network has a common technology foundation and a unified end-user application,” notes Assaf Levi, Carebox VP of R&D. “However, we can create customized experiences for each specific condition so that lung cancer patients arriving from LCRF are directed to the relevant questionnaire and trials for them. Knowing that we are touching the lives of so many patients and can help support efforts of organizations like LCRF in advancing such important research, is core to what makes working at Carebox special for the entire engineering team”.

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About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 409 research grants, totaling nearly $42 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.

About Carebox
Carebox connects patients and physicians seeking treatment options with clinical trials. For patients and families, access to information about the newest and most advanced treatment options is obscured and frustrating to find. For pharma companies, clinical trial recruitment is the primary bottleneck in the $100B+ drug development market now being reshaped by precision medicine treatment specificity, new trial models, diversity requirements, and digital health consumer expectations. Carebox is at the forefront of addressing these challenges for patients and their families, as well as for the ecosystem of companies involved in sponsoring, running, and recruiting for clinical trials. Learn more about Carebox at careboxhealth.com.

About Carebox Connect
The Carebox Connect cloud platform digitizes Carebox’s two decades of experience in navigating over one million patients seeking clinical trial options. It enables trial sponsors of all sizes to educate, engage, navigate, match, qualify, refer, and enroll patients in their clinical trials. Pharma trial sponsors, hospital research centers, and patient advocacy groups use Carebox Connect to present their clinical trial portfolios to the public, optimize trial recruitment, and enhance participant diversity in support of ongoing clinical research.

About The Carebox Connect Network
In addition to customer-branded Carebox Connect solutions for trials sponsors and sites, the Carebox Connect Network bring the power of the platform to patients, families, and caregivers via a rapidly growing network of dozens of patient advocacy groups and physician associations reaching tens of thousands of patients. Carebox runs co-branded and branded web applications and/or clinical trial navigation services on behalf of its Carebox Connect Network partners.

Contact:
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, LCRF
ssullivan@lcrf.org

Posted in AnnouncementsTagged