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Lung Cancer Town Meeting Sept 10: “Getting the Right Testing and the Right Treatment at the Right Time”

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Town Hall graphic
If you or someone you know is a lung cancer patient or caregiver who wants to learn about “Getting the Right Testing and the Right Treatment at the Right Time,” check out this Lung Cancer Town Meeting in Chicago on September 10th (FREE in person or live online). I’ll be hosting several doctors from Northwestern’s Lurie Cancer Center AND my oncologist Dr. Ross Camidge.

AGENDA (Central Time)

9:30 – 10:00 AM Registration | Connecting With Other Lung Cancer Patients and Care Partners
10:00 – 10:45 AM Current and Novel Treatment Options for Lung Cancer
10:45 – 11:30 AM Understanding Biomarker Testing in Lung Cancer
11:30 – 11:45 AM Meet the Patient Panel
11:45 – 12:30 PM Lunch Provided
12:30 – 1:00 PM Resources and Strategies for Living Well With Lung Cancer
1:00 – 2:00 PM Interactive Q&A Session
This in-person town meeting is sponsored by the Patient Empowerment Network through educational grants from Helsinn, Genentech and Novartis, with additional funding from LUNGevity Foundation through an educational grant from Pfizer. It is produced by Patient Power in partnership with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and LUNGevity.  Thanks to Patient Power for inviting me to host it.
You can register by clicking here.  Hope to see you in Chicago September 10!

Register for the GRACE 2016 Targeted Therapies in Lung Cancer Patient Forum

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GRACE EGFR ALK ROS1 Acquired Resistance Forum Faculty 2016-08-20

If you’re a patient or caregiver dealing with EGFR-, ALK-, or ROS1-positive lung cancer, please consider attending the GRACE forum in Denver this August. You’ll learn tons about the latest treatment options and trials, diagnostic tests, and tips for living with cancer as a chronic illness from experts like Dr Ross Camidge (my research oncologist at University of Colorado who started their remote consult program) and Dr Dara Aisner (co-director of CU’s molecular pathology lab that does the tissue testing). Patients Linnea Olson , Tori Tomalia, and Bob Fuerst are on the program, too! If I didn’t have vacation plans with my son, I’d be there for sure.

You can register here: http://cancergrace.org/targeted-therapies-in-lung-cancer-patient-forum-2016-denver-co

Celebrating Cancer Hashtag Communities and a Moonshot

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This coming week, the online cancer hashtag communities will be celebrating. Why, you ask? We have two good reasons.

  1. The Cancer Moonshot Summit happens Wednesday, June 29, in DC and in satellite locations all over the US (see DC agenda at bottom of this post). While several of our members will be attending, we all have the opportunity to provide input to the Cancer Moonshot (deadline July 1).
  2. The 5th Anniversary of the beginning of Breast Cancer Social Media (#BCSM)—and the beginning of cancer hashtag communities on the web—happens July 4!

Our celebration will take the form of several coordinated chats open to everyone, regardless of cancer type.

Mon 6/27:
#BCSM Chat (use both #BCSM and #cancerchat hashtags) will host a cross-cancer chat at 9 PM Eastern Time about three of the Cancer Moonshot Working Group topics (check blog on #BCSM website for chat details):
–Expanding Clinical Trials
–Enhanced Data Sharing
–Precision Prevention and Early Detection
Ideas generated can be submitted online to the Cancer Moonshot.

Wed 6/29:
Cancer Moonshot events in DC and satellite locations (see agenda for DC Summit below)

Wed 6/29:
#Hcchat will conduct the official Moonshot chat (use both #Hcchat and #Moonshot hashtags) at noon Eastern Time on the topic “Will the Moonshot lead to the death of cancer?” This chat applies to all types of cancers. Special guest will be Vincent T. DeVita, Jr, MD, who was head of the NCI during Nixon’s Cancer Act and author of “The Death of Cancer.”

Thu 6/30:
#LCSM Chat (use both #LCSM and #cancerchat hashtags) will host a cross-cancer chat at 8 PM Eastern Time about the remaining four Cancer Moonshot Working Group topics (check blog on #LCSM Chat website for chat details):
–Cancer Immunology and Prevention
–Tumor Evolution and Progression
–Implementation Sciences
–Pediatric Cancer
Ideas generated can be submitted online to the Cancer Moonshot.

Thu 6/30:
Last day to submit Moonshot ideas at https://cancerresearchideas.cancer.gov/a/index

Sun 7/03:
#BTSM Chat (use both #BTSM and #cancerchat hashtags) will host a cross-cancer chat at 9 PM Eastern Time about our hopes and dreams for cancer research and treatment in the future.

Mon 7/04:
5th anniversary of #BCSM and cancer hashtag communities

Mon 7/04:
#BCSM anniversary celebration chat at 9 PM Eastern (use both #BCSM and #cancerchat hashtags)

The cancer hashtag communities hope you’ll join us for some (or ALL) of these special events and help us celebrate! To learn more about the cancer hashtag communities, visit http://www.symplur.com/healthcare-hashtags/ontology/cancer/

 AGENDA FOR THE CANCER MOONSHOT SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, DC


Cancer Moonshot Summit Agenda 1 (CROPPED) Cancer Moonshot Summit Agenda 2 (CROPPED)

My Upcoming Appearances: Westercon 69 (July 4 weekend)

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Over the 4th of July weekend I will be attending Westercon 69 in Portland, Oregon, where I will speak on three panels and conduct one Kaffeeklatsch. I will also be participating in a lung cancer meetup in Portland on Monday July 4 at 10 AM–please post in the comments if you want to be part of it.

Here is my tentative schedule at Westercon:

How being an engaged patient can save your life (Hawthorne)
Friday Jul 1 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Patients around the world are changing the healthcare model by becoming partners in their own care. What is an engaged patient, how can you become engaged, and why should you care?
Ari Goldstein, Ellen Klowden, Frog Jones, Janet Freeman-Daily, Jennifer Willis

Recent Scientific Breakthroughs – What (Lincoln)
Saturday Jul 2 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Is it black holes, gravitational waves, global warming, a new species discovered, or something else? Which recent discoveries intrigue you most.
Dan Dubrick, Gregory Gadow, James Glass, Janet Freeman-Daily

Kaffeeklatsch (Multnomah)
Sun Jul 3 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Small group discussions with authors, artists, and other interesting personalities (referred to as “hosts”) Sessions are limited to the host and a small group of attendees.
Ctein, Daniel H. Wilson, Janet Freeman-Daily, Jeff Sturgeon, Manny Frishberg, Sara Stamey, Sue Bolich

Is Gibson Getting Out of Hand? (Hawthorne)
Sun Jul 3 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Is corporate control of research and the drive for short-term profit crippling scientific innovation and basic research? Do established companies always feel threatened by new technology and lobby for legislation to restrict it?
Bob Brown, Frank Hayes, Janet Freeman-Daily, Jim Doty

New Survey Available for Patients with Any ROS1-Positive Cancer

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You might already know that my cancer is ROS1-positive. This means my tumor cells test positive for a rearrangement of the ROS1 gene in my DNA.

Now we ROS1-positive patients can help researchers learn more about our cancer by taking a survey.  If you’re already sold, click on the link at the bottom of this page.  For more info, read on!

All human cells have the ROS1 gene, but in adult humans the ROS1 gene isn’t very active. However, sometimes the ROS1 gene fuses with another gene and becomes “rearranged.”  Cells that have certain ROS1 rearrangements become cancerous.  ROS1 cancer is rare – about 1% of non-small cell lung cancers – and is found in several types of cancer such as brain cancer (glioblastomas), angiosarcoma, and melanoma.  ROS1 cancer can be very aggressive, but many patients respond amazingly well to a drug called crizotinib, which is FDA approved for ROS1-positive lung cancer.  You can learn more about ROS1 cancer, some of the patients who have it, and available treatments and clinical trials on the ROS1 portal .

Over 100 patients who have ROS1-positive cancer of any type (regardless of where the cancer started) have joined a Facebook group called “ROS1 Positive (ROS1+) Cancer.” We hail from a dozen different countries. We discuss how to handle side effects of treatment, explore the treatments and clinical trials available to us, and post new research findings. And we share concerns about our futures, because … well, those of us with metastatic ROS1-positive cancer are not curable.

I’ve had no evidence of disease (meaning we can’t detect any cancer) on crizotinib since January 2013. I wish I could say I’m cancer free, but I can’t.  For most everyone who takes crizotinib, the cancer eventually develops resistance to the drug, and tumors start growing again.

We ROS1ers need researchers to learn more about our cancer, and find more effective treatments. Now we can do something to help.

PatientDrivenResearch_Final_April 13, 2016

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation has partnered with ROS1ers to inform more people about our disease and develop patient-driven research that will hopefully find more effective treatments for us.  Although the ALCF focuses on lung cancer, this effort is addressing ROS1-positive cancer regardless of where in the body the cancer began.

The first step is an online survey that aims to discover what we ROS1ers might have in common and hopefully identify some causes for this rare cancer (the majority of the patients are young, fit never smokers). To our knowledge, this is the first-ever research into the possible causes of a genomically-driven cancer across cancer types.

Please complete your survey ASAP! While the survey will remain open for a long time, the first round of data analysis will commence on July 15, 2016, with a goal of announcing preliminary findings at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in December 2016.

If you have ROS1-positive cancer, please complete this survey.
If someone you know has it, please encourage them to complete this survey.
CLICK HERE FOR ROS1 PATIENT SURVEY

Opportunity to honor Dr D Ross Camidge

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Camidge and daughters

Dr. D Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, at the University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center has provided me and many other lung cancer patients and caregivers with hope, support, effective clinical trials, remote second opinions and excellent cancer care. On April 5, Dr. Camidge’s work will be honored as he formally accepts the newly-created Joyce Zeff Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research.
   
A patient speaker (not me) will be talking at the event about Dr. Camidge’s impact on patients. We have a unique opportunity to show Dr Camidge–as well as the donor Ms. Zeff and CU–how many people he has helped in lung cancer patient communities .
   
If you are willing to have your Camidge experiences and kudos shared from the stage at the recognition ceremony, please post them below. I’ll make sure they get to the patient who will be speaking. If you want your name (real or online) associated with the quote, please say so in your post.
   
Thanks in advance for your contributions!
   
Janet Freeman-Daily (AKA Squanch)

Crizotinib (Xalkori) approved for ROS1-positive NSCLC!

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The anticancer pill I take in my clinical trial, Xalkori (generic name crizotinib), was approved today by the FDA for my type of lung cancer: ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer.  I’m one of the 50 patients whose results were included in the clinical trial data.

In addition to being happy that I found an effective treatment for my lung cancer–I’ve had No Evidence of Disease for 36 months and counting–I feel proud to be part of the research that is making new cancer treatments available for more patients.

Precision medicine, targeted therapies, and clinical trials are awesome.

————————-
Edit 2016-03-11 2 PM to add:

Some people have asked what this approval means to my participation in the clinical trial.

The short answer:
Nothing has changed for me. I’m still in the clinical trial, and I still get my drug free (but have to pay for my travel).

The long answer:

Last April, Xalkori for ROS1+ NSCLC received “breakthrough” FDA designation, which is one type of accelerated FDA approval. The accelerated approval process allows the FDA to grant approval before a Phase 3 clinical trial is completed, but still requires a Phase 3 trial to be completed eventually. So my clinical trial must continue until the Phase 3 trial is complete, or the FDA will pull its approval of Xalkori for ROS1 NSCLC.

Xalkori originally received breakthrough designation for ALK+ NSCLC, and was granted FDA approval through the accelerated process in August 2011 (the fastest drug approval to date). The Xalkori for ALK+ NSCLC phase 3 clinical trial still continues over four years later. So I suspect my clinical trial will be continuing for some time.

However, even if I left the clinical trial, Xalkori is already covered by most insurance plans, and today’s FDA approval means pretty much all plans will cover it. However, the copays vary considerably.  Some plans cover it as a pharmacy benefit with a substantial out of pocket expense.  Others cover it as a medical expense, with a standard deductible.  I haven’t checked to see how (or if) my plan covers it.

I plan to stay in the clinical trial at the University of Colorado for the forseeable future.  I like having regular access to some of the top experts in the world on ROS1 cancer and molecular testing for precision medicine.  My writing income goes to fund their Lung Cancer Colorado Fund for lung cancer research.  I also participate in their research as a patient advocate on the NCI-sponsored CU lung cancer SPORE (Specialized Program for Research Excellence) and get to learn about cutting-edge cancer research, which satisfies the geek in me. Besides, I’ve grown fond of several people I’ve come to know at CU.  It’s become a second home of sorts.

So, yeah, this approval does not change my treatment. But hopefully it will make the treatment more available to more patients ASAP.

Patient Advocate Scholarships Available to Attend #ASCO16

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Photo shows two mean chatting in the bustle of Annual Meeting.

If you are a cancer patient advocate interested in attending ASCO 2016, consider applying for the Conquer Cancer Foundation Patient Advocate Scholarship Program.

I have attended ASCO’s annual meeting in Chicago for the past two years.  While the five-day conference can be exhausting, it’s perhaps the best way to learn what treatments are up and coming for your type of cancer, become educated about the science behind research and clinical trials, and discover (and even chat with) the experts in your type of cancer.  It’s also a place to meet the people in your cancer community who you might only know online.

The ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) 2016 Annual Meeting–held in Chicago June 3-7–will bring together over 30,000 cancer professionals from around the world for sessions about state-of-the-art treatment, results of clinical trials, as well as policy, advocacy, and survivorship issues.  You might strike up a conversation with a world-class expert in your type of cancer at a poster presentation or even walking between sessions.  The exhibit hall is a great place to learn about new biotech technologies (such as genomic testing panels and liquid biopsies) as well as what’s in each pharmaceutical company’s drug pipeline.

The Patient Advocate Scholarships are intended for expenses related to air or train travel, lodging, and meeting registration for advocates traveling from outside the Chicago area to attend the meeting (which can add up to $2K US or more).  Eligibility is based primarily on financial need as well as advocacy experience and current activities. Applicants will need to demonstrate why they would not be able to afford to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting without a scholarship award, and are encouraged to provide a compelling reason why their attendance at the meeting is vital to their advocacy role(s).

Although the application period for the doesn’t open until April 4, get an early start now on preparing your application –the application period will only open for three days!

My Norwescon 39 Panel Schedule

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nwc 2016 banner

The Norwescon 39 Science Fiction Convention happens March 24-27, 2016, in SeaTac, Washington.  I will once again be a science panelist.  You can find me on the panels listed below, or maybe hanging out in the bar with other writers and science geeks, scarfing down a snack in the Green Room, or wandering the corridors on my way to the art show, dealers room, a friend’s reading, or an interesting panel.  hope to see you there!

 

BIO21 – Blinded by Pseudoscience
Fri 6:00 PM-7:00 PM – Cascade 3&4
Gregory Gadow (M), Janet Freeman-Daily, Caroline Pate, Dr. Misty Marshall, Jake McKinzie

TEC05 – Real Radiation for Writers & Readers
Fri 8:00 PM-9:00 PM – Cascade 5&6
Mike Brennan (M), Janet Freeman-Daily, Arthur Bozlee, Daniel P. Lynge

BIO20 – Facts & Fictions of Cancer
Sat 1:00 PM-2:00 PM – Cascade 5&6
Janet Freeman-Daily (M), Dr. Misty Marshall, Vickie Bligh, Nicholas Maurice

BIO16 – Ask the Experts: Biology
Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM – Cascade 5&6
Alan Andrist (M), Janet Freeman-Daily, Caroline Pate, Dr. Misty Marshall, Nicholas Maurice

TEC01 – Remembering In Tomorrow
Sat 7:00 PM-8:00 PM – Cascade 9
Sean Hagle (M), Janet Freeman-Daily, Michael Ormes

BIO19 – Evolution Is Just a Theory!
Sun 10:00 AM-11:00 AM – Cascade 5&6
Dr. Ricky (M), Janet Freeman-Daily, Alan Andrist, Michael McSwiney, Jake McKinzie

BIO03 – Future Pharma
Sun 2:00 PM-3:00 PM – Cascade 5&6
Janet Freeman-Daily (M), Caroline Pate, Vickie Bligh, Nicholas Maurice

Take It Personally: How decoding your genes might unlock the future of health care

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Denver’s “5280” magazine just published a terrific article on precision medicine called  Take It Personally: How decoding your genes might unlock the future of health care by Julie Dugdale (click on the link to read it). It’s a top-level summary of the benefits and issues that arise from using genomic data in medicine.  One of the main players in the article is the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and some of the providers I work with at CU are quoted (Dr. Dara Aisner and Dr. Robert Doebele).

P.S.  I play a bit role in the article (as a lung cancer case study)