For Immediate Release
Dana-Farber announces campaign for little-known cancer
Every 35 minutes someone is diagnosed with a potentially deadly cancer most people have never heard of.
Every 43 minutes, someone dies of that same cancer.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Program in Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid Tumors announced a new fundraising initiative December 9 to take on that little-known form of cancer that affects about 120,000 people living in the US.
3-in-3: The Campaign to Cure NET Cancer aims to raise $3 million over the next three years for research aimed at finding a cure for the disease. Currently, unless the cancer is discovered early—before it even becomes symptomatic–there is no cure for the disease.
And while it is slow-growing and many people live for many years with it, in some cases it can cause debilitating symptoms. Patients can suffer as many 20 diarrhea episodes a day, frequent insomnia, and blood pressure and heart issues.
The Program in Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid Tumors at DFCI is at the forefront of international efforts to understand and cure the disease. It developed new drug therapies for pancreatic NETs—the cancer that killed Steve Jobs—that the FDA approved in 2011.
Program researchers also helped develop and test telostristat etiprate, a new drug that was recently tested in a successful Phase 3 trial reported this fall that many anticipate will lead to speedy FDA approval.
Program Director Matt Kulke, MD, told those at the launch event at DFCI that, following the recent development of new neuroendocrine models that will enable the rapid identification of new targets and testing of new drugs, the program is now poised to make an even bigger impact.
“We are in a truly unique position at Dana-Farber,” Kulke said. “Not only are we a leading neuroendocrine tumor center, but here at Dana-Farber we also have the opportunity to apply the latest technology and work with the top cancer researchers in the world to go after this disease.”
NET cancer research has never been well-funded compared with other cancers. Funding for basic research and initial drug development in the US was likely less than $2 million in 2010.
While funding has improved since then, at under $10 million it still does not amount to a rounding error on what is spent on research into more well-known cancers in the US.
Walking with Jane founder Harry Proudfoot, who gave the welcoming speech at the December 9 event, said the campaign is part of an effort to change that. Proudfoot lost his wife to the disease in December, 2010 and has been active in NET cancer circles since then.
“People say you can live a long time with this disease,” he said. “That may be true. But what matters is both length of life and the quality of that life. If you are spending your days on the toilet and your nights staring at the ceiling waiting for sleep that never comes, that’s not much of a life.”
Donations can be made at the Campaign website at http://www.myjimmyfundpage.org/give/33nets
For further information, contact Harry Proudfoot at walkingjane@gmail.com or 508-674-0279.
The text of Proudfoot’s remarks at the kick-off are available here.
Photographs with captions:
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