GIST, my friend: How to live with this chronic disease day-to-day
"Acceptance – for me that means trying to live as positively and naturally as possible by thinking of cancer as a friend and not as an enemy!"
Swiss are back at it with 8th annual meeting
Approximately 90 GIST patients, relatives, GIST experts, interested professionals, physicians and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry gathered in Zurich on April 8, 2011 for the eighth meeting of the Swiss GIST group in the Restaurant Au Premier at Zurich Main Station (HB Zürich).
Healthcare 2011 and beyond: Part 3
In our last newsletter, we covered some resources available to you to cover your prescription drugs outside of Medicare, in this last article in the series, we will look at pharmaceutical company assistance.
State of the GIST Community Part 3: What do we know about mutational testing?
As of May 1, 2011, the LRG patient registry only received 377 reports of mutations out of 1,327 patients, which only represents 28 percent of the entire registry. Part of this may be related to the fact that mutational testing is not common practice at diagnosis.
The connection between ICCs & GIST
Where does GIST come from? Good question. GIST actually begins formation in special cells called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). ICCs are considered the pace-makers of the GI tract...
A spotlight Dr. Linyee Shum
Dr. Linyee Shum’s career path began the moment he was born. It appeared he was destined to be an engineer and was encouraged to pursue it since early childhood. He even majored in mechanical engineering during his freshmen year of college....
Alianza GIST meets for second time in Brazil
At the end of 2009, The Life Raft Group proudly announced the foundation of an important initiative, the Latin American GIST Coalition, now called Alianza GIST. Currently comprised of twelve countries, this group of patient advocates from across Latin America has formed a partnership dedicated to improving the survival and lives of GIST patients in Latin America.
Mutational Testing & Survival: Where We Stand
Only six percent of GIST patients in the United States take advantage of testing that could be used to individualize their treatment according to a new article in the Annals of Oncology. Dr. Peter Pisters of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and his colleagues reported results of the GIST reGISTry, a Novartis Pharmaceuticals-supported registry of 882 GIST patients in the United States.
Thank You For Being A Friend
Norman Scherzer (Executive Director) performing to the theme song of Golden Girls to say thanks for helping The Life Raft Group.
Henry Offen – In Memoriam
Henry William Offen came into this world as Heinrich Wilhelm Albert Offen in Uelzen, Germany, on April 28, 1937. He left his frail body at his Carpinteria home surrounded by his family, pets and garden on Sunday, April 25, just three days before his 73rd birthday.