August 2015 Vol 1 No 4

At the Women’s Survivors Alliance SURVIVORville 2015 meeting, Sara Lewis, MS, LCGC, Hereditary Cancer Clinic, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discussed the key issues that arise before people pursue the option of genetic testing.

This column is intended to help you take control and stay engaged in your cancer care. By participating in decisions about your care, you will be able to get the greatest benefit from the health services you need.

To disclose or not to disclose having cancer, that is the question. Tonya Marie Pan, a survivor of stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoblastic lymphoma, shares insights into the difficulties of communicating with others as a patient with cancer.

More than 600 young adults with cancer and cancer survivors attended this year’s CancerCon, the annual conference organized by Stupid Cancer, which took place on April 24-26, 2015, in Denver, CO. During the conference, young adult attendees shared with CONQUER their diverse journeys with cancer.

Leah Valles, age 12, is an inspiration every day. After her hard battle with stage III melanoma, she decided that people just don’t know that skin cancer is deadly, that it can be prevented, and that it is the fastest growing cancer among teens and young adults.

Matthew Zachary was anticipating a career as a concert pianist and composer, hoping to emulate great composers. A diagnosis of brain cancer altered those plans, but launched a different dream so big that it inspired an entire youth movement.

Although the incidence of childhood cancer has been increasing over the past 30 years, advances in treatment have also led to increased survival rates.

The role of patients in clinical trials is slowly changing, but enlightening more pharmaceutical companies about the value of the patient’s perspective in designing clinical trials is still a challenge.

Dr. Paulette Mehta explains the benefits of mindfulness and meditation for coping with the stress and anxiety associated with being a patient with cancer or a survivor.