PHILADELPHIA, PA - The
University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center today announced
receiving a two-year $500,000 grant from the Lance Armstrong
Foundation (LAF). The grant will be used to develop
a new model of care for long-term survivors of cancer.
The goal of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
survivorship program, called Living Well After Cancer,
is to help reduce the physical and emotional impact
of cancer and its treatment on survivors and to help
survivors find ways to maximize their quality of life.
The program will integrate clinical care, research and
education in an innovative approach to meeting the needs
of the growing population of cancer survivors.
"Thanks to major treatment advances, more cancer
patients are surviving than ever before," explained
John H. Glick, MD, director of the University of Pennsylvania
Cancer Center. "The funds awarded by the Lance
Armstrong Foundation will enable us to establish a cancer
survivorship program that will serve as a model for
the nation."
The LAF shares the Cancer Center's vision. "The
mission of the Lance Armstrong Foundation is to help
people manage and survive cancer," said Howard
Chalmers, president and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
"Our goals are to reduce the presence of cancer
on this planet, continue to define, refine and improve
cancer survivor services and facilitate the delivery
of those services - along with a large dose of hope
- to patients and their families and loved ones."
Since its inception, the LAF has approved more than
$2.5 million in grants.
Living Well After Cancer will focus initially on programs
for survivors of breast cancer and testicular cancer,
two types of cancer that have high rates of survival.
"Breast cancer survivors are the largest component
of the cancer survivorship community," said breast
medical oncologist Angela DeMichele, MD, who will direct
the clinical and research aspects of Living Well After
Cancer's breast cancer component. "Preserving a
woman's quality of life after breast cancer requires
physical, social and psychological resources and support.
Living Well After Cancer will bring together the medical
and psychosocial resources breast cancer survivors need
in order to develop new ways to live healthy, rewarding
lives."
"Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor
among males ages 15-35 and one of the most curable of
all cancers," stated David J. Vaughn, MD, a medical
oncologist who will direct the clinical and research
aspects of Living Well After Cancer's testicular cancer
program. "Few studies have been done on the psychosocial
impact of testis cancer on survivors. Living Well After
Cancer will help answer some of the questions that can
help improve survivors' quality of life - physically
and emotionally."
Anna Meadows, MD, former director of the National Cancer
Institute's Survivorship Program, now directs the University
of Pennsylvania Cancer Center's Survivorship Research
Program and provides senior leadership to Living Well
After Cancer. "There is a significant need to build
a nationally recognized, scientifically-based effort
to develop and test interventions designed to improve
the quality of life of cancer survivors and to address
the long-term medical effects of cancer and its treatment,"
emphasized Meadows.
The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center research
studies aim to increase the length of survival for cancer
patients, prevent further disease and disability, as
well as study clinical, psychological and social interventions
and the economic effects of cancer. Patients in the
program will benefit from the results of this ongoing
research immediately.
"Our partnership with the Lance Armstrong Foundation
will not only improve the quality of care and enhance
the quality of life for survivors of breast and testicular
cancer," said Dr. Glick, "but help them awaken
the same spirit of hope that Lance Armstrong embraced
in his own battle with cancer."
About the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
Throughout its history, the University of Pennsylvania
Cancer Center has been continuously recognized regionally
and nationally for its contributions to patient care,
research, professional education, and patient and community
outreach. The Cancer Center is one of only 37 Comprehensive
Cancer Centers approved and designated by the National
Cancer Institute. It was among the first cancer centers
to receive this prestigious designation, and has maintained
this status continuously for twenty years. For more
information about survivorship, specific types of cancer,
research advances, cancer treatment, and clinical trials,
visit the Cancer Center's resource on the World Wide
Web at: http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu.
About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation exists to help people
manage and survive cancer. Founded in 1997 by cancer
survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the Foundation
focuses its activities in four primary areas: public
education and awareness, survivor services and support,
groundbreaking survivorship programs, and medical and
scientific research grants. Providing information, services,
and support, the LAF strives to help all cancer patients
through the challenging and difficult phases of diagnosis
and treatment, encouraging each to adopt the same attitude
that Lance Armstrong adopted in his own battle with
cancer: "I am a survivor, not a victim."
For more information about the Lance Armstrong Foundation,
visit the Foundation's web site or call the organization at 512-236-8820.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.