Reconnecting at ASCO 2015

The Prevent Cancer Foundation has awarded nearly 450 early career scientists with grants and fellowships in cancer prevention and early detection over the past 30 years. We had the pleasure of meeting one of those scientists over the weekend at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago. This conference brings together oncology professionals from around the world to discuss the latest in treatments, therapies and research. We enjoy attending every year to meet with new and reconnect with old partners in cancer prevention.

At the Foundation’s ASCO Sponsored Patient Advocacy Booth, a past grantee came by to reconnect with the Foundation. Ronac Mamtani, M.D., M.S.C.E., was awarded a grant to study the impact of metformin on the risk of prostate cancer in 2013. Metformin is a commonly used diabetes medication. Dr. Mamtani and his team are working to determine whether metformin is associated with a decrease in prostate cancer risk. Expressing his sincere gratitude, we were touched to hear how our grant made such a strong impact in his cancer prevention and early detection research.

Impact and patient-centered care were recurring themes at this year’s ASCO conference. With nearly 35,000 attendees, the conference gave us an opportunity to hold great conversations with oncologists, nurse navigators and patient advocates alike to move the focus more on prevention and early detection.

Today, we know that 50 percent of cancer cases and 50 percent of cancer deaths are preventable . However, 1.6 million people will receive a cancer diagnosis this year and more than half a million people will die from the disease. We can do better! The important work of the scientists we support is one of the ways we continue to advance our understanding of the prevention of this deadly disease. We look forward to applying what we learned at the conference to our next round of research grants to fund the most impactful projects. We are also excited to see how what was discussed last weekend affects the field when we meet at ASCO 2016!