The Life Raft Group Attends 18th Annual CTOS Meeting in NYC
From October 30th to November 2nd the Life Raft Group staff members attended the annual Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) Meeting in NYC.
ARIAD Ponatinib Trial Pauses Accepting New Patients
ARIAD has announced that their ponatinib (Iclusig) trial, which some GIST patients are participating in, has paused new enrollment based on consultations with the FDA regarding patients who experienced particular vascular events. Subject to agreement with [...]
Clinical Trial Patients Impacted by Government Shutdown
Hundreds of patients are admitted to new clinical trials administered by the U.S. government. Since the government shutdown is going on it's third day, new patient additions for these trials have been put on hold [...]
LRG at ASCO 2013
ASCO was held again this year in Chicago. Over 32,000 medical professionals and exhibitors participated in what has become an international event. 53% of attendees now come from outside the US. It helps to know [...]
Sosipatros Boikos takes helm at NIH Clinic
Dr. Sosipatros Boikos, a graduate of University of Crete in Greece, very early and while he was a first year medical student, developed an interest in cancer genetics. After graduating from medical school, he came to the National Institutes of Health as a Visiting Research Fellow to work on the genetics of Wildtype gastrointestinal stromal tumors—those GIST tumors without a KIT or PDGFRA mutation—under the supervision of Dr. Constantine Stratakis, the researcher who identified Carney-Stratakis Syndrome.
Clinical Trials – Reforms Discussed to Meet Patient Needs
The conversations about improving clinical trials to better meet the needs of cancer patients continue, with two noteworthy arguments set forth recently. Both arguments address the need to rethink the design of clinical trials.
Radiation therapy revisited as an option in GIST treatment
Radiation therapy has been revisited as an option in GIST treatment. Keep reading to learn more about the research that has gone into radiation therapy.
ARIAD Launches Phase 2 trial of Iclusig to treat GIST
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals has launched a Phase 2 trial of Iclusig to treat GIST. Keep reading for all the details in the official press release.
Clinical Trials and the Search for Greater Efficiency
Clinical trials are a key step in the development and approval of new drugs to treat cancer and often a lifeline to patients seeking options when other treatments have failed.
FDA approves Stivarga for advanced GIST
The Food and Drug Administration, in a much-anticipated announcement for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor patients, has approved Bayer Pharmaceutical's drug, Stivarga, for use as a third-line treatment for advanced GIST.