Patient of the Month for August: Debi Granus
Patient of the Month: August As part of our Faces of Courage Series, we are featuring a patient of the month on the 13th of each month. Why is the number 13 [...]
The Werners – Finding the New Normal Living with Wildtype GIST
Bryce Werner was a regular middle-schooler living an average 12-year-old life in Pennsylvania when suddenly everything was thrown wildly left of normal by a GIST diagnosis.
New Technology Developed Which Can Predict GIST Patient’s Response to Drugs with Amazing Accuracy
Researchers have developed a test that can accurately identify over 20% of GIST patients that are unlikely to respond to currently approved treatments. In addition, it can identify which patients need a higher dose [...]
GIST Updates from the ASCO Annual Meeting 2018
Executive Director, Norman Scherzer, and Real World Evidence Data Scientist, Dr. Yu Wang, of the Life Raft Group recently attended the ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncologists) 2018 meeting in Chicago. Dr. Wang describes [...]
ISPOR Conference Sheds Light on Patient Experience Data
In May 2018, the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), invited the Life Raft Group to the ISPOR 10th Patient Representatives Roundtable during the ISPOR 2018 conference in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Yu [...]
GIST Updates: SPAEN and ESMO 2018 Meetings
Senior Director of Program Operations, Sara Rothschild, recently represented the Life Raft Group at the SPAEN (Sarcoma Patients EuroNet) meeting. Subsequent to the meeting, over 300 medical professionals gathered for the 7th annual ESMO [...]
Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Announces the Start of Phase 3 Clinical Trial with DCC-2618 in GIST
On January 4th, 2018 Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc, announced the start of the Phase 3 INVICTUS trial. This randomized trial is for 4th line GIST patients that have failed (or are intolerant) the [...]
15 Years-15 Wishes for 2018 from the Life Raft Group
As we celebrate our 15th year as a non-profit, we at the Life Raft Group would like to share 15 wishes we have for the New Year. Won’t you help us make [...]
It’s a Journey: Our Experience on Clinical Trials
By Jennifer Moore, LRG Member I was waiting in line to pick up a new prescription for Gleevec when my husband ran in and told me to forget it. After two surgeries, a year [...]
Why Do Cancer Patients Join Clinical Trials?
At the most basic level, cancer patients join clinical trials because of perceived value and perceived cost. In this context, perceived cost refers to more than just financial cost, although that is important. Perceived [...]