Avatar Mice Aid in Cancer Research
Avatar mice are becoming important allies in cancer research. A research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital has been studying cancer using a new type of lab mouse that can host human cancer cells. The [...]
Cancer Cell Study from MDA Suggests New Approach
A recent study from MD Anderson Cancer Center provides insight into the ways that cancer cells metastasize. Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that cancer cells traveling to other [...]
Ponatinib Found to Have Therapeutic Potential for Drug-Resistant KIT mutations in GIST
A recent article in the Clinical Cancer Research Journal discussed a new drug, Ponatinib, that shows therapeutic potential for drug-resistant KIT mutations in GIST.
New Cancer Classification System Supports Concept of Personalized Treatment
A new cancer classification system that supports the idea of personalized medicine has been found as a result of a research study by University of California, San Francisco, indicated that more accurate diagnoses could be made based on genetic makeup.
Japanese Study on Gastric Cancer Screening Shows Impact on GIST Treatment
A recent study from the Annals of Surgical Oncology (August, 2014) analyzes data found in the GIST registry conducted by the Kinki GIST Study Group in Japan. It was determined that by identifying asymptomatic patients, the Japanese gastric cancer screening system contributed to early detection of gastric GIST and favorable treatment outcomes.
Second Meeting of LRG-NIH Virtual GIST Tumor Board Now Accepting Applications
The Life Raft Group, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, is pleased to announce that applications are currently being accepted for the second meeting of the NIH-LRG Virtual GIST Tumor Board.
LRG Research Team members contribute to new research with dystrophin study
In a recently published article in Nature Genetics, several prominent cancer researchers and GIST experts, led by Dr. Dr. Yuexiang Wang and including Dr. Jonathan Fletcher of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Dr. Matthew van de Rijn of Stanford University Center, who are both members of the LRG’s research team, discuss new research findings that may potentially help identify GIST patients with a future high risk for metastases.
The Faces of We Are the Cure – Teena Petersohn
In December, 2013, the Life Raft Group launched its “We Are the Cure” campaign to fund GIST research in response to the shrinking pool of available funds. As a rare disease, GIST research is impacted more than other more common cancers like breast and colon. Institutions like the National Cancer Institute are funding just four to five percent of all research proposals which means that a rare cancer like GIST is lost amongst the roughly 200 cancers competing for funding.
Epigenomics – A new frontier in research
In a recent article from Biomed Central, the importance of epigenomics and the Human Genome Project and more recent cancer- focused initiatives are discussed. A new paradigm being explored is the idea of C2c (cancer [...]
Complete Resection May Result in Long-Term GIST Survival
The results of a retrospective study indicated that patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who are able to achieve complete macroscopic surgical resection of their disease may be able to achieve long-term survival.