Many of us have been lucky enough to have reached a plateau of successful treatment, and in reaching this level, we may have become complacent about our care; but it is important to be proactive to ensure that we are receiving proper treatment.
Silvio Manzanares was a tireless fighter, a man with great courage and optimism, with a brilliant mind, the one who never said no when a doctor ordered a treatment or procedure, always an entrepreneur since he got sick in 2001.
From June 15 through June 17, 2011, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted the seventh annual Pediatric and wildtype GIST Clinic. Ten patients from across the United States and Canada attended, accompanied by family members or friends. In total, 80 patients have participated in the NIH Pediatric GIST Clinic, 75 of whom have wildtype GIST. Thirty-five percent of patients have pediatric GIST, currently defined as diagnosis before the age of 19.
This year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology conference (ASCO), held in Chicago in June, produced a number of interesting and informative GIST-relevant presentations. Below is an overview and we will be posting the rest of the articles very soon.
Alianza GIST, in partnership with the Life Raft Group, The Max Foundation, and Tecnológico de Monterrey hosted an event for Latin American physicians on Sunday June 5th at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference (ASCO). The meeting drew physicians from many countries as they discussed best practices in Latin America for GIST and convened a Tumor Board with case discussions.
On May 7, we held the NJ Chapter Meeting of GISTers at the LRG Office in Wayne, NJ. It was a great gathering of patients, caregivers, LRG staff members and our guest speaker ,Dr. Bob Maki of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.
"Acceptance – for me that means trying to live as positively and naturally as possible by thinking of cancer as a friend and not as an enemy!"
Approximately 90 GIST patients, relatives, GIST experts, interested professionals, physicians and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry gathered in Zurich on April 8, 2011 for the eighth meeting of the Swiss GIST group in the Restaurant Au Premier at Zurich Main Station (HB Zürich).
As of May 1, 2011, the LRG patient registry only received 377 reports of mutations out of 1,327 patients, which only represents 28 percent of the entire registry. Part of this may be related to the fact that mutational testing is not common practice at diagnosis.
Where does GIST come from? Good question. GIST actually begins formation in special cells called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). ICCs are considered the pace-makers of the GI tract...
