Rebecca Theresa Harper was born January 24, 1951 in Atchison, KS to Victor Edmond and Pauline Mary (Maday) Kesse and after a long and faith-filled fight with cancer, died March 14, 2016 in Kansas [...]
Please join us in welcoming as the newest member of the Life Raft Group Board of Directors. As an LRG member, Teena has been an advocate for GIST patients since joining the LRG in [...]
On February 1, 2016, the commercial launch of the generic version of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec), originally for CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia), was approved by the FDA and became available for the first time in the United States through Sun Pharmaceuticals. In response to this transition, the LRG provided an educational Webinar to the CML and GIST communities on March 18th entitled “Generic Imatinib: Gaining Perspective.”
Although GIST is among the few rare diseases that has available drug therapy treatment options, the cost of these lifesaving medications can sometimes impose deep financial hardship, depending on the terms of the patient’s [...]
The digestive system is a group of organs that work together to feed the entire body by converting food into energy and basic nutrients. Food is ingested through the mouth; passed through the esophagus into the stomach; and filtered through the small intestine, pancreas and liver. Based on its particular function, each organ contributes in different ways to turn the food we eat into the nutrients we need.
Susan Brandt 6 YEARS “As my 6th Gist cancerversary approaches, I realize that the two most important things in my life now are Hope and Thanks. Hope is for a cure for all of [...]
On February 4, 2016, Life Raft Group member Noha Hussein attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Capitol Hill Briefing on their report, “Clinical Cancer Advances 2016,” in Washington, DC at the Rayburn [...]
A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology found that the use of adjuvant systemic therapy with imatinib for GIST has increased significantly over time, and that patients treated with the [...]
A recent study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine reports a link between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and an increased risk of kidney disease. More research is warranted to show PPIs [...]
Although GIST is among the few rare diseases that has oral chemotherapy drug treatment options available to its patients, the cost of affording these life saving medications can sometimes impose deep financial hardship depending [...]
