The Life Raft Group is committed to enhancing the survival and quality of life for people living with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST), and other rare diseases, through patient-powered research, education and empowerment, and global advocacy efforts.
Other Programs Supported by The Life Raft Group:
PATIENT
Leverage patient perspective to drive innovative solutions in cancer research.
POWERED
Educate and empower patients to take a larger role in their care.
SCIENCE
Accelerate research outcomes through collaborative efforts.
FOR LIFE
Increase access to effective treatments worldwide.
Real World Evidence In Action
Traditional models for cancer research have resulted in many breakthrough treatments for patients, but it is not enough. The LRG’s approach to GIST research through real world evidence, relies on timely, accurate data from the patient’s perspective, with patient survival as the primary objective.
RECENT LRG DATA
Did you know that GIST is actually a family of cancers? Learn more about the science of GIST.
Update your Patient Registry Info.
Join The Life Raft Group.
Current GIST Clinical Trials.
Search the GIST Specialist Database.
Dr. Monica Anderson
Diagnosed in 2012 with Adult GIST.
Bella Rocco
Diagnosed in 2009 with Pediatric
(SDH-deficient) GIST.
HELP US SAVE LIVES
The Life Raft Group is a community and it is up to all of us to make a difference. There are many ways to help. We always need patient tissue and data in our GIST patient registry. Volunteering your time or making a monetary donation also helps us drive research forward and save lives.
News
Personalized Medicine: Paradigm of the Future for Cancer Treatment
Personalized or targeted medicine is the paradigm of the future: treatment options customized for individual patients.
Writing to Fight GIST – The Pen Is a Mighty Weapon Against Stress
Living with GIST can be stressful. There are many coping mechanisms to deal with chronic disease, but one that you may not have used in the past is one that others coping with stress have found enormously helpful: writing.
Cancer Drug Nivolumab Receives Regulatory Approval in Japan
A recent article from FierceBiotech announced that theAnti-PD-1 cancer drug nivolumab, a fully human antibody, received regulatory approval in Japan.
21st Century Cures Hearing In Washington D.C.
Marshall Summar, MD to testify on behalf of NORD at 21st Century Cures Hearing in Washington, D. C. on Friday, July 11 at 9 AM ET.
GIST Awareness Day Highlighted in New Press Release
Coverage of GIST Awareness Day continues with this press release that calls attention to our awareness campaign and our support for the global GIST community.
New tool assesses the financial pain of cancer treatment
As the cost of cancer treatment rises, so does the anxiety level of those diagnosed. The University of Chicago has developed a tool [...]
Living with ostomy: One LRG member’s story
Charlie Burke has developed a thick skin when it comes to cancer. After surviving bouts with colorectal, thyroid and skin cancers, he was well acquainted with the routine of doctor’s appointments, hospital visits, surgeries and regular treatment that accompany disease by the time a GIST tumor was discovered in his colon. However, as any of our members will tell you, GIST comes with its own unique lexicon to master and set of challenges to overcome.
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.
Keep up with the latest news, events, and opportunities to help.
To contact The Life Raft Group, please call 973-837-9092
PARTNERS & AFFILIATIONS
