November 2010

2010 Bladder Cancer Think Tank

A record number of young investigators attended the 2010 Think Tank Meeting, and many of them have shared with us that it was a unique chance for them to connect with senior doctors, scientists, and potential mentors. Read more.

Take Action – FDA Labeling on Cigarette Packages

The FDA is now accepting public input about what warnings should appear on labels of cigarette packets. Please help us convince the FDA that a warning about bladder cancer should be included! Read more.

Ask the Patient

Usually the questions in this part of Outlook are answered by a doctor. In this issue they are being answered by three BCAN volunteers, Nancy Parrish, Karen Godfrey and Michael Jones, each of whom has had radical cystectomy surgery and urinary reconstruction. Our three survivors describe day to day life with each of the three main types of urinary reconstruction– the Ileal Conduit, the Continent Cutaneous Pouch (also known as the Indiana Pouch) and the Neobladder.   Read more.

On Trial

We are providing information on a clinical trial from Tengion, Inc. The purpose of this study is to see if the Neo-Urinary Conduit™, which is made in the laboratory from a combination of a patient’s own cells and other materials, can be used to form a conduit to safety allow urine flow from the kidneys to outside the body after radical cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer. Read more.

Volunteer Corner

In this edition of Outlook, BCAN is spotlighting two amazing volunteers. David Rogers ran 16 miles and raised over $2,600 for bladder cancer. Lynda Haworth has been an active BCAN volunteer for years, but recently took on another project – serving as a Medical Outreach Volunteer.  Read more.

Patient Forums

BCAN is currently working on planning our Spring 2011 Patient Forum, which will be held in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 12.  More details will be posted on our Patient Forums page as soon as we finalize the details.  We hope to see many of you there!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our Fall 2010 Patient Forum on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in New York City.  The forum featured presentations given by medical experts from the New York University Medical Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Weill Cornell Medical College.  Slides from the forum are have now been posted.  Unfortunately, we are unable to post audio from the forum due to a malfunction in the recording equipment at the New York Academy of Medicine.

It’s Complementary

In the 200-page landmark report published earlier this year, the President’s Cancer Panel calls on America to rethink the way we confront cancer, specifically concluding that Americans are facing “grievous harm” from chemicals in the air, food and water that have largely gone unregulated and ignored. Read about the Panel’s suggestions on how to lessen our risk to improve our health. Read more.