My first American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2019 experience... A Global Alliance Partnership
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| Welcome to Atlanta! |
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| Triple Negative Breast Cancer sisters, Melissa and Natalia Munoz |
I learned so many little things but are huge to me as I continue to get a better understanding of cancer research and my role as a patient advocate mentor by attending AACR Annual Meeting 2019 in Atlanta, GA. I thank University of Toledo's Dr. Amit Tiwari and his two researchers, Noor and Mariah for their enlightenment and guidance to the world of science collaboration. This exposure to AACR and continued engagement in cancer research community reaffirms my belief that knowledge is power and I'm excited to be a part of Dr. Tawari's team!
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| Researchers of today and tomorrow's medicine |
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| Dr. Tiwari's research team and collaborators |
I learned that this was not only a conference on cancer research, but a convention bringing researchers, scientists and medical doctors from all over the world to one place to collaborate innovative therapies, share their research investigations, findings and ideas to accelerate the common goal by all, to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for all cancers. I firmly believe that these researchers are really working hard in trying new methods of combining molecules with existing chemotherapies and repurposing an existing drug treated for another medical illness and using it for cancer treatment research at lower dosage levels.
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| Welcome to George World Congress Center! |
I was truly amazed and a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of this annual convention and the size of the convention center, Georgia World Congress Center. I learned from an attendee that by Saturday morning that there was 22,000 people were registered for the conference and people were still registering. A few days later, I learned from a colleague that there was actually approximately over 42,000 people registered for this 6 day event.
The convention center itself was over 3 buildings long with multiple floor levels with several escalators that were always full of guests getting to a session from building A of the center to the opposite end, building C a couple of floors below to attend the poster sessions and exhibits hall. Just to give you and idea in how large this place was, For the 4 days of my attendance I felt like I was walking the Atlanta Airport back and forth all day long.
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| Noor, Melissa and Mariah |
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| Melissa attending ACCR Meeting |
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| This is only about a 3rd of the people that were in attendance at the Opening Plenary |
AACR Opening Plenary - 3% of patients participate in clinical trials!
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| Advocacy panel |
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| So true! |
I attended a session on patient advocacy...
- Why do we advocate? For more federal funding for cancer research. "We cannot afford to not advocate."
- Advocacy is way of communication of results, research findings.
- Patient survivor advocacy gives a face to the issue. Share your story and make it personal. Tell why the issue is important to you you and the impact of that research being done.
- Jargon is not important
- The impact of work is more important than the minor experimental details.
- Be educated and continue relationships with law offices and legislators. Who are we meeting with and what issues are important to legislators... Take home message. "Urge their support for robust, sustained, and predictable funding increases for the NIH."
- We advocate for a community, represent a community (breast cancer)
- Telling your personal story opens the dialogue and captures their attention on the issue... Broaden it out, your story is just 1 example.
- Shared stories highlight - "how advances in scientific knowledge translate into patient survival."
- Advocate on social media and share our efforts tag leaders and thank them on Twitter.
- Advocates are doing posters at AACR.
Survivor and Scientists > Advocacy Partnership
Scientists communicating their sciences to the lay public
- Terminology - use smaller words
- Translating the science language
- Advocate to bridge the gap between the discoveries made in the lab and the person hearing about them
- Advocacy to include communication, prevention and early detection
* Cancer is not one disease
- Survivors are powerful to disseminate information to the community
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| Higher incidence rate of Triple Negative Breast cancer in Black women |
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| All women should be evaluated for breast cancer no later than age 30 |
I attended a session of Postpartum Breast Cancer - Update on young women breast cancer
- Pregnancy is a risk for breast cancer in young women
* Ibuprofen to prevent postpartum breast cancer?
- Higher incidence of TNBC in young women
- TNBC is a component of poor prognosis... but, is not the driving factor for poor prognosis.
Breast cancer in black women
- Higher mortality even with early stage of diagnosis.
- Higher incidence of TNBC
* 2018 Recommendations by the American College of Radiology
"All women, especially black women and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, should be evaluated for breast cancer risk no later than age 30, so that those at higher risk can be identified and can benefit from supplemental screening."
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| Dr. Hope Rugo,a well-known TNBC Expert |
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| Wearing yellow is nationally known TNBC expert, Dr. Olufonmilayo Olopade, MD |
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| Triple Negative Breast Cancer sister, Denise Wolf speaking at AACR Meeting |
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| Denise Wolf presenting I-Spy2 trials in Triple Negative Breast Cancer |
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| I-SPY 2 trials among recent TNBC trials showing increased efficacy |
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| Platinum-based therapy and Immunotherapy graduated in Triple Negative Breast Cancer 51% estimated pCR in Veliparp/Carboplatin in TN 60% estimated pCR in Pembrolizumab in TN |
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| Biomarkers determines drug therapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer |
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| Triple Negative Breast Cancer sister's Melissa and Denise Wolf |
I was excited to read in the sessions book that a few well-know TNBC experts were speaking at AACR and I just had to attend and see what they were presenting. Dr. Hope Rugo, Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade and Denise Wolf who is a personal friend of mine who spoke on I-SPY 2 trials in TNBC. I also, spotted another well-know TNBC expert, Dr. Joyce O'Shaughnessy walking into Denise's session.
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| Researchers presenting their work at their poster sessions |
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| Virgie Townsend presenting her poster of her becoming an advocate for cancer research |
Before the conference, I didn't know what the "posters" and sessions was all about until I saw from a window above of all the posters posted on board displays, row after row after row. Of course, I had to go see see what that was all about as I went down stairs to get a close-up look of these posters. These Posters were actual presentation studies of the researchers work explaining their cancer research and their findings of the drug treatments performed in the lab. I've noticed on some of the poster boards that there was a statement, "Do not post on Social Media" attached to their poster to protect their research work from being reproduced by another.
My research colleague, Noor presented her poster at a session outlining her studies and walked me through her poster findings of her research and explained everything to me for my understanding.
I did see a Poster by Texas A&M University Health Science Center on a phase 2 clinical trial in TNBC patients, investigating dose-limiting toxicities and efficacy of their drug combination chemo-refractory.
I stopped and spoke to a breast cancer advocate and a breast cancer survivor volunteer telling about how they became involved in advocacy and volunteering for well know breast cancer organizations.
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| Posters and Exhibits hall |
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| From Our Bench to Your Bench ® |
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| ThermoFisher |
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| Immuno-Oncology research |
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| Genetech on cancer immunotherapy |
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| Atezolizumab, an Anti-PDL1 cancer immunotherapy trials for TNBC |
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| MD Anderson |
I was really blown away by the exhibit hall with all of the elaborate and spectacular exhibits, I often compared it to how spectacular it is to the Detroit Auto Shows I've attended in the past. Walking around and visiting some of these exhibits of the latest cancer clinical studies that are available to the latest technology of the latest medical products that are available and demonstrating their usage. Immunotherapy and cancer imaging was huge at the exhibits presentation. Seemed like everyone was on board with Immunotherapy with the latest treatment research in treating cancer.
Genentech exhibit displayed a wall size poster stating that they were now enrolling patients with Triple Negative Breast cancer for Atezolizumab, an Anti-PDL1 cancer immunotherapy trials.
1. as a First-Line therapy in metastatic TNBC
2. as Adjuvant/Neoadjuvant therapy in Early TNBC
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| Working together for better treatments and a cure for all cancers |
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| Thank you Atlanta for hosting AACR Meeting 2019 and thank you Komen for continued support and funding for breast cancer research |