Every day, we see patients and families whose lives are upended by cancer. We meet physicians, researchers, caregivers, and others determined to conquer cancer. Those people are the driving force behind Conquer Cancer — and those people include you.

“These types of projects help us expand on existing research and explore new things, which is the best way to find something we wouldn’t have thought of before. And that’s how we reach breakthroughs.” —Dr. Peter Yu, a pancreatic cancer researcher who received a Conquer Cancer grant in 2022

Accelerating Cancer Care and Research, Lap by Lap

Last year, you met Liz Beisel, an Olympic swimmer and medalist whose father passed away from advanced-stage pancreatic cancer in 2021. Determined to honor her father’s memory, Liz decided to accelerate new cancer treatments by raising funds for research. She swam in a charity event, partnering with Swim Across America to raise support for a Conquer Cancer research grant.

“When I hear that it’s been 10 years since an advancement in the drugs that my dad was receiving, that makes me think, 'For 10 years, researchers and oncologists have been working on this,'” says Liz, whose charity swim event supported a grant for pancreatic cancer research. “There has to be something coming soon, and that makes me excited to see what’s going to happen.”

Dr. Peter Yu, an early-career oncologist and researcher at the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, received a Conquer Cancer grant in 2022. This grant helped launch his research on how pancreatic tumors evade early detection and resist cancer treatment. This promising project could help improve screening, make treatments more effective, and prolong patients’ lives.

“Early detection likely would have saved my dad’s life, or at least extended it a little bit longer,” Liz says. “It’s so nice to know that whenever Dr. Yu has an answer ... it could save somebody’s life, multiple peoples’ lives.”

When it comes to saving lives, there’s never time to spare, including in the realm of cancer research. Your donations accelerate discoveries by fueling research into every type of cancer, from the common to the rare. The outcome? New treatments, better care for all patients, and cures. After all: Cancer Research Saves Lives™.

“The support of donors is critical to support ongoing research efforts in translational and clinical research.” —Dr. Erin Parry, a medical oncologist based at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Conquer Cancer-funded researcher

Empowering Breakthroughs in 2022

When you give to Conquer Cancer, you’re supporting the world’s largest funder of early career oncology researchers, with no limits on their geography or focus area. Meet three of our grant recipients who reached breakthroughs in 2022:

Dr. Melissa Lumish shared milestone results in the New England Journal of Medicine from a phase II clinical study that tested a promising immune-therapy drug — dostarlimab (anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody) — for patients with advanced-stage rectal cancer. The first group of patients who completed this had a 100% clinical response rate, indicating a favorable response without the need for additional, more-invasive treatment. This study demonstrates that subset of patients with advanced rectal cancer can benefit from immunotherapies like dostarlimab. In 2022, Dr. Lumish received a Conquer Cancer grant to support further analysis of this study, which may help bring the breakthrough therapy to more patients and minimize side effects compared to standard care.

Dr. Erin Parry filled a major gap in research on Richter’s syndrome (RS), a rare complication that transforms chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) into an aggressive type of lymphoma. Dr. Parry and her team characterized the genetic differences between CLL and RS, described different variations of RS (called subtypes), and uncovered how it leads to cancer-causing DNA changes in blood. This milestone could open future opportunities for earlier, non-invasive detection of RS in patients.

Dr. Aadel Chaudhuri presented research that helps doctors to use liquid biopsies, a non-invasive blood-test to detect cancers, to personalize cancer care. Dr. Chaudhuri studied how cancer markers found in blood can detect cancer early, help assess a patient’s treatment response (including treatment toxicity) and identify any minimal residual disease (MRD). This will help to better anticipate cancer and treatment outcomes, and ultimately advance patient care in the future.

There are more than 100 types of cancer². By supporting the most promising research and vital programs, your donations make an impact on every single one of them. Every cancer. Every patient. Everywhere.^TM

“This program helps so many kids. We do it so other people will believe if you have cancer in Africa, you can survive.” —Dr. Kouya Francine, a Conquer Cancer grant recipient making a global difference in Cameroon

Treatment Access Regardless of Geography

Dr. Kouya Francine and her team received a Conquer Cancer grant to improve cancer control and help address barriers to care in their home country.

In many African regions, patients like Abigail live in remote conditions, often traveling for hours or days and risking their lives to access treatment. Supported by Conquer Cancer donors, Dr. Francine and her colleagues launched a holistic survivorship program to provide young patients with additional resources during and after treatment. The program also connects patients with peers and survivors to reduce social stigmas surrounding cancer.

“Many children remain vulnerable because their parents will not be able to bring them to the hospital because of extreme poverty," Dr. Francine says. “This program helps so many kids. We do it so other people will believe if you have cancer in Africa, you can survive.”

2022 Financials^*

*Unaudited

 

¹ Source: Pancreatic Cancer: Statistics; Cancer.Net
² Source: Types of Cancer; Cancer.Net

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