December 2022 – COA Patient Advocacy Network News Bulletin

Advocacy Chats – Educational Conversations on Policy Issues & Cancer Research

What’s Legal About Cancer? Insurance, Employment, and Finances
When a patient receives a cancer diagnosis, questions often come up about insurance coverage, the future of employment, and how to pay for treatment. Join COA’s Director of Patient Advocacy & Education, Rose Gerber, MS, and Triage Cancer’s, Chief Operating Officer, Monica Fawzy Bryant, Esq, to learn about legal and financial issues facing cancer patients on Wednesday, December 14 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Register Today.


ICYMI: How Cancer Rehabilitation Benefits Patients

Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and other cancer treatments are essential tools when fighting cancer. Regaining strength, mobility, and mental ability after treatment is just as critical. COA’s Rose Gerber and ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation’s Director of Education, Alaina Newell, PT, DPT, held a meaningful discussion on the importance of cancer rehabilitation.  Stream it on @OncologyCOA’s YouTube channel today.


Understanding Advocacy in a Community Oncology Setting – How to Support Your Local CPAN Chapter

CPAN chapters are crucial—they serve to channel the passion and gratitude for community-based cancer clinics into meaningful advocacy. By telling others about the importance of cancer care received in one’s own community, CPAN advocates help policymakers and others understand the impact of community oncology.

One of the most effective ways to help your fellow patients become advocates is to host an informational CPAN launch event at a clinic or community center. This event opens the door for interested individuals to ask questions about CPAN and for chapter leadership to present the myriad reasons why they should join. Advocates can get started by working with their local CPAN chapter clinic to help identify potential advocates to extend an invitation and get involved with CPAN.

Learn more about community oncology, the challenges that practices face, and how you can get involved by visiting CPAN’s Education & Resources library.


Cancer News You Can Use

Few Americans Understand Alcohol’s Impact on Cancer Risk: Survey – HealthDay 12/02
Alcohol increases the risk of cancer, but some Americans think it does the opposite, a new study shows. About 31% of study participants were aware of the cancer risk for liquor, followed by nearly 25% for beer, and just over 20% for wine. Some actually thought that alcohol reduced cancer risk, including 10% of participants who said wine reduced risk, 2.2% who thought beer lowered risk, and 1.7% who said that liquor did, the findings showed.

Breast Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise In Early Human Trial – VeryWell Health 11/27
In a decade-long Phase I human trial of 66 patients, the vaccine prolonged the life of about 80% of the study participants with late-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Existing treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer, including monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy, can be unsafe or ineffective, but vaccines need not be administered so often and have the potential to prevent the cancer from coming back.

U.S. Lung Cancer Survival Rate Rises 21%, Report Says, But Much Work Remains – CNN 11/15
The five-year lung cancer survival rate has increased 21%, from 21% in 2014 to 25% in 2018, making what experts call “remarkable progress”—but it is still the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. However, in communities of color, a person’s odds of surviving five years after diagnosis are much lower, at only 20%, according to the 2022 State of Lung Cancer report, which was published by the American Lung Association.


Community Oncology 101 – Community Oncology: Putting Patients First

What does “putting patients first” mean? For community oncologists, it means bringing high-quality, affordable cancer care to patients and families where they live. Learn more about the difference community oncologists make in this edition of Community Oncology 101.

Watch it on @OncologyCOA’s YouTube channel today.


Resources for Chapters

Missed the last CPAN Advocacy Chat? Looking to learn more about some of the biggest challenges facing community oncology and cancer care? Visit CPAN’s Advocacy Chat page to listen to insightful conversations on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, health equity in oncology, and more.

Read the full news bulletin here.

 

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