July 17, 2009

Cancer Cancer experts and survivors slated for Web cast

Cancer Cancer experts and survivors slated for Web cast

Two Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center physicians and a survivor of adolescent cancer will discuss the challenges of cancer survivorship during a live Web cast, Cancer Survivorship: Treating More Than the Tumor.

The Patient Power We bcast, hosted by leukemia survivor Andrew Schorr, will air Tuesday, July 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. Schorr and his wife launched the online Patient Power program to help patients and families find the best medicine for their condition and return to health.

Debra Friedman, M.D., associate professor of Pediatrics, will join David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Medicine, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Cancer Biology, and Caroline Hale, a survivor of adolescent cancer, for the discussion about what cancer survivors face as they find their “new normal” and the research being done to address those issues.

“There are nearly 12 million cancer survivors in the United States and those survivors face a myriad of challenges after treatment,” said Friedman, leader of the newly created REACH for Survivorship program, which is a partnership among VICC, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Department of Pediatrics.

“Cancer survivors need to know more about what to expect and what their physicians should be checking during the years following treatment.”

Carbone, director of the Thoracic Oncology Center, heard the words “you have cancer” nearly a decade ago and underwent intensive therapy for Stage 2 mediastinal large cell lymphoma.

“As a cancer survivor, I recently went through the REACH program to ensure that I am up to date on my own follow-up care plans,” said Carbone.

Caroline Hale is a recent college graduate who has overcome several medical challenges since her treatment for cancer as a young teen.

The audio webcast will stream live at www.patientpower.info and will be archived later on that site, as well as www.vicc.org and www.vanderbilthealth.com.