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Dear Research Working Group Member,
We hope you had a wonderful summer and you’ve taken some time to rest and renew. You are receiving this update because you joined our Research Working Group. As we head into what is sure to be a very busy fall “BCAM” season, we wanted to reflect on the past few months and share some important updates. First, Working Group meetings will resume in early 2024 – more information coming your way soon. Thanks for your patience during this transition. We hope this interim communication helps keep you informed on the ongoing efforts within the Research Working Group and also sparks your interest in getting engaged with us in the coming year!
If you would like to get more engaged with any of the subcommittees or Alliance initiatives, please contact Dana. Also, don’t forget to check your profile on the Member Dashboard periodically to ensure we are up-to-date on your or your organization's MBC advocacy efforts.
The Research Working Group priorities include accelerating critical research to improve outcomes for MBC patients and advocating for clinical trials to become more patient-centric. Here are some highlights on our member’s efforts from the summer and moving into fall:
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The Research Funding Analysis subcommittee presented a ”deep-dive” update webinar in June that provided an overview of this project as well as interim results from the 2020-2022 update analysis conducted on allocation of dollars and grants to MBC research. In July, the subcommittee submitted an abstract entitled “Analysis of Trends in Funding of Metastatic Breast Cancer Research” to the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium for poster consideration. Authors included subcommittee members Margaret Flowers (Lead Author), Teri Pollastro, Kari Wojtanik, Katherine McKenzie, Kimberly Badovinac, Lynne Davies, and Medha Deoras-Sutliff.
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The Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis (BCBM) subcommittee continues to seek out resources and valuable information about treatment options and clinical trials for brain mets patients. Go to MBCBrainMets.org to learn more. The subcommittee invites leading researchers and clinicians to share their research focus directly with patient advocates at bi-monthly meetings. Recent speakers include Dihua Yu MD, Hui-Wen Lo PhD, María J Contreras-Zárate PhD, and Emilie LeRhun, MD, PhD. BCBM is also a participant of the American Brain Tumor Association collaborative and was invited to present our MBC patient advocacy efforts at the 2023 International Brain Tumor Association World Summit & International Patient Advocacy Symposium in Vienna, Austria in July. A white paper on the Symposium’s findings will be released later this fall.
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Experiencing financial toxicity, or want to learn more about this topic? Explore our searchable library of financial resources from Alliance members.We will be connecting with each of you to make sure this listing is up-to-date and easy to navigate. Check out our latest blog featuring Alliance member Joanna Fawzy Morales, Esq., cancer rights attorney, author, speaker and CEO of Triage Cancer. This is the first in a series on the impact of financial toxicity. Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook and Twitter channels to learn more on our efforts to address financial toxicity in all aspects of living with MBC.
- BCAM is coming! Look for MBCA’s video campaign on “Reimaging Clinical Trials” highlighting the experiences and efforts of many Alliance members and partners.
As we shift gears into 2024, our sights are set on supporting current projects/endeavors, and a new primary emphasis on convening a Research Summit in 2024 bringing together stakeholders across academia, government (FDA), industry, research and advocacy organizations, regulatory and other interested groups with the intent of developing consensus on enacting patient-centered change in the MBC clinical trials space.
Upcoming Events
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International Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer Symposium 2023 | September 28-30 | Pittsburgh, PA | More info here
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YSC Wellness Summit |October 6-8 | Hybrid (Austin, TX) | More info here
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MBCA Webinar | An Introduction to Understanding & Engaging in MBC Policy & Legislative Advocacy | October 12th 12:00-1:30 PM EDT | More info here
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ABC7 | November 9-11 | Hybrid (Lisbon, Portugal) | More info here
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JADPRO Live, November 9-12 | Orlando, FL | More info here
- SABCS 2023| December 5-9 | Save the date | December 5th Semiannual All Member Meeting at SABCS | San Antonio, TX | Registration open soon!
We thank you for your support and will continue to keep you updated. Please feel free to reach out to us at ResearchWorkingGroup@mbcalliance.org if you have any questions.
With gratitude,
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