Maryland Cancer Collaborative

09/25/2024

Fall Fun Day is being held at Hopewell Cancer Support in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins Breast and Gyn Malignancies Program on Sunday, October 6th from 12:00-2:30pm. All Survivors, Thrivers and Care Partners are invited to join us for lunch, mind, body and spirit demos, nature walks, a DJ and more on the beautiful grounds of Hopewell Cancer Support located at 10628 Falls Road.

RSVP by emailing family@hopewellcancersupport.org. Flyer attached. Registration deadline extended for 10 more days! There are some spots left - please share widely. Stop by any time in between 12:00-2:30pm.

04/29/2024

Check Out My Rack -- May 8, 2024 @ 8 pm EST

"This online event will feature inspiring breast health advocates, young survivors, and advice from experts on how to take charge of your breast health even before it's time to start mammograms. We’ll also focus on the importance of learning about your family history to determine screening age and when to explore genetic testing. "

Sign up for Check Out My Rack — hear experts and young breast cancer advocates speak about the steps young women can take in their breast health journeys.

11/22/2022

Caught early, lung cancer is curable.
Talk to your doctor about screening.

09/29/2021

Registration is now officially open for the 28th Annual Maryland State Council on Cancer Control Cancer Conference, to be held virtually on Thursday, November 18, 2021; 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM.

Conference topics will include:
- Cancer Control: The Low Hanging Fruit
- Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Screening and Treatment
HPV Vaccination
- Advance Care Planning
- Financial Toxicity and the Importance of a Financial Navigator
- Updates from Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Maryland
- Abeloff Award

Please register using the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/28th-annual-md-state-council-on-cancer-control-cancer-conference-virtual-tickets-175717334277

The conference goal is to spread the word about cancer control, new developments, plans, and progress in cancer in the State.

09/28/2021

"The diminution of chemotherapy treatment is happening for some other cancers, too, including lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States, killing more than 69,000 Americans each year. (Breast cancer is second, killing 43,000.) Still, the opportunity to avoid chemotherapy is not evenly distributed, and is often dependent on where the person is treated and by whom."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/health/breast-cancer-chemotherapy-lung.html

A growing number of cancer patients, especially those with breast and lung cancers, are being spared the dreaded treatment in favor of other options.

03/09/2021

"The changes mean that 15 million people, nearly twice the current number, will be eligible for the scans to detect the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States. Under the Affordable Care Act, private insurers must cover services, without patient cost-sharing, that receive “A” or “B” recommendations from the task force. The lung cancer screening recommendation received a “B” rating. Medicare also generally follows the group’s guidance."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/09/lung-cancer-screening/

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group of 16 physicians and scientists who evaluate preventive tests and medications, said high-risk smokers and ex-smokers should begin getting annual low-dose CT scans at age 50, not 55, the previous age threshold set in 2013.

01/29/2021

"Beyond s*x, “nothing stands out as a single large risk factor that, if we only got rid of it, we would solve the problem” of lung cancer in never-smokers, said Josephine Feliciano, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “But air pollution, radon, family history of lung cancer, [and] genetic predispositions” all play a role. Chronic lung infections and lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) also seem to increase risk. None of those, with the possible exception of genetics and indoor pollution (cooking fires in some low-income countries), affect women more than men. So what’s going on?"

https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/26/growing-share-of-lung-cancer-turning-up-in-never-smokers/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Scientists disagree whether the number of lung cancer patients who never smoked is increasing, but the proportion who never did clearly is.

01/26/2021

The Maryland Department of Health Center for Cancer Prevention and Control is pleased to release the 2021-2025 Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (Cancer Plan)!

We invite you and your staff to use the Cancer Plan when planning for and implementing cancer control efforts in your communities.

An electronic version of the Cancer Plan is available online at https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/cancer/cancerplan/SiteAssets/Pages/publications/Cancer-MD-Maryland_FINAL%20-1.pdf.

12/03/2020

"In a new study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, one group of researchers describes how a cascade of events set off by high levels of a stress hormone could cause dormant tumor cells to reawaken to once again cause cancer."

https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/02/elevated-stress-hormone-levels-could-reawaken-dormant-cancer-cells-study-finds/

A cascade of events set off by high levels of a stress hormone could cause dormant tumor cells to reawaken to once again cause cancer.

11/20/2020

"Today’s development represents a historic milestone because it marks the first time that 194 countries commit to eliminating cancer - following adoption of a resolution at this year’s World Health Assembly.

Meeting the following targets by 2030 will place all countries on the path toward elimination:
- 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age
- 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by age 35 and again by 45
- 90% of women identified with cervical disease receive treatment (90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed)."

https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2020-a-cervical-cancer-free-future-first-ever-global-commitment-to-eliminate-a-cancer

WHO‘s Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, launched on 17 November, outlines three key steps: vaccination, screening and treatment.

10/15/2020

"Black In Cancer week was founded by two cancer research scientists; Dr Henry J. Henderson III, a postdoctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Sigourney Bell, a PhD student at the Cancer Research U.K. Institute at the University of Cambridge in the U.K."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2020/10/14/blackincancer-week-highlights-the-contributions-of-black-people-in-cancer-medicine-and-research/

The week-long event aims to shine a spotlight on Black contributions to cancer medicine, research and patient advocacy.