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Today is GBM Awareness Day. GBM is one of the deadly cancers that has seen very few significant updates over the last 20 years. The lack of breakthroughs is not because researchers aren't trying - they are - but because there is a bottleneck at the clinical trial stage to approve better treatments. This bottleneck is one of the critical reasons NFCR, led by President & CEO Dr. Sujuan Ba, is committed to bringing new treatment options to patients through the GBM AGILE initiative. GBM AGILE is a paradigm-shifting clinical trial system. Our hope is that this can become the foundation for defeating other rare and complex cancers. GBM is the deadliest type of brain cancer, accounting for 45% of all malignant brain tumors and the five-year average survival rate is only 5% or less. Learn More about Brain Cancers. Dr. Ba is one of the few individuals who has been a part of GBM AGILE from the beginning, fighting for progress for cancer patients. "It is imperative that patients know we will not give up on them." NFCR Makes Cures Possible, and we intend to do the same for patients facing the deadliest brain cancer, GBM. GBM RESOURCES FROM NFCR Hope After a Glioblastoma Diagnosis Carmen Rice was given 6 months to live; 3 good, 3 bad. Over a decade later, she is still thriving and advocating for better options for other glioblastoma patients. Watch this video to better understand what glioblastoma patients are up against.  Caregiver Tips Tom and his wife Bernadette were happily living their daily life when they noticed Bernadette’s occasional fumbling for certain words or movements. Tom became his wife's caregiver and wants to share his tips and experience to help others in similar situations. GBM AGILE Learn more about the paradigm-shifting clinical trial system that efficiently tests new treatments, advancing effective ones faster and rejecting ineffective ones quickly.

Tom & Bernadette, November 2018 in Cienfuegos Cuba Mountain Park. “It was here first symptoms appeared but we did not know it. It was a rocky path up the mountain to view the falls and scenery. Bernadette could not keep up. She was upset because she felt she was holding me back.  I told her we are doing fine. We blamed it on being tired. In retrospect her feet would not go where she wanted them placed.” A cancer diagnosis is a devastating new reality for the individual facing the disease and their surrounding family and loved ones. Amidst the overwhelming number of questions regarding treatment options, a new way of life sets in. Being a caregiver can be scary. Because of this, NFCR supporter Tom wants to share his experience with others. Tom benefited immensely from the support and suggestions his friends and family could provide. As such, he wants to share his insights for all who seek assistance caring for someone they love, particularly those caring for someone with glioblastoma (GBM), which comes with a unique set of challenges. He hopes that others will also share their experiences to create a centralized, accessible resource should they find themselves in a similar situation. Early Indicators of Disease Tom and his wife Bernadette were happily living their daily life when they noticed Bernadette’s occasional fumbling for certain words or movements. At first, these actions seemed small and thus insignificant, attributing it perhaps to age. But as a registered nurse certified in Gerontology, Bernadette’s instinct kicked in, and concern quickly grew about the possibility of a brain tumor. Bernadette was then diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma in December 2018. She continued to lose her motor skills and inability to communicate and grew frustrated with her diminishing abilities. Consequently, Tom became Bernadette’s full-time caregiver while she sought radiation and chemotherapy. Bernadette received speech and physical therapy at home. Cancer Caregiver Tips from Tom While caring for his wife, Tom observed three critical areas of her life that needed special attention and extra care: her comfort, her movement and mobility, and her communication.  Because GBM endangers the brain, there are recognizable symptoms that help you provide better comfort and ease of day-to-day management. Symptoms of brain tumors can include: Muscle weakness or loss of balance Headaches Memory problems Nausea and vomiting  Seizures Speech problems Loss of appetite Blurred or double vision Mood or personality changes Changes in sensation Numbness or tingling Learn more about the signs and symptoms of brain cancer and other cancers. In doing so, you may help save your or a loved one’s life. Tips for Improving Comfort First, understand what goes into creating a comfortable environment for your loved one and commit to building it. For example, Bernadette would become upset if the TV was turned off, so Tom ensured the TV was always on in the background. She also requested Dr. Seuss' 'Yurtle the Turtle' be read to her, which Tom happily obliged, despite confusing them. Loud noises were also avoided in their home after Bernadette received her biopsy. Knowing they were possible, Tom posted instructions on identifying a seizure in their [...]

Immunotherapy has changed the landscape of cancer medicine. The good news about its recent success in treating rectal cancer marked a new milestone in curing cancers. Rectal Cancers Are Gone After the Treatment A research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 23, 2022, reported that 12 patients with rectal cancer treated with the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab have all achieved complete remission – the cancers vanished or are undetectable after the treatment.  Doctors followed up with these 12 patients for 6 to 25 months after the treatment, and the results from all patients are remarkable:  The tumor is undetectable on MRI scan and endoscopic examination; No progression or recurrence had been reported during the follow-up period; No severe adverse events have been reported for all patients since the treatment. This type of outstanding treatment outcome has not happened before. Genetic Testing Played a Critical Role  This unprecedented treatment outcome proved that developing genetic testing technology and applying it to cancer treatment is worth its decade-long research efforts.  All patients received genetic testing before being selected for the clinical trial. These 12 patients were recruited for the trial because they tested positive for a genetic instability called mismatch repair deficiency (MMR-d). Research has shown that patients with MMR-d may respond better to dostarlimab treatment than patients without it. The genetic testing on MMR-d played a critical role in successfully treating this cohort of patients. Actually, the combination of genetic-testing-based patient selection and immunotherapy led to the complete remission of all patients in this clinical trial.  NFCR is a Pioneer in Genetic Testing Research The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a pioneer in funding genetic testing research. As early as 2005, NFCR started to support cancer molecular profiling research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Today, molecular profiling and other genetic testing technologies have become powerful tools for doctors to match patients with personalized therapies for their cancers. With the rapid adoption of genetic testing technology in hospitals, we will see more successful cases like this in the future. Precision medicine combined with immunotherapy provides a better treatment option for untreatable or uncontrollable cancers under standard therapies. Reference: PD-1 Blockade in Mismatch Repair–Deficient, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, June 23, 2022.