Latest news with #survivorship
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two studies and new treatment option show promise in treating colorectal cancer
In today's Health Alert, new research on colorectal cancer shows that exercise and anti-inflammatory diets can boost survival and may lower the risk of cancer coming back. Plus, a new targeted drug combination is showing impressive results.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cancer 5K run and walk at Grant Park honors survivors, raises money for research
CHICAGO — It's a club very few of us would ever want to be a part of and one by which so many are affected by in one way or another. Along the lakefront at Grant Park, a walk to celebrate cancer survivors and raise money for research was held on Sunday, which marked National Cancer Survivors Day. 'I'm a survivor, prostate cancer,' Jesus Flores said. His mom, Nancy Howarter, had been given a grim diagnosis multiple times. She is still here. 'I've survived pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer. I've been living with cancer for 40 years. My son is a prostate cancer survivor,' Howarter said. 'I'm happy to be here.' There are stories that touch nearly everyone today. WGN's Mike Lowe was among the attendees. 'Nobody wants to be here in these purple shirts,' Lowe said. 'When you walk this path together, it's so much easier than when you're walking it alone. To be with all of these great people here today, not only in the purple shirts, but the gray shirts as well. Those are family members are friends and supporters who has helped us along the path.' Through walks and runs just like Sunday's is where money is raised — money that has changed many aspects of how we fight cancer and the survival rates that come with those advances in science. 'It's very clear that the cancer mortality rates are decreasing sharply. That's due to better diagnosis, better treatments, in all different areas, but it's not good enough,' Erik Von Borcke, President of AbbVie Oncology, said. Folks attended the walk to support the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Hospital and one another. In hopes of not only changing the survival rates but ending cancer. 'We understand we have new technology and bringing them all together that they are at the right time, the right place, so that the patients that have the disease, they can be treated immediately,' Von Borcke said. 'That's what we're celebrating with those walks and runs.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thyme Care Triples Its Multidisciplinary Care Team with Increased Focus on Often-Overlooked Survivorship Population
Oncologist Dr. Asma Dilawari and palliative care physician Dr. Nelia Jain join to expand survivorship program and scale supportive care and palliative care services Expansion coincides with new patient-centered supportive care offerings, including enhanced social work, emotional support, and advanced social needs planning to provide continuous support across the entire cancer journey, from pre-diagnosis through survivorship or end-of-life care Rapid growth with commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans drives care team expansion across all roles, including medical directors, nurse practitioners, oncology nurses, social workers, and navigators NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thyme Care, the leading value-based cancer care enabler, today announced a significant expansion of its survivorship program and comprehensive cancer care services with the appointment of two experienced medical directors: Dr. Asma Dilawari as medical director of oncology care, who will lead the company's survivorship program expansion, and Dr. Nelia Jain as medical director of palliative care, who will scale Thyme Care's virtual palliative care offering, called Enhanced Supportive Care. Drs. Dilawari and Jain join Thyme Care from the FDA and Devoted Health, respectively, with previous roles held at Georgetown University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Survivorship Support For Clinical, Emotional, and Nutritional Needs Beyond Oncology CareMore than 18 million cancer survivors live in the U.S. today, and that number continues to grow as new therapeutics and treatment options lead people to live longer lives. Although survivorship is often a celebratory milestone, it doesn't mean their healthcare support should stop. Many patients continue to manage long-term side effects and emotional distress while continuing to take medications that reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, all while trying to return to work, care for their families, and navigate life after treatment. As someone who deeply understands this patient population, Dr. Dilawari will lead the expansion of Thyme Care's survivorship program to close the critical gaps survivors face. "With over 15 years of experience guiding oncology patients through survivorship, I'm excited to bring these insights to Thyme Care to design systems of support as they enter a new chapter of their care," said Dr. Dilawari. "These patients aren't in active treatment but still may require clinical, emotional, and nutritional guidance that often isn't adequately addressed. At Thyme Care, we want to meet these patients exactly where they are, with personalized care plans grounded in evidence-based guidelines and tailored to each survivor's health goals and needs." At Thyme Care, Dr. Dilawari will support patients in survivorship, continue to advance the company's Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs) program, and collaborate with Thyme Care Oncology Partners. She joins the company from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she served as a medical officer in the division of oncology. With over two decades of experience, including roles at Georgetown University and MedStar hospitals supporting survivorship patients, Dr. Dilawari brings regulatory insight and clinical expertise that will reinforce Thyme Care's ability to navigate the evolving oncology landscape. Multidisciplinary Support Across the Entire Cancer Journey Dr. Jain's focus will be to scale Thyme Care's palliative care program, called Enhanced Supportive Care, so that patients have support at every stage of their journey—from early detection through active treatment and into survivorship or end-of-life care. Dr. Jain, formerly the physician lead of complex care at Devoted Health, brings specialized expertise in palliative care and will lead Thyme Care's clinical team in caring for members with serious illness. She previously served as medical director of HeartPal, a palliative care service dedicated to the advancement of palliative care among patients living with advanced heart disease, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. At Thyme Care, Dr. Jain will see members for palliative care outpatient appointments, oversee interdisciplinary case conferences, and help scale Thyme Care's Enhanced Supportive Care program. "Thyme Care's commitment to addressing the whole person, not just their medical diagnosis, is what excites me most about joining the company," said Dr. Jain. "Their approach to patient-centered care aligns perfectly with my experience supporting patients with symptom management and complex decision-making across their illness trajectory. I look forward to expanding our palliative care offering across the nation and supporting our clinical team with education and resources to best support our members." Thyme Care has also expanded its emotional support services and advanced social needs assistance with the addition of Stephanie Broadnax Broussard, DSW, LCSW-S, APHSW-C, and a growing team of oncology social workers. Thyme Care recognizes that oncology social workers possess specialized expertise in cancer care, including the psychosocial, emotional, and practical impacts of the disease, its treatment, and the survivorship experience. Thyme Care's social workers are part of Thyme Care's virtual Care Team, consisting of nurse practitioners, oncology nurses, and healthcare navigators, who are closely integrated with the treating oncologist to provide total wraparound care, whether at the clinic, home, or elsewhere. This collaborative approach ensures patients receive coordinated support regardless of location or care setting. "Managing a cancer diagnosis requires more care than what our current system can offer. Our Care Team expansion reflects our commitment to supporting people with cancer in every aspect of their lives, not just their medical diagnosis. And with all the changes happening in our healthcare system, delivering coordinated, patient-first care is more important than ever before," said Dr. Julia Frydman, senior medical director who oversees the clinical team. "The additions of Dr. Dilawari, Dr. Jain, and Stephanie Broussard strengthen our ability to address the complex needs of our members and make a real impact on their cancer journey." About Thyme Care Thyme Care is the leading value-based care enabler, collaborating with payers and providers to transform the experience and outcomes for individuals living with cancer. The company partners with health plans, employers and risk-bearing providers to assume accountability for enhanced care quality, improved health outcomes, and reduced total cost of care. Thyme Care's approach combines a technology-enabled Care Team and seamless integration with more than 800 oncologists in Thyme Care Oncology Partners, creating a hybrid collaborative care model that guides and supports the entire patient journey. Thyme Care empowers oncologists nationwide through purpose-built tech, advanced data analytics, and virtual patient engagement, driving better care and outcomes in value-based arrangements. Thyme Care is a founding member of CancerX, and is backed by leading investors. To learn more about how Thyme Care is enabling the shift to value-based care in oncology, visit ContactKimberly DreisingerThyme Care Communicationspress@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Thyme Care
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients can increase their physical activity after treatment, knowing they are doing their part to prevent cancer from coming back. 'It's an extremely exciting study,' said Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who wasn't involved in the research. It's the first randomized controlled trial to show how exercise can help cancer survivors, Meyerhardt said. Prior evidence was based on comparing active people with sedentary people, a type of study that can't prove cause and effect. The new study — conducted in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States — compared people who were randomly selected for an exercise program with those who instead received an educational booklet. 'This is about as high a quality of evidence as you can get,' said Dr. Julie Gralow, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 'I love this study because it's something I've been promoting but with less strong evidence for a long time.' The findings were featured Sunday at ASCO's annual meeting in Chicago and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Academic research groups in Canada, Australia and the U.K. funded the work. Researchers followed 889 patients with treatable colon cancer who had completed chemotherapy. Half were given information promoting fitness and nutrition. The others worked with a coach, meeting every two weeks for a year, then monthly for the next two years. Coaches helped participants find ways to increase their physical activity. Many people, including Terri Swain-Collins, chose to walk for about 45 minutes several times a week. 'This is something I could do for myself to make me feel better,' said Swain-Collins, 62, of Kingston, Ontario. Regular contact with a friendly coach kept her motivated and accountable, she said. 'I wouldn't want to go there and say, 'I didn't do anything,' so I was always doing stuff and making sure I got it done.' After eight years, the people in the structured exercise program not only became more active than those in the control group but also had 28% fewer cancers and 37% fewer deaths from any cause. There were more muscle strains and other similar problems in the exercise group. 'When we saw the results, we were just astounded,' said study co-author Dr. Christopher Booth, a cancer doctor at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in Kingston, Ontario. Exercise programs can be offered for several thousand dollars per patient, Booth said, 'a remarkably affordable intervention that will make people feel better, have fewer cancer recurrences and help them live longer.' Researchers collected blood from participants and will look for clues tying exercise to cancer prevention, whether through insulin processing or building up the immune system or something else. Swain-Collins' coaching program ended, but she is still exercising. She listens to music while she walks in the countryside near her home. That kind of behavior change can be achieved when people believe in the benefits, when they find ways to make it fun and when there's a social component, said paper co-author Kerry Courneya, who studies exercise and cancer at the University of Alberta. The new evidence will give cancer patients a reason to stay motivated. 'Now we can say definitively exercise causes improvements in survival,' Courneya said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients can increase their physical activity after treatment, knowing they are doing their part to prevent cancer from coming back. 'It's an extremely exciting study,' said Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who wasn't involved in the research. It's the first randomized controlled trial to show how exercise can help cancer survivors, Meyerhardt said. Prior evidence was based on comparing active people with sedentary people, a type of study that can't prove cause and effect. The new study — conducted in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States — compared people who were randomly selected for an exercise program with those who instead received an educational booklet. 'This is about as high a quality of evidence as you can get,' said Dr. Julie Gralow, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 'I love this study because it's something I've been promoting but with less strong evidence for a long time.' The findings were featured Sunday at ASCO's annual meeting in Chicago and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Academic research groups in Canada, Australia and the U.K. funded the work. Researchers followed 889 patients with treatable colon cancer who had completed chemotherapy. Half were given information promoting fitness and nutrition. The others worked with a coach, meeting every two weeks for a year, then monthly for the next two years. Coaches helped participants find ways to increase their physical activity. Many people, including Terri Swain-Collins, chose to walk for about 45 minutes several times a week. 'This is something I could do for myself to make me feel better,' said Swain-Collins, 62, of Kingston, Ontario. Regular contact with a friendly coach kept her motivated and accountable, she said. 'I wouldn't want to go there and say, 'I didn't do anything,' so I was always doing stuff and making sure I got it done.' After eight years, the people in the structured exercise program not only became more active than those in the control group but also had 28% fewer cancers and 37% fewer deaths from any cause. There were more muscle strains and other similar problems in the exercise group. 'When we saw the results, we were just astounded,' said study co-author Dr. Christopher Booth, a cancer doctor at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in Kingston, Ontario. Exercise programs can be offered for several thousand dollars per patient, Booth said, 'a remarkably affordable intervention that will make people feel better, have fewer cancer recurrences and help them live longer.' Researchers collected blood from participants and will look for clues tying exercise to cancer prevention, whether through insulin processing or building up the immune system or something else. Swain-Collins' coaching program ended, but she is still exercising. She listens to music while she walks in the countryside near her home. That kind of behavior change can be achieved when people believe in the benefits, when they find ways to make it fun and when there's a social component, said paper co-author Kerry Courneya, who studies exercise and cancer at the University of Alberta. The new evidence will give cancer patients a reason to stay motivated. 'Now we can say definitively exercise causes improvements in survival,' Courneya said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
