- Lymphoma Research Foundation

Fall 2009 • Volume 7 • Number 2
Today
FDA Approves
New
Treatment
Options
W
LRF presents Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company with the Hope Award (l to r: Jennifer Mills, Karen Van
Rassel, Ronny Mosston, Sue Bliss and Brian Tomlinson)
14th Annual
North American Educational
Forum on Lymphoma
T
he 14th Annual North American
Educational Forum on Lymphoma
was held on October 23 – 25, 2009 at
the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn
Bridge in Brooklyn, NY. This Forum marked
the sixth year of collaboration between the
Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) and
the Lymphoma Foundation Canada (LFC),
the fourth year of collaboration with the
International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) and the CLL
Information Group (CIG), the third year of
collaboration with the Cutaneous Lymphoma
Foundation and the second year of collaboration with the National Marrow Donor
Program and Planet Cancer. With more than
600 lymphoma patients, survivors and loved
ones in attendance, this year’s Forum was
truly a remarkable and unique experience.
Program Chairs, Morton Coleman,
MD (Weill Cornell Medical College, The
New York Presbyterian Hospital), Randy
Gascoyne, MD (British Columbia Cancer
Agency) and David Straus, MD (Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) assembled
over 40 of the world’s leading lymphoma
experts and patient support specialists to
provide Forum attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about their individual type
of lymphoma and to network with other attendees. Highlights from the Forum included
more disease- and treatment-specific information, an expanded research panel format
and comprehensive clinical trials education.
The speakers covered more than 50 sessions
on a variety of topics. A wide array of networking opportunities and functions were
(continued on page 8)
ith over 750 cancer drugs currently
being investigated through clinical trials in the United States, only
a small fraction of those will actually be approved for use by the United States Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). As described in
the clinical trials story on page 6, drug development involves numerous entities, including
researchers, industry support, active patient
involvement in clinical trials and years-sometimes decades- of commitment.
Lymphoma represents one exciting area of
cancer research. By the time of this publication, the FDA had already approved three
treatment options for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in fall 2009. Read about these
exciting new therapeutic approaches below
(continued on page 3)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter............................................... 2
Lymphoma News.............................. 3
Patient Education............................. 5
Clinical Trials................................... 6
Research.......................................... 7
Patient Support................................ 9
Advocacy......................................... 10
Development................................... 11
Calendar......................................... 16
LRF ONLINE:
Register online at lymphoma.org to receive
the e-mail edition of Lymphoma Today and stay
informed about the latest news in lymphoma.
www.lymphoma.org 1
Letter
Chairman Errol M. Cook
Dear Friends,
What a year 2009 has been! Despite the
current economic situation, we are pleased
to report that LRF experienced many dimensions of growth this year. Participation
in our patient education programs quadrupled since 2006. Chapter membership
is increasing. The number of public policy
advocates doubled and LRF now has advocates in every state. Therefore, we are
feeling very confident that as the economy
recovers, LRF is well positioned to once
again increase its financial base. Please
remember that LRF has changed its fiscal year from a calendar year to the year
beginning July 1st and that our 2009
Annual Report will be published on our
website, lymphoma.org, before the end of
December 2009.
We are very pleased that members of
the Board have agreed to keep their research fundraising challenge grants open.
Therefore, we welcome and encourage everyone to support our CLL/SLL (up to $1.5
million), Follicular ($1 million) or Mantle
Cell Challenges ($500,000). You can use
the enclosed donation envelope to do so.
Please indicate on your check or electronic
form which challenge grant you would
like to support. As you may know by now,
Suzanne Bliss left the Foundation in late
October to pursue other exciting career
endeavors. The Board extends its deepest gratitude to Suzanne for the progress
made under her eight year tenure at LRF.
During this time period, LRF experienced
unprecedented growth, which resulted in
2 Lymphoma Today
the Foundation raising nearly $81 million
for lymphoma-specific research and services to those affected by lymphoma. Because
of her leadership and the tireless efforts of
the Scientific Advisory Board, the cadre of
volunteers around the country who work
to raise awareness and critical funds and
the staff who carry out the daily activities
of the Foundation, LRF is poised to reach
new heights under the leadership of incoming Chief Executive Officer, Diane Blum.
Diane joins LRF after a successful career at CancerCare, where she served as
the Executive Director for 20 years. During
this time, she led the organization from a
regional agency to a $35 million organization that provides support services and
financial assistance to people with cancer
and their loved ones in all 50 states. Diane
is a social worker by training and is wellknown for her contributions throughout
the oncology community, which include
serving as Editor-in-Chief of cancer.net (the
American Society for Clinical Oncology
website for patients and the public), participating on committees for the Institute
of Medicine and serving on the editorial
boards of five oncology-related publications. For her efforts in the field, Diane has
received several awards over the years.
Most recently, she received ASCO’s 2009
Partners in Progress award which honors
patient advocates whose work has increased public awareness about cancer and
its causes, cures and treatment. Please join
me in welcoming Diane to LRF.
Finally, we say “thank you” to all of you
who have in some way contributed to the
success of LRF in 2009. Every community
fundraiser, brochure distributed and dollar raised helps us get a few steps closer to
achieving our mission. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to
working with you in 2010 and beyond.
With deepest appreciation,
The newsletter of the
Lymphoma Research Foundation
Content Copyright 2009
All rights reserved
FOUNDERS
Ellen Glesby Cohen
Barbara Freundlich
Jerry Freundlich
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Errol M. Cook, Chairman of the Board
Michael Ditzian, Executive Vice President
Tom Condon, Treasurer
Jerry Freundlich, Assistant Treasurer
Evelyn Lipori, Secretary
Richard I. Fisher, MD
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
Morton Coleman, MD
Chairman, Medical Affiliates Board
John Balan
Joseph R. Bertino, MD
Heidi Dieter
Robert E. Fischer
Barbara Freundlich
Thomas L. Harrison
Marie L. Matthews
George Ntim
Homer L. Pearce, PhD
Miriam Phalen
Steven J. Prince
Leonard M. Rosen
Michael Werner
EDITORIAL BOARD
Managing Editor: Jennifer Mills, LMSW, MPH
Design Editor: Brian Tomlinson, MPA, BSW
Contact LRF
8800 Venice Boulevard, Suite 207
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Telephone (310) 204-7040
(800) 500-9976 Fax (310) 204-7043
115 Broadway, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Telephone (212) 349-2910
(800) 235-6848 Fax (212) 349-2886
Email: LRF@lymphoma.org
Website: lymphoma.org
Lymphoma Today is published by the Lymphoma Research
Foundation for the purpose of informing and educating our
readers about lymphoma and to keep them informed of
ongoing work and accomplishments of the Lymphoma Research
Foundation, with the ultimate goal of finding cures for lymphoma.
Because each person’s body and response to treatment is different,
no individual should indulge in self-diagnosis or embark upon
any course of medical treatment that is described in Lymphoma
Today without first consulting with his or her physician.
Errol Cook
Chairman of the Board
The Lymphoma Research Foundation is not responsible for the
medical care or treatment of any individual.
Lymphoma News
FDA Approves New Treatment Options
(continued from page 1)
and visit Lymphoma Research Foundation’s
website (lymphoma.org) for more information on any of the subtypes of lymphoma
mentioned.
First Drug Approved for
Relapsed or Refractory
Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
On September 24, 2009, the United States
Food and Drug Administration approved
pralatrexate (Folotyn) for the treatment of
patients with relapsed (disease returns after treatment) or refractory (disease does
not respond to treatment) peripheral T-cell
lymphoma. The American Cancer Society
estimates that in 2009 there will be 65,980
new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL) in the United States. T-cell lymphoma accounts for about 10-15% of those
cases1. Historically, T-cell lymphoma has not
received sufficient research attention due to
its rarity. According to the revised World
Health Organization (WHO) classification,
there are over 20 distinct subtypes of T-cell
lymphoma2, some of which are extremely
rare. Approximately 6% or just fewer than
4,000 patients are diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma annually1. The need
for new drug development and clinical trial
accrual in T-cell lymphoma is profound.
“New drugs are needed to treat T-cell lymphomas as many of the standard drugs
we use to treat B-cell lymphomas, such as
rituximab and many chemotherapies, do
not work as well on T-cell lymphomas. The
biology of the T-cell lymphomas is different
thereby requiring alternative treatments for
these rare diseases,” says Julie M. Vose, MD,
University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The approval of pralatrexate was granted following the examination of data from
Young Adult Lymphoma Study
Were you diagnosed in the last
18-30 months, between the ages
of 22-29, with either relapsed
(your disease came back) or refractory
(your disease did not respond to
treatment) lymphoma?
If so, there is a qualitative dissertation
research study being conducted to
better understand the experiences
of people who have gone through
relapsed or refractory lymphoma in
young adulthood for which you may
Project Highlights
be eligible.
This study involves two phases:
•One face-to-face interview
•Email interviews with the
researcher
Participants will receive a $20 gift card
If you are interested in participating,
please contact:
the PROPEL study, which was a single-arm,
open-label, multi-center international clinical trial of 115 patients with relapsed or
refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Of
the 109 patient who were able to be evaluated, 27% responded to the drug and the
median (average) length of the response
was 9.4 months. Pralatrexate (Folotyn)
is in a class of drugs called anti-folates;
methotrexate is another example within
the anti-folate category of treatment. This
drug is given intravenously. “A important
step in improving therapy for people with
T-cell lymphomas is identifying drugs with
specific activity in these uncommon diseases as opposed to just borrowing from
among those used for B-cell lymphoma,”
says Steven Horwitz, MD, Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center.
Radioimmunotherapy
Drug Receives Expanded
Label Approval
The radioimmunotherapy drug ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) received expanded
label approval from the United States Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) for the
treatment of patients with previously untreated follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL), who achieve a partial or complete
response to first-line chemotherapy. This
therapy targets CD20 markers which are
found on the surface of some lymphoma
cells and delivers radiation.
Originally approved in 2002 by the FDA
for the treatment of patients with relapsed
(disease returns) or refractory (disease does
not respond to treatment), low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the
new indication was granted following the
data from the First-line Indolent Therapy
(FIT) Study. Results of the 414 patients
with CD20-positive follicular NHL who
reached a partial or complete response after
receiving chemotherapy on the study (numerous types of chemotherapy were used
(continued on page 4)
Jennifer Mills, LMSW, MPH
New York University
School of Social Work
yaresearch@gmail.com
1. Armitage et al., New Approach to Classifying Non-Hodgkin’s
Lymphomas: Clinical Features of the Major Histologic
Subtypes, Journal of Clinical Oncology. 1998; 16(8):2780
2. J affe, E. S., Harris, N. L., Stein, H., & Isaacson, P. G. (2008).
Classification of lymphoid neoplasms: The microscope
as a tool for disease discovery. Blood, 112(12), 4384-4399
www.lymphoma.org 3
Lymphoma News
Revised and new editions of the most comprehensive guides on
lymphoma specifically designed for patients, survivors and loved ones
Order Online!
n Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
n
Hodgkin Lymphoma
n
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/
Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
Lymphoma.org/booklets
FDA Approves New Treatment Options
(continued from page 3)
New Monoclonal Antibody
Approved for the Treatment
of Refractory CLL
in this study) were presented at the 2008
annual meeting of the American Society of
Hematology. The results of this study were
statistically significant, which means that the
average progression-free survival was better
for the patient population who received ibritumomab tiuxetan plus chemotherapy, as
compared to the patients in the study who
received chemotherapy alone.
“This approval means specifically that
patients will be able to receive ibritumomab
tiuxetan (Zevalin) to consolidate a response
after chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma.
More importantly, however, the approval
represents an acknowledgement that radioimmunotherapy (Zevalin or Bexxar)
has important activity and is beneficial for
many patients with follicular lymphoma,
for indications that have been approved
since 2002. Hopefully, oncologists will now
recognize the potential benefit of this form
of treatment for patients who are in first or
second relapse,” says Leo I. Gordon, MD of
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Center of
Northwestern University.
Ibritumomab
tiuxetan
(Zevalin)
represents one of two drugs in the radioimmunotherapy class of treatments for
lymphoma. The other drug, tositumomab
(Bexxar) is approved for the treatment of
patients with relapsed (disease returns) or
refractory (disease does not respond to
treatment), low-grade or follicular B-cell
non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
On October 26, 2009, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) granted the accelerated approval of ofatumomab (Arzerra)
for the treatment of patients with chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) whose disease is refractory to fludarabine (Fludara)
and alemtuzumab (Campath). This product is jointly owned by GlaxoSmithKline
4 Lymphoma Today
and Genmab. The approval was granted
based on the results of the pivotal study
which enrolled and evaluated effectiveness
among 59 patients who were refractory to
fludarabine (Fludara) and alemtuzumab
(Campath), two commonly used agents in
the treatment of CLL. In this study, 42%
of patients responded to ofatumomab
(Arzerra) and the median duration of response was 6.5 months. Ofatumomab is
a monoclonal antibody that targets the
CD20 antigen, which is found on the
surface of CLL cells. “This highly effective new drug offers patients with CLL
another non-chemotherapy option which
will hopefully help to prolong their survival,” says Bruce Cheson, MD, Georgetown
University Medical Center.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is
considered a form of B-cell lymphatic malignancy. Over 15,000 people are diagnosed
with CLL annually in the United States. For
more information on CLL, please visit the
CLL Information Group at cllinfogroup.
org. Also, please see the announcement for
LRF’s new CLL-specific patient education
booklet above. n
Open Clinical Trials
Phase II Study of Lenalidomide
and Mantle Cell Lymphoma
C
elgene is conducting a multinational, Phase II study to
determine if lenalidomide is safe and
effective in the treatment of subjects
with relapsed (disease has returned)
or refractory (came back or resistant
to treatment) mantle cell non-Hodgkin
lymphoma who have received previous
treatment that include bortezomib.
The study is open to patients that
require treatment and plans to enroll
approximately 133 subjects. Patients
will receive single-agent lenalidomide
for as long as the study drug helps you
and if you do not experience certain
side effects from the study drug.
Lenalidomide is a type of drug
known as an immunomodulatory
agent, or IMiD drug (a drug that affects
the immune system). Lenalidomide
can assist the body’s immune system
and it may also interfere with the
development of tiny blood vessels that
help support tumor growth. Therefore,
in theory, it may reduce or prevent the
growth of cancer cells. Lenalidomide
has been approved for the treatment of
myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with a
del 5q cytogenetic (genetic) abnormality
and for patients with multiple myeloma.
For additional information, please
visit clinicaltrials.gov (IDNCT00737529)
or call Brendan Purse at (908) 673-9584.
Patient Education
Lymphoma Workshop:
Understanding Lymphoma Basics
and Current Treatment Options
L
ymphoma Workshop programs are full-day educational conferences •Chicago, Illinois
designed to bring patients and their families the latest information
On Saturday, May 16, 2009
about lymphoma and treatment options. Lymphoma Workshops are held
in collaboration with academic medical institutions and other nonprofit
organizations around the United States. A lymphoma specialist chairs
each program and guides the content and speaker selection. This year,
LRF has hosted six Lymphoma Workshop programs serving over 2,000
lymphoma patients, survivors and loved ones.
•Scottsdale, Arizona
On Saturday, March 14,
2009, Thomas P. Miller, MD
(University of Arizona and
Arizona Cancer Center)
chaired the Arizona Lymphoma Workshop, which
served almost 540 lymphoma patients, survivors and
loved ones.
•Needham, Massachusetts
On Saturday, April 18, 2009,
Arnold Freedman, MD
(Harvard Medical School
and Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute) chaired the
Massachusetts Lymphoma
Workshop, which served
over 360 lymphoma
patients, survivors and
loved ones.
Save the Date
Teleconferences:
Update on Lymphoma Treatment Options from the
American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm ET
Update on Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
Thursday, January 14, 2010 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm ET
Save the Date
Lymphoma Workshops
Scottsdale, AZ | Saturday, March 6, 2010
Chair: Thomas Miller, MD,
Arizona Cancer Center
Needham, MA | Saturday, April 17, 2010
Chair: Arnold Freedman, MD,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Leo I. Gordon, MD (Northwestern University and
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of
Northwestern University)
and Stephanie A. Gregory,
MD (Rush University and
Rush University Medical
Center) co-chaired the Chicago Lymphoma Workshop,
which served over 400 lymphoma patients, survivors
and loved ones.
•Seattle, Washington
On Saturday, September 26,
2009, Oliver W. Press, MD,
PhD (University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center)
chaired the Seattle Lympho-
Save
the
Date
ma Workshop, which served
over 360 lymphoma patients,
survivors and loved ones.
•San Francisco, California
On Saturday, October 3,
2009, Ranjana Advani, MD
(Stanford University) chaired
the San Francisco Lymphoma Workshop, which
served over 400 lymphoma
patients, survivors and
loved ones.
•Bloomington, Minnesota
On Saturday, November
14, 2009, Thomas M. Habermann, MD (Mayo Clinic and
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine) chaired the Minnesota
Lymphoma Workshop which
served over 360 lymphoma
patients, survivors and
loved ones. n
15th Annual
North American Educational
Forum on Lymphoma
San Francisco, CA | September 24 – 26, 2010
Chairs: Michael Crump, MD, Princess Margaret Hospital,
University Health Network and Stephanie A. Gregory, MD,
Rush University Medical Center/Rush University
Chicago, IL | Saturday, May 22, 2010
Chairs: Leo I. Gordon, MD,
Northwestern University;
Stephanie A. Gregory, MD,
Rush University; and, Sonali Smith, MD,
The University of Chicago
For more information
Call: (800) 500-9976
Web: lymphoma.org
www.lymphoma.org 5
Clinical Trials
Cancer Cooperative Group Clinical Trials:
Working Together to Improve Lymphoma Treatments
I
n the United States, conducting clinical trials is the mechanism the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) uses to evaluate and potentially approve new treatments.
Therefore, lymphoma drugs become available only when patients participate in
clinical trials. Some perceive choosing a cancer clinical trial as “last resort” for treatment. The contrary is true. “The National Cancer Center Network has determined
that a clinical trial is actually the preferred treatment for virtually all patients with
cancer. The outcomes are actually better, not worse, for patients that go on clinical
trials,” says Oliver W. Press, MD, PhD, Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center; Recipient, Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research;
Professor of Medicine, University of Washington.
Cooperative Group Trials
Today, several entities sponsor clinical trials
in oncology. These include pharmaceutical
and biotech companies, institutions and the
federal government. The federal government
supports cancer clinical trials through the
National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Clinical
Trials Cooperative Group Program. This
program includes researchers, cancer centers
and community physicians who all work in
concert to investigate new and more effective cancer treatments. Through the 1,700
institutions involved in cooperative groups,
over 22,000 new patients participate in cooperative clinical trials annually.
Originally established in 1955, today
the Cooperative Group Program organizes large-scale clinical trials with funding
from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
According to the NCI, in the FY2008 budget, $144 million was allocated to clinical
trials cooperative groups. Each of the cooperative groups that include lymphoma as
their focus have an elected chair who works
with the participating institutions to design,
implement and monitor large-scale trials
throughout the country for lymphoma.
What Makes Cooperate
Group Trials Unique
Brad Kahl, MD, University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine who is the incoming
Lymphoma Committee Chairman for the
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group says
“Cooperative group trials often are the best
mechanism for establishing new standards
of care in lymphoma and are an essential
6 Lymphoma Today
component in the war on cancer. Often, to
determine if a new approach is better than
the old approach we need studies involving
hundreds of patients, which is beyond the
scope of any single institution. Cooperative
group trials can overcome these size limitations by getting dozens of institutions to
work together. Cooperative groups trials are
usually born in one two ways. In one scenario, an investigator at a single institution runs
a study that may involve a modest number
of patients (usually 30-50) and finds a result
that looks promising. The next step is to try
and confirm those results, so that investigator will bring their trial to a cooperative
group to essentially repeat the study using a
larger number of patients from a variety of
institutions to see if the results can be duplicated. Sometimes the new approach will
be compared to the traditional approach
in a randomized trial. The other scenario
involves a group of interested investigators
literally sitting around a table and brainstorming to come up with a new approach
to some problem. Often in this scenario, the
investigators are tackling a problem that a
single institution cannot even attempt to
solve due to issues of patient numbers. This
is common problem in lymphoma, where
most of the lymphoma subtypes are relatively uncommon diseases.
In addition to cooperative group trials,
some of the large scale studies are organized
and funded by pharmaceutical companies.
These industry trials are usually focused
around finding a niche for that particular
company’s drug. In the cooperative groups
trial, we have more freedom to work with
new drugs from different companies and
can focus more on the scientific issues as
opposed to how to get a drug to market.
However, working on the science and getting new treatments to market are both
worthy goals and add value, so often the
systems are complimentary.” n
Cancer Cooperative Groups Focusing on Lymphoma
• Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)
• Eastern Cooperative Group • Southwest Oncology Group
Resources to Help Patients and Healthcare Providers
Find Cooperative Group Trials
Because the network of the NCI’s Cancer Cooperative Groups is so expansive, it is highly
likely that trials are available to you right in your own community. The resources listed
below can help you search for open trials to discuss with your physician.
• NCI Services
800-4-Cancer or online: clinicaltrials.gov
• Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups
The organization’s searchable database, called Trial Check, may be accessed
at trialcheck.org.
• Lymphoma Helpline and Clinical Trail Information Service
(800) 500-9976 or helpline@lymphoma.org
Research
Your Contributions at Work:
Update on Lymphoma Research
R
esearchers and patients alike are
eager to see new developments and
improvements in patient care and
therapeutics. In the midst of the ever-changing and dynamic field of cancer research,
the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s
(LRF) Scientific Advisory Board continues
to identify novel mechanisms for engaging young researchers and stimulating new
disease-specific discoveries.
Scientific Workshops
Face-to-face meetings represent an integral
component of scientific discovery as it allows researchers to build collaborations,
establish consensus and review grant proposals. Throughout the year, LRF hosts
several such scientific meetings. The Mantle
Cell Lymphoma Consortium (MCLC),
formed in 2004, continues to make great
strides through stimulating dialogue
amongst researchers focused on mantle
cell lymphoma (MCL) and funding MCLspecific research projects.
In 2009, the MCLC is seeking new ways
to learn, share and discover. At the last
workshop in March, participants joined
round-table discussions which identified important areas for further research. Examples
of their conclusions were:
• Clinical trials should investigate strategies
for maintaining remission.
• Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a
marker of response to therapy. Clinical
trials should look at how MRD changes
over time, rather than looking at a single
point in time.
• Research should focus on targeting the
cell cycle’s role in MCL biology along
with another aspect of that biology to
maximize therapeutic effectiveness.
The full Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
once again met this fall and engaged in
an exchange with grant recipients of the
Indolent Lymphoma Initiative. The annual
2010 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Workshop
planning is also underway.
Current Research Highlights
Many of our researchers are seeking and
testing new therapies or new approaches
for using existing therapies. Mitchell R.
Smith, MD, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center,
discussed results of a phase II trial studying a new regimen involving chemotherapy
followed by treatment with a radioactive
antibody (radioimmunotherapy) in patients
with previously untreated MCL. A total of
52 patients received chemotherapy with
rituximab (Rituxan), cyclophosphamide,
doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone
(R-CHOP) followed by radioimmunotherapy with Yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan
(Zevalin). Overall, the majority of the patients
who received the full regimen had a complete
response. Of those patients, a majority had
an improved response to chemotherapy with
the addition of radioimmunotherapy.
Dr. Laurence J.N. Cooper, MD, PhD,
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center (MDACC), reported on his work to
T-cells into recognizing tumor cells and killing them. Dr. Cooper’s team is on the verge
of testing this treatment in humans.
New Research
Grants Announced
The Lymphoma Research Foundation recently announced its newest grant recipients for
two Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Study Awards and one Clinical Investigator
Career Development Award (CDA). Also,
visit lymphoma.org to view a new follicular
clinical grant announcement.
CLL Study Awards
David Frank, MD, PhD at Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute and his CLL work are a prime example of the progress fostered by LRF funding.
After receiving support from LRF in 2006,
Dr. Frank discovered that the cellular protein
STAT1 was responsible for CLL cell death and
began developing drugs to encourage this process. Recently, Dr. Frank was awarded a CLL
LRF Funding Encourages Recipients
to Stay in Academia
7%
11%
Stimulating young researchers to focus their
efforts on lymphoma and pursue careers as
research scientists remains a focus of LRF’s
fellowship program. The chart depicts where
LRF fellows work today.
82%
82% Academia
11% Industry (pharmaceutical/biotech companies)
7% Private Practice
improve outcomes for follicular lymphoma
patients. Patients with follicular lymphoma
often undergo autologous transplants to help
cure their disease. However, for patients with
measurable disease at the time of transplantation, the outcome can be disappointing
as these patients relapse. To improve the
chances of finding a cure, Dr. Cooper’s team
developed a new approach to augmenting
the transplant process by infusing T-cells (a
type of immune cell) that have been made
specific for lymphoma. This approach uses
a gene therapy technique to manipulate the
Clinical Study Award to perform a clinical
trial on pyrimethamine, a drug he identified to
inhibit the cellular protein STAT3 that is critical for CLL cell survival.
One indicator of progress in research is
when laboratory focused projects lead to
clinical trials. Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, also
a recent CLL Clinical Study Award recipient,
will use his funding to perform a clinical trial
on a newly developed gene-immune therapy.
After previous studies, Dr. Kipps and his colleagues at the University of California, San
(continued on page 8)
lymphoma.org 7
Research
Your Contributions at Work:
Lymphoma Research Ride Surpasses $1 Million
A
s riders completed the 25 and 50
mile courses, the third annual
Lymphoma Research Ride broke a
new record by raising $1.1 million in just
three short years. This year’s ride, which
was held on Sunday, October 11, 2009 in
Northern Maryland, hosted 158 riders and
offered the added option for a family ride to
engage even the youngest philanthropists.
Since its inauguration, this event continues to stimulate new riders and surpass its
annual goal.
The $395,000 raised for the 2009 event
could not have been possible without the
time, energy and commitment of the entire
committee and the event’s sponsors. Event
co-chairs Bruce Cheson, MD and Christine
Cheson, RN worked with the following
committee members to make the event a
success: Alex Corckran, Sara Corckran,
Gary Ford, Liz Gilmore, Sara Herschfield,
Dana Hutson, Lisa-Marie Lane, David
Natoli, Patricia Natoli, Katherine Legg
Niknia and Lisa Taverna.
LRF would like to thank the sponsors of
the event who made the Ride possible. n
Educational Forum
(continued from page 1)
incorporated as to allow patients, survivors and loved ones
to network with their fellow
Forum attendees.
LRF is pleased to announce
that some of the presentations
will be available in webcast
format (synchronized slide and
audio presentations) on our website (lymphoma.org/webcasts).
LRF would like to thank
our sponsors for making this
program possible through unrestricted educational grants.
Presenting Sponsor: Genentech,
Inc.; Gold Sponsors: Allos
Therapeutics, Inc., Biogen Idec
Oncology, Celgene, Cephalon
8 Lymphoma Today
Dollar Sponsors
Media Sponsors
Platinum Genentech, Inc.
The Washingtonian
Washington Post
Gold Celgene, Cephalon,
M&T Bank
Silver Millennium: The Takeda
Oncology Company,
Biogen Idec
Bronze Georgetown University
Hospital, Integral PET
Center, RBC Wealth
Management
Rest Stop BB&T
Oncology,
GlaxoSmithKline,
Lilly Oncology, Merck Oncology
and Millennium: The Takeda
Oncology Company; and, Silver
Sponsors: National Marrow
Donor Program and Spectrum
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
On Saturday, October 24,
2009, LRF honored Millennium:
The Takeda Oncology Company
with LRF’s second annual HOPE
Award. This award recognizes
one company each year for their
commitment to helping lymphoma patients, survivors and loved
ones. Ronny Mosston, Senior
Director, Patient Advocacy
and Corporate Philanthropy,
accepted the award on behalf of
Millennium. n
Bike Sponsors
A-1 Cycling
Dino Bike Repair
Griffin Cycle
In-Kind Sponsors
Cannondale
The Barnesville School
Lymphoma Research Update
(continued from page 7)
Diego determined that CLL cells
lacking the p53 chromosome in
their DNA can be genetically
modified in the laboratory and
then infused into the patient. He
hopes this study will result in better outcomes for patients who
have previously not been responsive to chemotherapy treatments.
Clinical Investigator
Career Development
Award
Kai Fu, MD, PhD, the newest
Career Development Award
recipient, is also focusing his
project on genetic alterations
to increase the efficacy of
chemotherapy in patients with
MCL. Previous studies have
shown that frequently occurring
alterations of genetic material
in the miR-17~92 cluster, vital
for B-cell development, are related to poorer survival rates in
patients with MCL. Dr. Fu and
his team at the University of
Nebraska Medical Center found
that the higher miR-17~92 expression causes a resistance
to chemotherapy. By learning
and further understanding the
mechanisms of the cluster, Dr.
Fu and his team will hopefully
be able to determine its role in
the development of MCL and
Research Update and potentially use his findings to create new
treatments. n
Patient Support
Lymphoma Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies
Offering Assistance to Patients
S
tudies suggest the financial burden
of cancer may be the most challenging for patients and their families. To
assist patients during treatment, many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
developed “patient assistance programs” in
recent years, which continually evolve with
the ever-changing landscape of cancer care.
Many of the companies with lymphoma
products on the market offer patient assistance and encourage both patients and
healthcare professionals with questions
to call or visit their websites for more information. Here is a look at the patient
assistance programs of three companies
that have products approved for the treatment of lymphoma.
Genentech Access Solutions
Genentech provides assistance to patients
and healthcare professionals through its
Genentech Access Solutions program.
This program aims to help patients access Genentech treatments their physician
prescribed. When a patient calls (888) 2494918, they are assigned a case manager who
will assess their needs, provide assistance in
navigating the financial web of cancer care,
direct them to appropriate resources and
follow-up with them. These case managers
assist patients and healthcare professionals with benefits and coverage concerns
(e.g., prior authorization) as well as reimbursement issues (e.g., appeals and billing
information). A wide variety of resources
are also available through the newly revamped website, genentechaccesssolutions.
com.
Patients who are either uninsured or
denied treatment coverage by their insurer may be eligible for assistance from
the Genentech Access to Care Foundation
(GATCF). The GATCF was established in
1985 to provide free medicine to qualified patients, which includes rituximab
(Rituxan) for lymphoma patients who meet
a specific set of criteria. When lymphoma
patients experience financial hardship with
co-payments related to their prescribed
rituximab (Rituxan) treatment, Genentech’s
Access Solutions case manager will assess whether a patient may be eligible for
Genentech’s product-specific co-pay card
program. They will also refer patients to
a list of numerous independent non-profit
organizations who specifically screen and
assist patients with co-pay assistance.
“Genentech is committed to developing
treatments that people need and to making those treatments accessible. We have
over 350 people on the Genentech Access
Solutions team who help patients get the
treatments they need,” notes the program’s
Senior Director, Scott Howell. “I think that
speaks to how central patient access is to
Genentech. And as of the end of 2008,
we’ve given away more than $1.3 billion in
free treatments since 1985.”
If you are a lymphoma patient or
healthcare profession and would like more
information on Genentech’s program,
please visit genentechaccesssolutions.com
or call (888) 249-4918, Monday through
Friday from 6 am – 5 pm PST.
Cephalon
The CephalonCares Foundation was created to make a positive difference in the
lives of patients, families and communities.
Through its Patient Assistance Programs,
the CephalonCares Foundation provides
Cephalon medications at no cost to patients
who qualify. “We hope to strengthen our
relationships with patients and physicians
through CephalonCares—helping them focus on treatment and better health rather
than worrying about the cost of prescriptions,” says Rob Kaper, MD, Vice President
of Medical Affairs at Cephalon and member
of the CephalonCares Foundation Board.
Patients who have been prescribed bendamustine (TREANDA®) and who meet
specific insurance and household income
criteria may be eligible to receive assistance
through the TREANDA Patient Assistance
Program. For more information about this
program, please visit cephaloncares.com
or call 877-CEPH881 (877-237-4881).
Cephalon, Inc. also offers a reimbursement
assistance program to help patients with
health insurance coverage navigate the insurance process. For more information
about this program, please call 888-5TREANDA (888-587-3263).
Allos Therapeutics
As you read on the cover, Allos Therapeutics
recently received approval from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration for pralatrexate injection (FOLOTYN) for the
treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. To assist
patients and healthcare professionals with
the reimbursement process, the company recently launched their ASAP (Allos Support
for Assisting Patients) Program. Healthcare
providers may receive assistance for their
office with regards to verification and coverage information, coding and reimbursement
information, prior authorization support,
appeal support and Medicare enrollment
assistance. Patients may be eligible for the
company’s patient assistance program and
will be provided referrals to other programs
for payment assistance. Uninsured patients
may be eligible to receive drug replacement, free of cost, if specific criteria are met.
Insured patients who are experiencing challenges may also receive assistance through
the ASAP Program.
More Information
If you or your patients need more information on the assistance programs offered by
companies with products in lymphoma,
please call the Lymphoma Helpline and
Clinical Trials Information Service at (800)
500-9976. n
Visit us online:
lymphoma.org
lymphoma.org 9
Advocacy
LRF Advocates Participate
in Federal Research Program
L
ast year the U.S. Congress created a
$16 million cancer research program
located at the Department of Defense.
Due in part to the efforts of Lymphoma
Research Foundation (LRF) advocates, half
of these funds were dedicated to studying
the relationship between certain environmental exposures and the development of
cancer, including lymphoma.
The new program is called the Peer
Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP)
and it is part of the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
The CDMRP has managed over $5
billion in Congressional appropriations
since 1992 for peer-reviewed research
aimed to prevent, control and cure disease.
Recognizing the importance of consumer
advocate contributions, the CDMRP engages consumers in many of its programs,
including the PRCRP. Consumers may be
survivors, patients, family members or persons affected by or at risk for a disease.
This spring, Ronald Whitten, an
LRF advocate and Chair of the Georgia
Chapter’s Public Policy and Advocacy
Committee, was named to the PRCRP’s
Integration Panel. The Panel provides recommendations for programmatic priorities
and funding by voicing the research needs
of the cancer community.
In addition, two LRF advocates were recently selected to be Consumer Reviewers
for the PRCRP. Stanley Deden, who also
serves as the Treasurer of the Minnesota
Chapter, and Eileen Lichtenfeld, the pastPresident of the Georgia Chapter, are both
serving in this capacity and will participate
in the grant review process as representatives of the lymphoma and greater cancer
communities, bringing a sense of urgency
and focus to the review process.
LRF sat down with these advocates to
learn more about the PRCRP, their participation and the importance of the LRF
Advocacy Program.
10 Lymphoma Today
Why did you wish to become involved as
an advocate in the Peer Reviewed Cancer
Research Program?
Whitten: Investment in cancer research still
holds the most promise for discovering and
developing cures, or means of better managing these diseases. Consumer involvement
in decisions about cancer research priorities is essential to ensure that the emphasis
remains on improving the well-being for patients, survivors and those who are likely to
be faced with these diseases in the future.
Deden: I became involved in the PRCRP
because of the opportunity to use my knowledge and insights as a cancer survivor and a
medical professional to have an impact on
future research and, eventually, treatments
for other patients and survivors.
Do you feel that in your new role you are
making an important impact on the federal government’s investment in cancer
research?
Lichtenfeld: Absolutely. I feel such a strong
sense that what I am doing is helping the
“front line” fighters in the battle against
cancer—the researchers.
Deden: Already I have learned that there
are innovative and exciting proposals for
research into several different aspects of
cancer survivorship, including diagnosis,
prevention and treatment. I am hopeful that
we will be able to identify those proposals
with the brightest future for success.
Would you encourage other members of
the lymphoma community to become involved with the LRF Advocacy Program,
and to volunteer for similar advocacy
opportunities?
Whitten: Involvement in the LRF Advocacy
Program is perhaps the most empowering
means by which our voices can be heard by
those who can make a difference. I would
encourage members of the lymphoma community to start by becoming involved in
(continued on page 11)
LRF Public Policy
and Advocacy Update
Representative Steve Israel (NY)
and Senator Sherrod Brown (OH)
have introduced the Access to
Cancer Clinical Trials Act, which
would establish a standard of cancer
clinical trials coverage in private
health plans—an important step to
ensure that lymphoma patients are
able to participate in a clinical trial.
Advocates are encouraged to contact
their elected officials and request they
support this critical legislation.
The Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed
an updated payment policy for
hospital outpatient services and
ambulatory surgical centers for
2010, including one which would
affect payment rates for radioimmunotherapy, an important treatment
option for NHL patients. LRF sent a
response letter to CMS, expressing
the Foundation’s concern that the
Medicare program protect patient
access to this valuable therapy.
Representatives Lois Capps (CA),
Charles Boustany (LA), and Senator
Mary Landrieu (LA) introduced
the Comprehensive Cancer Care
Improvement Act (CCCIA), legislation which would ensure that cancer
patients and survivors receive coordinated cancer care. LRF advocates
are urged to contact their members of
Congress and ask them to co-sponsor
the CCCIA.
The LRF Advocacy Program
continues to grow, with over 600 new
advocates enrolling in the first six
months of 2009. The total number
of chapter members and volunteers
participating in the Advocacy Program
is now over 3,500—representing
over 100% growth in the Advocacy
Program since last year.
To learn more about these important policy updates or how you may
contact your members of Congress
in support of the highlighted legislation, visit the Public Policy and
Advocacy section of the LRF website:
lymphoma.org/advocacy.
Development
Donate Today!
Your Contribution Will Support Life-Saving
Lymphoma Research and Services
F
unds raised for the Lymphoma Research Foundation go to
Make Your Work Count
researchers searching for a cure and to support people affected
by the disease until that cure is found. The ways you can contribute are numerous, and the impact profound. Lymphoma Research
Foundation maintains its commitment to lymphoma-specific
research, programs and services in the midst of these challenging
economic times, but we need your help. Detailed below are a few of
the many exciting ways you can contribute and make a difference
this holiday season.
Challenge Grants
Contribute to the
Hope for the Holidays
Campaign
Keep LRF close to your heart
this holiday season. Consider
joining the Foundation’s Hope
for the Holidays Campaign to
support research, advocacy
and patient programs. Visit
lymphoma.org/holidaygiving
or call Joan Mistrough at
(800) 235-6848.
Challenge grants are the
single quickest way to make
an impact in the world of
lymphoma research. Every
dollar you donate for any of
LRF’s three disease-specific
challenge grants (chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell
lymphoma or follicular lymphoma) will be matched. This
means that if you give $1,000
to these initiatives, another
donor will contribute $1,000,
thus doubling your contribution. To learn more about how
you can help these challenge
grants translate into innovative lymphoma research,
please visit our website at
lymphoma.org/donate.
LRF Advocates (continued from page 10)
advocacy activities with their state or local
LRF chapters. Once grounded in the “essentials of consumer advocacy” one can
then determine how and in what ways they
can best contribute.
Deden: Advocacy puts a face on this disease. It allows a survivor to interact with
those who eventually make decisions about
funding for different aspects of cancer care
You can make supporting LRF even easier by donating
directly through your workplace. Look for Lymphoma Research
Foundation in your workplace giving campaign brochure, note
the corresponding designation code number, and fill it in on
your pledge card. If you do not find a listing, write Lymphoma
Research Foundation, 115 Broadway, 13th Floor, New York, NY
10006 on your pledge card.
Federal employees can also donate through the Combined
Federal Campaign (CFC) and become members of the world’s
largest and most successful annual workplace giving campaign.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to learn more
about how to spread the word in your place of employment,
please contact Joan Mistrough at (800) 235-6848, or send an
e-mail to jmistrough@lymphoma.org.
Did You Know Your Employer
May Match a Gift to LRF?
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will
match any charitable contributions made by their employees.
To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, visit
http://matchinggifts.com/lymphoma. n
Ways to Donate
ymphoma Research
L
Foundation
115 Broadway, 13th Fl
New York, NY 10006
and research. It puts a human touch into
statistics, reaches out to other survivors and
gives hope for a better day.
Lichtenfeld: It is so empowering to know
you can have a role in the battle against
cancer, especially because for so many, cancer takes so much control away from us.
The most meaningful things I have done
as an advocate are connecting with newly
diagnosed patients to assure them there
is life after diagnosis and reaching out to
lymphoma.org/donate
(800) 235-6848
our legislators on the importance of new
research funding.
The critical work of these advocates serves
as a great example of opportunities available
to members of the lymphoma community
who wish to become involved with LRF’s
Public Policy and Advocacy Program. To
learn more about these, or similar advocacy
opportunities, contact LRF at advocacy@
lymphoma.org or (800) 235-6848. n
www.lymphoma.org 11
Development
LRF Supporters
Participate in Various
Events Throughout 2009
Riders join together to raise money and awareness
LRF Massachusetts Chapter leaders join the Boston Red Sox on the field at Fenway
to celebrate World Lymphoma Awareness Day
World Lymphoma Awareness Day
I
n celebration of World Lymphoma Awareness Day, LRF held
seven Living Life with Lymphoma programs, which served over
330 patients and loved ones around the country. These programs
are designed to offer education and support to patients, survivors
and loved ones affected by lymphoma on the community level in all
regions of the country.
The Boston Red Sox joined our Massachusetts Chapter in
commemorating the day. At the game against the LA Angels on
September 15, 2009, Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino and
pitcher Jon Lester, both lymphoma survivors, accepted an award
from the chapter, as a token of recognition for their support and annual participation in this global initiative. n
Arizona Chapter
Mother Daughter
Spring Fling
T
he Arizona Chapter held
their 1st Annual Mother
Daughter Spring Fling, May 9,
2009. The 125 guests enjoyed
a motif of roses, tea cups and tea pots at each table. This
morning event was filled with a style show for all ages, boutique
shopping, sharing and supporting the mission of the Lymphoma
Research Foundation. n
12 Lymphoma Today
Team LRF Rides in the 2009
TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour
LRF supporters
were eager to secure
spots in this popluar
cycling event by
joining our team
and reaching their
fundraising goals.
Team LRF
Although the
participants rode
rain was pouring
together alongside
down, it did not seem
30,000 other riders
in a 42-mile bike tour to stop our team
of 85 riders who
through New York
City’s five boroughs were determined
to complete the
on Sunday, May 3,
tour. Together
2009.
participants, their
friends, family and
colleagues raised
almost $110,000!
If you are
interested in more
information about
other Team LRF
events, please visit
lymphoma.org/
teamlrf or contact
Taylor Zitay at
(646)465-9103 or
tzitay@lymphoma.
org. n
Team LRF Runs in the
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Four members of
Team LRF ran the
26.2 miles of the
world class Chicago Marathon on
October 11, 2009.
While competing
with elite runners
from around the
world, Team LRF
raised over $4,000,
and counting. Team
LRF–Chicago Marathon members
include, Beverly
Werner Needham
(Boulder, CO), Deb
Wright (Berkeley,
IL), Kristen Cummins (Niwot, CO)
and Steve Timothy
(Evanston, IL).
This is the first
year Team LRF has
participated in the
Bank of America
Chicago Marathon.
Registration for
the 2010 race will
open later this year.
For information
on next year’s
team, contact
Tanya Gleeson at
(646) 465-9101
or tgleeson@
lymphoma.org. n
Development
Friends For The Cure Summer Solstice
Benefit Party in New York, NY
O
2009 Friends Committee- From Left to right: Brian
Holbach, Sheri Gorman, David Freundlich, Taylor
Zitay, Jessica Kleiman, Natalie Bloom, Shari Neufeld,
Zhanna Segal, Erica Sternin, Tanya Gleeson
ver 250 guests kicked off the start
of summer with music, cocktails
and delicious hors d’oeuvres at Westside
Loft in New York City on June 24, 2009.
The event, which raised over $50,000,
was hosted by Friends For The Cure,
LRF’s Young Professionals Committee.
The Committee, led by Co-Chairs Natalie
Bloom and Shari Neufeld, brought new
faces into the organization by raising awareness about lymphoma and extending our
East Coast Golf Classic in West Caldwell, NJ
T
Steve Prince, (left) and friends enjoy the day
he Golf Committee Members are pleased
to share that we raised almost $135,000
for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. After
rescheduling the tournament date because of
rainy weather, the 2009 Golf Classic was held
on July 20, 2009 at Mountain Ridge Country Club.
Over 100 golfers enjoyed beautiful weather,
a fabulous course and the company of fellow
LRF supporters. We would like to express our
sincere thanks to the Prince Family Foundation,
this year’s Eagle Sponsor.
For information about the 2010 East Coast
Golf Classic, being held at Quaker ridge Golf
Club on July 12, 2010, please contact Tanya
Gleeson at (646)465-9101 or tgleeson@
lymphoma.org. n
Community Fundraisers Around the Country
O
ften individuals and groups contact LRF
when they are interested in planning
their own fundraisers to support lymphoma
research and support services. These
“community fundraisers” happen around
the country throughout the year.
funds to support the Foundation’s mission.
A sincere thank you to the organizers
and supporters of recent or ongoing Community Fundraisers:
• Seth Misshula in New York, NY “Charity
Comedy Show” $1,200+
• Reston Masters Swim Team in Reston, VA,
To plan an event in your area, please
“Jim McDonnell 2-Mile Swim” $7,000
contact Taylor Zitay at (646) 465-9103 or
• Christina Reynolds in Appleton, WI
tzitay@lymphoma.org. We are happy to give
“Annual Fundraiser in Memory of Erik
advice and tips to help you get started or
Dorn” $1,200
improve upon the success of previous events.
We would also like to thank those of you
We would like to thank all of our supporters around the country who are consis- who have suggested donations to LRF in
lieu of birthday presents, wedding gifts and
tently coming up with new ideas on how to
spread the word about LRF and raise critical in honor of your special occasions. n
presence in the young adult community.
We would like to thank our 2009
Sponsors: John Diamond, Diamond Carter
Trading, Hearst Magazines, Elegant Affairs,
Absolut, Godiva, Lucid Absinthe and
Partida Tequila. We would also like to thank
the many in-kind donors who contributed items to our raffle and silent auction.
For more information about Friends,
please contact Taylor Zitay at (646) 4659103 or tzitay@lymphoma.org. n
Save the DateS
Love to Find a Cure
Restaurant Revue
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Contact Dana Hendee for more
information at (612) 968-3757
lymphoma.org/minnesota
2010 RXR Long Island
Marathon Festival
of Races
Join Team LRF on
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Uniondale, New York
Runners can register for the
Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K
Race, 5K Race, 1 Mile Run and
KidzFunRun.
Contact Tanya Gleeson for more
information (646) 465-9101 or
longisland@lymphoma.org
Falmouth Road Race
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Contact Tanya Gleeson at
(646) 465-9101 or
Falmouth@lymphoma.org
lymphoma.org/falmouth2010
www.lymphoma.org 13
Lymphomathons
Lymphoma Events Increase Awareness
and Raise Funds for Research & Programming
Lymphomathons
Across the Country
L
Intro copy would be good
ymphomathons are the Lymphoma
Research Foundation’s non-competitive
5K events that offer fun for the whole family. Communities around the United States
gather annually to raise funds for lymphoma research and increase awareness about
both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The Foundation, its Board of Directors
and Scientific Advisory Board, extend the
deepest gratitude to the thousands of individuals nationwide who participate in
Lymphomathons annually. It is because
of people like you that researchers are
able to make advances in the treatment
of lymphoma.
Michigan
Date: April 25, 2009
Amount Raised: $17,394
Committee Members:
Maureen Fernandez,
Doug & Patricia La Rowe
Massachusetts
Date: May 2, 2009
Amount Raised: $78,641
Walk Chair: Stacy Cohen
Committee Members: Amy Pliner,
Carol Lev, Cathy Sanders, Christine
Pastan, Karen Rosenberg, Kari Richardson, Kathy Truscott, Lisa Katz,
Michael Klonsky, Mindy McMahon,
Vijay Daryanani
Tucson
Date: March 7, 2009
Amount Raised: $44,602
Walk Co-Chairs:
Kim Chimene & John Corbett
Committee Members:
Dawn Kulesa, Rae Ann Morgan
South Florida
Date: March 28, 2009
Amount Raised: $26,686
Walk Chair: Donna Kaplan
Committee Members: Debra Sacks,
Eleanor Pleiss, Jerry Kaplan,
Nicole Cook, Rhoda Epstein
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Date: April 25, 2009
Amount Raised: $102,129
Walk Chair: Steve Phillips, PhD
Committee Members: Leigh Olson,
Pat Riordan, Judy Riordan
14 Lymphoma Today
Georgia
New Jersey
Date: April 25, 2009
Amount Raised: $25,503
Walk Chair: Deanna West
Committee Members:
Brian Sanders, Jared Seaverns,
Justin McKinney, Nancy Witten
Date: May 3, 2009
Amount Raised: $139, 807
Walk Chair: Kim Vecchia
Committee Members: Nancy
Januszeski, Bruce Medley, Sue
Northridge and Caroline Silvery
Lymphomathons
New York
Date: May 16, 2009
Amount Raised: $146,755
Walk Chair: Marnie Gordon
Committee Members:
Alana Rogers, Dale Feldman,
Hurd Hutchins, Jennifer Klausner,
Stephen Schwartz
Minnesota
Date: June 6, 2009
Amount Raised: $105,080
Walk Chair: Megan Primeau
and Matt Tietje
Committee Members:
Jeff Anderson, Traci Roebbeke,
Rachel Gronewald, Jenni Wigg,
Jen Meester, Katie Petschke,
Jim O’Neill, & Cathy Bergin
San Francisco
Date: June 14, 2009
Amount Raised: $66,241
Walk Chair: Geoffrey Williams
Committee Members:
Angela Juniphant, Jennifer Chung,
Sukdeep Sudhu, Tom Lakritz
Seattle
Chicago
Date: July 12, 2009
Amount Raised: $27,321
Walk Chair: Dan Suk
Committee Members:
Glenda Catron, Bridgett Ezzard,
Christina Long, Tim & Teri McLean,
Nancy Press and Liz Steppe
Date: August 23, 2009
Amount Raised: $325,000
Walk Chair: Elke Quade
Committee Members:
Julia Farmer, Malgorzata Garus,
Marcia Greenberg, Tiffany Kelly,
Peggy Levine, IIyse Mechanic,
Morry Robinson, Deb Shafer,
Marla Shoolin, Karen SticklerGreer and Deborah Wright
Philadelphia
Date: August 8, 2009
Amount Raised: $25,909
Walk Chair: Jacqui Rick
Committee Members: Gus Zangrilli,
Lauren Talerico, Meme Talerico,
Michael Yudell, Polly Matherson,
Richard Waibel, Stan and Maxine
Temkin, Veronica Sauter
2010 Lymphomathons
March 13 March March March April 24
April 24
April 24
April 24
May 1
May 2
May 15
May 16
May May June 5
June 6
July
August
August October November
November
November Tucson, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ
Delray Beach, FL
Houston, TX
Belleville, MI
Ashland, NE
Dallas, TX
Georgia
Salem, MA
West Windsor, NJ
New York, NY
Long Island, NY
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minneapolis, MN
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Philadelphia, PA
Chicago, IL
Connecticut
Irvine, CA
Northern New Jersey
Phoenix, AZ
Some dates are still being solidified at
time of printing. Visit lymphomathon.org
for the most up-to-the-date information.
www.lymphoma.org 15
Calendar 2010
Lymphomathons
Fundraising Events
March 13 Tucson, AZ
March Flagstaff, AZ
South Florida Luncheon
Boca Raton, FL
January 11
March Delray Beach, FL
March Houston, TX
Wine Tasting 4 Charity
Phoenix, AZ
January 13
Sedona Marathon
Sedona, AZ
February 6
April 24
Belleville, MI
April 24
Ashland, NE
April 24
Dallas, TX
April 24
Georgia
May 1
Salem, MA
May 2
West Windsor, NJ
May 15
New York, NY
May 16
Long Island, NY
May Iowa
June 5
Minneapolis, MN
June 6
San Francisco, CA
July
Seattle, WA
August
Philadelphia, PA
August Chicago, IL
October Connecticut
November
Irvine, CA
November
Northern New Jersey
November Phoenix, AZ
National Patient Programs
Love to Find a Cure Restaurant Revue
Minneapolis, MN
February 11
Five Borough Bike Tour
New York, NY
May 2
Mother Daughter Spring Fling
Phoenix, AZ
May 8
Friends for the Cure Summer Solstice Event
New York, NY
June
East Coast Golf Classic
West Caldwell, NJ
Falmouth Road Race
Falmouth, MA
Lymphoma Research Ride
Montgomery County, MD
Lymphoma Research Foundation
National Gala
New York, NY
July 12
Lymphoma Workshops
March 6 Scottsdale, AZ
April 17
Boston, MA
May 22 Chicago, IL
Educational Forum on Lymphoma
September 24-26 San Francisco, CA
Teleconferences
December 15, ’09Post-ASH
January 14
Peripheral T-Cell
Lymphoma
August 15
???
October
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Chicago, IL
October 10
Advocacy Programs
January 14
ong Island Chapter
L
Advocacy Training
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE
PAID
Lymphoma Research Foundation
115 Broadway, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Visit us at lymphoma.org
The printing of this newsletter is supported
through an unrestricted educational grant from:
If you received more than one copy of
Lymphoma Today, kindly notify us at (800) 235-6848.
NEW YORK, NY
PERMIT #370