ASCO 2012

I would like to extend a big thank you to Percy, Barbara, Karen, and Stella for donating their voluntary and non-compensated time and efforts to this annual event. Given the current economic situation volunteering for our non-profit organization truly has become a gift of love.

Attendance at ASCO is kind of a marathon event. It provides us with the opportunity to share resources, interact with physicians, researchers and other advocates while attending planetary session, symposiums, and sessions focusing on improving the treatment and care of people living with cancer. It reflects the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation’s commitment to educational research, and public policy goals and to provide our patient community with the most up to date information available.

While Percy and Karen attended sessions on common concepts in oncology which include cancer pathways, genomics, biomarkers, statistics, and patient protections, Barbara and Stella interacted with the numerous physicians, researchers and others visiting our busy booth. Most of my time was taken up by attending various, closed session meetings pertaining to the disease of Cholangiocarcinoma and the process and development of clinical trials.

Traffic at our booth has increased dramatically over the last few years and I am happy to report that ASCO 2012 has been a successful event for us. We are witnessing an increased effort by the scientific and medical and community in furthering research and improving treatment options for our community. As we continue to strive to support the efforts of finding a cure for this cancer, we are encouraged and hopeful that our goal can be achieved.

Hugs to all,
Marion