Category: Survivors

From the Poster Session: Meet the AICR Grantees

By AvatarAuthor GlenPosted on

Several AICR-funded researchers came to our conference last week to present their latest findings in the poster session:

Dr. Emmanuel T. Akporiaye of the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center in Portland, Oregon, updated us on the progress of his grant examining the effect of a derivative of vitamin E on breast cancer tumors. (Earlier this year, we profiled Dr. A in AICR’s biweekly e-newsletter Cancer Research Update.  A longer version of that interview appeared in this Summer’s AICR ScienceNow newsletter.)

AICR Grantee Emmanuel Akporiaye Dr. Nameer B. Kirma of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio presented data from his work with soy components and breast cancer.
AICR Grantee Nameer Kirma

Dr. Meghan M. Mensack is using an AICR grant at the Colorado State University to study the anti-cancer potential of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

AICR Grantee Meghan Mensack

Lots more AICR-funded scientists, after the jump.

Read more… “From the Poster Session: Meet the AICR Grantees”

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    Dr. Kathryn Schmitz on Physical Activity, Lymphedema and Cancer Survivors

    By AvatarAuthor GlenPosted on

    YouTube Preview ImageAt our Research Conference last week, we were honored to have Kathryn H. Schmitz, PhD, MPH, FACSM give a talk on strategies for promoting physical activity among cancer survivors.

    It was Dr. Schmitz’s PAL (Physical Activity and Lymphedema) Trial that showed that survivors with lymphedema (swelling of the limbs) could benefit from gradual, closely supervised weight training – a finding that challenged the conventional wisdom that lymphedema sufferers should avoid weight-bearing exercise.  She published her findings in the August issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.  We profiled this research in the latest issue of AICR’s ScienceNow newsletter.

    But that doesn’t mean that women who have, or who are at high risk for lymphedema, should just head to the gym and start lifting away.  We caught up with Dr. Schmitz at lunch, and she talked about two online resources to help these women get the guidance they need.

    www.lymphnet.org – The National Lymphedema Network. Find physical therapists trained in lymphedema issues.

    www.strengthandcourage.net – Order a DVD on exercise after breast cancer surgery – includes many of the exercises used in Dr. Schmitz’s PAL trial.

    For more general advice about diet and physical activity during and after cancer, don’t forget to check out the AICR/New York Presbyterian Hospital DVD, Food For the Fight: Guidelines for Healthy Nutrition During and After Cancer Treatment

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      Cancer Rehab: A Growing Demand

      By AvatarAuthor Cathy WolzPosted on Leave a comment on Cancer Rehab: A Growing Demand

      More than 14 percent of cancer survivors were first diagnosed more than 20 years ago? That’s why survivors’ visibility is growing, said Julia H. Rowland, PhD, Director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship, along with public demand for rehabilitation programs akin to cardiac patient programs.

      “We can’t just ‘treat and street’ anymore,” she said.

      Helping people learn what they can do to help themselves stay well with diet, nutrition and physical activity is key to helping them manage cancer and succeed at survivorship. “We need to inform survivors and their families of of cancer prevention strategies because behaviors occur in the context of families,” she added. Leveraging the support of other cancer survivors holds much potential for cancer rehab programs in the future–combined with health care professionals, the insurance industry and government as a prevention and cost-saving measure. Studies are beginning to look at people living longer with cancer and additional health problems that develop with aging.

      Registered Dietitian Diana Dyer — a nationally recognized 2-time breast cancer survivor whose endowment benefits AICR — said to “Separate hope from hype or harm” — advice to cancer patients who are overwhelmed by the tidal wave of information when first diagnosed. “Plant foods are powerful,” she said. Making nutrition guidance for survivors a priority is being boosted by a new oncology certification for dietitians offered by the American Dietetic Association.

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