Biden hosting cancer summit to try to accelerate research

The eventual goal is to “end cancer as we know it”, according to UI officials.

Founder of Camp Good Days, Gary Mervis, says there are exciting breakthroughs being made in cancer research, but it’s not a coordinated effort.

“It’s not about a single person”. “It’s about us. It’s about not giving up hope and having the urgency now. Having the urgency now”, he said.

The five-year model, which will include 200 physician groups and 17 health plans, will tailor its Medicare reimbursements toward quality rather than quantity for chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

DocGraph and CareSet Systems, both based in Houston, are developing on a cancer dataset that would contain summarized information on almost a million Medicare cancer patients and more than 10 million specific patient claims.

In his final State of the Union Address in January, President Barack Obama announced Vice President Joe Biden would lead the National Cancer Moonshot initiative to work to eliminate cancer with the same tenacity the country put toward being the first on the moon.

After Biden’s speech at approximately 8:10 a.m., the panel discussions will include local leaders, people affected by cancer and anybody interested in a cancer cure discussion.

ASCO will be represented by ASCO Chief Executive Officer Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FASCO, and CancerLinQ LLC Chief Executive Officer Kevin Fitzpatrick who will discuss the society’s perspective on speeding the discovery of new cancer treatments, including issues related to enrollment in clinical trials, access to care, federal funding, enhanced data sharing, and information technology and interoperability. “Imagine how much faster we could improve the lives of patients and outsmart cancer if we listen to the voice of patients, aggregate more data and provide safeguarded access to researchers and drug developers”.

Beau Biden was diagnosed in August 2013 with brain cancer, and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Cornell-Bechelli said Biden also pushed the need for urgency in research and treatment.

To do better – in addition to the government’s $1 billion budget initiative and the dozens of new collaborative initiatives between agencies, nonprofits and private companies – Biden vowed Wednesday to remove the barriers to collaboration and quick, deliberate action.

Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and former head of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will serve as host and moderator of the Atlanta summit. “If you feel something in your throat or in your chest, but it’s calving time or it’s harvest time or it’s planting time, we are going to just push it off maybe for 30-60 days, and then all of a sudden from stage 2 it’s stage 3, maybe stage 4”. He also urged doctors to rethink the strategy of conducting clinical trials to allow them to find eligible subjects easily and for patients to actually find trials more fitting for their needs.

“I don’t want this to come across as ‘the federal government has the answer.’ We don’t have the answer”, Biden said.

Comedian Carol Burnett is the summit’s emcee.

Organizations throughout DE on Wednesday also are hosting summits on cancer care and research inspired by the vice president’s initiative.

Mortality rates for some cancers have fallen in the past decade.

At the University of DE, the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation will bring together students from all over the country for a discussion on how to fight childhood cancer.