Hope & Heroes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York City. Hope & Heroes supports the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation at Columbia University Medical Center. Hope & Heroes funds work on childhood cancer and blood disorders at Columbia University Medical Center—including research, support for families, and care.
Though it was officially incorporated in 2002, [1] the Hope & Heroes name dates back to 1997, when sportswriter Mike Lupica wrote [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] about the friendship between patient Beth Maria and Tino Martinez who was then a first baseman for the New York Yankees. The first article appeared on the front page of the New York Daily News on June 22, 1997, with the headline "Hope & Heroes". Michael Weiner, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Oncology at CUMC, adopted the name as part of his efforts to attract funding for programs that needed philanthropic support.
The charity raises approximately $3.5 million per year to support the Division's prestigious clinical care, research and supporting programs. The full-time staff currently consists of an executive director, a senior director of development, and an events and outreach manager. The funds are raised through a multitude of events, annual giving and multi-year gift agreements with major donors. Events include a golf tournament, a gala dinner, a walk and a luncheon, along with community and family run functions throughout the tri-state area.[ citation needed ]
The Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center has three pillars of care for children with cancer—Leukemia/Lymphoma, Solid tumors and Neurooncology (Brain Tumors). Each of these three endeavors consists of a basic science research component and a clinical component. The clinical component is further divided into two areas: clinical investigation and patient care. This overall structure of laboratory investigation linked with a clinical enterprise has been established in order to translate the laboratory findings into improved treatments for children with cancer.
The research component of the Leukemia/Lymphoma program consists of the laboratory of Dr. Adolfo Ferrando and his colleagues Drs. Maria Luisa Sulis and Teresa Palomero. In January 2005, the recruitment of Dr. Ferrando from Harvard University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute was made possible, in part, by prior commitments of the Wipe Out Leukemia Forever Foundation and a grateful patient family. The Leukemia/Lymphoma program currently has a highly developed and successful laboratory component and currently performs clinical research through our membership in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Consortium and the Children's Oncology Group.
Solid tumors are investigated in the Tay-bandz research laboratory under the direction of Dr. Darrell Yamashiro. Clinically, the novel initiatives discovered in Yamashiro's laboratory have allowed the establishment of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation Developmental Therapeutics program, under the direction of Dr. Julia Glade-Bender. An example of this bench-to-bedside initiative has been the laboratory's work in anti-angiogenesis and a national study using treatment with the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, Avastin. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation Research gift has allowed the hiring of a research nurse practitioner and an administrative coordinator to assist Dr. Bender.
With respect to Neuro-Oncology (Brain Tumors), the basic laboratory research is being conducted by Drs. Antonio Iavarrone, Anna Lasorella, and Saadi Ghatan. The clinical portion of the brain tumor enterprise, the Alfano Family Foundation Neuro-oncology program, is led by Dr. James Garvin. Working with Garvin is a full-time clinical research nurse and an administrative coordinator/assistant. Together as a team, they are conducting clinical research and providing patient care.
The Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center has four overarching clinic-wide programs that support its three pillars of care. They are Integrative Therapies, Psycho-Social/Child Life, Developmental Therapeutics and the Center for Survivor Wellness Each program combines a clinical care component with research.
The Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer was the first program of its kind to mainstream complementary medicine into a conventional program of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. [7] The mission is to disseminate reputable information on complementary therapies; to lessen the side effects of conventional treatments; to perform clinical research; and to evaluate the safety and potential interactions of complementary therapies with conventional treatments for childhood cancer. Services provided at no cost to patients include acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, chef program[ clarification needed ], massage therapy, Reiki, nutritional and herbal counseling and yoga instruction. This program is 100% supported by philanthropic donations.
The Valerie Fund Psychosocial Program includes a child psychologist, child-life specialists, social workers, and clergy. This is the only program in New York City that receives support from the New Jersey–based Valerie Fund. The team provides counseling, therapeutic play, pet therapy, music therapy, pastoral care, and the "Big Apple Circus Clown" program. Individual and age-appropriate group therapy is available to patients, families, and siblings. Child life therapists use play, art projects and other activities to help children learn about and gain skills for coping with upcoming procedures and to work through any fears that may arise.
Developmental Therapeutics is a new initiative made possible by a gift by the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. [8] It includes basic research to define novel therapeutic targets, translational research to adapt observations from the laboratory to patients and clinical research to examine the behavior of novel therapeutics. Drs. Julia Glade Bender, Darrell Yamashiro and Alice Lee will collaborate to research new agents and bring them to clinical trial.
The Center for Survivor Wellness is a newly created program made possible by funding from the Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund, Inc. The program is a joint clinical collaboration between pediatric and medical oncology. Its goal is to diminish the long-term effects of cancer treatment, including second malignancies, and to introduce healthy lifestyle changes to patients who have survived cancer. The program is led by Jennifer Levine, MD and staffed by a collaborative roster of current Columbia University pediatric and medical oncology physicians as well as a nurse practitioner and a clinical coordinator.[ citation needed ]
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes. The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, drenching sweats, unintended weight loss, itching, and constantly feeling tired. The enlarged lymph nodes are usually painless. The sweats are most common at night.
Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a group of metabolic abnormalities that can occur as a complication from the treatment of cancer, where large amounts of tumor cells are killed off (lysed) from the treatment, releasing their contents into the bloodstream. This occurs most commonly after the treatment of lymphomas and leukemias and in particular when treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This is a potentially fatal complication and patients at increased risk for TLS should be closely monitored while receiving chemotherapy and should receive preventive measures and treatments as necessary. TLS can also occur on its own although this is less common.
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by surgeon Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research. The center is usually called Roswell Park in short. The center, which conducts clinical research on cancer as well as the development new drugs, provides advanced treatment for all forms of adult and pediatric cancer, and serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is as of 2019, the only upstate New York facility to hold the National Cancer Institute designation of "comprehensive cancer center".
The era of cancer chemotherapy began in the 1940s with the first use of nitrogen mustards and folic acid antagonist drugs. The targeted therapy revolution has arrived, but many of the principles and limitations of chemotherapy discovered by the early researchers still apply.
Asparaginase is an enzyme that is used as a medication and in food manufacturing. As a medication, L-asparaginase is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL). It is given by injection into a vein, or muscle. A pegylated version is also available. In food manufacturing it is used to decrease acrylamide.
Targeted therapy or molecularly targeted therapy is one of the major modalities of medical treatment (pharmacotherapy) for cancer, others being hormonal therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. As a form of molecular medicine, targeted therapy blocks the growth of cancer cells by interfering with specific targeted molecules needed for carcinogenesis and tumor growth, rather than by simply interfering with all rapidly dividing cells. Because most agents for targeted therapy are biopharmaceuticals, the term biologic therapy is sometimes synonymous with targeted therapy when used in the context of cancer therapy. However, the modalities can be combined; antibody-drug conjugates combine biologic and cytotoxic mechanisms into one targeted therapy.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG), a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. The COG conducts a spectrum of clinical research and translational research trials for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.
Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) is a comprehensive cancer research center as designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is located at Dartmouth College and the Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire. Its administrative offices are located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is a unique pan-European non-profit clinical cancer research organisation established in 1962 operating as an international association under Belgium law. It develops, conducts, coordinates and stimulates high-quality translational and clinical trial research to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. This is achieved through the development of new drugs and other innovative approaches, and the testing of more effective therapeutic strategies, using currently approved drugs, surgery and/or radiotherapy in clinical trials conducted under the auspices of a vast network of clinical cancer researchers supported by 220 staff members based in Brussels. The EORTC has the expertise to conduct large and complex trials especially specific populations such as the older patient and rare tumours.
Cancer and Leukemia Group B is a cancer research cooperative group in the United States.
Jessica Kandel is the Mary Campau Ryerson Professor of Surgery and the Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago.
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass". Oncology is concerned with:
Donald Paul Pinkel was an American physician who specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology. Pinkel made contributions to cures for several forms of childhood cancer, including leukemia.
Tower Cancer Research Foundation (TCRF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to clinical research, patient support and community education. It was established in 1996 in Beverly Hills, California.
Inspyr Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, Texas. The company is focused on therapeutics that deliver a cancer-destroying drug directly to the tumor or its supporting environment, the tumor vasculature.
Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases in high-income countries can be successfully treated via modern medical treatments and optimal patient care. However, only about 10% of children diagnosed with cancer reside in high-income countries where the necessary treatments and care is available. Childhood cancer represents only about 1% of all types of cancers diagnosed in children and adults, It is often more complex than adult cancers with unique biological characteristics and research and treatment is yet very challenging and limited. For this reason, childhood cancer is often ignored in control planning, contributing to the burden of missed opportunities for its diagnoses and management in countries that are low- and mid-income.
Roland Mertelsmann is a German hematologist and oncologist. He was a professor at the Freiburg University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine I (Oncology/Hematology). Mertelsmann is known for his scientific works in the fields of hematology, oncology, gene therapy and stem cell transplantation.
Stephan A. Grupp is an American pediatric oncologist. He is the Chief of the Cell Therapy and Transplant Section in the Division of Oncology and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Grupp was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Brigitte C. Widemann is German-American pediatric oncologist. She is chief of the pediatric oncology branch and clinical deputy director of the center for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute. She is also the special advisor to the NCI director for childhood cancer.
The Immune Oncology Research Institute (IMMONC), established in April 2022 and headquartered in Yerevan, is a non-profit organization focusing on cancer research, treatment, and education. The institute's activities include conducting clinical research and building research capacity, with an emphasis on making cancer therapies accessible, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. IMMONC's role is to contribute to the global effort in cancer care through research and development in oncology.