Breast cancer survivors needed

BY LENA HUANG | JANUARY 22, 2010

It's been reported that more than half of survivors feel they didn't have all the information they needed to transition from treatment into survivorship. Many organizations are trying to address this need, especially as the population of survivors continues to grow.

Army of Women is one organization that is tackling this issue by sponsoring a study to understand the best way to empower breast cancer survivors with the information they need. The "Pathways to Recovery After Breast Cancer" study is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service and the Army of Women to find out the best way to provide post-treatment education. They are looking for 1000 participants, but only have about 600 registered, so if you want to help, here are the qualifications:

•You were diagnosed with Stage I, II, or III breast cancer.

•You have completed your primary breast cancer treatment within the last six months OR are about to complete treatment within the next month. "Primary" treatment includes surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiation. Although it is not required that you are taking any drugs, women who have completed or are about to complete primary treatment, but are taking Herceptin, Tamoxifen, and other such drugs, are eligible.

•You have never been diagnosed with another cancer (breast cancer is the only invasive cancer you have had).

•You are over 18 years old.

•You are able to speak and understand English.

•You live in the United States.

•You have access to a computer.

If you qualify, sign up here.

And if you don't qualify but are interested in other studies, check out the "current studies" on the Army of Women website. Every little bit helps in the battle against cancer.

Cancer survivors sought for online study

BY LENA HUANG | SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii are recruiting participants for a study that hopes to improve the lives of cancer survivors.

"Cancer: Thriving & Surviving" is a six-week, Internet-based workshop to help cancer survivors adjust to life after cancer. Many survivors have unique issues after completing treatment; they may struggle with physical changes, late effects of treatment, emotional concerns, and/or the stress of recurrence.

Researchers hope this interactive workshop will help survivors through some of these issues. Each workshop will bring together about 25 survivors and will be facilitated by two trained moderators, one of whom is a cancer survivor. Participants will also have access to an online learning center and discussion boards, and will be asked to log in at their convenience two or three times for a total of about two hours a week during the six-week workshop.

This study will assess the effectiveness of this program. The workshop is based on Stanford's "Healthier Living with Chronic Conditions Self-Management Program," which showed in a similar study that participants who developed confidence in managing their own health required fewer medical interventions and were overall healthier.

Researchers are looking for about 400 survivors who have completed treatment to participate in this study. For more information and requirements, go to cancersurvivors.stanford.edu or email cancersurvivors@standford.edu.