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Through colon cancer and liver cancer, faith is what brought me to peace and clarity during treatment and now survivorship. 

Surrendering to God: How My Faith Led to Healing From Cancer

LL Treatment Roadmap: Navigating First-Line Options With Your Doctor 

Video content above is prompted by the following:

Now, let’s discuss the current treatment landscape for CLL, including first-line therapies and options for later lines of treatment.

Can you provide an overview of the current first-line treatment options for patients with CLL patients?

How do you approach treatment selection for patients with CLL patients? What factors do you consider when recommending a particular therapy?

How do you approach these conversations with patients and ensure shared decision-making?

The discussion will cover the current CLL treatment landscape, including first-line and later-line options; the medical experts will review first-line treatments, approach to treatment selection, factors influencing recommendations, and strategies for shared decision-making with patients.

Video Series

Tumor

CURE Expert Connections

Watchful Waiting in CLL: When Waiting Is Treating 

CLL is known for its often slow progression. Can you explain to our audience why CLL is different from many other cancers in this regard, and how does this characteristic influences our approach to treatment timing? How do you help patients understand that immediate treatment isn’t always necessary or beneficial?

What are the potential benefits of the watch-and-wait approach for CLL patients, and how do you discuss this strategy with patients who might be anxious about delaying treatment? How do you address concerns about the cancer potentially spreading during this time?

What was your experience with the "watch-and-wait" period? How did you manage the emotional aspects of this approach?

Medical experts explain CLL’s slow progression and its impact on treatment timing, and they also discuss the watch-and-wait approach, patient concerns, and how to address anxiety about delaying treatment.

For patients with MDS, close monitoring by doctors may help determine the appropriate timing to undergo stem cell transplants before the disease worsens.

‘Tempo’ of MDS Helps With Timing for Stem Cell Transplants 

During the treatment process for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the time in which patients receive stem cell transplants matters, an expert told CURE® at the Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting.

However, many patients will have already met with an MDS specialist who has consistently monitored their disease over time, said Dr. Sergio A. Giralt.

Giralt is a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician in the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, both in New York.

Throughout the treatment process, Giralt noted that patients and their doctors begin to understand the “tempo of the disease” after months or years with MDS. By doing so, the team is able to determine whether there are progressive cytopenias (consistently low blood cell counts, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).

He emphasized that certain potential progressive abnormalities in the body may lead to higher-risk MDS.

“Before that happens, one should intervene because this is the time when the patient’s going to be youngest and their disease is going to the be the weakest,” Giralt explained.

Regarding transplant eligibility in patients with MDS, he emphasized that patients’ fitness may weigh more than their age. Before deciding on whether transplants are an option, patients take some assessments — including a physical examination — to help doctors determine eligibility.

Well, for many patients, they've already established care with an MDS specialist and a transplant specialist who've monitored these patients for many months or years, and the tempo of the disease, one can see whether there is progressive cytopenias or progressive acquisition of other molecular abnormalities, or increase of high-risk molecular abnormalities, or development of cytogenetic abnormalities that suggest that this disease is going to evolve rapidly into a more higher risk [disease], and that before that happens, one should intervene because this is the time when the patient's going to be youngest and their disease is going to be the weakest.

More important than age is a patient's fitness, and this is determined by a comprehensive geriatric assessment and a full physical exam and assessment by the transplant center physician.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

“We've all been touched by breast cancer in some way. And we need everybody to be a part of this solution,” Kristen Dahlgren told CURE.

Why Kristen Dahlgren Left NBC To Advocate for Breast Cancer Vaccines

Kristen Dahlgren made headlines of her own recently

 when she announced she was leaving her media career to invest her time and energy in the Cancer Vaccine Coalition (formerly the Pink Eraser Project), a non-profit organization in support of breast cancer vaccines. Dahlgren, a breast cancer survivor, co-founded the organization with attorney and fellow survivor Michele Young.

“When you go on national TV and announce that you're leaving your job so that you can help cure cancer, you never know exactly what the response is going to be,” Dahlgren said. “It's a huge leap of faith. And, you know, if I've learned anything over the past week or so, it's that people are ready for this.”

Researchers Are ‘Building Up the Wall of Evidence’ to Support Cancer Vaccines in the Future

 that, starting with the Cleveland Clinic, patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were being enrolled in an expansion phase of an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a novel cancer vaccine administered in combination with the immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

A team of researchers from the University of Washington Medicine Cancer Vaccine Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle announced findings in 2022 in JAMA Oncology that a plasmid DNA vaccine “was associated with the generation of immunity in most patients, which persisted after the end of vaccinations.” Representatives from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 

 that the center had partnered with Amazon in an ongoing early-phase clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a cancer vaccine.

Cancer Vaccine ‘Closer Than We Ever Thought,’ 2025 Availability Possible

“We have the science that in a short amount of time — we're talking about two, five, 10 years — if we marshaled our forces, what was breast cancer will be what is polio, it will be a treatable condition for most that will be treatable by vaccines, both in terms of how we treat the illness but hopefully [also] within 10 years the illness itself will be preventable,” said Young. “It's an extraordinary turning point in human history, when what has been the ancient killer of women, and very much still across the world, the leading epidemic for women the leading killer, which shapes our lives, one in eight in the US, one in seven in the world, and third world countries, even greater numbers. We could end it.

Current roadblocks faced by researchers, Dahlgren said, include recruiting patients for participation in clinical trials and funding for research. The Cancer Vaccine Coalition is aiming to build a database of patients interested in participating in trials and is turning to the public to help with funding.

“We have our doctors, and they meet every few weeks, and we just listen to them,” Dahlgren said. “We've asked them, ‘What are your pain points in this process?’ And without a doubt, funding is number one. Look, these trials are very expensive. When you get into phase 3 trials, especially, most institutions don't have that kind of money. So, they're looking to the government to get the funding for it, or they're looking to big pharma or biotech to fund it. You know, that's our current model, that takes time. And so, one way that we're looking to sort of accelerate the process is being able to fund these trials or help fund these trials. And so that's a big part of this. And look, I come from a mom who told me to never talk about money. And now, here I am asking people, if you can, to help us out financially.”

Donations to support the Cancer Vaccine Coalition and the work of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York can be made by visiting cancervaccinecoalition.org, where supporters can also learn about the team of doctors working with the organization from institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Roswell Park and Cleveland Clinic.

“We are women with a mission, and it is to free the potential of every woman in this world that may be stopped part-way, all the way, by breast cancer,” said Young.

When you go on national TV and announce that you're leaving your job so that you can help cure cancer, you never know exactly what the response is going to be. It's a huge leap of faith. And, you know, if I've learned anything over the past week or so, it's that people are ready for this, they are really excited about this science.

Look, Michele and I are not the scientists, we're not the ones who are actually doing the vaccine research, but we are just doing everything we can to get the word out about it and to get people to know that this is close, this is a possibility. This is no longer pie-in-the-sky thinking, all of the pieces are there for the science and we're going to do everything we can to support it and accelerate it. So, we've just heard from thousands upon thousands of people who are really excited and getting involved. And that's what this is, this is an effort for everyone.

We've all been touched by breast cancer in some way. And we need everybody to be a part of this solution. And so, whether it's donating funds via our website, whether it's volunteering, or whether it's just spreading the word and talking to people to let them know what's out there, this is going to take every single one of us to do.


Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

“We've all been touched by breast cancer in some way. And we need everybody to be a part of this solution,” Kristen Dahlgren told CURE, regarding her decision to be a co-founder of the Cancer Vaccine Coalition.

Leaning on a community of oncology nurses, other patients and survivors can help ease the burden of receiving a cancer diagnosis, said Kristen Dahlgren.

‘Give Yourself Grace’ After a Cancer Diagnosis, Kristen Dahlgren Says

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming, but patients should give themselves grace, Kristen Dahlgren told CURE®.

Dahlgren is a former NBC news correspondent. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she became a co-founder of the Cancer Vaccine Coalition (formerly the Pink Eraser Project).

In an interview with CURE® ahead of the 2024 Extraordinary Healer® award event — for which she was the keynote speaker — she emphasized to patients that leaning on a community of nurses and fellow patients and survivors is important.

“I was blown away by the generosity of other [patients],” she said during the interview. “Tap into that and never think that you’re bothering someone.”

Why Kristen Dahlgren Left NBC to Advocate for Breast Cancer Vaccines

Dahlgren said she still experiences a fear of recurrence. So, part of her mission with the Cancer Vaccine Coalition is to support the development of cancer vaccines. Notably, she urged that this could help survivors lessen their fear of recurrence with these vaccines.

“That’s part of why I’m doing [the Cancer Vaccine Coalition] because I dream of a day where I know that my immune system will kick in if that cancer ever creeps back in,” Dahlgren explained. “I think that future is a real possibility, so I’m leaning into that.”

Give yourself grace. It is a long road and can be tough. I always say cancer is not linear; it's not a start to finish and then you're done. There are ups and downs and it continues for years and I'm at seven surgeries now. It's not easy, and I still live with lymphedema, and I still live with fears of recurrence.

But you have to give yourself grace that you are going through it, it's not always going to be easy, but you're stronger than you think. You need to take care of yourself, listen to your body and listen to your nurses. And you'll get through it.

There's an amazing community to help you, not just the oncology nurses, but the other patients and survivors. I was blown away by the generosity of other cancer patients. And so, tap into that never think that you're bothering someone, I had people stay on the phone with me for an hour talking through how I would share with my 3-year-old that I had cancer and whether or not I should do the cold cap. These were people I had never met before but had gone through this journey, and were willing to give me that time. There are a lot of us out there. I'm always happy to talk people through it, so tap into that network and say thank you to your nurses.

Transcription was edited for clarity and conciseness.

“I think there is a very near future where we have available breast cancer vaccines for all of us, our children and for everybody,” said Kristen Dahlgren.

Breast Cancer Vaccines Could Possibly Make a Change for “So Many”

 on the rise, Kristen Dahlgren wanted to do what she could to spread the word.

A breast cancer survivor, Dahlgren emphasized that she doesn’t want others to “go through what I’ve been through.”

 before she realized her passion for advocating for cancer vaccines grew. She noted that the development of vaccines for cancer will make a significant change for “so many people.”

“If people join this movement, we [can] really support the scientists [and] the work they're doing,” Dahlgren said during an interview ahead of the 2024 Extraordinary Healer® award ceremony. “I mean, globally, we could change things for everything, both for everyone who could get breast cancer and for the families that love them.”

Dahlgren is co-founder of the Cancer Vaccine Coalition (formerly the Pink Eraser Project), a non-profit organization supporting breast cancer vaccine research. She noted that the organization has “taken off” and that scientists are “all on board.”

“Doctors say that we'll have cancer vaccines in 25 to 30 years. There are people out there who need them now,” she said. “So if we can accelerate that process, [in a safe way] by getting the data more quickly for the approval process, then we can get those to the people who need them sooner.”

When I learned that breast cancer vaccines were available, I knew that I had to do something to spread the word about it. To support the science, to fund the science if we have to, and to really move this forward. If I didn't do it, I wasn't sure who would. And so, just like when you get cancer, and you ask, “Why me?” the answer, ultimately, is “Why not me?”

It's the same thing with advocacy. Why not me? Why not me using this platform that I have, and this voice that I have, to tell people that breast cancer vaccines are in development, are close and all we need to do is to get them over the finish line. That will change things for so many people. I don't want anyone else to go through what I've been through.

I think there is a future — a very near future — where we have available breast cancer vaccines for all of us, for our children and for everybody out there.

Pamela McColloch

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