Lustgarten Foundation

We’re on a mission to transform #PancreaticCancer into a curable disease by funding research by the world’s best scientists.

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

#ProgressIsParamount! 🙌 @AmericanCancer dropped their Cancer Facts & Figures 2024, reporting that the 5-year relative survival rate for #pancreaticcancer is now 13%! 💜 Together, we are inspiring hope & transforming PC into a curable disease. READ MORE: https://t.co/7Pp0cUuxJZ

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A10.2 Lustgarten knows it is an exciting time in pancreas cancer research and that the research community is on the precipice of incredible, life-changing breakthroughs for all patients. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A10.1 Going forward, Lustgarten will continue to fund high-risk, high-reward research that focuses mainly on early detection, personalized medicine, and therapeutic development. These efforts offer tremendous hope and promise for a cure. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A9.3 Additionally, having an opportunity to collaborate with other organizations and   researchers/physicians through this platform has been an enriching and enjoyable experience. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A9.2 Listening to stories from people across the pancreatic cancer community has helped Lustgarten be more grounded, focused, and inspired about the work needed to transform pancreatic cancer into a curable disease. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A9.1 As a research organization, #PancChat has provided Lustgarten with an opportunity to connect with and hear from patients, caregivers, advocates, that is not necessarily typical to the organization’s focus. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A8.3 Lustgarten has built on the impact of increased awareness about early detection and risk factors through the CAPS study, which is a surveillance study for individuals who have a family history of the disease or certain genetic mutations. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A8.2 The NCCN guidelines now include germline screening for mutations after pancreas cancer diagnosis, to help inform risk for family members. High-risk individuals now have more opportunities to be informed and followed by health care professionals. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A8.1 Awareness about pancreas cancer has increased across the board, thanks in part to efforts like #PancChat. This increase in awareness has strengthened efforts to reach more people than ever before and give a higher standard of care to a wider range of patients. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A7.3 There have been advancements in targeted KRAS therapies for patients with KRAS mutations, which are present in about 90% of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A7.2 Treatments can then be personalized for some identified mutations. Patients with BRCA and related mutations also have other treatment options such as platinum-based chemotherapy or PARP inhibitors. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A7.1 A notable change in treatment approach and precision medicine is genetic testing becoming standard of care. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A6.4 Therapeutic development of new drugs and treatments is also a priority for Lustgarten, and tremendous efforts have been made to accelerate preclinical and clinical testing of novel drugs and combinations in pancreatic cancer. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

6.3 Personalized medicine has also seen positive breakthroughs over the last 9 years, such as an increase in clinical trials for immunotherapy and the clinical testing of patient-derived organoids as a potential means to personalize pancreas cancer treatment. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A6.2 Patients diagnosed through the Lustgarten funded Cancer of the Pancreas Screening Study (CAPS), created for those considered at high risk for pancreas cancer, have a 5-year survival rate of 73%, compared to 44% for those diagnosed early outside of the CAPS program. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A6.1 Lustgarten has seen exciting progress across all our priority areas of research. Early detection efforts have greatly increased the ability to identify & track high-risk individuals, including genetic testing becoming standard of care for newly diagnosed patients. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A4.4 The Lustgarten Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (LEAD) Project was also created to address discrepancies in clinical trial participation by increasing the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in pancreatic cancer clinical trials. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A4.3 The overall increase in awareness has helped expand the pool of patients who are able to participate in clinical trials and increased health equity. As patients have more access to information digitally, certain barriers to care have decreased. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A4.2 Researchers also have the experience of hearing what is happening in the pancreatic cancer community and benefit from firsthand patient experiences, offering them a different perspective.

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A4.1 Social media has allowed for information to be readily available to patients and has enabled patients to connect and hear from researchers and physicians all over the world. #PancChat

[Lustgarten Foundation @lustgartenfdn]

A3.1 Patient advocates have had a growing impact on patient care. From receiving a diagnosis, to helping push for the best treatment plan, to dealing with healthcare systems, advocates have become a more integral part of some patient journeys. #PancChat