Familial cancer syndrome is a genetic condition that causes an increased risk for specific types of cancers. Familial cancer syndromes account for only five to ten percent of all cancers.

Most cancer is not inherited. Cancer is common; each year, more than 1.5 million new cancer cases are diagnosed. Many people have relatives who have had cancer, but most of the time this is due to chance or environmental factors (this represents sporadic form of the disease).

This month, Novartis Pharmaceuticals (maker of Gleevec) launched a new website designed to help optimize the outcome of GIST patients taking Gleevec. Some of the featured content is about blood level testing for GIST. In addition, the website prominently links to the Avantix labs website (www.bloodleveltesting.com) for testing Gleevec blood levels in CML and GIST.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for a new indication – keeping cancer from growing in patients following surgical removal of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor or GIST.

Several presentations and posters regarding GIST were presented at the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) meeting on November 13 to 15 at the Landmark Hotel in London. The key topics were:

● Multiple treatment strategies for mutation- based resistance in GIST
● Planning for a new trial for wild-type GIST. SARC015: Phase II study of R1507 in wild-type GIST
● Dasatinib has a possible new role in resistant GIST...

XL-820 Phase II: We have received notification from Exelixis that “Exelixis is closing the XL820-201 study for GIST”. No explanation was provided. An interim report on this trial was recently published in a poster at CTOS in London on November 15 by Dr. Andrew Wagner at Dana Farber Cancer Center and was based on data collected through Oct. 1, 2008.

My name is Michelle Presnall; I am 45 years old now, but my story starts back in 1988.

During my teenage years I experienced a lot of stomach problems. In 1988 I was traveling in the US when a doctor visit led to the discovery of a 6cm x 9cm tumor in my stomach.

It’s difficult to write the story of a man like Bill Roth.

Much of what made Bill a wonderful person cannot be articulated, it can only be felt. The subtle generous and supportive nuances of his character and quiet strength of his convictions comforted and compelled every person in his life. Without the tongue of Chaucer or the pen of Shakespeare, how do you explain what makes a man great?

The LRG has popped up in the news twice in the last week. Executive Director, Norman Scherzer was recently interviewed for a New Jersey paper, the Bergen Record. Please review the highlights.