The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launched a free video education program for patients and caregivers to help explain the process of joining a clinical trial and what to expect when participating.
Clinical trial participation is critical to find better treatments and eventually a cure for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. The video released by LLS aims to educate viewers about how to join a trial as well as how to use LLS’ Clinical Trials Support Center (CTSC).
The online video is titled “Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers: How can participating in a clinical trial help me?” It began airing online April 18 at CancerCoachLive.com, and will be available on-demand through 2019.
“Clinical trials are the only way the exciting breakthrough research we support at LLS can get to patients,” Gwen Nichols, MD, chief medical officer of LLS, said in a press release. “There is an urgent need for more patients to have access to these breakthroughs via participation in clinical trials.
“We need to make participation easier for patients and their healthcare team,” Nichols said. “Clinical trial participation should be an active part of cancer discussions starting at diagnosis, and no longer thought of as a last resort. Patients and caregivers educating themselves is a great step and LLS is here to help.”
Those who listened to the live launch at noon April 18 were able to submit questions before and during the program, many of which were answered by experts before a live audience.
The program featured clinicians, patients, and caregivers, and provided access to key LLS clinical trials, along with detailed information about treatment, support, and financial assistance.
“We’re thrilled to deliver this important patient program for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” said Kathryn Pucci, senior vice president of education at PlatformQ Health.
“Video education, especially with interactive live components, is well suited to help educate patients and caregivers about the benefits of becoming involved in clinical trials: this program can be accessed from anywhere, for free, and enables people to connect with some of the nations’ leading experts,” she said.
“We are happy to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society programming and help them track the impact of this education — together, we can increase participation and begin to include the patient perspective in clinical trial development,” Pucci added.
In January, the LLS received $5 million from the Sarah Cannon Fund to support two U.S. programs researching mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
The Cannon Fund dedicated the donation to support two leading U.S. research programs — the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.
The first team will develop novel immunotherapies to control mantle cell lymphoma, as well as explore combinations of CAR T-cell immunotherapy with targeted agents like Imbruvica (ibrutinib), a drug developed with LLS research funding.
The second research team will investigate the effectiveness of a therapy approved for metastatic breast cancer called Ibrance (palbociclib) for the treatment of MCL.
