György Marko-Varga, Sweden
Focusing on Patient-Relative-Friend Aspects in the 2018 Summit
Photo by Karl Melin.
The European Cancer Moonshot Symposium was held in Lund May 23rd. The primary goal of the meeting was to invite and discuss cancer research from the perspective of patients, relatives, and friends. Patients and relatives from the US and different parts of Europe told their stories and about their experiences from treatment of various cancer forms (https://www.facebook.com/europencancermoonshotlund/ ).
Honest and emotional lectures were given on the factual circumstances that a patient and a close relative face when dealing with tough messages, treatments, and decisions. The mental trainer, Igor Ardoris, shared his experience of how to deal with these situations, controlling the mind and imaginational part, that can be trained to overcome and ease pain and disease pressure.
The former athlete and world record holder in high jump Patrik Sjöberg gave a deeply touching talk about a child’s perception of having cancer. Mr Sjöberg is now working part time advocating for children with cancer, through the Tuva’s Day Foundation (Varberg för Liv/Tuvas Dag). Martin Bekken from BEWi, has been a strong support to the European Cancer Moonshot Lund Center, by getting the word out on the build of the PRF-group-that was the focus of our meeting this year.
With the patient in focus the meeting also engaged the hospital management of the southern health care district of Sweden, experts and medical doctors from cancer treatment clinics, and prominent cancer researches in the cancer diagnostic field. The Cancer Moonshot research team in Lund hosting the Symposium also had reporting from the Cancer Moonshot Australia activities, was presented by Professor Mark Baker, where major funding and investments for future Cancer research and developments have been made recently, expanding on the US/Australia Cancer Moonshot collaboration. Dr. Henry Rodriguez, from the NIH/NCI (National Instituts of Health/National Cancer Institute), presented the overall progress and activities of the Cancer Moonshot program in the US, and Dr. Thomas Conrads, showed the latest cancer studies within the Cancer Moonshot & US/Apollo developments, which were very impressive.
Statement from professor Johan Malm “When working with front-line clinical research at the European Cancer Moonshot Lund Center, as we are doing, it is very stimulating and inspiring to listen to all the different stories from patient and their relatives. Then you realize that what matters is not you. It is what you are working for, namely a better life for the people facing the consequences of cancer”.
Statement from Ken Miller, Thermo Fisher Scientific “Thermo Fisher is a partner to many global Cancer Moonshot laboratories and we consider the program in Lund to be an exemplar of clinical excellence, biobanking, and analytical expertise. We are confident that this team will help the cancer research field make progress toward the dream of patient phenotyping and precision medicine.”
The Cancer Moonshot was initiated in 2016 by the 47th vice president Joe Biden.
The project team in Lund hosting this year’s international European Cancer Moonshot summit built the theme on Joe Biden’s vision;
“Break down the silos and start to collaborate, involve all disciplines, with one common aim, to defeat cancer.”
Related links:
Watch all 5 sessions of the European Cancer Moonshot Symposium in Lund
Session 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsvPAvvqCLA&t=4s
Session 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihxSd820lNo
Session 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfp6Ic8pe5U&t=3s
Session 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcV5rcnLT7I&t=4s
Session 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJe56CHUw_k
Follow the European Cancer Moonshot Lund Center here: http://www.cancermoonshotlund.com/
Hear about Eve Kelly's story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9euomHlFqnY
.png)
