ThyCa NEWS NOTES – December 2006

FREE SUPPORT SERVICES GROW

TPPN Offers One-To-One Support, Matched by Diagnosis

Want to communicate with a ThyCa volunteer who has the same type of thyroid cancer as you? Contact the ThyCa Person To Person Network. Our TPPN has just completed its seventh year of successful service to growing numbers of thyroid cancer survivors. Our wonderful TPPN volunteers offer support, understanding, and the opportunity to share experiences one-to-one.

We have volunteers with every type of thyroid cancer. Peggy Melton, ThyCa Board Member and facilitator of the ThyCa Dallas, Texas, Support Group, coordinates the Network.

Local Support Groups’ Schedule for 2007 Now Available

More than 60 communities in the US and Philippines now have local ThyCa support groups. The groups’ monthly meetings are wonderful places to meet other thyroid cancer survivors and caregivers in your area and to discuss your experiences with your thyroid cancer.

The complete list of meetings already scheduled for 2007 is now available on our web site. New groups are also in development.

If there’s a group in your area, you’re welcome to attend. You do not need to register in advance. We invite you to contact the volunteer support group facilitator nearest you and to attend meetings if you can.

New E-Mail Support Group Will Focus on Childbearing and Thyroid Cancer

ThyCa’s nine e-mail support groups had more than 8,500 participants by early December. ThyCa’s tenth free e-mail support group will begin soon. The Childbearing and Thyroid Cancer Support Group welcomes thyroid cancer survivors who are coping with pregnancy, maternity, and parenting issues. The group will offer a place to share experiences and offer understanding and support.

The volunteer moderators are Jennifer Fryns, ThyCa Person To Person Network Volunteer, and Peggy Melton, Coordinator of ThyCa’s Person To Person Network. The ThyCa Support Groups section of www.thyca.org will soon have details about the new group and how to join it.

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HAVE YOU VISITED ThyCa’s WEB SITE LATELY?

Our web site grows every week and now has more than 600 pages of content. It receives more than 200,000 visits each month.

Thank you to the more than 50 distinguished physician specialists, plus many other specialists, who provide ongoing input and review for the web site’s medical information.

In the Newly Diagnosed section , you’ll find dozens of topics. Included are lists of questions to ask your doctor; links to find a thyroid specialist physician in your community; and lots of information about the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for each type of thyroid cancer.
The Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Site has the latest information about the care of children and adolescents with differentiated thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular) and medullary thyroid cancer. It also has several family stories, plus helpful tips for family-physician interactions. Our thanks to the physician specialists who gave input and review of all the medical information.
The Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Site has added more details from Trish, one of the long-term ATC survivors, about her experience. The ATC site has several other ATC Journey stories, plus caregivers’ perspectives and extensive medical information.
Medullary thyroid cancer information is available in the Newly Diagnosed, Pediatric, and Links sections. The new Medullary Thyroid Cancer Site being developed will be added to ThyCa’s site.
The Clinical Trials section gives links to major databases with details and contacts for the current clinical trials for all types of thyroid cancer. This section also gives background information about clinical trials.
The Local Support Groups section gives you the monthly meeting dates and locations of all the local ThyCa support groups. If you live near a group, you’re welcome to come, or you may contact the group’s volunteer facilitator first, to start meeting other thyroid cancer survivors and caregivers in your community.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to our Web site: the Coordinators, Joel Amromin and Betty Solbjor; the dozens of Publications Committee volunteers, and the numerous physicians and other specialists who contribute to www.thyca.org.

Visit our web site often, for the latest news and updates.

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MORE FREE SPANISH LANGUAGE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FROM ThyCa

We’re proud to announce that our Spanish translation project is expanding. Our web site has added several new flyers in Spanish. You can download them free of charge.

Titles now available in both Spanish and English include:

About Thyroid Cancer
Fine Needle Aspiration of the Thyroid: The Patient’s Guide
Thyroid Cancer Facts
Low-Iodine Diet for Patients Preparing To Receive Radioiodine
Know Your Pills

These and our other free materials are also available by mail. Please contact us at thyca@thyca.org or by mail at ThyCa, P.O. Box 1145, New York, NY 10159-1545 or by fax to 1-530-604-6078.

We plan to add more materials in Spanish early in 2007. The medical materials all receive review by Spanish-speaking physicians specializing in thyroid cancer care.

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ThyCa WILL AWARD TWO NEW GRANTS FOR THYROID CANCER RESEARCH
100% of Funds Go to Research.

We are proud to announce the call for proposals for ThyCa’s two new research grants to be awarded in 2007. Proposals are due by January 31, 2007.

These will be the seventh and eighth research grants to be awarded by ThyCa. The expert panel of the American Thyroid Association will select the grant recipients.

ThyCa grants are open to researchers at all institutions worldwide. The grants also continue ThyCa’s funding of thyroid cancer research grants funded entirely by thyroid cancer patients, caregivers, and friends.

Thank you to everyone who supports ThyCa through your volunteer efforts and your financial donations.

Together, we are making a difference in our dream of finding cures for everyone with our disease!

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THANK YOU, ThyCa VOLUNTEERS!

In 2006, more than 250 dedicated ThyCa volunteers provided our support services, outreach, publications, and administration.

Around the globe, more than 100 additional volunteers distributed ThyCa materials.

And worldwide, many thousands of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, friends, and health care professionals wear Thyroid Cancer Awareness Wristbands and Pins. You also wear, display, and give our other Spirit items, helping raise awareness and spread the word.

Thank you, everyone!

We welcome new volunteers at any time. To find out more, visit “Volunteering for ThyCa” .

If you’d like to download or send for free materials to help raise awareness of the importance of early detection of thyroid cancer and lifelong monitoring, visit this page .

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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!

Another record-setting year of services and support has been made possible by the wonderfully generous contributions of time, in-kind contributions, and financial donations from our members, our individual donors, and numerous organizations.

We thank you all.

If you would like to help ThyCa sustain and strengthen our free support services and resources to people around the globe, please visit the HOW TO HELP section of www.thyca.org.

Donations of any size are welcome and will make a difference to the well-being of others. All donations are acknowledged with a letter of thanks by our volunteers. We send these out as quickly as possible.

When you donate to ThyCa, you can be assured that your personal contact information is never sold, loaned, or shared with anyone or any organization.

We thank you for your wonderful support.

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MARK THE DATES!

For 2007, our web site’s Calendar of Events previews the following events.

Every Month: Free monthly meetings of local support groups
Spring 2007: Free one-day regional Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Workshops. Check the web site for more details, contact thyca@thyca.org or call 1-877-588-7904
September 2007: Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Plus year-round awareness campaigns and free materials
October 19-21, 2007. The 10th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference in San Francisco, California, on October 19-21, 2007
October 20, 2007. The 6th Annual Dinner/Auction to Support Thyroid Cancer Research in San Francisco, California.

Our Calendar will add further events and updates.

Also coming early in 2007 — The next issues of:

ThyCa Journeys, our free online newsletter, and
Membership Messenger, the newsletter mailed to ThyCa members.

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SEASON’S GREETINGS

We wish all our readers a healthy and safe holiday season and all the best in the coming year.

Copyright (c) 2006 ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. We encourage you to send these News Notes to your family and friends. For permission to reprint in another electronic or print publication, please contact us.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. We are dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, their families and friends, as well as public awareness for early detection, lifetime health monitoring, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. E-mail thyca@thyca.org, or call 1-877-588-7904, or visit www.thyca.org.

The 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association (www.thyca.org) brought together more than 400 hundred survivors, caregivers, families, and health care professionals and other experts to learn the latest about thyroid cancer and share their experiences. They heard from experts and learned how to get support if living with thyroid cancer.

Participants came from 37 states, from Alaska to Rhode Island, as well as the District of Columbia, 3 Canadian provinces, Costa Rica, and United Kingdom. The annual conference took place October 27-29, 2006, in Orlando, Florida. The weekend combined education, support, and skills for coping with the emotional and practical aspects of living with thyroid cancer.

Survivors ranged from a newly diagnosed 13-year-old to a 42-year survivor. They chose from 115 sessions led by more than 60 speakers. Attendees included survivors of every type of thyroid cancer—papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic. Among them were many newly diagnosed, as well as long-term survivors and those with advanced metastatic disease.

Some highlights:

Speakers included three American Thyroid Association presidents: David S. Cooper, M.D., 2006-2007 President; Ernest L. Mazzaferri, M.D., Immediate Past President; and Past President Carole A. Spencer, Ph.D.
23 Physicians, a Pharm.D, and 3 Ph.D. scientists led more than 50 sessions on diagnosis, care in the first year and over the long term, research advances, and clinical trials. Speakers came from the Cleveland Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Ohio State University, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and other major centers.
Spanish-speaking endocrinologist Beatriz Tendler, M.D., University of Connecticut Health Center, helped the Spanish-speaking attendees.
National Memory Champion Scott Hagwood, thyroid cancer survivor of North Carolina, led a memory skills workshop; and Michael Desiderio, M.B.A., of Arizona, medullary thyroid cancer survivor, and Cheri Wallace Lindle, M.Ed., of Oklahoma, founder of ThyCa’s Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer E-mail Support Group, led communications skills sessions.
Special guest at Saturday evening’s Research Benefit Dinner/Auction was Thurman Thomas, retired star running back noted for 4 Super Bowl and 5 Pro Bowl appearances. He spoke of his loss of many family members to cancer, and his support of cancer research. Michael Desiderio, medullary thyroid cancer survivor, presented the evening’s keynote.
Speakers also included 2 mental health professionals; 3 attorneys specializing in health insurance, employment, and disability; financial and household management educators; and a nutrition specialist.
More than 30 survivor/caregiver roundtables focused on living with each type of thyroid cancer, being in a clinical trial, being an effective self-advocate, voice issues, caregivers’ needs, and many other topics.

Some attendee comments:

“This was my first conference and I left there feeling both supported and educated,” wrote an attendee from Colorado.
“What a warm, loving, comforting atmosphere to walk in to my first conference!! Thank you all so much for giving me the gift of the first time in 2 years feeling like I belonged again. It’s a blessing to have such a big family. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” wrote another participant.
“The information far exceeded my expectations! I will never miss another conference,” commented another attendee.
“I’ve learned so much. Many questions have been answered and I know more about managing my medications and other issues. You have provided incredible speakers,” wrote another.
Another said, “ThyCa’s web site, conference, and volunteers in addition to other survivors, have been the best follow up to treatment that I could have imagined. Thank you for making it all possible!”
“It was my first conference-and what a great informative, educational, and supportive conference. I’M SO GLAD I ATTENDED THIS CONFERENCE! I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ATTEND FUTURE CONFERENCE,” wrote a Florida attendee.
“Providing support and education to everyone affected by thyroid cancer is the heart of our mission,” ThyCa Board Chair Gary Bloom of Olney, Maryland, an eleven-year thyroid cancer survivor. “We thank all our speakers who gave so generously of their knowledge and time, and all the volunteers, including many unable to attend, who made the conference possible. The conference information will help us continue to expand our educational web site, so that people worldwide will benefit from this important event.”
“We’re excited that next year’s conference will be in California. We invite everyone to attend the 10th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference in San Francisco, California, October 19-21, 2007,” said Bloom. “Throughout the year we welcome everyone to visit our web site and attend our monthly local support group meetings, as well as our one-day regional workshops already being planned for the spring.”

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national voluntary nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, families, and health care professionals, advised by thyroid cancer specialists and dedicated to education, support, communication, awareness for early detection, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants.

For more information about ThyCa’s free year-round support services, education, and publications, e-mail tothyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the ThyCa web site.

We’re honored to announce that American Thyroid Association’s 2006-2007 President will speak at the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference this coming weekend in Orlando, Florida.

David S. Cooper, M.D., who also served as Chair of ATA’s Thyroid Nodule and Thyroid Cancer Guidelines Taskforce, will speak and answer questions on Friday, October 27. His topic is “Using the ATA Guidelines and Understanding Levothyroxine Issues.”

Conference speakers also include two past presidents of ATA, Immediate Past President Ernest L. Mazzaferri, M.D., and Carole A. Spencer, Ph.D., F.A.C.B. The program features more than 100 sessions with 23 physicians and 15 other specialists, as well as survivors of all types of thyroid cancer, plus caregivers.

David S. Cooper, M.D. graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Barnes Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his Endocrinology Fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Cooper is currently Director of the Division of Endocrinology at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, and is Professor of Medicine and International Health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He serves as an Editor-In-Chief for Endocrinology for Up-to-Date, as a Contributing Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and as the Deputy Editor of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Cooper is the recipient of the ATA 2005 Distinguished Service Award.

For the conference speakers, schedule, and transportation directions, visit
http://www.thyca.org/conferences.htm

Orlando, Florida, October 27-29, 2006—The 9th International Thyroid
Cancer Survivors’ Conference
Register on site at the conference. Walk-in attendees are welcome.
Scholarships are available on request.
Details at www.thyca.org

Free Resource, Developed by Survivors, Caregivers, and Physician Specialists,
Is Sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association.

Thyroid cancer is rare in young people, though thyroid cancer is a cancer that is increasing in incidence and affects people in age groups, including children and adolescents.

Now, the newly launched Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Web Site gives patients, families, and physicians ready access to key information about this disease, treatments, and physician-patient communications when diagnosed with either pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular) or pediatric medullary thyroid cancer.

The new web site is sponsored by the national voluntary nonprofit organization ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.. The medical content receives ongoing review and input from ThyCa’s Medical Advisory Council of 21 nationally known thyroid cancer specialists, as well as from additional specialists with expertise in pediatric thyroid cancer.

The web site’s authors are families with first-hand experience with pediatric thyroid cancer, many of whom take part in ThyCa’s Pediatric Thyroid Cancer e-mail support group begun in 2000. These volunteers chose the topics they felt that families need to understand when a child or adolescent is first diagnosed. They emphasized the importance of parents’ advocating for their children, educating themselves, and encouraging their child’s physicians to network with physicians who specialize in pediatric thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer specialist physicians provided input and review. The site will continue to expand and to add information on treatment, research, and support services. It is part of the larger site www.thyca.org.

“I would like to thank all those at ThyCa who have worked to bring this project to fruition.” said Lauri Huber of Illinois, parent of a child with thyroid cancer and coordinator of the site development project. “I feel like a proud relative seeing a child on stage for the first time. I am proud of the efforts and what has been pulled together by so many volunteers with the input of physician specialists. From the bottom of my heart, I humbly say thank you.”

“It is my hope that the families who come behind us on this journey will find that we have paved the path with light, hope, and encouragement. I hope it will not be as frightening and confusing for them as it was for many of us who walked the path before them,” she added.

“Because pediatric thyroid cancer is so rare, families need current treatment information about the different types of pediatric thyroid cancer. That is the reason for this web site,” says Gary Bloom, ThyCa Board Chair. “This site is an important accomplishment and a highly useful tool in pediatric thyroid cancer management.”

The new site is one of many free education and support services available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals, dedicated to support, education, and communication, as well as awareness for early detection, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants.

ThyCa’s annual international conference will be held this year in Orlando, Florida, on October 27-29, 2006, with 46 physician-led sessions and more than 100 sessions in all. ThyCa also sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and year-round awareness campaigns.

For more information, call ThyCa at 1-877-588-7904, fax to 630-604-6078, send e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, or visit www.thyca.org.

World-renowned memory expert and thyroid cancer survivor Scott Hagwood has been added to the lineup of more than 60 speakers, including 22 leading physicians, who are scheduled to appear at the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference on October 27-29, 2006 in Orlando, Florida at the International Plaza Resort & Spa (formerly Sheraton World), 10100 International Drive, Orlando, Florida. The conference is sponsored by the nonprofit organization ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association.

Hagwood, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, learned extensive memory techniques in response to the side effects of medical treatments he received for his thyroid cancer. As a result, he became a four-time USA Memory Champion and was the first American to be named Grandmaster of Memory at the 2003 World Competition in Malaysia. He has been featured in national publications and on television.

He now holds four national memory records, including remembering random words, audio numbers, and remembering a shuffled deck of playing cards in 2 minutes. At the competition in Malaysia, he memorized 9 decks of cards in order in an hour.

Hagwood’s workshop at the ThyCa Conference will focus on the seven fundamentals of memory and how to use them.

The conference features more than 100 sessions, including 46 physician presentations and question-and-answer sessions on including treatment and research advances and clinical trials for all types of thyroid cancer. It also includes physician presentations on pain management and on all thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease, and thyroid nodules.

The conference is open to anyone interested, including people being tested, those newly diagnosed, survivors of many years, caregivers, friends, and health care professionals. Advance registrations have come from all around the United States as well as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, and United Kingdom.

People may register on site at the conference, or in advance using the form on the web site. Walk-in attendees are welcome. Scholarships are available on request.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, their families and friends, as well as awareness for early detection and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. For more information about the conference and ThyCa’s free year-round support services, education, and publications, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the web site.

You’re Invited to the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’
Conference Orlando, Florida October 27-29, 2006

On October 27-29, 2006, everyone interested in thyroid cancer is invited to attend the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference at the International Plaza Resort & Spa (formerly namedSheraton World), 10100 International Drive, Orlando, Florida.

The program schedule is now on the web site.

The more than 60 speakers include 22 physicians from major centers around the country. There will be 46 physician-led sessions, on all types and stages of thyroid cancer, as well clinical trials. Additional thyroid cancer researchers, attorneys, mental health professionals, other specialists, thyroid cancer survivors, and caregivers will lead sessions as well. In all, the conference offers more than 100 session choices.

The conference is a unique and important opportunity to learn from thyroid cancer experts and share experiences with others who are coping with this disease. By early October, people had registered from around the USA, as well as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, and United Kingdom.

Sponsor is the national nonprofit organization ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. For more details, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, or visit www.thyca.org.

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New Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Web Site Educates Families and Professionals.
This new web site was developed by families who have experienced thyroid cancer in a child or adolescent, as well as other ThyCa volunteers, with input and review from thyroid cancer specialist physicians. Our thanks to all who helped develop this important new resource.

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ThyCa Funds New Grants for Thyroid Cancer Research 100% of Funds Go to Research.

We are proud to announce the 2006 ThyCa grants, including 2 new grants and 2 continuation grants.

ThyCa’s grants are the first-ever thyroid cancer research grants to be funded entirely by thyroid cancer patients, caregivers, and friends. Together, we are making a difference in our dream of finding cures for everyone with our disease! This year’s ThyCa grant recipients include the 2006/2007 ThyCa Grants (2-year grants):

Lionel Groussin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Endocrine Department, Cochin Institut, Paris, France.
Xianmin Xia, Ph.D., Research Associate, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

These are the 5th and 6th grants to be awarded by ThyCa. In addition, ThyCa is awarding a second year of funding to its two 2005 grant recipients, to researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas and University Hospital Duesseldorf in Germany.

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Thyroid Cancer Support Groups Expand

The newest group will begin meeting in October in Dupage County, Illinois.

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New Flyers Raise Awareness of Thyroid Cancer

Early detection of all types of thyroid cancer is one of ThyCa’s goals, because treatment for early-stage thyroid cancer is usually simple and has a high rate of success.

Two new downloadable flyers, titled “Find it Early” and “Know the Signs,” highlight this theme. These and more brochures are available from ThyCa free of charge. September was Thyroid Cancer Awarenes Month, sponsored by ThyCa, and ThyCa’s awareness campaign continues around the year.

For free materials, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll free 1-877-588-7904, fax to 1-630-604-6078, write to ThyCa, PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the web site.

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ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. We are dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, their families and friends, as well as public awareness for early detection, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. Visit www.thyca.org or e-mail thyca@thyca.org or call 1-877-588-7904.

Orlando, Florida, October 27-29, 2006-The 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference
Free support groups, awareness materials, and education.

Over 100 Sessions Will Cover the Latest Treatments and Research, Insurance, Employment Issues, Nutrition, Fitness, Coping Skills, and More. Attendees May Register On-Site or in Advance. Scholarships Are Available.

On October 27-29, 2006, thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and friends are invited to the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference at the Sheraton World, 10100 International Drive, Orlando, Florida. The sponsor is the national voluntary nonprofit organization ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

The 23 distinguished physicians who will speak include endocrinologists, surgeons, nuclear medicine physicians, and other specialists from the following major centers:

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio and Florida
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Florida
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
University of Florida Shands Cancer Center, Florida
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas
and many more leading centers

Speakers also include specialists in the fields of pharmacy, mental health, nutrition, fitness, and coping and complementary approaches for well-being, as well as survivors of every type of thyroid cancer, and caregivers.

More than 100 sessions will cover all types of thyroid cancer, one of the few cancers that is increasing in overall incidence. This event is the first-ever conference for thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends to be held in Florida.

“This educational and supportive conference offers a wonderful opportunity to learn in depth from thyroid cancer experts, and to share experiences in coping with this disease,” says Gary Bloom, ThyCa Board Chair and Conference Coordinator. “We invite everyone interested in thyroid cancer to attend.”

Registration opens at 8 a.m. each day. Walk-in attendees are welcome to register on site at the conference. Attendees may register in advance online or by mail through October 15, 2005. Scholarships are available on request, as noted on the registration form.

For details about the conference and the free year-round services, education, awareness materials, and other publications available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 1015901545, or visit www.thyca.org.

Tips and Downloadable Tools Available at www.thyca.org

Thyroid Cancer Survivors Urge Everyone To Ask for a Neck Check for Early Detection

Thyroid cancer, which continues to increase in incidence and which affects people of all ages from children through seniors, will be diagnosed in a new record total of 30,180 people in the United States in 2006, reports ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association (www.thyca.org).

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. The sponsor, the national nonprofit ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., encourages everyone to ask for a neck check the next time they visit their doctor. Signs to discuss with the physician include a lump or fullness in the neck, lymph node swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or voice changes.

“Doctors are essential to the detection of thyroid cancer,” says ThyCa Board Chair Gary Bloom of Olney, Maryland, a thyroid cancer survivor. “Done properly, a neck check can be as simple as touching the neck and watching the patient swallow. This can be done very quickly and won’t cause any delays for the medical office, but those few minutes could make all the difference in the world when it comes to thyroid cancer. Most thyroid cancer is treatable if found early, but some types are very aggressive and difficult to treat.”

“Find It Early” and “Know the Signs” are the new downloadable awareness flyers now available at www.thyca.org. In support of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and to raise awareness year-round, volunteers are also giving and mailing free thyroid cancer awareness brochures, creating community displays of awareness materials, wearing the Thyroid Cancer Awareness Wristbands and Awareness Ribbon Pins, and displaying the magnet ribbons available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association.

Survivors, caregivers, and health care professionals will gather for a weekend of education and support at the 9th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference in Orlando, Florida, on October 27-29, 2006. The Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference features more than 50 speakers and workshop leaders, including numerous prominent thyroid cancer specialist physicians from major centers around the U.S., as well as nurses, pharmacist, mental health professionals, specialists in nutrition and complementary approaches for well-being, and survivors of each type of thyroid cancer. Conference details and the registration form are available on ThyCa’s web site. Scholarships are available on request.

Throughout the year, free publications, one-to-one support, and support groups are available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association (www.thyca.org). ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national non-profit organization of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals, dedicated to support, education, communication, awareness for early detection, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. For more information, call 1-877-588-7904, fax to 630-604-6078, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org or visit www.thyca.org.

We are proud to announce the 2006 ThyCa grants, including two new grants and two continuation grants. ThyCa’s grants are the first-ever thyroid cancer research grants to be funded entirely by thyroid cancer patients, caregivers, and friends. Together, we are making a difference in our dream of finding cures for everyone with our disease!

This year’s ThyCa grant recipients include:

2006/2007 ThyCa Grants (2-year grants):

Lionel Groussin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Endocrine Department, Cochin Institut, Paris, France. Dr. Groussin will examine the possibility that two particular enzymes in thyroid cells have roles in suppressing thyroid cancer.
Xianmin Xia, Ph.D., Research Associate, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.Dr. Xia will examine the effect of a small portion of a tumor suppressor protein on the proliferation of human medullary thyroid cancer cells, as well as poorly differentiated papillary thyroid cancer cells and anaplastic thyroid cancer cells.

In addition, ThyCa is awarding second year of funding to its two 2005 grant recipients, to:

Dr. Schott, who is conducting research on medullary thyroid cancer at the University Hospital Duesseldorf in Duesseldorf, Germany, and to Dr. Sturgis, who is conducting research on papillary thyroid cancer at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Thanks to all of us, who have joined together to raise funds for thyroid cancer research. Whether small or large, all of our contributions count. In fact, ThyCa’s research grants are made possible thanks to numerous donations of $25 and $50.

Together, we are able to accomplish what most of us cannot do individually—fund research toward cures for all thyroid cancers!

ThyCa has two Research Funds. One fund supports research of follicular-cell-derived thyroid cancer, including papillary, follicular, anaplastic, and variants. The other fund supports research of medullary thyroid cancer.

Both funds welcome contributions of any size. ThyCa is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Our Research grants are open to all researchers and institutions worldwide. An independent expert panel of the American Thyroid Association (ATA), the leading professional organization of thyroidologists in the U.S., evaluates the grant proposals and selects the projects to be funded.

ATA donates this crucial peer review service to ThyCa, ensuring that 100% of all money donated for research goes directly into research. ThyCa extends thanks from all of us to the ATA for its wonderful support.

In 2003, ThyCa proudly awarded our first thyroid cancer research grant. We continue to award at least one grant per year. In 2005 and 2006, we awarded two 2-year grants.

Grant recipients from 2003 – 2005 include:

2005/2006 ThyCa Grants (2-year grants):

Matthias Schott, M.D., University Hospital Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
Erich M. Sturgis, M.D., M.P.H., University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

2004 ThyCa Grant:

Sareh Parangi, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

2003 ThyCa Grant:

Xiulong Xu, Ph.D., Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois

We invite you all to join us in our quest to find a cure for all Thyroid Cancer.
http://www.thyca.org/donations.

Our thanks to all our generous donors and volunteers for making these grants possible.

To find out more about our Research Funds and Rally for Research, visit http://www.thyca.org/how-to-help/research-funds/.

Early detection of all types of thyroid cancer is one of the goals of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., because treatment for early-stage thyroid cancer is usually simple and has a high rate of success.

Two new downloadable flyers, titled “Find it Early” and “Know the Signs,” highlight this theme. ThyCa volunteers who are thyroid cancer survivors and caregivers developed the new flyers. These new flyers are available on ThyCa’s web site.

Additional thyroid cancer awareness and educational materials are also available from ThyCa free of charge. Items include the thyroid cancer awareness brochures with actress Catherine Bell, ThyCa’s patient services brochures (“Do you have thyroid cancer?”), handy wallet cards, fact sheets, and the free downloadable Low-Iodine Cookbook.

Contact ThyCa for free materials and suggestions on how to help raise awareness for early detection of thyroid cancer. E-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll free 1-877-588-7904, fax to 1-630-604-6078, write to ThyCa, PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the web site.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization advised by thyroid cancer specialists and providing person-to-person support, support groups, a free downloadable low-iodine cookbook, a free online newsletter, awareness materials, and other resources to thyroid cancer survivors, their families, and the public at no charge.

ThyCa also funds thyroid cancer research grants, sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month in September, and will hold its 9th annual international conference in Orlando, Florida, on October 27-29, 2006.