Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer Educational Initiative Honors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month with Launch of New #TruthAboutTC Social Media Challenge

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Light of Life Foundation, and Eisai Team Up to Increase Awareness by Urging People with Thyroid Cancer to Share their Experiences 

A thyroid cancer diagnosis can lead to significant distress as patients and caregivers cope with various medical, emotional and economic challenges, as survivors, patients and caregivers have attested. Yet because the majority of thyroid cancers can be successfully treated with surgery and radioactive iodine, the notion exists that thyroid cancer is a “good cancer.” For many patients this misconception can minimize their diagnosis and lead to confusion about the overall impact of the disease and uncertainty about the journey ahead. 

As part of the Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer (“MyTh“) educational campaign, which encourages this community to discuss the realities of living with their diagnosis, and in honor of the more than 62,000 individuals who will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year in the United States and many thousands in other countries, ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., Light of Life Foundation, Inc., and Eisai Inc. have launched the new #TruthAboutTC social media challenge.  

Sharing the #TruthAboutTC 

This year, people who want to spread awareness of thyroid cancer and its long-term effects can join in the #TruthAboutTC Challenge by taking a photo depicting a “butterfly hug,” uploading it to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #TruthAboutTC, and tagging their friends to participate. Patients with thyroid cancer, and their friends and loved ones who care for them, can help increase public understanding of the thyroid cancer experience by also sharing a “truth” about their thyroid cancer journey in their #TruthAboutTC posts. For each social media action, which includes posting a “butterfly hug” photo, using #TruthAboutTC, liking, sharing, retweeting, favoriting or commenting, Eisai will donate $1 each to Light of Life and ThyCa, up to a total of $20,000, to help the organizations continue providing resources and support to the thyroid cancer community. 

Last year during Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, survivors and their loved ones took to social media to share their thyroid cancer “truths,” shining a spotlight on the realities of receiving a thyroid cancer diagnosis. Patients opened up about the emotional impact of the disease, especially feelings of anxiety and fear when receiving news that they or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer. They also shed light on the treatment process, which can be life disturbing and stressful, with follow-up care that can continue for a lifetime. 

“As we learned last year, many patients are told that if they are going to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the one to have. But as a thyroid cancer survivor who lives with the long-term emotional and physical effects of the disease, I know firsthand that there is no such thing as a good cancer,” said Joan Shey, Founder of the Light of Life Foundation. “By elevating public awareness and acceptance, we can help change the thyroid cancer dialogue. That’s why we are asking people to join the #TruthAboutTC Challenge to show their support for those coping with thyroid cancer.” 

“There are four main types of thyroid cancer, all with different outcomes. And each instance of the disease is as unique as the individual affected. This can leave patients feeling isolated and confused as they search for answers about their diagnosis,” said Gary Bloom, thyroid cancer survivor and Co-Founder and Executive Director of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. “With diagnoses of thyroid cancer on the rise across the nation and worldwide, patients with all types and stages of thyroid cancer need to have access to information about their specific disease and feel supported by their friends, family and healthcare providers.” 

The lack of widespread awareness of the long-term complications and potential severity of thyroid cancer may mean that some patients, particularly those with advanced forms, never find the support they seek. To help educate the public about the unique circumstances of living with this disease and ensure that thyroid cancer patients across the spectrum have greater access to useful information, Light of Life, ThyCa and Eisai will be launching a new Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer portal later this fall that will include valuable resources such as:

• Information on the different types of thyroid cancer, including advanced disease
• Guide for navigating the patient journey
• Personal stories from patients with thyroid cancer
• Details about lifelong management and the importance of active surveillance

“This initiative, which emphasizes the need for continued education and access to resources, underscores Eisai’s steadfast commitment to helping address the unmet health care needs of patients and their families,” said Timothy Clark, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Policy, and Corporate Advocacy, Eisai Inc. 

“As a company focused on human health care (hhc), we are proud to partner with the Light of Life Foundation and ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association on this campaign to build greater networks of support within the thyroid cancer community and illuminate the life-changing realities of this disease.”

For more information about thyroid cancer, support and educational resources, visit ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association and Light of Life Foundation.  

About Thyroid Cancer: The Long-Term Physical and Emotional Impact

• The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland in the neck, which makes hormones that help regulate the body’s metabolism and affect numerous other functions in the body, including brain development and the heart and nervous systems.
• There are various types of thyroid cancer including differentiated, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancers. Differentiated thyroid cancer, consisting of papillary and follicular types, is the most common, accounting for about 94% of all cases of thyroid cancer.
• The majority of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer are successfully treated with surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland, followed in many patients by radioactive iodine therapy, an oral form of radiation that targets and kills thyroid cancer cells.
• However, most thyroid cancers grow slowly, and up to 30% of patients, including those who were successfully treated, can experience recurrence even 10 to 20 years after initial treatment. As a result, follow-up care to check for cancer recurrence or metastasis, as well as for monitoring and management of potential side effects of certain treatments, can continue for a lifetime.
• Additionally, patients who have their thyroid removed must take daily hormone replacement medication for the rest of their lives.
• Some patients may also experience a challenging post-surgery complication called hypoparathyroidism, a lack of parathyroid hormone, which helps regulate calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D levels in the blood and bones. This can lead to muscle cramps and spasms, brittle nails, dry hair and skin, seizures, and cataracts, among other issues.

•                Together, treatment-related effects and the emotional impact of the disease can cause some patients to experience ongoing challenges, including lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, weight gain, memory loss, migraines and depression. 

Less than 10% of patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer will experience metastatic disease, in which their cancer will spread to other places in the body. While many of these patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer receive radioactive iodine (RAI), the disease will become refractory in 15% to 30%, meaning the cancer fails to respond to RAI. RAI-refractory cancers exhibit a more aggressive behavior and are more difficult to treat. 

Medullary thyroid cancer, which accounts for about 4% of thyroid cancers, can sometimes spread to lymph nodes, the lungs, or liver even before a nodule is discovered on the thyroid, making it more difficult to find and treat. 

Anaplastic carcinoma is a rare form of thyroid cancer that is diagnosed in about 2% of all patients. It is the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer with the most severe effects on patient health and overall survival. 

Both medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancers can spread quickly to other parts of the body and often require different treatment options.

About ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. 

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., founded in 1995, is an international nonprofit organization of survivors, family members and health care professionals. Advised by 54 thyroid cancer specialists, ThyCa provides a comprehensive network of services and resources that educate and support patients and their families, share experiences, improve patient-physician communications, raise public awareness of thyroid cancer, and support research for a future free of thyroid cancer. 

ThyCa’s extensive website provides free educational materials in eight languages, 12 online support groups for each type and situation with thyroid cancer, and more than 120 local support groups in nine countries, a free Low-Iodine Cookbook with over 420 recipes, a Thyroid Cancer Events Calendar, a free weekly newsletter reaching 65,000 people, and opportunities to meet and learn from thyroid cancer experts via videos, webinars, seminars, workshops, and the annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference. ThyCa sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month worldwide each September, as well as year-round awareness campaigns. In addition, ThyCa raises funds for thyroid cancer research and has awarded 60 thyroid cancer research grants to researchers in six countries. For more information on ThyCa, its services and resources, please visit www.thyca.org.  

About the Light of Life Foundation, Inc. 

The Light of Life Foundation, Inc., is a national and international non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of the thyroid cancer patient through continuing education of the lay public and the medical community and promoting research and development to thyroid cancer care. 

Founded in 1997 by thyroid cancer survivor Joan Shey and a team of leading physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Light of Life Foundation has evolved from small patient support groups into a full-fledged national and international network of patients and physicians who are bringing attention to the importance of this disease: the fastest increasing cancer among women and men in the United States. The Light of Life Foundation contributes to the worldwide conversation on thyroid cancer through groundbreaking public awareness campaigns, The Light of Life Honorary Award, the multidisciplinary medical fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, informational patient seminars, patient advocacy research and campaigns, and a robust social media support network. For more information, please visit www.checkyourneck.com.

About Eisai Inc.

At Eisai Inc., human health care (hhc) is our goal. We give our first thought to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies to help address unmet medical needs. 

Eisai is a fully integrated pharmaceutical business that operates in two global business groups: oncology and neurology (dementia-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases). Each group functions as an end-to-end global business with discovery, development, and marketing capabilities. Our U.S. headquarters, commercial and clinical development organizations are located in New Jersey; our discovery labs are in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; and our global demand chain organization resides in Maryland and North Carolina. To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Organized by ThyCa, the Conference Features More Than 100 Sessions Designed to Help, Inspire and Support Those Impacted by Thyroid Cancer — Registration Is Now Open  

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., has secured an impressive lineup of expert speakers for the 19th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, taking place Oct. 21-23, 2016 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. 

This unique educational and supportive conference will feature presentations on the latest medical research and advances in thyroid cancer care, specialists in insurance and employment, Ask-a-Doctor sessions, and survivor-caregiver roundtables. Each year attendees join from around the United States, and the world, for this event designed to create learning and support opportunities for patients, families, friends, and caregivers. 

“Thyroid cancer continues to affect people of all ages, and as more people are affected each year, our conference continues to grow in importance as a resource for support and education,” said Gary Bloom, ThyCa Executive Director and Conference Coordinator. “We invite all survivors affected by the disease, loved ones and anyone interested in learning about thyroid cancer to attend, meet one another, share stories and learn from the impressive lineup of health care experts in attendance.” 

Among the presenters, experts in the area of thyroid cancer are coming from the following leading national medical centers: 

• Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
• Clayman National Thyroid Cancer Center
• Duke University Medical Center
• Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
• Mayo Clinic
• MedStar Washington Hospital Center
• Moffitt Cancer Center
• Providence St. John’s Health Center
• Stanford University Medical Center
• The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine
• University of California San Diego
• University of Colorado Denver
• University of Southern California
• University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 

The event is open to the public, for anyone in the process of being tested for possible thyroid cancer, newly diagnosed or recently treated, survivors of many years, caregivers, friends, and health care professionals. Attendees are welcome to join for one, two or all three days, and registration will open at 8 a.m. each day. The cost to attend the complete conference is $50, and scholarships are available upon request to cover the registration fee. Walk-in attendees are welcome. 

“ThyCa’s annual conference is invaluable to the thyroid cancer community,” stated Michael Yeh, M.D. of the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine. “I am pleased that the organization decided to conduct its annual conference in Los Angeles, and I — along with my participating colleagues from UCLA — look forward to talking about some of the innovative approaches that our institution is taking to help fight this disease.” 

For more details about the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference and the free year-round support services and education offered by ThyCa, visit the ThyCa website, email ThyCa at conference@thyca.org or thyca@thyca.org, or call ThyCa at (877) 588-7904.

About ThyCa

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. The organization is dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, their families and friends. ThyCa also sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, year-round awareness activities, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Remembering Ric

Ric Blake, ThyCa Co-Founder
2/12/1945 – 8/15/2011

Please join us on
Sunday, September 25, 2016
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine)

Tiffany Gardens Bed and Breakfast
14 King John Drive
Londonderry, New Hampshire

Come celebrate Ric’s legacy during an afternoon of sharing memories, meeting old and making new friends, and helping to raise funds for the ThyCa research grant in Ric’s memory. 

For sale will be tote bags with imprinted photos of his beautiful flowers, and some matted photos ready for framing. 

A silent auction will have some of Ric’s other creative projects and a variety of collectibles from other artists collected over the years. 

Come and enjoy the beautiful Tiffany gardens, one of Ric’s favorite places to photograph. 

Light refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to Diane Blake. 

Please Note: If you can’t attend, you are invited to donate to ThyCa for research in memory of Ric. Please use this secure online form. 

Donations in memory and honor of Ric are welcome at any time — before, during, and after this event. 

About Ric. Read about Ric’s life and legacy.

For Immediate Release, September 1, 2016

Free Graphics and Handouts Are Available on www.thyca.org 

While thyroid cancer is usually treatable if found early, some types and variants are aggressive and difficult to treat. People of all ages from children through seniors can get the disease, and patients need lifelong daily medication and periodic testing following treatment. These are some of many reasons why ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month each September, worldwide. 

A total of 64,300 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2016 in the United States, and hundreds of thousands worldwide. Throughout Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, survivors, caregivers, and friends in more than 100 countries, together with collaborating organizations, will be urging everyone to: 

• “Find It Early” through neck checks and expert follow-up,
   
• Help thyroid cancer patients and caregivers find a wide array of free support and education resources and events,
   
• Underscore the urgent need for more research for cures for all thyroid cancer. 

ThyCa encourages people to ask for a neck check when they visit their doctor. A neck check can be done quickly. 

 “Health care professionals are essential to the detection of thyroid cancer,” says ThyCa Executive Director Gary Bloom, himself a thyroid cancer survivor. “Signs to discuss with the physician include a lump or fullness in the neck, lymph node swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or voice changes. These are signs of a possible thyroid nodule. Most thyroid nodules are benign, but some are cancer.” 

This year marks the 16th anniversary of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month.  Worldwide, special events and social media and e-mail campaigns will highlight thyroid cancer awareness and action to improve outcomes for everyone. 

During September and year-round, free flyers, graphic images, and more are available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. Founded in 1995, ThyCa is advised by 54 thyroid cancer specialists, provides free services for people with every type of thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants), materials in 8 languages, videos and webinars, the annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, a weekly newsletter, and thyroid cancer research grants open to researchers and institutions worldwide. 

For free thyroid cancer materials, information, and connections to support groups and events, visit www.thyca.org or call toll-free 877-588-7904, write to ThyCa at PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org. 

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Media Contact: Cherry Wunderlich, 301-493-8810, cwunderlich@thyca.org

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

www.thyca.org

thyca@thyca.org

We are trying to determine how many of the people we serve are dealing with a diagnosis of hypoparathyroidism (calcium issues), and what your experiences are.

Please participate, and together we can help others. 

Take the survey. 

ThyCa is pleased to bring you this survey.

A number of news articles have recently emerged characterizing the epidemic of thyroid cancer as “overdiagnosis,” typically in reference to papillary microcarcinomas, which are small cancers. ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. (www.thyca.org), and many of the thousands of survivors we work with, are troubled by this characterization.

The point of these articles should be about the question of treatment, and potentially over-treatment. It is erroneous to classify the situation as one of overdiagnosis, and, more importantly, it is inappropriate to downplay the diagnosis of cancer to the public and those in the health care field. Knowledge is power, and even people with smaller cancers deserve to know what is going on with their bodies.

Furthermore, there is a pervasive generalization that thyroid cancers are not life threatening. This ignores the fact that there are four different types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. The first two types have aggressive variants that can be difficult to treat, and the last two types are not curable by any current medical definition, with anaplastic requiring prompt and active treatment as the only way to extend the patient’s life.

Finally, these articles often trigger unnecessary upset among people who are currently being treated or have been treated in the past for thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer survivors are fortunate to have more treatment options today for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer than just a few years ago, with an evolution towards a less aggressive treatment approach for most. This is an encouraging step, and means that the standard of care is advancing.

Nevertheless, making blanket statements about “overdiagnosis” may cause people to believe that they were over-treated in the past under different treatment standards, when the emphasis could instead easily be on the positive advances that have been made for those receiving a diagnosis today.

It is our hope that further studies will help advance the dialogue toward greater awareness of this disease, approaches to avoiding delays in diagnosis, and continued exploration of treatment options for all who are living with thyroid cancer.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization 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. We also sponsor Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, year-round awareness activities, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. 

July 11, 2016—ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is proud to announce it has awarded six grants for thyroid cancer research into complex aspects of all types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancer. 

New ThyCa grants were awarded to physician researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and the University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado. 

In addition, ThyCa second-year grants were awarded to researchers at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas; and Phoenix VA Health Care System, Phoenix, Arizona. 

This is the 14th consecutive year that ThyCa has awarded research grants. ThyCa has awarded 60 grants for thyroid cancer research, to researchers in 6 countries, to advance progress toward ThyCa’s goal of cures for all thyroid cancer. 

The grants are all funded through donations to ThyCa from thyroid cancer patients, family members, and friends. 

ThyCa grants are open to researchers and institutions worldwide. An independent expert panel of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) reviewed applications and selected the recipients. Details on past grants and ThyCa’s Rally for Research are here. 

Recipients of the new ThyCa grants are: 

• Trevor Angell, M.D., Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, for the project titled“Assessment of Circulation Immune Suppressor Cells for Predicating Treatment Response in Follicular Cell Derived Thyroid Carcinoma.” This project notes that myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) prevent anti-tumor immune responses and, while rare in healthy individuals, accumulate in the setting of cancer. MDSC are elevated in the peripheral blood of patients with both papillary thyroid cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer. Levels before thyroidectomy correlate with cancer stage and pathologic invasion and/or lymph node metastasis. In this study, prospectively enrolled patients will have peripheral blood MDSC measured before and after therapy for thyroid cancer. This will permit the examination of its role providing new personalized data to patients and their doctors to determine whether the cancer is present or spreading after treatment, in order to aid decisions about treatment or monitoring. 

  Dr. Angell is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is on the staff of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is a graduate of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he also completed a residency followed by a fellowship in which he focused on mechanisms of immune suppression in thyroid cancer. 
   

• Viswanath Gunda, Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, for the project titled “Combining Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors with BRAF Targeted Therapy in Thyroid Cancer.” The research seeks to understand the role of immune checkpoint receptors, PD-1/PD-L1 in thyroid cancer combinatorial and to combine therapies of these inhibitors with MAPKinase inhibitors (BRAF and MEK proteins) and multi-kinase VEGFR inhibitors to examine their synergistic effect on the treatment of aggressive thyroid cancer and their mechanism of action, with a focus on immune system interactions. The research aims to establish a firm base of preclinical data to support clinical trials using immunotherapies to treat patients with aggressive thyroid cancer.

  Dr. Gunda is an Instructor in Cell Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital committed to translational research in thyroid cancer. A graduate of Sri Ramachandra University in India with high distinction, he completed his Ph.D. dissertation in Molecular Endocrinology, followed by a fellowship at the University of Utah. Next, he joined the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital as a Research Fellow, where he has worked with Dr. Sareh Parangi, is a previous ThyCa research award winner. Dr. Gunda also coordinates the Endocrine Tumor Repository in the Surgery department at Massachusetts General Hospital.  
   

• Nikita Pozdeyev, M.D., Ph.D., University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado,for the project titled “Rational combination therapies with lenvatinib for advanced thyroid cancer.” This grant is the Ric Blake Memorial Thyroid Cancer Research Grant. This project aims to develop rational drug combinations with lenvatinib to further improve the efficacy of systemic treatment for advanced progressivethyroid cancer. This multidisciplinary project combines functional genomics, high-throughput pharmacology, and bioinformatics to identify drugs and drug targets that will have synergistic anti-proliferative effects in combination with lenvatinib on thyroid cancer cells. The study will directly assess 240 clinically-relevant compounds and molecular probes for the synergy with lenvatinib. The drug combinations will be validated through in vitro and mouse models of thyroid cancer with an ultimate goal of testing this combination therapy in rationally-designed clinical trials.

  Dr. Pozdeyev is an Instructor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado and will be promoted to Assistant Professor in July 2016. His research focuses on the study of pharmacogenomics relationships in thyroid cancer and the development of rational combination therapies for progressive metastatic thyroid cancer. A graduate of Saint Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University in Russia, he completed internship and residency programs at MedStar Harbor Hospital Center in Maryland, and a fellowship at the University of Colorado.

ThyCa also awarded continuation grants for 2016 for a second year of a two-year grant, to these researchers:  

• Carrie Lubitz, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, is the recipient of the 2015 Ric Blake Memorial Thyroid Cancer Research Grant, named for ThyCa Co-Founder Ric Blake. Dr. Lubitz’s research is examining the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of a novel blood-based assay for circulating BRAFV600E mutation in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, in order to enhance risk stratification, and identify patients who are likely to benefit from more aggressive interventions, in order to enable more targeted and efficient care. Dr. Lubitz completed her medical training at the University of Michigan Medical School, followed by further training at Weill-Cornell Medical College, and through the National Cancer Institute-sponsored Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training, as well as earning her Master’s Degree in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

  
  

• Sarah Oltmann, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, is researching medullary cancer progression and therapeutic response in a unique mouse model, with emphasis on increasing understanding of the natural history of metastatic disease and responses to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Dr. Oltmann earned her medical degree at Texas Tech University Health Science Center, with further training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Wisconsin.

• Ming Li, M.D., Ph.D., Phoenix VA Healthcare System, Phoenix, AZ, is conducting research on “The Genetic Basis of Advanced Differentiated Thyroid Cancer by Forward Genetics Screening with Thyroid-specific Random Transposon Insertional Mutagenesis.” Dr. Ming Li completed his medical training at Beijing Medical University, Beijing, China, earned his Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine, and received further medical training at the University of Minnesota. He is now staff physician and assistant professor at the Phoenix VA Healthcare System, where his focus is thyroid cancer. 

Save These Dates —The 19th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, October 21-23, 2016 

Come and learn the latest from experts, get answers to your questions, meet new friends, and share your experiences and your tips for coping with the many challenges of thyroid cancer. 

The Conference takes place at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles California. 

You’re invited to attend for 1, 2, or all 3 days. Wherever you are in your thyroid cancer journey, whatever type of thyroid cancer you have, or whether it’s your friend or relative or patient who has this disease, you are welcome to come.

Advance registration is open, either online or by mail.

Scholarships are available on request.

Hotel room reservations are also open at the same special rate of $129 plus tax for single, double, triple, and quad rooms.  Click here for more details and to make your hotel reservation now. 

Visit the Conference page for more details, to register for the conference, and to reserve your hotel room.

We look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles!
 

Introducing Our Confirmed Speakers — More Being Confirmed 

We’re excited to announce our confirmed speakers. Many will lead more than one session. 

Here’s the latest list. 

Come meet these professionals, learn the latest, and ask your questions. 

To get an idea of the wide range of topics and sessions to choose from, visit our Conference page, scroll down to last year’s conference and previous conferences, and read through their program Schedules.
 

Plus More — Roundtables, Meetups, and Special Events During Conference 2016

We invite you to get involved in the many informal roundtable discussions and the other special events during the weekend. These are great places to give and receive support in person from people who understand what you are going through, who want to hear your stories, and who will offer encouragement and support.

Whether you’re new to the conference or have attended before, you’ll discover numerous welcome and get-acquainted opportunities. These include 

• Thursday Evening Informal Conversations and ice-breaker opportunities. Come early and get more comfortable with the ThyCa Conference experience
• Numerous Roundtables on varied topics on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
• Friday Evening Reception and Informal Social Time With Refreshments
• Friday Group Dinner opportunities. Go out with new friends, or catch up with friends you met at a prior conference, or a group of both
• Medullary Dinner on Friday Evening
• Young Adults Get-Together on Friday Evening
• Saturday Evening Dinner Auction Research Fundraiser 

The Creative Expressions Display at the Conference: Send Your Writings and Art

Share your poetry, other writings, and art in the Creative Expressions Display.

E-mail your contributions to publications@thyca.org.
 

Praise from Past Attendees

Questions? Would you like to volunteer before or during the Conference? 

E-mail us at conference@thyca.org. 

Visit our website often for conference news and updates.

We are pleased to share GOOD NEWS with you about our Research efforts for Thyroid Cancer. 

Because of your generosity in support of our cause, we have proudly awarded 60 Research Grants, totaling more than $1.6 million through 2016. This is a very exciting time for all of us as we continue to keep alive our hope for a future free of Thyroid Cancer. We thank you for sharing this vision with us. 

As our dream continues, we invite you to join us at our Fundraising Dinner/ Auction, on Saturday, October 22, from 6-9 p.m. at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, our conference headquarters. The cost for the dinner and entire evening Benefit is $50 per person, payable by credit card or check to ThyCa; however, your generosity beyond that would be greatly appreciated. All net proceeds from this event will go directly to support our Research Funds. 

We hope you decide to participate by:

• attending this wonderful and inspiring Benefit,
• helping us with a donation for the Research Funds,
• contributing an item for the Silent or Live Auctions, or
• reserving a dinner space for one of your friends or relatives or sponsoring someone else who is attending.

Visit our Conferences page to reserve your space, donate an item for the auction, or both.

Thank you very much for helping us in our efforts to find cures for all thyroid cancer. 

Balloons in the international thyroid cancer colors decorated the room.  Participants also enjoyed a delicious gluten-free cake, baked onsite and decorated with the ThyCa logo. 

Lorraine Rose Decker, Facilitator, introduced the keynote speaker, Timothy Lau, EMT/Firefighter and Facilitator of the ThyCa Madison, Wisconsin, Support Group.  Tim delivered an excellent presentation with diagrams on the thyroid gland and thyroid cancer. 

Linda Riddle, Member Services Manager of People’s Food Co-op, who welcomed the group to their meeting location, introduced the options at the Co-op, including organic foods, herbs, and the knowledgeable wellness staff. 

Robin Moses, Executive Director of Downtown Mainstreet, Inc. (DMI) expressed her delight in having a thyroid cancer educational and support group meeting in downtown La Crosse.  She shared some healthy activities that DMI is sponsoring this year. 

Denise Malone, Cancer Coordinator of the YMCA Livestrong Program her free exercise program for cancer survivors and their families.  Staff and volunteers have received certified training to work with cancer survivors. 

Lorraine Rose Decker shared that she chose to start a thyroid cancer support group because she needs the support and none was available in the area.  She believed that there were others out there who also needed support.  Extolling Tim Lau for being her inspiration, she chose May 2nd for the launch — as May 11th was to be her five-year survivorship anniversary! 

Clad in the thyroid cancer colors, other guests included five of Lorraine’s ten children. One flew in from North Carolina. Two thyroid cancer survivors from out of town were also in attendance. 

The La Crosse group’s next meeting will take place on June 10th. The speaker will be Scott Blanke, M.D., Mayo Otolaryngologist and thyroid tumor surgeon, who will also join ThyCa La Crosse as co-Facilitator.

The group’s web page has more details.