LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION PLEDGES $1 MILLION
FOR MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER SURVIVORSHIP PROGRAMS
Grant will help people affected by cancer get access to the emotional, practical and physical support
they need to live life on their own terms

AUSTIN, Texas - October 19, 2005 - The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) announced today a pledge of $1 million over five years to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).  The funds will support MSKCC's efforts to expand existing programs, develop new initiatives and research projects aimed at ensuring the best possible care for survivors that are living with cancer.  Specifically, the funds will help MSKCC recruit and train nurse practitioners to work in new survivorship clinics and fund a clinical psychologist in the Center's sexual health program.  The grant to MSKCC furthers the LAF's aim to inspire and empower people affected by cancer to live life on their own terms.

According to the National Cancer Institute's latest figures, more Americans are living beyond cancer.  This same population is also coping with the many long-term emotional, practical and physical consequences that usually accompany a cancer diagnosis.  These issues related to these secondary aspects of cancer - often referred to as survivorship issues in the cancer community - can include depression, fear of recurrence, chronic pain, ongoing health challenges, infertility, sexual dysfunction, difficulty with relationships and financial or job insecurity.  The LAF and MSKCC are dedicated to improving the quality of life of people living beyond cancer and helping them address these challenges. 

"We believe that innovative centers and services, like those at MSKCC, can fundamentally change the expectations and experience of people living with cancer," said Mitch Stoller, president and chief executive officer of the LAF.  "We know these needs - physical, practical, emotional - are often unmet and we are committed to funding and supporting unique solutions.  Together, we will help to eliminate suffering due to cancer." 

The Survivorship Initiative at MSKCC is a comprehensive program that addresses the medical issues of cancer survivors and the psychosocial consequences of survivorship.  MSKCC is dedicated to providing highly individualized treatment that approaches each survivor as a "whole person."  It also includes a significant education effort for cancer survivors and their community-based healthcare providers.  The program serves as a platform for new research to better understand the needs of cancer survivors to improve their future quality of life. 

"More and more, we are realizing the importance of a planned transition from active treatment to survivorship follow-up," explained Mary McCabe, RN, Director of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Cancer Survivorship Program, who notes that there are more than 10 million cancer survivors in the U.S. and that three out of four U.S. families have at least one family member diagnosed with cancer.

"To better meet the needs of this growing population we formally instituted a comprehensive program for cancer survivors and their families.  With this grant, we will expand our disease-specific patient follow-up clinics that monitor survivors' health.  The focus will be on assessing and treating the physical and psychosocial effects of treatment with a focus on maximizing individual quality of life. We are also developing new models for this phase of cancer care and plan to share our experiences with interested groups nationally," McCabe added. 

MSKCC will join the LAF Network of Cancer Survivorship Centers.  The Network is a web of collaborating entities that include regional centers of excellence in cancer survivorship, recognized for their excellence in research, patient care, training and communications, and outreach and community-based centers, including those serving traditionally underserved populations, which provide direct services to individuals living with, through, and beyond cancer.  Collaboration among and between the centers of excellence and the community-based centers with which they are affiliated is aimed at creating a web of relationships and mutual learning intended to advance the cause of cancer survivorship.  The LAF has named MSKCC a center of excellence in cancer survivorship.

Cancer survivors like Amy Blumenfeld, a 31 year-old health writer treated at MSKCC for Hodgkin's disease, exemplify both the rewards and challenges of survivorship.  Blumenfeld notes some of the hurdles adult survivors of childhood cancer must surmount, including psychosocial effects, career issues and romantic and family relationships.  "I am so happy to have benefited from medical progress and I feel great," Ms. Blumenfeld said.  "But as remission and cure rates among all ages and forms of the disease have skyrocketed in recent years, the new challenge to oncology is not only to rid patients of disease but to help them maintain good quality in the lives they fought so hard to keep."

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) believes that in your battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything.  From the moment of diagnosis we provide the practical information and tools you need to live life on your own terms.  The LAF serves its mission through public health, advocacy, research and education, including the LIVESTRONG™ Resource for Cancer Survivors.  The LAF was founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and is located in Austin, Texas.  For more information, visit www.livestrong.org.