WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cancer Support Community (CSC) and Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) launched today the Cancer Experience Registry: Stomach Cancer, an addition to the Cancer Experience Registry that will focus on people living with stomach cancer, including gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma and other cancers of the gastric tract.
The Cancer Support Community, an international nonprofit, introduced the Cancer Experience Registry as a way to connect people with cancer to each other and to convey the specific emotional, financial and social realities of living with cancer to the community at large. With more than 8,700 members, the Registry has grown to include specialty registries on individual types of cancer and the unique experiences that accompany them.
"CSC is proud to launch this new addition to the Cancer Experience Registry to better understand the unique needs of people living with stomach cancer. We hope that our findings will shape the development of future programs and resources for people living with this disease," said Joanne Buzaglo, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and training at the Cancer Support Community.
Stomach cancer, including gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma, accounts for 37,600 new cancer cases in the United States each year.
Participants in the new registry will be asked a set of questions concerning their experience with stomach cancer, including items on patient-physician communication, care coordination, and financial impacts. Participants will also be given the opportunity to share their own thoughts about their experience and pass on advice to others who are living with cancer. Throughout the process, participants will have access to the multitude of resources provided by the Cancer Support Community, Debbie's Dream Foundation and additional organizations.
"As the leading stomach cancer organization, Debbie's Dream Foundation is excited to partner with the Cancer Support Community on the Stomach Cancer Experience Registry. Our hope is that the Registry will identify additional issues faced by stomach cancer patients, family members, caregivers and friends. The information collected will give us a more complete picture of the struggles and gaps that exist, which will lead to further information sharing, better support, and new education offered," said Debbie Zelman, president and founder of Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer.
Lilly Oncology is the inaugural sponsor of the Cancer Experience Registry: Stomach Cancer.
"People with gastric cancer experience distinct challenges, and we know that cancer care goes well beyond medicines," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., senior vice president of product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology. "We are honored to help understand and support the evolving social and emotional journeys for these individuals as they navigate their care."
Caregivers of people with stomach cancer also have the opportunity to share their experiences through the Cancer Experience Registry: Caregivers.
For more information on the Cancer Experience Registry: Stomach Cancer, or the Cancer Experience Registry: Caregivers, please visit www.CancerExperienceRegistry.org.
About the Cancer Support Community
As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community (CSC) is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. CSC achieves its mission through three areas: direct service delivery, research and advocacy. The organization includes an international network of Affiliates that offer the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer, as well as a community of support available online and over the phone. The Research and Training Institute conducts cutting-edge psychosocial, behavioral and survivorship research. CSC furthers its focus on patient advocacy through its Cancer Policy Institute, informing public policy in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. For more information, please call the toll-free Cancer Support Helpline at 888-793-9355, or visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org. So that no one faces cancer alone®
About Debbie's Dream Foundation
DDF was founded in 2009 by Debbie Zelman after she was diagnosed with stage IV incurable stomach cancer in 2008 and given only weeks to live. Zelman immediately began to educate herself about this disease and to seek the best available care. When she responded favorably to her treatment, Debbie founded DDF which now has 29 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and Germany and a Medical Advisory Board of 30 renowned doctors from across the country and internationally. Now, seven years later, Debbie is still receiving chemotherapy and is thrilled to be able to watch her three children grow up.
Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to internationally raising awareness about stomach cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support to patients, families, and caregivers. Debbie's Dream Foundation seeks as its ultimate goal to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality.
About Lilly Oncology
For more than fifty years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and http://newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.