Gynecologic Cancer: What Every Woman Should Know
Private Dollars Devoted to Research
Updated on: June 25, 2003
The government certainly isn’t alone in funding the fight to find better tools for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of gynecologic cancers. Private dollars spent by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the development of new products also play a critical role, as do charitable contributions made to cancer centers and non-profit organizations.
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF), for example, has allocated over $1.5 million in grants to support researchers at universities and medical centers across the country.
"These grants are made possible by the collective generosity of many including patients, families, corporations, grant making foundations, and others," said David G. Mutch, M.D., GCF Awards Committee chairman and director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo. "Every gift, no matter what size, counts in the effort to prevent and cure gynecologic cancers."
The grants provided through charitable foundations often provide the "seed money" that enables researchers to explore promising tracks of investigation.
"Funding from GCF gave me the flexibility needed to take risks in my research," said George Coukos, M.D., PhD., assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Department of OB/GYN. "This strategy was very fruitful, leading to important discoveries regarding the role of the immune system in the clinical outcome of ovarian cancer. As we reported in our recent paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, we found that if the tumor is recognized and attacked by the body’s own immune defense mechanisms, patients experience a dramatically enhanced response to chemotherapy and they enjoy longer overall survival."
"We are particularly delighted that a number of research grants we awarded enabled the recipients to pursue work which ultimately helped them garner much larger grants from federal sources including the Department of Defense and the National Cancer Institute," said Dr. Wesley C. Fowler Jr., former chairman of GCF.
For more information about GCF research projects or to contribute to GCF’s research efforts, log on to: www.wcn.org or contact GCF at: 312-644-6610.
This article by the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation originally appeared in an advertising supplement to the New York Times on Sunday, June 22, 2003.
GCF gratefully acknowledges Aventis Oncology for its generous support of this educational supplement. The content of this supplement is the work of many individuals and does not reflect commercial interests.
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
www.AventisOncology.com