Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • In the US, black women are 40% less likely to survive breast cancer

    In order to address racial disparities in breast cancer survival rates, the Chicago-based Metropolitan Breast Cancer Task Force initiated a program to provide African American women with navigators. These navigators—who are a trained peer from the community rather than a credentialed professional—provide assistance with booking appointment, accessing services, and conversation with providers as well as emotional support. After 10 years of this program, the disparity has decreased 20%.

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  • Colonoscopy? How About a Blood Test?

    A company called Medial EarlySign is using machine learning to predict when a patient is at higher risk for having colon cancer. Results from a simple blood test are entered into a database that looks at several factors and compares the results to anonymous results from thousands of people all over the world. This method is less expensive and less invasive than undergoing a colonoscopy and could also be used to detect risk factors for other diseases.

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  • Breast cancer once killed far more black women than white women in Chicago. Here's how that changed.

    In Chicago, the disparity in mortality rates between white and black women who contracted breast cancer was once disturbingly high, one of the worst in the nation . But ten years of fostering partnerships between the city and groups like the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force has helped make Chicago a leader in creating more equal access to services like mammograms, support groups, and assistance with open enrollment for health care.

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  • Code for Cancer

    Launched in September 2017, Cognoma is a database of information regarding the genetic makeup of cancerous tumors developed in collaboration between University of Pennsylvania researchers and Philadelphia’s tech community. Looking for a way to help their community and convinced of the value of the project, people donated their time and coding talents and built the database piece by piece. The database—as well as the programming behind it—are publicly available for researchers to utilize and adapt to other ends.

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  • As Cancer Tears Through Africa, Drug Makers Draw Up a Battle Plan

    Two major pharmaceutical companies are offering discount cancer drugs in some African countries in an initiative modeled on the aids campaign. In African countries access to cancer treatment is scarce due to high prices of medicine, lack of medical staff and equipment and lack of awareness about the disease among the population; leading to higher death rates than in the developed world. The partnership to combat this also includes the American Cancer Society and IBM who are working to simplify cancer treatment guidelines and to make them available as an online tool to any hospital with an internet connection

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  • How 'cervical selfies' can help save lives

    A new app and scope that attaches to a smartphone camera has the capability to photograph a woman's cervix in high definition and send the photo to clinicians for diagnosis. This device replaces previously very expensive machines that takes similar photos and allows clinics in remote or underserved areas to access the same level of care as patients with more access to healthcare. Additionally, the app stores all of these photos in its database and is actively developing its own diagnostic tools so that in the future, the app can even help physicians to diagnose cervical cancer.

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  • How Cervical ‘Selfies' are Fighting Cancer in The Gambia

    Cervical cancer has effective treatments, but it remains a leading cause of cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. A new device can capture images of a woman’s cervix and send the images to a doctor for review. This expanded capacity to screen women for cancer is especially important in rural areas.

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  • Even the Insured Often Can't Afford Their Medical Bills

    As the cost of care and medication continues to rise, many people find themselves underinsured and unprotected from a financial crisis when facing a medical emergency or ongoing treatment for a chronic disease. To address this issue, programs are working to assist people with paying for the costs of care and avoiding bankruptcy based on diagnosis, employment history, or individual pleas on crowdfunding sites. While these programs can make an impact, the need is much larger than the funding available and it is often difficult for patients to find and apply for these funds.

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  • This Cuban lung cancer drug is giving some U.S. patients hope

    CIMAvax, a new lung cancer treatment based in Cuba, has proved to stop and reduce the growth of tumors. Although it's not FDA regulated, many Americans are turning to the therapeutic drug in hopes of reducing the effects of cancer.

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  • Palliative care: Dealing with the end

    A stand-alone hospice in the city of Bengaluru is the sole provider of end-of-life care for the terminally ill in the region. Having helped nearly 11,000 patients and trained nursing aids during a six-month course to provide both in-house an at-home care, the palliative care model is filling the gap between diagnosis and outcome.

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