"Jimmy. Can we talk? My mom just got diagnosed with cancer."
Sadly, this happens way too often.
On an almost weekly basis, I have people coming up to me who either have been diagnosed with cancer themselves, or have friends or loved ones just diagnosed. They want make sure they are receiving the best care and have the best chances of beating this disease.
I have devoted my life fighting on the front lines of cancer research. I have trained at the world's top medical institutions and worked at the top research institutions and companies. I initially thought this was the best way to help my friends and loved ones. However, after helping dozens of family and friends fight cancer, I had a big realization: while there has been tremendous advancements in cancer research, most patients do not get to access the newest drugs nor latest technologies. Even more, most people don't even know they are missing out on the newest diagnostics and treatments.
Last year alone, there were closer to 200,000 academic papers published on cancer. That's over 500 new papers published each day! Currently, there are close to 20,000 active clinical trials, and new treatments diagnostics are coming on board almost every day. Even top oncologists have trouble keeping up.
How then does a patient navigate this complex medical industrial landscape to have the best odds of beating their cancer? How can a patient get access to the best doctors and latest treatments? What are the right questions to ask? There is a hunger for scientifically rigorous information that is easy to understand and practical in the fight against cancer.
Then it dawned on me. Instead of helping these patients and their families one by one, maybe there is a way to create an easy to follow toolkit to help many more patients. It would include videos, articles, checklists, infographics, and online tools - a simply to follow resource to make sure you are getting the best care.
Through the years of helping patients, I have learned what are the most important ways to get the best cancer treatment and care. This is a brand new project and we are just starting to create initial content.
If you are interested in being part of the free early access test group, click on the button below to join.
Sample modules:
Many people after the initial diagnosis are in a state of shock and helplessness. Some are so overwhelmed that they became passive participants in their care. However, there are some very important steps to take once you're first diagnosed that could significantly alter the odds of success for your treatment.
The 5 Most Important Actions After Getting Diagnosed
Many people have come to me confused asking about genetic testing. For some cancer types, it is important to have germline sequencing, which assesses genes you inherited. Other cancers, it is important to performing somatic sequencing, identifying mutations that occur after birth. It is important to learn all the different genetic testing as it affects not only your own care but also the likelihood of cancer of your family members.
The 3 Types of Genetic Testing and Why They are Important
This is one of the topics that is asked of me the most. Since the field of oncology is moving so quickly, there are different proficiency amongst different physicians. Furthermore, there are specialists who focus on specific subtypes of cancer, specific therapeutic procedures, or have access to specific clinical trials. Learning how to identify and contact these physicians is critical to accessing the best care possible.
How to Choose a Doctor and Find the World's Experts for Your Cancer
The doctor visit is often stressful for many patients and many have trouble remembering what happened afterwards or still have unanswered questions. Just like any other activity, how you prepare, what do you during, and how you follow up is critical. Also important is who goes with you and your game plan you decide before. Even more, what are the important questions you should ask?
How to Make the Most of the Short Doctor Visits
As with any task, the tools you uses is often important to the efficiency and success of the outcome. There are at least six important items all cancer patients should prepare and have handy. First is a medical information binder with not only your medical records, but summaries of the most pertinent information you should bring to every visit. We are developing templates to make this process easier.
The 6 Essential Items in Your Personalized Cancer Toolkit
Did you know that medical error is the THIRD leading cause of death in the US according to the CDC? There are some simple measures you can take to lower the likelihood of these mistakes. However, theses need to be put in place as early as possible. We are creating some checklists to help make this process more straight-forward.
How to Prevent Medical and Medication Errors
We are living in arguably the "Golden Age" of cancer therapeutics. There are entire new modalities of treatment coming out of the labs and clinical trials, such as immunotherapy and cancer vaccines. However, not all hospitals and medical centers have access to these therapies yet and many insurance plans don't cover these newest drugs. We are building a step-by-step guide to help patients access the most cutting-age therapies.
How to Get Access of the Most Cutting-Age Therapies
We will be releasing one module at a time. If you are interested in being part of the free early access group and receiving this material before it is available to the general public, click on the button below.
