COVID-19 Impact on Patients with ILC and LBCA

COVID-19 Impact on Breast Cancer Treatment, Accommodations in Oncology and Support

Dear LBCA Subscribers,

This has been a difficult time for all breast cancer patients, including those of us living with lobular breast cancer. Whether newly diagnosed or undergoing active treatment, COVID-19 has complicated our lives as patients. Many of us have experienced treatment modifications and in many cases, diagnosis and treatment delays. Doctors must balance new safety issues with the risk of changing or delaying testing, imaging, surgeries, and other treatments in each individual case. In some cases, financial barriers have also made it more difficult for many to obtain medical care, maintain good nutrition, retain health insurance coverage, and afford transportation to appointments.

Please be assured that through it all, LBCA continues to provide the most up to date news, information and research about lobular breast cancer. As always, remember to discuss your treatment options with your health care team.

LBCA maintains strong partnerships with breast cancer organizations that can support patients with lobular breast cancer in these challenging times. SHARE Cancer Support (844-ASK-SHARE ) and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (800-977-4121) provide support over the telephone and in some cases, groups via videoconference. Find answers to many questions about cancer patients and COVID-19 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s doctor-approved patient information website Cancer.Net. Stay Safe!

Laurie Hutcheson, Executive Director

Lobular Clinical Trials Reopen

One of LBCA’s goals is to increase the number of clinical trials and studies to better understand lobular breast cancer and result in treatments that are the best fit for patients with lobular breast cancer. To achieve this goal, we always seek to identify the lobular trials that exist and publicize them to enable more patients with ILC to participate.

Unfortunately, many clinical trials have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. In some cases, protocols for trials requiring patients to make extra hospital visits for testing and monitoring might have been modified, or enrollment into the trials may have been temporarily halted to avoid subjecting patients and researchers to the risk of COVID-19 exposure. This was the case with A Trial of Endocrine Response in Women with Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer.

The good news is that clinical trials, including the Endocrine Response trial and the PELOPS clinical trial that are focusing on ILC patients, are starting up again and enrolling patients. Some researchers are optimistic that the pandemic has resulted in new knowledge that will contribute to improving clinical trials. Some adaptations necessary during the pandemic, such as relaxing the requirement that patients make “research only” visits, may potentially be applied to future clinical trials to encourage recruitment and make it easier for patients to participate.

In her new article, Cancer Research Clinical Trials During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dr. Priscilla McAuliffe et. al., explains the impact of the pandemic on the Endocrine Response clinical trial, the challenges of continuing a clinical trial during the pandemic, the complicated steps to put it on hold and the positive lessons learned.

Read the Article

COVID-19 won’t keep LBCA Down - How can you Help?

Donate or Run a Personal Fundraiser

It has been devastating that so many ILC advocacy opportunities, like the 2^nd International ILC Symposium, have been

postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to continue advocating for more lobular breast cancer research and education has not changed and neither has our commitment. We continue to identify new and better ways to disseminate information, find and train new patient advocates, and most effectively use virtual formats. LBCA has meant so much to so many patients with lobular breast cancer, and we need to keep it up!

As the economy has suffered during the pandemic, charitable giving has also declined considerably. We need your help. Learn more about how you can make a donation or run a personal fundraiser and other ways you can help LBCA continue its important work.

Consider Running a Personal Fundraiser for LBCA

We are pleased to partner with Living Beyond Breast Cancer to include an educational break-out session on metastatic lobular breast cancer at LBCC's annual conference. The conference was rescheduled to June 13-14 due to Covid-19 and is now virtual. Registration for this conference is free and open to all patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The workshop entitled Medical Update: Lobular Breast Cancer will be led by LBCA Scientific Advisor Rachel Jankowitz, MD. Dr. Jankowitz will pre-record the presentation, which will air from 2-3 pm ET on Sunday, June 14. At 3 pm ET, Dr. Jankowitz and LBCA advocates will participate in a live chat and Q&A with attendees.

Medical Update: Metastatic Lobular Breast Cancer
Sunday, June 14th 2pm ET presentation; 3pm ET discussion and Q&A

Learn More and Register

Copyright © 2020 Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Inc., All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
View LBCA's privacy policy and terms of service on our website.

View this email in your browser

LBCA on Facebook

LBCA on Facebook

LBCA on Twitter

LBCA on Twitter

LobularBreastCancer.org

LobularBreastCancer.org