Largest Programs

Esophageal Cancer Action Network Inc. reported its largest program on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:

AMONG ECAN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CRITICAL RESEARCH: ECAN SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED WITH THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE TO CHANGE COURSE AND INCLUDE ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN ITS GENOME MAPPING PROJECT KNOWN AS TH ... (More)
AMONG ECAN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CRITICAL RESEARCH: ECAN SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED WITH THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE TO CHANGE COURSE AND INCLUDE ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN ITS GENOME MAPPING PROJECT KNOWN AS THE CANCER GENOME ATLAS (TCGA). THE GROUNDBREAKING FINDINGS OF THAT RESEARCH WERE PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL NATURE IN JANUARY OF 2017, CREATING A ROADMAP TO EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. AS A RESULT OF THOSE DISCOVERIES, IN 2020 RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY IMMUNOTHERAPIES THAT ARE EFFECTIVE IN BATTLING ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IN 2019, ECAN SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN FOR THE INCLUSION OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN THE US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S PEER-REVIEWED CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM (PRCRP). THIS MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR PROGRAM PROVIDES MEDICAL RESEARCH FUNDING FOR MEDICAL RESEARCHERS IN SELECT CANCERS. ESOPHAGEAL CANCER HAD NEVER BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM BEFORE ECAN'S EFFORTS CONVINCED CONGRESS TO INCLUDE THIS OFTEN-NEGLECTED CANCER IN THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT. EVEN THOUGH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER ACCOUNTS FOR 2.6% OF CANCER DEATHS IN THE US, IT ONLY RECEIVES % OF THE FEDERAL CANCER RESEARCH BUDGET. THAT MADE INCLUSION IN THE PRCRP OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE. IN 2019, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS AMONG PATIENTS WITH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. THIS PARTNERSHIP DOVETAILED WITH ECAN'S NEW ONLINE CLINICAL TRIAL PORTAL DESIGNED TO HELP ESOPHAGEAL CANCER PATIENTS UNDERSTAND HOW TO ACCESS CLINICAL TRIALS AND PROVIDE AN EASY-TO-USE SEARCH PLATFORM TO DISCOVER TRIALS FOR WHICH THEY MAY QUALIFY. ECAN ALSO HAS A PRESENCE AT THE MEETINGS OF RESEARCHERS IN THE BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH NETWORK (BETRNET) OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, BRINGING PATIENT PERSPECTIVES TO DISCUSSIONS OF CRITICAL SCIENTIFIC EFFORTS. AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DEADLIEST CANCERS COALITION, ECAN STRIVES TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH INTO THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND CURE OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN IS ALSO A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE GI CANCERS ALLIANCE WHICH IS A COALITION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES THAT STRIVES TO INCREASE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ALL CANCERS AFFECTING THE DIGESTIVE TRACK. ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: ECAN LED THE EFFORT TO HAVE APRIL DESIGNATED AS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN STATES THROUGHOUT THE NATION. WITH ECAN'S SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, MORE THAN 160 GUBERNATORIAL DECLARATIONS OF EC AWARENESS MONTH HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND IN SOME OTHER NATIONS, AS WELL. APRIL IS NOW OBSERVED AS EC AWARENESS MONTH BY COMPANIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE NATION - AND THE WORLD. ECAN'S FREE REACH OUT KITS FOR EC AWARENESS MONTH HAVE SHARED A LIFE-SAVING MESSAGE WITH SEVERAL MILLION INDIVIDUALS IN THEPAST NINE YEARS. LEGENDARY PARTNERSHIP: ECAN HAS PARTNERED WITH THE ESTATE OF FILM ICON HUMPHREY BOGART WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SHORT IN 1957 BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. THE ESTATE OF HUMPHREY BOGART PARTNERED WITH ECAN TO CREATE A PUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN. CALLED SCREENINGS FOR SCREENINGS. THE PROJECT FEATURES MOVIE TRAILERS PRODUCED BY ECAN AND PRESENTED BEFORE EACH FILM SHOWN AT THE HUMPHREY BOGART FILM FESTIVAL. IN THOSE VIDEOS, BOGART'S SON STEPHEN ENCOURAGES THOSE AT RISK FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER TO "GET CHECKED." EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ECAN SPONSORS AND SUPPORTS MULTIPLE FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS RAISING EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY INCLUDING WALKS, RUNS, BIKE RIDES, GOLF TOURNAMENTS, DINNERS, LIBRARY OUTREACH, SPEAKING EVENTS, ART SHOWS AND MORE. ECAN VOLUNTEERS HAVE HOSTED MORE THAN 100 EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS ACROSS THE U.S. AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES SINCE 2010. TAKING STEPS TO SAVE LIVES: IN 2019, ECAN RAISED AWARENESS AND BUILT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BY HOSTING EIGHT STEPS TO SAVE LIVES 5K EVENTS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ATLANTA, GEORGIA, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA. MAJOR LEAGUES & MAJOR CITIES: IN APRIL 2014, ECAN PRESENTED THE FIRST ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS EVENT IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AT THE STAPLES CENTER WHEN THE NBA'S LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS TOOK ON THE DALLAS MAVERICKS. LATER THAT MONTH, ECAN SPONSORED THE FIRST ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS RACE EVER HELD IN NEW YORK CITY; MORE THAN 1,000 ATTENDED THE TWO-DAY FESTIVAL THAT INCLUDED A 5K, 10K AND HALF MARATHON. CANCER DANCER GALA ~ TAKING STEPS TO SAVE LIVES : IN APRIL 2012, ECAN HOSTED THE FIRST GALA EVER HELD IN THE U.S. TO FOCUS ON ESOPHAGEAL CANCER ADVOCACY. FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN AND UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE ELLEN O. TAUSCHER MOVED THE CROWD OF 300 WITH HER STORY OF SURVIVAL OF STAGE III ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IN 2013, THE CANCER DANCER GALA ATTRACTED A LARGER AUDIENCE AND RAISED MORE THAN $110,000 TO SUPPORT ECAN'S MISSION. IN 2014, THE CANCER DANCER GALA WENT HOLLYWOOD WITH MORE THAN 300 GUESTS AND REMARKS BY ECAN SPOKESMAN STEPHEN BOGART.SERIOUSLY FUNNY: IN 2015, ECAN LAUNCHED ITS NO LAUGHING MATTER CAMPAIGN, A PUBLIC AWARENESS EFFORT THAT USES HUMOR TO HELP FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT REFLUX DISEASE IS A SERIOUS CONDITION. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE CAMPAIGN WAS AN EVENING WITH JEFF FOXWORTHY IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA THAT BROUGHT A NEW AUDIENCE TO OUR MESSAGE AND ENTERTAINED OUR SUPPORTERS WITH A HILARIOUSLY ENTERTAINING EVENING. LEADING UP TO THE EVENT, ECAN HOSTED COMPETITIONS IN COMEDY CLUBS IN EIGHT CITIES THROUGHOUT THE US FOR THE CHANCE TO BE THE OPENING ACT FOR JEFF FOXWORTHY.REACHING FOR THE STARS: ECAN TOOK AWARENESS TO NEW HEIGHTS IN 2015 WITH ITS STORIES TO SAVE LIVES EVENT IN LOS ANGELES. MORE THAN 40 BRAVE PARTICIPANTS RAPPELLED DOWN 24 STORIES OF THE HILTON UNIVERSAL CITY HOTEL ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE WHO HAS FACED ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. TWO RAPPELLERS WERE EC SURVIVORS AND A THIRD WAS A PATIENT BATTLING ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. THISFUN AND MOVING DAY DELIVERED A STRONG MESSAGE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION AND TAKING REFLUX DISEASE SERIOUSLY. CHARM CITY CELEBRITY GAME NIGHT: IN 2016, ECAN BROUGHT TOGETHER 24 BROADCAST CELEBRITIES FROM THE BALTIMORE TV AND RADIO MARKET TO PLAY A FUN AND ENGAGING BALTIMORE VERSION OF HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT. EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE EVENING HONORED THE MEMORY OF A BELOVED NEWSCASTER WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SHORT BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER JERRY TURNER OF WJZ-TV. STRIVING FOR WIDESPREAD AWARENESS: IN MAY OF 2017, ECAN FILED A CITIZEN PETITION WITH THEFOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ASKING THAT A WARNING LABEL BE PLACED ON ALL HEARTBURN REMEDIES SOLD OVER-THE-COUNTER. ECAN REQUESTED A WARNING THAT READS "PERSISTENT HEARTBURN CAN BE A SIGN THAT YOU ARE AT RISK FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. THIS MEDICATION WILL NOT ELIMINATE THAT RISK." IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT FILING, ECAN COMMISSIONED A PUBLIC RESEARCH POLL TO DETERMINE HOW MANY AMERICANS UNDERSTAND THAT REFLUX DISEASE CAN LEAD TO CANCER. OUR STUDY DISCOVERED THAT ONLY 14% OF AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD THAT RISK. BY UNDERTAKING THE PETITION EFFORT, ECAN SOUGHT TO CREATE AN IMPORTANT CHANGE, BUT IT ALSO HAD A MAJOR OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE LINK BETWEEN HEARTBURN AND CANCER. ECAN MADE THE BEST USE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY THROUGH MEDIA OUTREACH THROUGHOUT THE NATION. ECAN'S FDA PETITION AND MARKET RESEARCH FINDINGS GARNERED NEWS COVERAGE IN CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, HOUSTON, AND BALTIMORE, REACHING MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WITH A WARNING THAT REFLUX DISEASE CAN LEAD TO CANCER. ECAN ALSO PUBLISHED AN ONLINE PETITION THAT ATTRACTED MORE THAN 600 SIGNATURES FROM INDIVIDUALS WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IN OCTOBER 2018, THE FDA REJECTED ECAN'S PETITION, ISSUING A LENGTHY OPINION WHICH PROVIDES GUIDANCE ABOUT THE TYPE OF EVIDENCE ECAN WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN REFILING THE PETITION. ECAN PLANS TO FILE THE PETITION AGAIN IN THE FUTURE WITH RESEARCH BASED UPON THE FDA OPINION. (Less)