Online Media Kit

Dear Reporter:

While it's true that mortality rates from most of the major cancers in the US (breast, lung, prostate, colon) have dropped in recent years, cancer still remains an epidemic in this country-- claiming more than 500,000 lives each year. And, the debate over cancer funding and research will certainly escalate as the presidential race heats up.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US, and mortality rates from this complex and lethal illness are rising. Why? Because more research dollars are needed to support scientific research to help develop better approaches for early detection and treatment. Most pancreatic patients die within the first five years of diagnosis; survivor rates remain stagnant at 3%. And, since this cancer leaves such a small percentage of survivors, there are fewer advocates to come together and campaign for increased research and funding. Pancreatic cancer received only 1.5% of the National Cancer Institute's $4.747 billion cancer research budget for 2006.

However, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is working tirelessly to place pancreatic cancer in the forefront and to increase both corporate and federal funding support. In fact, 2007 is the organization's most successful year in terms of private funding and the organization was able to provide numerous research grants to scientists and researchers around the US.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the only national organization to battle pancreatic cancer in a comprehensive way - through research, education, patient services, public policy and advocacy for a cure. Our programs touch the lives of tens of thousands of individuals every year.

The Organization's CEO, 33-year-old Julie Fleshman, MBA / JD, has spent many hours on Capitol Hill lobbying for awareness and increased support for pancreatic cancer. Over the past nine years, she has grown the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network from a 3-person operation based in Los Angeles to a nationwide network of volunteers with a highly respectable Scientific Advisory Board. After losing her father to the disease, Julie has committed her life to mobilizing individuals on a grassroots level, as well as securing the commitment and respect of many of the country's leading researchers and doctors, in a quest to find a cure for this lethal disease.

Please keep these materials on hand as a go-to reference guide for facts and figures on pancreatic cancer. And please place Julie Fleshman on your rolodex as an expert on the overall cancer landscape. She is open and accessible to speaking with media about various aspects of cancer and specifically about pancreatic cancer.

If you have questions or require further information, please let us know.


Resources

About Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Pancreatic Cancer Facts and Figures
Public Figures Affected by Pancreatic Cancer
Meet the President & CEO, Julie Fleshman
Meet our Scientific Advisory Board
2008 NCI Chart

Media Contact

Jennifer Reeves
Public Relations Manager
Phone: 310.321.6542
Email: jreeves@pancan.org