FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Partners with Perthera in a Precision Cancer Therapy Analysis Program
Comprehensive molecular profiling and analysis services will support development of one of the world’s most robust databases of treatment options for pancreatic cancer
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA and MCLEAN, Va. – June 9, 2014 — The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the national organization fighting pancreatic cancer in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure, and Perthera, a precision cancer therapy firm, today announced a partnership that will provide Perthera’s advanced molecular diagnostic testing and analysis services to pancreatic cancer patients. The partnership will assist pancreatic cancer patients in obtaining a molecular analysis of their tumor with the long-term goal of building a registry of outcomes data to accelerate progress against the disease.
There is an urgent need for therapeutic advances in pancreatic cancer that will lead to improved patient outcomes. With a five-year survival rate of just six percent, pancreatic cancer is the deadliest major cancer in the United States. Approximately 46,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2014, and nearly 40,000 will die of the disease. Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. but will become second only to lung cancer by 2020.
As the only company to currently pair proteomics with targeted genomic analysis in the context of patient history, Perthera bridges the gap between molecular testing and patient therapy and helps oncologists identify personalized treatment options for a patient’s unique cancer.
“Perthera is fully aligned with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in our aim to deliver the finest care and guidance to pancreatic cancer patients,” said Dendy Young, chairman and co-founder of Perthera. “Our goal is to set a new standard wherein every patient can receive personalized options for their treatment plan through a comprehensive molecular analysis and expert medical review.”
Julie Fleshman, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, added that the knowledge that will be gained from the molecular profiling of a patient’s tumor, and from personalized treatment for that patient, is critical to accelerating progress and helping the organization reach its goal to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020.
“Our partnership with Perthera is exciting because we will be assisting individual patients and their principal oncologist in the identification of personalized treatment options to make informed decisions today, a cornerstone philosophy of our extremely successful PanCAN Patient Services, but we will also build an outcomes database to provide information that can accelerate progress for all patients in the future,” she said. “It is a game-changing approach to how we view, study and treat pancreatic cancer.”
Throughout the partnership, both organizations will continue to monitor and track patient outcomes data for future use within the pancreatic cancer research community.
For more information, go to www.pancan.org/knowyourtumor.
About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. Together, we can know, fight and end pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics and better treatments and increase chances of survival.
For more information, visit www.pancan.org. Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter at @pancan and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pancan.
About Perthera
Based in McLean, Virginia, Personalized Cancer Therapy, Inc. (d.b.a. Perthera) offers a concierge service that helps oncologists identify the best treatment options for patients employing chemotherapy to fight cancer. The company uses targeted molecular testing and its proprietary Perthera Expert Oncology technology of molecular cancer profiles to provide options of the latest treatment therapies individualized for each patient and his or her physician.
For more information, visit www.perthera.com, like us on Twitter, or follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY CONTACT:
Dave Anderson, on behalf of Perthera
678-401-2991
dave@andersoninteractivemarcom.com
Jennifer Rosen, on behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
310-706-3362
jrosen@pancan.org
ALL OTHER INQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL THE PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK AT 877-272-6226 OR EMAIL INFO@PANCAN.ORG.