FIFTH DISTRICT AHEPA FAMILY CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION VISITS FOX CHASE
Several members of the Cancer Foundation Board of of Trustees had the opportunity to visit the Fox Chase cancer research center in Philadelphia. Our Foundation is figured prominently on the wall listing the benefactors of the center. Here are the Trustees posing in front of the citation. Quite an honor for the AHEPA Family!
Our host for the day was Dr. Edna Cukierman, whose research on Pancreatic Cancer was highlighted in our April newsletter (https://fifthdistrictahepacrf.com/april-2025-newsletter/). She introduced us to her team of researchers and collaborators and showed us many elements of the laboratories where the work is conducted. During lunch, she presented us with details of her research and the goals she and her team are working towards. We were delighted to here that Fox Chase values their relationship with the AHEPA Family Cancer Research Foundation which enables the team to pursue this research.
A major goal of the team’s research work is to develop better and earlier cancer detection tests which would ideally be processed through common blood screens. Prostate cancer survival rates have seen remarkable improvement over recent decades, especially for cancers detected at an early stage. Nearly 70% of prostate cancers are now diagnosed when still localized, and both localized and regional cases have a 5-year relative survival rate of about 100% in the U.S. For advanced (distant or metastatic) prostate cancer, survival remains a challenge, with the 5-year relative survival rate at around 32–38%.
These gains are largely attributed to earlier detection through widespread screening, advances in precision treatments, and evolving therapy combinations for advanced disease. Most men with early or intermediate-risk prostate cancer are far more likely to die of other causes than from the cancer itself, and even among high-risk non-metastatic cases, the majority survive for many years when guideline-recommended treatments are followed. However, improving outcomes for metastatic disease continues to be a major focus, as survival increases for advanced-stage patients have not matched the dramatic progress seen for localized disease.
Many thanks to Dr. Cukierman and her team for hosting us at Fox Chase. We wish her and her team continued success.