ESOPHAGEAL CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC

AN ACTIVE VOICE FOR PATIENTS AT RISK FOR AND DIAGNOSED WITH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER 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) IN 2011. THE GROUNDBREAKING FINDINGS OF THAT RESEARCH LED TO THE FIRST FDA APPROVAL OF IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER PATIENTS IN 2021. ECAN'S EFFORTS TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF PATIENTS AT RISK FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER HAS CONTINUED AND, THUS FAR, HAS RESULTED IN THE ADDITION OF NEARLY 20 MILLION TO FEDERAL BUDGET FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN SUCCESSFULLY LED THE CHARGE TO MAKE SURE THAT ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS HAVE ACCESS TO A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR CANCER RESEARCH FUND ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPT. OF DEFENSE. AS A RESULT, ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN AWARDED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUNDING SINCE 2021 AND CONTINUE TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR FUNDING EVERY YEAR. IN 2024, ECAN HOSTED ITS FIRST IN-PERSON HILL DAY WHERE MEMBERS OF OUR ECAN COMMUNITY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFF TO ADVOCATE FOR THE NEEDS OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER PATIENTS AND THOSE AT RISK FOR THE DISEASE, INCLUDING THE CONTINUATION OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS' ACCESS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM. ECAN HOSTS A GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM TO PREPARE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO BE THE BEST ADVOCATES POSSIBLE FOR THOSE AT RISK FOR OR DIAGNOSED WITH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN 2017, ECAN FILED A PETITION WITH THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REQUESTING THAT WARNING LABELS BE PUT ON OVER-THE-COUNTER HEARTBURN REMEDIES TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE FACT THAT HEARTBURN CAN CAUSE CANCER. THOUGH THE FDA DID NOT APPROVE THE REQUEST, IT PROVIDED CLEAR GUIDANCE ON HOW SUCH A PETITION COULD BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE FUTURE. IN 2024, ECAN WEIGHED IN ON NEW PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES ON TREATING BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS, THE PRECURSOR TO ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN ASKED FOR A CHANGE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WHO HAVE UNDERGONE TESTS SHOWING A HIGHER RISK OF PROGRESSING TO CANCER. THAT CHANGE WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THE FINAL GUIDELINES. AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DEADLIEST CANCERS COALITION, ECAN STRIVES TO ENSURE THAT THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DEVELOPS A FOCUS ON ESOPHAGEAL CANCER WORKS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH INTO THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND CURE OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN 2009, ECAN LED THE EFFORT TO HAVE APRIL DESIGNATED AS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN STATES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. WITH ECAN'S SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, MORE THAN 150 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 PROVIDES ROBUST PROGRAMMING FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, INCLUDING PROVIDING A TEXT-A-DAY-SERVICE WITH AWARENESS MESSAGES FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SHARE, YARD SIGNS AND PERIWINKLE BLUE LIGHTS SO SUPPORTERS CAN MAKE A STATEMENT IN APRIL, AND MORE. IN 2024, WE HOSTED AN ANIMATED BILLBOARD IN TIMES SQUARE IN NEW YORK CITY WARNING THAT HEARTBURN CAN CAUSE CANCER AND RECOGNIZING ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. SUPPORTING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES ECAN HAS A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH SMART PATIENTS, AN ONLINE SUPPORT PLATFORM THAT INCLUDES A FOCUS ON ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN ALSO PROVIDES FREE ACCESS TO THE INTELLIGENT NUTRITION ASSISTANT INA THAT GIVES 24/7 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT NUTRITION AND EATING ISSUES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAVOR HEALTH. ECAN'S PARTNERSHIP WITH MASSIVE BIO HAS RESULTED IN A FREE CLINICAL TRIAL MATCHING SERVICE FOR OUR ECAN COMMUNITY. PROVIDING TRUSTWORTHY, UP-TO-DATE EDUCATION FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES IN 2023, ECAN CREATED A SERIES OF ANIMATED EDUCATIONAL MODULES THAT CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE BASICS OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND ITS PRECURSOR BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES MANY INTERVIEWS WITH TOP MEDICAL EXPERTS ON THE TOPIC AS WELL AS INTERVIEWS WITH PATIENTS WHO SHARE INSIGHTFUL, FIRST- HAND KNOWLEDGE OF LIVING WITH THESE DIAGNOSES. SINCE 2020, ECAN HAS HOSTED A SERIES OF INFORMATIVE WEBINARS TO EDUCATE PATIENTS AND FAMILIES ABOUT THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND SURVIVORSHIP OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IN 2021, ECAN HOSTED THE FIRST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE FOR PATIENTS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WITH THIS GOAL. A PATH TO SAVE LIVES WAS A THREE-DAY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE THAT FEATURED THE TOP RESEARCHERS AND EXPERTS IN THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT, AND SURVIVORSHIP OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IT RECEIVED RAVE REVIEWS FROM ATTENDEES. ECAN IS PLANNING TO CONTINUE HOSTING VIRTUAL AND/OR HYBRID CONFERENCES IN THE FUTURE. A GUIDE FOR PATIENTS WITH INPUT FROM PHYSICIANS AROUND THE COUNTRY, ECAN DEVELOPED AN INNOVATIVE GUIDE FOR PATIENTS PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE AND CLEAR INFORMATION ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN HEARTBURN AND CANCER. THE GUIDE IS DESIGNED TO HELP PATIENTS ADVOCATE FOR THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE AND IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOAD FROM THE ECAN WEBSITE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. LEGENDARY PARTNERSHIP ECAN IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE ESTATE OF FILM ICON HUMPHREY BOGART WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SHORT IN 1957 BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. FROM 2013 THROUGH 2017, THE HUMPHREY BOGART FILM FESTIVAL IN KEY LARGO, FLORIDA HOSTED A PROJECT THE ESTATE OF HUMPHREY BOGART PARTNERED WITH ECAN TO CREATE. CALLED SCREENINGS FOR SCREENINGS, THE PROJECT FEATURES MOVIE TRAILERS PRODUCED BY ECAN AND PRESENTED BEFORE EACH FILM SHOWN AT THE 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 150 EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS ACROSS THE U.S. AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES SINCE 2010. STEPS TO SAVE LIVES IN 2018 AND 2019, ECAN HOSTED A SERIES OF 5K EVENTS IN CITIES AROUND THE US, INCLUDING NEW YORK, ATLANTA, SUBURBAN DC, SAN DIEGO, AND LOS ANGELES. IN 2020, WHEN COVID PREVENTED IN PERSON EVENTS, ECAN TOOK STEPS TO SAVE LIVES ONLINE. ECAN'S VIRTUAL STEPS TO SAVE LIVES HAS ATTRACTED HUNDREDS OF PARTICIPANTS FROM AROUND THE NATION - AND EVEN THE WORLD - EACH YEAR. 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 GALAS 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. IN 2023, ECAN REPRISED THE CANCER DANCER WITH AN EVENT CALLED GRATEFUL REFLECTIONS TO THANK THOSE WHO PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN LAUNCHING ECAN 15 YEARS EARLIER. 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 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. THIS FUN 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.