Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is raising money through COVID Impacts Cancer, an emergency campaign to support patients with cancer, cancer care teams, and researchers. This fund will aid in advancing vital cancer research and expanding support for patients and oncology providers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO
“This effort is a response to the challenges faced by patients with cancer and their families and caregivers,” said ASCO and Conquer Cancer Chief Executive Officer Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO. “We’ve also seen very worrisome constraints placed on the research community as resources are diverted and laboratories were closed as [they were deemed] supposedly nonessential.”
ASCO mobilized its leadership and Conquer Cancer called upon corporate donors to launch the campaign, which is calling on everyone who supports patients and researchers to donate or start a fundraising team through a special site, CONQUER.ORG/WeCan. The fund will also maintain COVID-19 resources for patients and providers established by ASCO when the pandemic began.
A long-term research component of COVID Impacts Cancer is the creation of the ASCO Registry, which will collect baseline and follow-up data on how the virus impacts cancer care and patient outcomes during and after the pandemic.
“Cancer research and researchers are always essential, and we must act now to prevent the slowing of trials, learning, and progress, or we will pay a steep price for years to come,” said Dr. Hudis.
To learn more about the research funded by Conquer Cancer and the COVID Impacts Cancer campaign, visit CONQUER.ORG.
© 2020. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
