Patient Support
110 Tumor Blueprints: The Clearity Foundation provided 110 tumor blueprints and individual
consultations to help women battling ovarian cancer with treatment decisions based on the characteristics of their cancers. Read more about the women that we have helped.
325 Tumor Profiles in the Diane Barton Database:
We have compiled tumor profiling data and patient treatment information on 285 women, some of whom have been profiled more than once, during our four years supporting women with ovarian cancer. As we help more individual patients, we are continuing to expand the data in our Diane Barton Database, which may help to change clinical practice in the future. For instance, we used the database in a research study that demonstrated the importance of using tumor samples from the most recent recurrence for profiling. Our research findings were published in February of 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
25% Time Savings: The automation of the Clearity Profile reporting process that was led by Deb Zajchowski and facilitated by Annai Systems and Marc Whitlow, an applications development specialist and Clearity supporter, reduces the time it takes us to enter data and generate each patient tumor profile report. This is the first phase of an automation effort aimed at increasing our efficiency and our capacity to serve more women.
180+ Genes: In 2012, Clearity decided to enlarge its testing panel and engaged Foundation Medicine to use its gene sequencing approach to look for alterations in an additional 180+ genes that are predicted to make tumors responsive to new therapies being tested in clinical trials. This will allow patients to find out if their tumor could be sensitive to a chemotherapy drug on the market, one of the ovarian cancer drugs currently being tested in clinical trials, or a combination of the two. As a result, Clearity is offering the most comprehensive molecular profile available to date. The aim is to give patients more treatment options that may lead to remission.
Public Awareness/Education
203,000 People: The number of people who tuned in to Iowa Public Radio, which interviewed Clearity Foundation founder Laura Shawver on a September 24 show about ovarian cancer.
20 Patients and Advocates: Gynecologic Oncologist Bridgette Duggan, MD and ovarian cancer survivor Helen Gardner met with over 20 patients and advocates to discuss the importance of molecular profiling in recurrent ovarian cancer. The roundtable was educational for the patients, and also allowed them to ask questions and receive answers from both the physician and patient's perspective.
8 City Council Members: In recognition of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the San Diego City Council in September honored The Clearity Foundation's work to increase awareness of the disease and advance ovarian cancer research towards early diagnosis.
250 Attendees: Clearity's 3 personalized medicine events attracted more than 250 people to participate in community discussion about the challenges of making personalized medicine a reality.
2/28 Personalized Medicine is Failing: How Can We Make it Work?
Moderated by: David Nelson, PhD, Epic Sciences
Jamie Christensen, MD, Director of Translational Pharmacology Pfizer
Allen Fremont, MD, PhD, lung cancer survivor and Co-Director at California Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Improvement Center
Lisa Haile, PhD, JD, DLA Piper
5/22 Payers and Physicians: Help or a Hindrance in Bringing Personalized Medicine to Patients?
Moderated by: Michael Pollock, Reynolds Pollock & Assoc.
Bryan Dechairo, MD, Head of Extramural R&D, Medco Research Institute
Bridgette Duggan, MD, Oncologist, Southcoast Gynecologic Oncology
10/23 Technology Innovation is Paving the Way
Moderated by: David Nelson, PhD, Epic Sciences
Michael Pellini, MD, President & CEO, Foundation Medicine
Ronnie Andrews, President, Medical Sciences, Life Technologies
Peter Kuhn, PhD, Assoc. Professor, Scripps Research Institute
Clinical Education
3 Medical Conferences: Clearity leadership attended three major medical conferences and presented at The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings.
The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO)
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
4 Publications/Presentations:
2/12 Treatment-related protein biomarker expression differs between primary and recurrent ovarian carcinomas. Zajchowski D.A., Karlan B.Y., Shawver L.K. in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
6/12 Correlation of tumor profiling results with drug selection in ovarian cancer patients. Zajchowski D.A. and Shawver L.K. at ASCO.
6/12 Proliferation pathway aberration frequencies differ in BRCA1-and BRCA2-mutated ovarian cancers. Zajchowski D.A., Salamon H. and Yamaguchi K.D. at ASCO
6/12 PI3K Pathway Activation and Thromboembolism in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinomas. Diaz E., Fleming N., Nassanian H., Walts A.E., Zajchowski D., Orsulic S., Walsh C. at WAGO
Raising Awareness and Raising Support
$300,000: The amount raised by the first Wheel to Survive spin-a-thon fundraiser held in Dallas to benefit The Clearity Foundation and ovarian cancer research.
$60,000: Donors contributed to Clearity after biotech veteran Peter Johnson, a founder of Agouron Pharmaceuticals and Annai Systems, donated $30,000 to Clearity and challenged others to match it.
Thousands More Raised and Hundreds More Educated: Throughout 2012, board members, patients, families of patients and thousands of others whose lives are touched by ovarian cancer, or who want to change the one-size-fits-all mode of cancer treatment, helped to support The Clearity Foundation. These events included:
- A poker tournament and educational forum
- Participation in the America's Finest City Race
- Fundraiser at The Wine Vault and Bistro
- Art exhibit and fundraiser at the UCSD faculty club
- Diane's Day at the David Barton Gym
- The raffle of a quilt made for Clearity by Julie Crawford
- The sale on Etsy of specially designed turquoise bracelets by artisan Jim Colony.
Whether it was artisan jewelry, sale of a hand-sewn quilt or a fundraising dinner in the Alumni Club at UCSD, the grassroots efforts of this community allowed the Clearity Foundation and the women it serves to become stronger in leading the way to more individualized patient care. Everyone of you has helped the foundation continue to fulfill its mission of helping women with ovarian cancer get access to information that will allow them to make more informed treatment decisions.