The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

cancer

Phelps Hospital Opens New $8.4 Million High-Tech PET/CT Imaging Suite

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Wednesday, March 30, 2022 Phelps hospital had a ribbon cutting event to launch an $8.4 million cancer imaging suite. (Left to right: Dr. Anna Komorowski, medical director, hemotology/medical oncology Phelps Hospital; Eileen Egan, executive director, Phelps Hospital; Mary L. Melvin, donor and cancer survivor patient; Michael Glennon, assistant vice president, Phelps Hospital; Kevin Beiner, SVP, regional executive director, Northwell Health; and Dr. Anthony Febles, chief of radiology, Northwell Health.)
Photo credit: Northwell Health

Phelps Hospital opened a new $8.4 million high-tech PET/CT imaging suite that will provide patients of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Phelps Hospital everything they need – from diagnosis through treatment – under one roof. Up until now, Phelps patients and the Sleepy Hollow area in need of PET scans had to travel further and have long wait times.  The imaging suite for Phelps, for this community, will make it so much easier for cancer patients and others with cognitive disorders like dementia to receive immediate care. This is the gold standard of care and is critical for these patients.

PET/CT scans are used for patients with lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, neuroendocrine, tumors as well as certain pancreatic, colon and metastatic prostate cancers. They can also be extremely beneficial for geriatric patients with diagnosis and treatment of dementia and other cognitive discorders, as well as for seizure and cardiac patients.

News and Photo Courtesy of Northwell Health

Families Working Together Against Pancreatic Cancer

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Zabeen Mirza as a young girl with her dad Dr. Zobair Ahmed

Efforts Geared Toward Goals of Earlier Detection and Better Survival Odds

Chappaqua resident Zabeen Mirza was in middle school when she first heard the words “pancreatic cancer”.  It was a dramatic discovery–her healthy, active father, an anesthesiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, had suddenly keeled over in pain and was found lying on the floor. Less than six months later, and only 40 years old, he had succumbed to the devastating disease. 

“It was awful–just incomprehensible to know that my father was literally surrounded by the best and the brightest minds in oncology–and they were all helpless, with no answers or treatment,” said Mirza. “We felt such powerlessness, despite all the brilliance and access we had. And there was nowhere to turn for support.”

Ironically, the same year her father passed away, 1999, was the year the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) was established. With a vision to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive, the organization focuses on improving the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer by advancing scientific research, building community, sharing knowledge, and advocating for patients.

“If PanCAN existed while we were going through this with my dad I can’t imagine how the trajectory of my life would be different,” said Mirza, who is now an Event Experience Chair for PanCAN’s annual Purple Stride event, which will be held virtually this April with a goal or raising $290,000. “This organization is truly a lifeline to those battling this unrelenting disease and their families, right from the point of diagnosis. Even if your loved one is no longer with you, PanCAN is there for support.”

A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is devastating, with limited treatment options and a five year survival rate of only 10 percent. There are no early detection tests, no effective long-term treatments and, unless the cancer is surgically removed in its earliest stages, no chance for cure. 

The American Cancer Society’s estimates that, in 2021 alone, over 60,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and nearly 50,000 will die of the disease. Accounting for about 3% of all cancers in the US and 7% of all cancer deaths, the biggest obstacles continue to be early detection and treatment.

Often referred to as a silent killer, symptoms are rarely noticeable in its early stages if they are present at all. They are often vague and can be easy to ignore, making it a challenge to recognize and diagnose. The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen, so tumors are rarely felt or found during a physical exam. Doctors may use a barrage of generalized tests to make a diagnosis but there is STILL no standard test to specifically diagnose pancreatic cancer, complicating matters even more. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because its symptoms (back or stomach pain, bloating, gas, new-onset diabetes) mimic other conditions. Some people carry genetic mutations, including BRCA, that put them at higher risk of developing this disease. There are also some lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking and obesity. 

For Rye resident Tara Shanes-Knebel, it took many months, countless hospital stays, and a litany of frustrating tests to reach her mother’s diagnosis in 2008. 

Tara Shanes-Knebel with her mom Gigi Shanes-Hernandez

“While pancreatic cancer has some common risk factors, my mom did not have ANY–no family history of the disease, she did not smoke, she did not drink, and was a vegetarian- pancreatic cancer was a total shock to our family,” she says. 

 Like many, her mother’s symptoms were not obvious and developed over time–abdominal pain, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, change in stool, and jaundice. By the time she was diagnosed, and after a formidable battle, she died just 11 months later at age 51.

“I was only 25 years old when my mom was taken away from me by pancreatic cancer. She was an amazing mom, wife, friend, daughter, and dedicated her life to helping others. She was taken from us too soon,” she says. Fueled by her mother’s drive and devotion, she continues her fight. “The night before my mom died, she told me she was going to ‘bring a victory flag to Washington, D.C.’ by fighting and surviving this horrible disease. I am now dedicated, in her memory, to awareness and advocacy for pancreatic cancer, as well fundraising to advance research and patient support to help others.”

Tara holding a banner for the Westchester Pancreatic Research Walk she founded.

To honor her mother, Shanes-Knebel created and organized the Westchester Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk in 2010, and the annual walk continues today. She partnered with the Lustgarten Foundation, the world’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Since its inception, the event has raised over $4,000,000 in Westchester alone for pancreatic cancer research. 

Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer annual event from 2019.
(L-R) Mike Greenstein, Jackie Greenstein, Rob Greenstein

The Lustgarten Foundation is also affiliated with Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer which helps educate patients about treatment options and provides hope for patients and families. This particular organization is close to the heart of Rob Greenstein, a Chappaqua resident who lost his sister Jackie to Stage IV pancreatic cancer last year. She was only 56 years old.

“Let’s Win! was co-founded by Jackie’s oncologist Dr. Allyson Ocean with a goal to get the latest science to doctors and patients in real time,” says Greenstein. “Pancreatic cancer that is diagnosed earlier is more treatable, so there is research focused on earlier detection, through blood tests, or monitoring of people that carry the genetic mutations or have a family history of the disease. There are clinical trials becoming more and more available–patients should not be afraid to get second opinions and look for trials that may help them.”

Currently, radiation and chemotherapy are used to prolong life, but low quality of life and high morbidity rates show that there is so much more to do. Research has made small but important  gains in recent years, drawing more attention, and subsequently more funding with high profile cases such as Alex Trebek and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Advances such as immunotherapy, blood tests for early detection, genetic testing and molecular profiling of tumors and a slightly increased survival rate give families, patients, doctors and researchers hope. Funding alone has increased by over 900% in the past 10 years.

“Things are getting better, but the statistics are still grim,” says Mirza. “At PanCAN we often say we ‘wage hope’. This hope needs to be continuously kindled until we have beaten this deadly disease.”

UNDERSTAND YOUR DIAGNOSIS. ASK YOUR DOCTOR:

  • What type of pancreatic cancer do I have?
  • What tests and scans will you use to confirm a pancreatic cancer diagnosis?
  • Where in the pancreas is it located?
  • What is the stage?
  • Has it spread to other organs?
  • What treatments do you recommend? What choices do I have?
  • How many people with pancreatic cancer do you diagnose each year?
  • Can my tumor be removed through surgery? Why or why not?
  • Should my family and I be tested for hereditary pancreatic cancer?

GET A SECOND OPINION:

Always ask for a copy of your medical records and lab results, including:

  • CT scan
  • CA 19-9
  • MRI
  • EUS
  • ERCP
  • Biopsy results

RESOURCES:

Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer: letswinpc.org

Lustgarten Foundation: lustgarten.org

PanCAN: pancan.org

American Cancer Society: cancer.org

Behind ‘Team Katz Fights Cancer’

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… and a Goal to Raise $50,000 to Fight Blood Cancers

By Spencer Katz

In 2008, I turned four years old. That was the year I had a Backyardigans-themed birthday party and dressed up like Batman for Halloween. It was also the year that I first hear the word “cancer” because that was the year that my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. I was only in nursery school and too young to really understand the impact of this diagnosis. But I watched as my mom underwent months of chemotherapy, lost her hair, and fought to survive. Luckily, she did survive. 

 Now that I am 16 and a junior at Horace Greeley High School, I understand the impact of a diagnosis like my mom’s. I have been heartbroken as too many of my friends lost parents to blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, and I have watched many others fight for survival. And blood cancer, specifically leukemia, is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in children and young adults. So I decided to take action to find a cure for blood cancers.

Spencer and his mom, Lisa Katz, a lymphoma survivor

When I was nominated as a candidate in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Students of the Year campaign, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to raise funds and awareness for the fight against blood cancers. Students of the Year is a seven-week philanthropic competition for high school leaders seeking to make an impact in the fight against cancer. I joined the campaign in honor of my mother and all those who currently are fighting blood cancers, and in memory of those who have lost those battles. 

 This year’s campaign begins on January 21st and ends with a grand finale on March 11th. The funds raised benefit the LLS mission to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. And it can help so many others too–many treatments initially developed for blood cancers are now also helping people affected by many different types of cancer. Since the campaign’s inception in 2014, the Students of the Year program has made an incredible impact for cancer research, patient aid, and community outreach programs.

I am so honored to be able to represent Horace Greeley High School and our entire community in this campaign.

 I am aiming high and have set a goal of raising $50,000 to find a cure for blood cancers. Yes, I know that this is an extremely ambitious goal, but I am determined to leave my mark on the fight against cancer to the best of my ability. And I have the legacy of so many loved friends and family as the motivation behind my campaign. My campaign will provide support to the critical work of LLS in hopes that one day no one will have to watch a loved one suffer and fight to survive, or worse, grow up without the ones they love.

 Not only is Students of the Year a great way to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but it is also a great leadership experience for me. Being part of this campaign means so much to be, and I am proud to help my generation be the last to see cancer. I can’t wait to share the exciting updates of the next seven weeks with you. Stay tuned to see what my team and I can accomplish. 

 If anyone reading this feels as I do, it would mean a lot to me if you would consider becoming part of the cure and making a donation to my campaign. To donate online or for more information, please visit my fundraising campaign website Team Katz Fights Cancer!

 And please email me at TeamKatzFightsCancer@gmail.com to share stories of your loved ones impacted by blood cancer. I would love to add them to the list of those I am fighting for. I truly hope that together we can make a true difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families, not just in our community, but everywhere.

“If It’s Not One Thing…”

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(L-R): Don Rosenstein, MD and Justin Yopp, PhD Authors of The Group
PHOTO COURTESY of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

How Programming at Gilda’s Club Helps Those Affected By Cancer

Gilda Radner, and her much-beloved Saturday Night Live comedic characters such as Roseanne Roseannadanna, kept audiences in stitches from the mid-1970s through the actress’s untimely death from ovarian cancer in 1989. Laughter is a gift, and Radner gave most generously. It is in that spirit of giving, and to honor her personal wish that information about her illness be shared to help others fighting cancer, that her husband, Gene Wilder, helped establish Gilda’s Club.

Gilda’s Club is a national network of 22 “clubhouses” dedicated to helping all people living with cancer– patients, their families and friends–free of any financial charges, ongoing obligations or commitments. Local affiliate, Gilda’s Club Westchester*, has welcomed and supported individuals and families in its warmly inviting White Plains clubhouse since opening its signature red doors in 2001.

Help for Bereaving Parents

While Gilda’s Club has a full calendar of regular and ongoing classes, support groups and events, there are often special events as well. And, it’s worth noting, many of these are open to the public without any need of Club Membership. In fact, this coming Monday, April 22nd, from 6 – 7:30 p.m., Gilda’s Club Westchester in partnership with the Bereavement Center of Westchester is hosting a Special Bereavement Parenting Workshop. The workshop will be led by clinical psychologist Dr. Justin Yopp, PhD and psychiatrist Dr. Donald Rosenstein, MD, authors of The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life and co-founders of The Widowed Parent Project.

The Widowed Parent Project began in 2010 with a support group for fathers who had lost their spouses to cancer. From that small original group of widowed men to research that involved more than 400 fathers, to its current commitment to supporting widowed mothers and fathers, the Project is part of the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program at the North Carolina Cancer Hospital and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The highly anticipated evening event is for “parents who have lost a partner to cancer and struggle with experiencing loss as they continue their role as a sole parent.” Yopp and Rosenstein will share their experiences in supporting both widowed fathers and mothers, and provide additional methods for coping with loss of any kind. Children of attendees are invited to come along, and to participate in a concurrent social program facilitated by a professional from Gilda’s Club Westchester’s Children Teens and Families group. Copies of Yopp and Rosenstein’s book will be available for purchase (with all proceeds going to the Widowed Parent Project) and light refreshments will be served.

New Off-Site Cancer Support Group in Northern Westchester

As busy and wonderful as the White Plains clubhouse and its many free programs are and continue to be, Gilda’s Club Westchester’s Director of Clinical Partnerships, Christine Speck, points out that the club’s proximity to people in need can be a deciding factor in determining membership and usage. “Time management is a big part of cancer treatment”, says Speck. Patients have various doctor visits, treatment visits, and also recovery times when they’re just too tired to go anywhere. There’s a lot to consider. Therefore, Speck and her colleague, Programming Manager Debbie Vincent, LMSW, are very excited to announce a new off-site initiative, the Living with Cancer Support Group, especially intended for people in northern Westchester.

Held at the newly renovated Bedford Playhouse, the Group will meet every second and fourth Wednesday from 10–11:30 a.m. beginning in April. It’s worth noting that the Bedford Playhouse is more than a comfortable, convenient locale; it was here that a preview of the thoughtful and moving Gilda Radner documentary, Love, Gilda was screened to great acclaim. The Group “will encourage discussion of personal experiences as well as provide ongoing exploration of emotional and social concerns, while dispensing wisdom and practical advice.” It is open to anyone in active treatment, including those who are not Gilda’s Club Members. Those interested need only sign up ahead of time.

*For further information, please visit Gilda’s Club Westchester website: www.gildasclubwestchester.org

Spinning for the Win – Against Rare Cancers

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Team Sit & Spin 2018

Chances are, you know someone affected by cancer. Maybe a parent, a sibling, child, cousin, best friend. Maybe you, yourself. If so, you deeply understand that it’s a battle against a cunning and deadly foe. That said, through a combination of early detection and new and better treatment options, these days it’s a battle people are winning.

But new and better treatment options don’t just happen; they’re based on years of research and development, followed by clinical trials with carefully selected patients. And, yes, all this science comes at a price. While government spending and grants provide some of the necessary funding*, a huge piece of the funding pie comes from individual donations and fundraising. What’s more, government dollars aren’t allocated equally and rare cancers**, in particular, rely heavily on private fund-raising and donations.

Enter Pleasantville resident Justine Fontinell. Together with her husband Tom Becker and their ten-year-old son Hank, she moved to Pleasantville nearly nine years ago and, though a born-and-bred Manhattan girl, Justine shares that she could not be happier.

Among the reasons? “Pleasantville is an amazingly generous town filled with people who go out of their way to help each other.”

Justine first became aware of Cycle for Survival about six years ago. Both her parents are rare cancer survivors, and Cycle for Survival’s founders’ story, mission, and collaboration with top-tier cancer research center Memorial Sloane Kettering (MSK) – along with their commitment to use every dollar for research and allocate every one of those dollars within six months of every event – spoke to Justine’s desire to support others in their respective fights. Coincidentally, Justine discovered that co-founder Jennifer Goodman Linn suffered from the same rare sarcoma as her father. Feeling compelled to join and contribute to this worthy cause, Justine quickly put together her first Sit and Spin team and, in 2013, raised over $8k. Since that first year, Sit and Spin has grown in membership and, importantly, grown exponentially in funds raised. To date, they have raised over $260k, and this year’s goal of at least $40k would bring the grand total to over $300k! As a former non-profit Director of Development, Justine knows that asking for money isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. She further acknowledges that a ‘personal ask’ feels and is different from a ‘corporate ask.’ That said, she points out that the common principle is a simple one: “people won’t give if you don’t ask.” And, in keeping with this philosophy, she asks every team member to remember that they are “giving people an opportunity to invest in lifesaving research, a donation that will have a direct impact on cancer treatments.” Sit and Spin’s success has been recognized for the last three years with a 10K grant from the Crimson Lion Lavine Family Foundation, as a bonus for achievement in recruiting new donors and increased gifts.

However cliché it may sound, giving to others truly does empower the giver. Justine describes every four-hour fundraising spin relay event as nothing short of extraordinary. A simple look at her accompanying photos leaves no doubt that there is fun and laughter, but, as she also shared, then too there are tears. It’s an emotional as well as physical experience; every gym is tightly packed with bikes and riders, riders write and proudly “wear” on their bodies the names of those they’re honoring, speakers share their personal stories between each leg of the ride, and the collective energy of working together for a cause is an overwhelmingly positive experience.

However cliché it may sound, giving to others truly does empower the giver. Justine describes every four-hour fundraising spin relay event as nothing short of extraordinary. “It’s an overwhelmingly positive experience.”

Justine counts old friends (from as far back as High School) as well as many Pleasantville mom friends as regular participants of her annual teams. Karen McCarthy has lived in Pleasantville and known Justine since their two boys were in preschool together. This will be her fourth year with Cycle for Survival. “I ran into Justine and another team member on my Metro North train ride from NYC to P’ville; they were coming back from a pre-event and I had just seen my doctor at MSK for my six month visit. I always donated to the team, but thought my way of giving back would be to join them. In 2015, I had part of my thyroid removed at MSK due to Thyroid Cancer. Thyroid Cancer is a rare cancer without a lot of funding, but, when discovered early, has a very high cure rate. I now get checked once a year to make sure there is no recurrence.”

Adds P’ville teammate and survivor Vanessa Catalano, “I joined Justine’s team three years ago as a way to celebrate the end of my fight with Stage III Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Throughout my operations and treatments I continued to go to my step and spin classes at the gym.  It was my part in keeping myself as healthy and strong as possible. When I heard about Cycle for Survival I knew it would be a great match for me.” Thrilled to have celebrated two years in remission this past December, Vanessa, noting that she and her family received tremendous love and support throughout her battle, adds, “part of my survival is remembering that and paying it forward through this event.” To date, Vanessa’s brother is the only male to have joined team Sit and Spin. However, Justine welcomes all who are willing to work hard to join her!

For further Cycle for Survival information, please visit: cycleforsurvival.org

*Current Fiscal Year (FY 2019) Budget: The FY 2019 Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act included $5.74 billion for NCI, a $79 million increase over FY 2018. Source NIH/NCI website
**Described by Cycle for Survival as: brain, pancreatic, ovarian, thyroid, and stomach cancers; leukemia and lymphoma; all pediatric cancers; and many others.