Abstract LB-75: The Kidney Cancer Association: A Global Mission–One Person at a Time
Authors: Lawing Michael B. 
Published: June 2012

When the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) began in 1990 with the organizational mission to pursue the vision established by its founder, Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., of a world without kidney cancer, few would have visualized an organization that has grown from a small a group gathering at a kitchen table to an international organization that serves over 55,000 people in more than 100 countries.

The KCA pursues its worldwide mission through the primary areas of education, research, and advocacy utilizing the talents of a small full-time staff. With assistance from a dedicated group of professionals and community members who serve on governing and medical advisory boards, the KCA has been able to play an important role in advances in diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care of renal cancer patients during the past two decades.

This poster presentation will tell a small portion of the impact KCA has made in the field of renal cancer, as well as other cancers, through its committed involvement and collaboration with other voluntary and governmental health organizations. It will outline its outreach to those diagnosed with kidney cancer through its publications and website both of which provide information in an understandable language. It will touch on the KCA's use of social media that includes an extensive library of medical topics on YouTube, a dialogue between over 33,000 Facebook followers, and a 4,000 member forum where survivors and caregivers exchange information and inspiration. It will tell of competitive research grants from given in honor of the KCA's founder Dr. Schonfeld who died in 1997. It will also explain how Schonfeld and the KCA were at the forefront of getting accelerated approval of Interluekin-2 for treatment of kidney cancer patients. While this protocol had many side effects and a low rate of response, for a number of years it was the only option besides surgery for renal cell patients.

Today while there are many treatment options available to the person diagnosed with kidney cancer, many challenges remain. A major component of the KCA's educational outreach is the dissemination of the latest advances and best practices to the medical community for treatment of their patients in remote areas of the globe. Each year, the KCA hosts two symposia: one in Chicago, IL, and another in Europe, where a combined one-thousand attendees have an opportunity to interact and learn from leaders in kidney cancer research and practice. Ronald M. Bukowski, MD, Emeritus Staff and Consultant at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, commented in the Autumn 2010 edition of Kidney Cancer Journal that the 2010 Chicago meeting “provided an exciting educational opportunity… [and] a glimpse of new directions….”

As the KCA continues its third decade of relentless pursuit of its vision and mission, we thank our many supporters; we invite you to view our poster, and to “Catch the Vision!”

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-75. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-75