Author Archive

As people live longer with the virus, they are becoming far more likely than the rest of the population to develop cancers that were not previously associated with AIDS, research has found. “We’re seeing high rates of head and neck cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer and anal cancer,” said John F. Deeken, the director of head and neck oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Researchers have detected the trend for years in separate studies around the world, but their findings were not widely publicized or known. On Thursday, the American Society of Clinical Oncology released an abstract by Deeken outlining a clinical trial by the AIDS Malignancy Consortium to study the effects and safety of a chemotherapy drug to treat non-AIDS-related cancers in HIV-positive patients. Read More→
Categories : Research
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Out With Cancer’s “Please Ask/Please Tell” campaign launches today, encouraging LGBT Cancer Survivors and all Health Care providers to be open about risk, diagnosis, morbidity and outcomes related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender cancer survivorship.

Categories : LGBT Cancer
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John R. Seffrin, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
American Cancer Society

Dear Dr. Seffrin:

I write to you today with the hope of getting a greater understanding about why The American Cancer Society’s Pinellas County branch canceled an LGBT-focused Relay For Life that was scheduled for March 21, 2010.  As described by the event’s organizer, Bobby Poth, American Cancer Society officials “ were worried about how the general public would react to an LGBT-targeted event [and] allowed personal beliefs to play a role in that fear, etc.”

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender cancer survivors, their friends, family and care givers, deserve complete and unfettered support by all of us, including the American Cancer Society. Homophobia is vile and life threatening, particularly to those who are vulnerable because of ongoing health care treatment.   Out With Cancer – The LGBT Cancer Project is our country’s first and leading LGBT cancer survivor support and advocacy national nonprofit organization.  We know that prejudice hurts LGBT cancer survivors, diminishing access to appropriate health care, elevating psycho-social stressors and reducing research into LGBT health care disparities.  To see our country’s largest cancer survivor nonprofit, the American Cancer Society give in to homophobia, is harmful to all of us.

I look forward to your reply on this issue.  Thank you for your consideration.

Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW
Executive Director
Out With Cancer – The LGBT Cancer Project

Categories : Advocacy
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The American Cancer Society’s Pinellas County branch canceled the first-ever LGBT-focused Relay For Life that was slated for March 21.  See Out With Cancer’s letter to the American Cancer Society at http://lgbtcancer.com/out-with-cancer-letter-to-acs-regarding-homophobia/ Read More→

Categories : Advocacy
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Rights of Hospital Patients to Receive Visitors and to Designate Surrogate Decision Makers for Medical Emergencies Read More→

Categories : Advocacy
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Senator’s Letter to Health & Human Services  to: The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius Read More→

Categories : Advocacy, Research
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Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirstin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) today asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate reports that gay and lesbians are being excluded from medical clinical trials. Read More→

Categories : Advocacy, Research
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President tells Lambda Legal client that what happened to her was ‘outrageous’ and thanks her for her courage. Read More→

Categories : Advocacy
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The LGBT organizations working with Jackson Health System on this effort included the Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth, CenterLink, Equality Florida, Florida Together, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Lambda Legal, Miami Workers’ Center, Out with Cancer, Pride Center at Equality Park, SAVE Dade, and the Transgender Equality Rights Initiative. Read More→

Categories : Advocacy
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Gays and lesbians appear to be at higher risk for certain forms of cancer, according to  Dept of Health and Human Services .  Read More→

Categories : Prevention, Research
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