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- Posted Tuesday November 26, 2013
Seena Magowitz Golf & Spa Weekend raises funds Dec. 7 for TGen pancreatic cancer research
Early detection of aggressive cancer a priority; significant advances made in 2013 with clinical trials, SU2C study and FDA drug approval
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Nov. 26, 2013 - Following concrete progress this year in addressing pancreatic cancer, the 2013 Seena Magowitz Golf & Spa Weekend is poised Dec. 7 to help support continuing advances in treating this highly aggressive cancer.
Nearly 400 participants, including 200 golfers, will help the
Seena Magowitz Foundation raise as much as $500,000 the weekend of
Dec. 6-8 at the 11th annual event, which benefits pancreatic cancer
research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
The charity tournament at the world-famous Arizona Biltmore Resort
and Spa is sponsored by the Seena Magowitz Foundation, which helps
fund TGen's global effort to eradicate pancreatic cancer, the
nation's fourth leading cause of cancer death.
In the coming year, TGen's Physician-In-Chief Dr. Daniel Von Hoff
has made it a priority to identify a way to detect pancreatic
cancer in its early stages. Because there is no method of early
diagnosis, patients are often in the late stages of this aggressive
disease by the time it is discovered.
"This makes it more challenging to treat, even with new and more
effective drugs," Dr. Von Hoff said in a message to tournament
participants. "I would like you to join me on a scientific quest to
find a method for early detection of pancreatic cancer."
Dr. Von Hoff said that - with the help of the Seena Magowitz
Foundation - there were considerable advances made in the past year
in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, including:
• TGen's continuing discoveries about the
mechanisms of pancreatic cancer through the work of its Stand Up to
Cancer (SU2C) Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team.
• TGen's new clinical trial, begun in September,
on a drug derived from a plant known as "Thunder God vine," a root
used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years.
Preclinical studies showed that a pharmaceutical version of the
active ingredient in Thunder God proved effective against
pancreatic cancer cells.
• And most importantly, on Sept. 6 the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of nab-paclitaxel
(also known as Abraxane) in combination with gemcitabine as a
front-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. In
clinical trials supervised by TGen, this drug combination produced
a 27 percent increase in average survival, a 59 percent increase in
patients surviving at least 1 year, and a 125 percent increase in
patients surviving at least 2 years.
The nab-paclitaxel/Abraxane clinical trials were funded, in part,
by the Seena Magowitz Foundation.
"The progress against this disease during 2013 has been nothing
short of phenomenal," said Roger Magowitz, President of the Seena
Magowitz Foundation, which he founded in honor of his mother,
Seena, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2001. "Along with another
successful golf tournament, it is our hope that even more progress
will be made in 2014, including a method of early detection, to
benefit the many patients suffering from this awful cancer."
Karl Glassman, President of Leggett & Platt, is again this
year's tournament Honorary Chairman. He lost his mother to breast
cancer and a dear friend to pancreatic cancer.
"I am humbled by the invitation to serve as this year's Honorary
Chairman of the Seena Magowitz Golf & Spa Weekend. If we
continue working together in a hard-fought campaign to curb this
brutal disease, I'm confident that our efforts will make a
life-changing difference," Glassman said.
Dr. Von Hoff, one of the world's leading authorities on pancreatic
cancer, and Dr. Ron Korn, an expert in radiology and early
detection, and the founder and CEO of Imaging Endpoints, will be
the keynote speakers at the 1 p.m. Dec. 7 luncheon, following that
morning's golf tournament.
The weekend events kick off from 6-11 p.m. Dec. 6 with a special
"Great Gatsby" welcome reception.
The Dec. 7 golf tournament begins with registration at 7 a.m.,
followed by an 8 a.m. shotgun start and ugly/crazy golf pants
contest. Special events for non-golfers begin at 8:30, 9:30, 10
a.m. and 12:30 p.m. In addition to the 1 p.m. luncheon and live
auction, the weekend event is capped by an 8 p.m. Country Comfort
Concert, including: Baillie & the Boys; Highway 101, featuring
Paulette Carlson; Ira Dean; and Alyssa Bonagura.
"The Seena Magowitz Foundation provides national leadership and
key funding for TGen's pancreatic cancer research initiative, and
thanks to their tireless volunteer efforts, companies like Leggett
& Platt and Mattress Firm have involved the home furnishings
industry in this historic effort to end pancreatic cancer," said
Michael Bassoff, President of the non-profit TGen Foundation.
Pancreatic cancer annually takes the lives of more than 38,000
Americans. A staggering 75 percent of those diagnosed die within
the first year, and only 6 percent survive more than five years.
These statistics are changing based on the work done at this
tournament.
Tournament sponsors include: Leggett & Platt, Mattress Firm,
Sleep Inc., Sealy, Serta, Michael Fux Foundation, Comfort
Revolution, Protect-A-Bed, Simmons, Ellman Family Vineyards,
Customatic Adjustable Bedz, Arizona Diamondbacks, La Porte Wealth
Strategies Group, Morley Companies, General Wholesale Beer Company,
Tempur-Pedic, Knickerbocker, Wesley Allen, Francomano &
Francomano, Back To Bed, Bedding Experts, FabricTech, Glideaway,
Outlast, Englander, Donovan's Steakhouse, DreamFit, TMGI,
Subia Creative, Ameriprise, Springs Creative, King Koil, Sleep
Train.
Prospective sponsors and tournament participants may contact:
Roger Magowitz at 602-524-7636 or [email protected];
or Liz McBeth, Tournament Director, at 757-773-3622 or [email protected].
# # #
About the Seena Magowitz Foundation
The Seena Magowitz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization committed to advancing the awareness and eventual
prevention and cure of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is
dedicated to funding top medical institutions on the leading edge
of translational pancreatic cancer research committed to diagnosis,
the advancement of life-extending treatment options and the
ultimate goal of eradicating this deadly killer. For more
information, visit: www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org.
About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused
on helping patients with cancer, neurological disorders and
diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process
of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen
physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of
both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children.
Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical
communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial
contribution to help our patients through efficiency and
effectiveness of the translational process. For more information,
visit:www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
