The Angiosarcoma Project

Joel Nowak talks with Dr. Corrie Painter. who is an eight-year Cancer Thriver with Angiosarcoma, a very rare and lethal cancer of the interior of the blood vessels. 

Dr. Painter is a researcher with the Broad Institute of MIT and Dana Farber. She is instrumental in designing and executing the Broad’s research project, The Angiosarcoma Project as well as their Metastatic Breast and Metastatic Prostate Cancer Projects. 

Dr. Painter shares her heart wrenching story of being diagnosed with Angiosarcoma, how she made her treatment decisions when there was no treatment available that had demonstrated any effectiveness in treating her cancer, and how she searched out others with the disease to find that many were no longer alive. 

Dr. Painter, who is an outlier, has been involved in the development of the Angiosarcoma Project that is a patient driven project that is defining the genetic map underlying Angiosarcoma and its potential treatments. 

The project is recruiting others with Angiosarcoma to participate by going to the website at www.ASCProject.org and clicking the “Count Me In” button. Cancer Thrivers who are counted in will be asked to contribute, from their home, blood, saliva and tissue samples for genetic sequencing as well as signing releases for the project to obtain their medical records. The project will map the genetics of Angiosarcoma and learn about how it relates to drug therapy and treatment efficacy. 

Cancer Thrivers who are “counted in” will receive regular updates on what is learned by the project.

To be counted in go to the site at www.ASCProject.org and clicking the “Count Me In” button. 

WARNING – Dr. Painters story is very informative, but will pull your heartstrings.

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