These researchers dedicate their careers to finding new treatments and cures for people with cancer.
Cancer Breakthroughs for People Everywhere
Over the last decade, important advances have been made in cancer research that are leading to better treatments, improved quality of life, and higher survival rates. Patients with lung cancer, in particular, have benefited from new targeted therapies and personalized care. Unfortunately, many people around the world are unable to take advantage of these breakthroughs. Due to inadequate resources, patients in low- to middle-income countries face limited treatment options.
Our mission is to conquer cancer worldwide and ensure everyone receives access to high-quality cancer care. This is why we created programs like the Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe), which provides funds allowing promising early-career oncologists from low- to middle-income countries to train with mentors in the United States, Canada, or Europe.
Understanding How Lung Cancer Impacts People in Brazil
In 2012, Dr. Araujo, a talented physician-scientist at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), received a LIFe grant. Together with his mentor, David Carbone, MD, of Ohio State University (OSU), Dr. Araujo began investigating and genotyping lung cancer in Brazilian patients.
“We’re studying the biology that causes people in Brazil to have lung cancer,” says Dr Araujo. “The biology of lung cancer may differ according to background and ethnicity … there is data to support this among Asians, North Americans, and Europeans, but we have very little data from countries in Latin America.”
Like in the United States, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Brazil. This means Dr. Araujo’s work could impact an enormous number of people in his country.
“Understanding the biology of cancer in Brazil will help us select the right clinical trials and the right drugs for our patients,” explains Dr. Araujo. “If we can select the right drugs, we can make targeted therapies more affordable.”
Cancer Research Making a Difference in the Lives of Millions
Dr. Araujo, who is back in Brazil to share the valuable training and experience that he received at OSU with his colleagues at INCA, notes the vital role his grant has played in making his research possible: “The LIFe funding from Conquer Cancer and the chances I’ve had are unique, and all of them indescribable,” he says. “My career has completely changed in a positive way, and my work is directly impacting the lives of patients with lung cancer.”
“It’s so impactful to think you’re not only treating one, two, or a dozen cancer patients,” says Dr. Araujo. “You’re working to make a difference in thousands, maybe millions of people’s lives with small discoveries.”
