Community events focus on pancreatic cancer research and awareness

March 28, 2022

Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network are partnering to promote awareness and research for pancreatic cancer through community events on April 18 and 30.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3 percent of all cancers in the U.S. and about 7 percent of deaths from cancer. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. This is due in part to the absence of symptoms in the early stages of cancer and to the lack of a standardized screening test, such as a mammogram to detect breast cancer or a colonoscopy to detect colorectal cancer.

Learn about clinical care and research at Providence and how you can support PanCAN PDX, the local affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Virtual event: PanCAN PDX Educational Talk

Monday, April 18, 2022, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. PDT
Register

Join Dr. Michele Babicky, medical director of the Providence Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Program, and Providence dietician Grace Laman, MS, RDN, LD, for a free patient education event. Attendees will learn about pancreatic cancer research, clinical trials and oncology nutrition.

About the presenters:

Michele Babicky, M.D., FACS, became a surgical oncologist so she could use her knowledge of medicine and science to help patients at a critical and vulnerable time. She completed her general surgery residency at the University of California San Diego. She then spent two years as a complex general surgical oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Dr. Babicky has a strong background in basic science research, with an emphasis on signal transduction pathways and immunology in pancreatic and bile duct cancers.

Grace Laman, MS, RDN, LD, is a registered dietician nutritionist at Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon. Grace knows that healthy nutrition is a key factor in fighting cancer. She counsels patients based on the type of cancer they have and the challenges they face, and seeks to maximize each patient's ability to get nutrients.

Walk/run: PanCAN PurpleStride

Saturday, April 30, 2022, Portland International Raceway
Join Team Providence

Join Providence as we run/walk with PanCAN PDX to help raise awareness and fund programs to support pancreatic cancer patients. We are committed to honoring our patients and families by sponsoring community events like PurpleStride.

Multidisciplinary care for pancreatic, liver and gallbladder cancers

Providence Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Program serves patients with disorders of the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder and pancreas. Our team of experts offers many services as a “single-source” center for patients.

At Providence, we use a multidisciplinary approach for your treatment. This means we meet as a group – medical oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, oncology nurse navigators, social workers and other experts. Having different viewpoints helps us tailor treatment plans to each person’s needs. Whether you could benefit from radiation, surgery or a clinical trial, we have options to help.

Three studies focus on improving treatments for gastrointestinal cancers