News | Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2022 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Merit Awards.   

These distinguished awards recognize oncology fellows and trainees who are first authors on top-ranking abstracts selected for presentation at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium on January 20 – 22, 2022.  

These 30 oncology professionals are recognized for their respective field and research advancements within the cancer care community:    

During the winter holidays, celebrate the people on your gift list and give back to patients everywhere. Our 2021 Give Back Guide helps make donating easy and gifting meaningful.  

A few years ago, we introduced you to Bella Raffin. We are thrilled to share this inspiring update.  

Bella was only 8 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, a solid cancerous tumor that begins most often in the nerve cells outside the brain of infants and children younger than 5.  

Mark Crafts is a CONQUER.ORG contributor and a dedicated Conquer Cancer fundraiser.  

Brown Paper Packages tied up with strings... 

Few people would consider a box of chemotherapy medications a gift, but for Mark Crafts, simply being in treatment is among his favorite things this holiday season, because it means he is “still rolling and still climbing.”

Monique was diagnosed with breast cancer during the holiday season 8 years ago. This holiday, she is celebrating every day she has with the people she loves. 

Early diagnosis helped save Monique Robinson’s life. The time spent conquering cancer was filled with sickness and angst, but it actually changed her spirit for the better. 

 “Throughout my cancer journey and to this day, I have become more spiritually devoted and do my best to give back to others,” said Monique. “The best gift ever given to me was a second chance at life.” 

When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer a doctor might predict the success of the treatment based on clinical trials. While the information clinical trials provide is extremely valuable, “it is not precision medicine,” says Harshraj Leuva, MD.  

Dr. Harshraj Leuva received a Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award (YIA) in 2021 to optimize drug development for United States Veterans with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer among U.S. Veterans. In the U.S., it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.