by Life Credit Company | Feb 16, 2017 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
The financial landscape associated with a cancer diagnosis is challenging, especially for those without adequate insurance coverage. According to a new study, seniors with cancer who rely on Medicare for insurance but don’t have a supplemental policy in place can pay as much as 63 percent of their income on treatment. Out-of-pocket costs for such consumers can reach as high as $8,000 a year — and that’s on top of premiums. There are a few reasons for the climbing costs. Medicare covers up to 80 percent of costs associated with cancer treatments, but for the other 20 percent there’s no cap on out-of-pocket expenses cancer patients may have to pay. Cancer treatments can be extremely expensive, with hospitalizations associated with a cancer diagnosis accounting for the greatest health-care costs in the nation. So what financial resources for cancer patients can help ease the burden? One answer lies in supplemental insurance, also called Medigap coverage. Such plans cover the 20-percent gap Medicare expects patients to pay and, because it’s a lower percentage, the premiums are often much lower than those associated with Medicare. Unfortunately, many seniors are unprepared for a cancer diagnosis, let alone the financial realities of cancer; such news can come as a shock to both the system and the wallet. While we keep pushing for increased education about cancer prevention and treatment, we also need to pay attention to financial resources for cancer patients. Life Credit is one such option. With our living benefit loans, we provide up to half of your insurance policy’s death benefit to help people face their cancer diagnosis with one less weight... read more
by Life Credit Company | Feb 9, 2017 | Cancer Research & News
The old phrase “even the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” is welcome news for cancer researchers. A team of scientists recently happened upon an unexpected discovery that could lead to new developments in oncology treatment that provide innovative help for cancer patients. The breakthrough was made by researchers at University of California San Francisco, who were trying out a regimen of drugs called mTOR inhibitors to treat cancer in mice. What they found was that the drugs were able to induce a phenomenon called “suspended animation” in mice embryos, essentially pausing the pregnancy for a number of weeks. The development is similar to a natural process called diapause, which slows down pregnancy when an embryo is lacking proper nutrition. Once the mTOR inhibitors were stopped, the embryos continued to grow and develop into healthy mice. Among the takeaways, researchers think the discovery could provide help for cancer patients by mimicking the diapause process and suppressing the growth of cancer cells. They did, however, note that much more research is needed on this front, as preliminary data suggests that growth of cancer cells can begin again after the mTOR inhibitors are lifted. Cancer isn’t the only area the discovery could affect. Researchers are also looking into its impact on the field of assisted reproduction, as the data suggested the dormant stage created by mTOR inhibitors could be used, instead of freezing, to help doctors test embryos for genetic defects. Even though it was unexpected, the mTOR discovery can revolutionize expectations for cancer treatment. Life Credit CompanyWe are a licensed consumer lender that is dedicated to providing... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jan 26, 2017 | Cancer Research & News
Many of us were taught from an early age how important it is to avoid viruses — lots of hand washing! However, a new method could offer assistance for cancer patients who are being introduced to viruses in an effort to promote their health. The Institute for Cancer Research in London has unveiled a new approach to cancer treatment that involves injecting specialized viruses directly into the bloodstreams of cancer patients. The virus activates the patient’s immune system and is followed up with an immunotherapy drug; the virus and drug work in tandem to energize the immune system to attack cancer cells. The virus approach is also being used alongside radiotherapy to enhance the body’s ability to fight cancer. Another beneficial byproduct of the virus method, researchers say, is that it can counteract the weakening of the immune system by steroids found in most cancer-fighting treatments. Like many efforts to offer innovative assistance for cancer patients, the approach still must meet layers of regulations before it can be incorporated into common cancer treatments. So far, the only method that has gotten full approval is one in which the virus is injected into a tumor, not into a patient’s bloodstream — an approach that isn’t effective if the cancer has spread. To support the effort to advance this potentially life-saving treatment, the Institute for Cancer Research launched Stand Up To Cancer, which has raised more than $25 million in the last four years. “We hope that our approach of adapting and then injecting the body with immune-activating viruses that seek out and target the cancer could bring effective immunotherapies to... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jan 19, 2017 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
We’ve all likely felt the scourge of financial stress. Money worries can impact our mental and emotional health and, according to new research, can also affect our physical health. What the research says Researchers in Italy found a direct link between financial burden and worsening physical health among cancer patients. The National Cancer Institute surveyed more than 3,500 patients suffering from lung, breast or ovarian cancer on an array of issues, including financial struggles relating to their disease. More than a quarter of the patients reported a financial burden, and they were about 30-percent more likely than those without financial stress to have a poor quality of life. When a patient’s financial situation worsened on follow-up surveys — a trend researchers termed “financial toxicity” and which occurred in nearly a quarter of participants — patients faced a 20-percent-greater risk of death. Though the study was limited to Italy, researchers said the results mirror similar data from the United Stats and other countries. Among the big takeaways from the study was the importance of the development of financial resources for cancer patients. Creating financial resources for cancer patients There are many reasons financial struggles can impact a patient’s health. Stress has been proven to negatively impact health, so worrying about making ends meet with medical bills can itself cause a patient to go downhill. Patients who lack financial resources may also not be connected to the best possible care or could face difficulty keeping up with treatments or medications because of cost, which too can be a detriment. Dr. Francesco Perrone said that, apart from monitoring their patients’ physical health,... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jan 12, 2017 | Cancer Research & News
In recent years, DNA — the material that makes each of us tick — has increasingly been studied to reveal everything from ancestry to our risk for certain medical conditions. Now, scientists are exploring our genetic makeup in their quest for innovative ways to develop help for cancer patients. When cancer cells attack our bodies, they do so in part through an enzyme called polymerase, which can help the cells survive DNA damage. Researchers at Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland have proposed a new cancer treatment using a combination of the drugs talazoparib and 5-azacytidine, which together attack the enzyme and prevent cancer cells from flourishing. According to their study, tumors in mice who were given the drug combo were half the size of those in mice that received just one of the two drugs. The therapy also had similar effects in preventing the spread of leukemia. Researchers are forging ahead to make this new help for cancer patients a reality; talazoparib hasn’t yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration but but a similar drug targeting breast- and ovarian-cancer DNA enzymes is quickly moving forward. Drug therapy isn’t the only area where DNA is being explored. The National Institutes of Health is in the midst of recruiting 1 million Americans to participate in a comprehensive, pioneering study about the role of genetics and life style in health. The effort is part of the federal government’s “precision medicine” plan, which refers to tailoring medical treatments according to a person’s genetic makeup, with a special focus on cancer treatment. White House Office of Science and Technology Police associate... read more
by Life Credit Company | Dec 29, 2016 | Cancer Research & News
Scientists in California recently unveiled a pioneering study designed to offer assistance for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a new method to better assess the levels of radiation in a patient battling cancer — which can help health-care providers more accurately target the disease. Previously, patients would submit urine or fecal samples for radiation levels to be analyzed, or could also submit to biokinetic testing. Now, LLNL scientists have developed a blood test to do the same. The approach is known as biodosimetry and involves the comparison of the radiation dosage with selected strands of RNA found in the patient’s blood. “Our data indicate that transcripts, which have been previously identified as biomarkers of external exposures in whole blood and radiotherapy patients, also are good early indicators of internal exposure,” Matt Coleman of the University of California told MedicalXpress. Such information can help the medical team better understand how the radiotherapy is working, and how such therapies can be improved to better attack cancer cells and prevent recurrence. Scientists are now working on a second phase of the trial focused on pediatric neuroblastoma. Radiotherapy is one of the most common techniques used to provide assistance for cancer patients. It has been shown to be effective in eliminating cancer cells that have not metastasized, or spread, and it also is relied on after surgery and other methods to prevent cancer cells from re-forming. Life Credit CompanyWe are a licensed consumer lender that is dedicated to providing financial assistance for patients who are facing serious illness. With a Living Benefit Loan, from Life... read more
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