Ride Hard Breathe Easy, a Cheltenham-based lung cancer nonprofit, honored Dr. Parth Desai, MBBS, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology at Temple University, with the 2024 Innovation Award,
Fox Chase Cancer Center News reported.
The Innovation Award is presented annually to a researcher at one of the eight RHBE partner hospitals to fund a project that aligns with the organization’s mission and provides support for lung cancer patients. Those presented with the award receive $50,000 to develop their projects.
Desai received the award for his work with patients being treated with the recently approved small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) drug tarlatamab-dlle, also known by its brand name, Imdelltra. According to Desai, early data for this drug showed an impressive overall response rate of 40% and median overall survival of 12 months.
“My colleagues and I are extremely privileged to receive this honor,” said Desai. “This award means a lot because it will help us address disparities that we think will develop related to new developments in treatment for small-cell lung cancer.”
“The Ride Hard Breathe Easy organization provides a tremendous amount of support to Temple and Fox Chase for our lung cancer patients,” noted Roxana Taveira, AVP, Oncology Services at Temple Health. “We are so grateful for their generosity, which elevates our patients’ overall experience by helping to remove barriers to care by providing transportation to appointments, help with food insecurity, and payments for utility bills. The Innovation Award, in particular, will support the specific needs of patients receiving newly available treatment for small-cell lung cancer.”
Since its establishment, Ride Hard Breathe Easy has raised $1 million for lung cancer research and support; bestowed three awards, including the Innovation Award bestowed upon Desai; and helped more than 2,500 patients.
“Mom died of lung cancer in 2011 and when she was sick, we saw a lot of the stuff that you deal with every day—the stigma, the survival rate, the lack of funding—and our family just said that we’re gonna do something,” said RHBE founder John Matthews. “We’ve had a chance to work with Fox Chase and work with Temple and other hospitals, and the main thing we want to do is help patients.”
About Ride Hard Breathe Easy
Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE) was founded by John Matthews after the death of his beloved mother to lung cancer in 2011. The idea began in 2017 as a cross-country bike ride to raise money and awareness and two years later RHBE became a nonprofit organization that has helped hundreds of patients and caregivers dealing with the financial stress of a lung cancer diagnosis. RHBE partners with Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Lung Center, Duke Cancer Institute, Einstein Medical Center, Lung Health Services, Crozer Health, Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, and Dartmouth Cancer Institute to support their lung cancer patients.
For more on RHBE, you can visit their Facebook page.
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Photo: Temple Health