While ASCO's commitment to advancing high-quality cancer care is well known in the cancer community, it is also important to convey this mission to the general public. Over the past several years, ASCO has worked with other organizations to raise awareness of issues in cancer and promote the comprehensive, oncologist-approved cancer information available on ASCO's patient website, Cancer.Net (www.cancer.net).

ASCO is participating in a year-long partnership with U.S. Figure Skating, making the fight against all cancers an official cause of the organization. "Just as skaters rely on their coaches for advice and guidance, people with cancer can rely on Cancer.Net to get the most trusted, doctor-approved information to guide them through their diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship," ASCO CEO Allen S. Lichter, MD, said. "ASCO is pleased to partner with U.S. Figure Skating to bring this valuable information to people everywhere."

Why Figure Skating?

Many prominent figure skaters have faced cancer publicly. For example, former U.S. and Olympic champions Scott Hamilton, Peggy Fleming, and Dorothy Hamill are cancer survivors, and current skater Rena Inoue was successfully treated for lung cancer before winning two U.S. pairs titles with her partner John Baldwin in 2004 and 2006. Figure skating is also the most-watched Olympic sport and is widely viewed by women, according to U.S. Figure Skating, the sport's national governing body. Furthermore, women are the key group making health-care decisions for their families, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

2009 Cancer.Net Skate America and Kaleidoscope

ASCO and Cancer.Net had a unique opportunity to reach a broad audience through two widely publicized figure skating events in November: Skate America and Kaleidoscope. These events helped raise awareness about cancer and educate people about the resources available to patients and their families to the audience who most seeks accurate health information from a trusted source.

Cancer.Net was the title sponsor for Skate America, U.S. Figure Skating's premier annual international competition. This competition was held last fall in Lake Placid, New York, and was featured prominently in national advertising and promotions.

To further increase awareness of issues surrounding women and cancer, ASCO continued its involvement with Kaleidoscope (formerly known as Frosted Pink with a Twist), established in 2008. Cancer.Net again served as the official clinical cancer information resource for the event that was broadcast on FOX on Thanksgiving Day, 2009. In addition, more than 15,000 cancer survivors attended the taping of Kaleidoscope in Washington, DC.

The event marked Mr. Hamilton's and Ms. Hamill's return to the ice as they performed to the live music of fellow cancer survivor Olivia Newton-John and 14-time Grammy Award winner David Foster. Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi and two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan also performed.

Selected portions reprinted from ASCO News & Forum. © American Society of Clinical Oncology. ("ASCO Raises Cancer Awareness through Figure Skating Events." ASCO News & Forum, January 2010: 26-27) All rights reserved.