Why Donate?

We don’t know what causes high grade neuroendocrine cervical cancer.  That means we can’t prevent it.  There isn’t a cure for this disease, nor is there a standard treatment protocol to save or prolong patients’ lives.  This a double-edged sword: doctors have to use trial-and-error in the hopes some form of treatment will work, yet insurance companies don’t like to pay for expensive treatments that haven’t been proven.  As a result, many of the women diagnosed with Small Cell Cervical Cancer or Large Cell Cervical Cancer – most of them young women in the prime of their lives – will not survive.  In spite of the odds, some SCCC and LCCC do manage to celebrate victory over this disease.  What treatments are effective?  Are there certain predispositions that determine who will make it, and who will succumb to S/LCCC?  Doctors don’t know – but we are determined to solve this medical mystery and save lives.

Why Donate?

Funds raised through the DamnCancer site go straight to the neuroendocrine SCCC and LCCC research fund at M.D. Anderson.  Donations to the M.D. Anderson fund have so far been used to launch a tumor registry to collect data on the patients with this disease in the hopes of identifying effective treatments.   Other research objectives include expanding genetic analysis efforts in order to better understand the biologic nature of the disease, again with the goal of finding life-saving treatments.

Most people who donate to charities often have limited funds to allocate to worthy causes.  If you are looking for a tangible way to make a difference, we encourage you to consider supporting the fight against SCCC.  The women affected by the disease are daughters, wifes, mothers, sisters, aunts and friends.  Money raised here is not directed towards advertising campaigns or hefty administration costs; instead, it funds the research that we hope will save their lives.