Overview     

The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is a not-for-profit organization established in August 1998 to advance the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation was named for Marc Lustgarten, Vice Chairman of Cablevision Systems Corporation, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The Lustgarten Foundation concentrates on stimulating the scientific community to conduct the research necessary to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. To date, The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded more than $9 million in support of promising pancreatic cancer research - making it the nation’s largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research.

Public donations to The Lustgarten Foundation exclusively support pancreatic cancer research.

The Foundation has established a Scientific Advisory Board of renowned researchers and clinicians to help direct its research funding activities, and a Corporate Advisory Board of leading cable and media executives to support a national pancreatic cancer public awareness campaign. Former President Jimmy Carter, Honorary Chairman of the Foundation’s Corporate Advisory Board, leads the Foundation’s public awareness campaign with public service announcements (PSA) that appear on major television and cable networks nationwide, and a print version of the PSA that appears in major print vehicles.

Each year, the Foundation co-sponsors an Annual Scientific Conference attracting leading basic scientists and clinicians worldwide. In 2000, The Lustgarten Foundation joined with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to participate in the first-ever Pancreatic Cancer Progress Review Group (PRG) to develop a comprehensive research plan for the disease. As a result of the recommendations of the PRG, NCI committed to fund Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in pancreatic cancer. The SPOREs are five year funding commitments to academic centers, which must then commit significant institutional resources to pancreatic cancer research. Taken together, the SPOREs represent a multi-million dollar federal funding commitment to pancreatic cancer research.

Patient Information

The Lustgarten Foundation, in cooperation with The Oncology Group (Formerly PRR, Inc.) and Pfizer (Formerly Pharmacia Oncology), distributes a comprehensive handbook for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. Myths and Facts About Pancreatic Cancer offers up-to-date information on the disease, clinical trials and support resources as well as a listing of Comprehensive and Clinical Cancer Centers. Individual copies are available free-of-charge by request to The Lustgarten Foundation.