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Nurse is voice for cancer patients, families by Cindy Abole Public Relations Perianesthesia and PACU nurse manager Peggy Anthony, R.N., recognizes the value of sound research and screening protocols, especially for lung cancer patients. Even before MUSC was chosen among 30 national sites to conduct the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), she played an active role as a voice and supporter of improvements in testing and evaluation among lung, esophageal and thoracic cancer patients.   Anthony's husband, John, is a seven-year lung cancer survivor. Anthony credits his primary care physician for requesting for an additional chest X-ray after her husband's cough lingered beyond his recovery from pneumonia. A CT scan and trans-esophageal ultrasound confirmed a Stage III-A lung cancer diagnosis in his right lobe.   Last year, Anthony was invited to serve on patient advocacy committees within the NCI and American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN). She was reappointed to a two-year term with the NCI Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG), an organization created in the late 1990s to unite both the clinical research and advocacy communities plus provide representation on NCI work groups, activities and direct interaction with newly-appointed NCI director John E. Niederhuber, M.D., regarding issues. Anthony was first invited to join the DCLG in 2004.   “My participation provides a seat at the table to listen and communicate information and issues on behalf of MUSC and its patients as well as the state of South Carolina,” said Anthony. “I'm honored to serve in this capacity.”   Among the issues being  addressed by the group is cancer research funding, more advocacy support (including an advocate summit held last June) and exploration of the NCI director's new initiative to coordinate community cancer centers to support cancer care services within statewide communities.   “NCI has been great to ask patient advocates regarding feedback to review information and activities from their own Web site,” Anthony said. “If you get advocates involved from the ground level, you get more of a patient's perspective from the beginning and that's invaluable.”   In addition to her advocacy work with NCI, Anthony is part of a  nine-member ACRIN Patient Advocacy Committee. Because of her vast clinical experiences and interest, she was appointed to the lung, esophageal, and thoracic cancer committee addressing issues. Working with the imaging clinical research community and cancer patient advocates, Anthony will be among a group that will address various issues regarding imaging research, patient education, conferences, communications via the group's Web site, ACRIN literature and publications, etc. Her term with ACRIN will extend to 2009.   “It's great to see physicians, researchers and people come together to work and write protocols or discuss issues,” said Anthony, who is scheduled to attend organized meetings and teleconferences with both groups through 2007. “My expertise may not be as specialized as interpreting statistical information or research data, but I can be able to share if I think a patient will be able to read a brochure or understand information from a Web page relating to cancer care.”   For more information, visit NCI Director's Consumer Liaison Group http://dclg.cancer.gov/about or ACRIN http://www.acrin.org/.     Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.