Exactly. I get frustrated when support groups get pushed on new patients with no context or preparation. Yes the support is incredible but there's an emotional cost to constantly losing people.

The debates were a highlight for me. It was incredibly helpful to have a high-level, "what do these findings mean for patients" summary.

Plus - scientists can be FUNNY. Every comedian loves a good roast, and the best roasts come from a place of mutual respect, which was the case here.

I was impressed by the inclusion of financial and time toxicity in the discussion. It really feels like these aspects of treatment are becoming more understood.

And the level of granularity for biomarkers is astounding. Personalised treatments are already here and expanding their reach.

And hearing about new breakthroughs is always exciting. But as @narjustflorezmd.bsky.social pointed out in her presentation, what's statistically significant in a clinical trial isn't always meaningful to a patient, especially the increasing proportion of people being diagnosed under 50.

The training through the IASLC STARS PRA program has been invaluable. Being able to understand study results and all the different graphs - priceless.

But it's hard knowing that those graphs are made up of the lives (and, often, deaths) of patients like you. People you might even know.

SUBSCRIBE ✨

SUBSTACK: rachelgilmore.substack.com
PATREON: patreon.com/rachelgilmore
TWITCH: twitch.tv/rachel_gilmore
YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/@AtRachelGilmore
SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/show/5uP73Dl...
APPLE PODCASTS: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/b...

I get an error for that link. What's the specific study so i can look it up?