St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Studies Cancer Survivors

Ron Bornstein is the president of the award-winning CommAdvisors telecommunications consulting firm of Aliso Viejo, California. In his charitable giving, Ron Bornstein supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude’s research facility in Memphis, Tennessee, provides a collaborative environment for investigating treatments and cures for cancer. The organization’s LIFE Study delves into better understanding why over 80 percent of American children have long lives after cancer.

Former St. Jude patients receive regular screenings to determine their progress and assess possible recurrences. Scientists have measured the cognitive, cardiac, neurological, and social conditions of more than 4,300 survivors and 580 control group members. These findings enable them to better understand newly-discovered aftereffects of cancer treatments.

The research has several dimensions. St. Jude is studying new methods of discerning health risks and learning about the effects of treatments on various organs and how they interact with other chronic conditions. Doctors are also probing the relationship between cancer and the human genome.

At no cost, patients report for three to four days of comprehensive tests over their adult lives. Over time, these tests provide fresh insights into cancer survivorship.