Nancy Januszweski of Plainsboro recently appeared before Congress to request that $10 million be provided for a national blood cancer research initiative through the Department of Defense. She testified that further research could lead both to better treatments for military personnel and veterans whose disease may be associated with prior exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange, as well as patients living with lymphoma.##M:[more]##
Januszweski was diagnosed with Stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) five and a half years ago. She first noticed a handful of enlarged lymph nodes, but was otherwise asymptomatic. Still, a biopsy and further tests revealed that hers was a Stage IV cancer, with significant bone marrow involvement.
“I knew little about lymphoma at the time,” she says. “I was surprised at the number and complexity of decisions I was called on to make about my treatment.”
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Rutgers University, Class of 1985, with a degree in computer science. She worked as a project manager of software development for IBM from 1985 to 1994 and then a consulting company until 2000. Her husband, John, is an executive in the reinsurance industry. Their grown children include Jeffrey Fife, 29; Robyn Januszewski, 28; and Kristin Januszewski, 25. All were raised in Plainsboro and attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School.
While medicine currently has no cure for her type of NHL, a number of promising treatments are under development, and as a result, clinical trials are considered when identifying treatment options. After educating herself about the disease, Januszewski registered to participate in a vaccine clinical trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. The protocol involved seven months of standard chemotherapy followed by an experimental vaccine stage. Her response to chemotherapy, though positive, did not meet the standards for continuing in the study, and she had to exit the trial before the vaccine phase.
Results from chemotherapy were positive enough, however, that she was in partial remission until April, 2002, when the cancer progressed. She then began treatment with a monoclonal antibody called Rituxan, which she received every six months for two years, which put her into clinical remission. She continues to be monitored every three months for disease recurrence.
“I believe I am alive today because of past and ongoing research into treatments — and recent research at that,” she says. “While Rituxan has helped to keep the disease under control, there is no known cure. I strongly support funding for continued research efforts.”
Her treatment experience, along with her involvement in a variety of Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) activities as a cancer patient, prompted her to become a patient advocate and activist. She has channeled time and effort into helping other lymphoma patients and lobbying for blood cancer research.
In 2003 she established the Central New Jersey Chapter of the Lymphoma Research Foundation and continues to serve as the president. She has participated as a member of the Blood Cancer Coalition at Blood Cancer Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., for three years. She is currently a member of the LRF Public Policy Committee.
According to American Cancer Society, approximately 500,”000 Americans are affected by lymphoma, and each year 66,”000 more cases are diagnosed and another 20,”000 will lose their lives to this disease.
Among those who have been or may be diagnosed with lymphoma are military personnel and veterans exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange. The Institute of Medicine has concluded that there is an association between Agent Orange exposure and a number of blood-related cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“The innovative research supported by the Department of Defense should be expanded to encompass all blood cancers,” Januszewski told the panel. “Military personnel may be at special risk for developing conditions like multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and leukemia.”
She is the chairmen of the annual Lymphomathon scheduled for Sunday, May 7, at 9:30 a.m. at Mercer County Park. Visit www.lymphomathon.org or call 800-235-6848 for information.
