2007 Luminous Award Winners Highlight Ovarian Cancer Treatment and the Importance of Early Detection
October 31 2007 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
German and British reporters named winners of annual Luminous Award
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One woman's
courageous battle to find the best treatment to fight her ovarian
cancer is the subject of the winning entry in the 2007 Luminous
Award. Launched by Eli Lilly and Company in 2006, the annual award
was created to recognise journalists who bring to light progress in
cancer prevention and treatment and enlighten their audiences
through clear and inspiring reporting. Winners are selected by an
independent panel of judges from around the world. Eli Lilly and
Company is proud to present the 2007 Luminous Award to German
journalist Sabine Thor-Wiedemann from the publication Brigitte --
Germany's leading women's magazine. The award is for her feature
entitled "Survival of the Luckiest," which details a woman's
determination to beat the disease against all odds. The article
also highlights the need for patients to have access to treatments
that meet an international standard. Second place in the
competition also went to an article focusing on ovarian cancer. The
award was presented to Simon Crompton of the U.K. from The Times'
health supplement Body & Soul. His article, "The Silent
Killer," examined the benefit of a simple screening tool and
ongoing research that could lead to early detection, better
treatment and improved survival for thousands of women with ovarian
cancer. Overall, the winning articles seek to enlighten the public
about ovarian cancer with the hope that increased awareness and
screening options will empower women to take action against this
deadly disease. Even though survival rates have improved over
recent years, less than 40 percent of women with ovarian cancer
survive the first five years after diagnosis, compared with nearly
80 percent of breast cancer patients.(1) Although survival depends
on early diagnosis and treatment, ovarian cancer is usually
difficult to detect and as such often arrives unnoticed. John
Stubbs, chairman of Cancer Voices Australia and spokesperson for
the international Luminous Award judging panel, commented that the
standard of the entries for this year's competition was
particularly high. "Ten finalists from eight countries highlighted
the impact that cancer has on people and their desire to bring
important and significant elements to the public domain," Stubbs
said. "We congratulate all finalists on their articles and their
dedication to responsible cancer reporting." In addition to the
global winners, Lilly also presented two Highly Commended
certificates to journalists from Spain and Japan. Spanish
journalist Mayka Sanchez from El Pais, one of Spain's major
national newspapers, was recognized for her article titled "A Very
Personal Therapy" outlining the great importance of molecular
diagnosis in cancer and personalized cancer treatment. The second
Highly Commended certificate went to Japanese journalist Hidetoshi
Oshima from the publication Mainichi Shimbun, for his article
"Drilling Down on Asbestos Issues," which included personal
accounts from people who had lost family members to mesothelioma
after working in a factory, and highlighted the seriousness of
asbestos exposure. "The Luminous Award has grown into a truly
global event, with more than 70 entries received this year from
journalists working in 11 countries," said Garry Nicholson, leader
of the Lilly Oncology global brand development team. "This
competition is part of Lilly Oncology's commitment to go beyond
medicine and to provide support in its broadest sense to people
with cancer and their families. The Luminous Award recognizes
journalists who really make a difference by providing people with
quality information and stories of hope that can inspire and give
people with cancer the strength to continue fighting." The
independent judging panel for the Luminous Award was comprised of
judges from all over the world and, in addition to Stubbs, chairman
of Cancer Voices Australia, the panel included Jaime G. de la
Garza, M.D., research physician, National Institute of Cancerology,
Mexico; Dolores Isla, M.D., Lozano Blesa Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain;
Viktoria Kun J, award-winning healthcare journalist with the
leading Hungarian national daily newspaper, Nepszabadsag, Hungary;
Takeo Sekihara, board member of the Japanese Cancer Society, Japan;
Nicole Zernik, president of the French Forum of Europa Donna, the
European Breast Cancer Coalition and vice president of the European
Organization, France; and Maggie Hampshire, managing editor,
OncoLink, United States. The winner and runner-up of the Luminous
Award is given the choice of one of two prizes; either the
opportunity to be enlightened by the work of a leading oncologist
or cancer researcher or a cash donation to be made in the form of a
scholarship in the winner's name, to help a student continue
his/her studies to become a journalist and enlighten others through
his/her work. By being given the opportunity to either meet a
leading oncologist or cancer researcher, or provide a scholarship,
the enlightenment will continue for the winner and runner-up either
personally or through the future work of a student journalist. The
international 2007 Luminous Award competition was open to business
reporters or general/consumer journalists reporting for newspapers,
magazines, newsletters, websites and broadcast outlets as well as
medical journalists writing for health, pharmaceutical and medical
trade publications. Entries are judged on a series of criteria
including news value, the ability to stimulate awareness about
advances in oncology prevention and treatment, effective
communication for the intended audience and creativity. About Lilly
Oncology, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company For more than four
decades, Lilly Oncology has been collaborating with cancer
researchers to deliver innovative treatment choices and valuable
programs to patients and physicians worldwide. Inspired by the
courageous patients living with cancer, Lilly Oncology is providing
treatments that are considered global standards of care and
developing a broad portfolio of novel targeted therapies to
accelerate the pace and progress of cancer care. About Eli Lilly
and Company Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is
developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class
pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its
own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent
scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind.,
Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for
some of the world's most urgent medical needs. O-LLY (1) The Office
for National Statistics. One- and five-year survival of patients
diagnosed between 1996-1999: Major cancers, sex and age, England
and Wales. Available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ (accessed on
3 October 2007). (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070601/CLF003LOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070601/CLF003LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company
CONTACT: Amy Sousa of Eli Lilly and Company, +1-317-276-8478, ; or
Jean Perkins of CPR Worldwide, +44 207 395 7035, , for Eli Lilly
and Company
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