Miss Brooklyn is at It Again

Christina Moore, the reigning Miss Brooklyn and contestant for the upcoming Miss New York pageant, organized an amazing dance program and fundraiser benefiting the Sarcoma Alliance and the Miss Brooklyn Scholarship Organization on May 7. The event was a rousing success, featuring performances by more than 30 dancers and dance organizations and packing the auditorium.

Combining her love of dance with her desire to raise sarcoma awareness, Christina developed Performers with a Purpose: Bringing Sarcoma Awareness Center Stage, a unique program she implemented in three Brooklyn public schools. Christina taught dance clinics and spread the joy of the arts to as many students as possible, culminating in the May 7 fundraiser, which featured her prized pupils as well as amateur and professional dancers, including dancers from the Alvin Ailey Dance Studio.

Earlier, Christina organized the “Cupid’s Cure” Valentine’s Day benefit dinner, honoring her aunt, the equally energetic Josephine Schiavo, diagnosed with sarcoma in 2007 and going strong as the guest of honor. Coming up on June 4, Christina will host another fundraiser at Adventurer’s Park Family Entertainment Center in Brooklyn. For more details, visit the Sarcoma Alliance events page.

Sarcoma Drug Clinical Trial Seeking Patients

Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. has begun a Phase III clinical trial on Palifosfamide, a promising drug for the treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. This is a multicenter, international randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled study of doxorubicin plus palifosfamide compared to doxorubicin plus placebo. Patients must be over 18 years old, have documented sarcoma and have not received prior treatment. Certain subtypes of sarcoma are also not eligible, e.g. alveolar soft-part sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, dermatofibrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, GIST, Kaposi sarcoma, mixed mesodermal tumor / carcinosarcoma and osteosarcoma.

Patients will receive either palifosfamide or a placebo on days 1, 2, and 3 of each cycle of doxorubicin. A maximum of six cycles can be administered.

The trial will be conducted in over 400 centers throughout the world to about 420 patients. Ziopharm hopes to have all patients enrolled by the end of 2011.

For more information on the trial, eligibility requirements and locations please visit: www.picasso3trial.com .

Attention New York City readers

On June 4, come to the Adventurer's Family Entertainment Center at 1824 Shore Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. for an exciting and fun day for the whole family. Meet Christina Moore, Miss Brooklyn 2011, at an event honoring her aunt and sarcoma survivor, Josephine Schiavo, and benefiting the Sarcoma Alliance and the Sarcoma Foundation of America. The day will feature dance performances by "Performers with a Purpose," face painting, temporary tattoos and much more. For information on the park, go to its website or call 718-975-2748.