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Iron Man and Captain America set aside their differences to visit teenage cancer patient

Updated on: May 24, 2016 / 2:47 PM EDT / AP

EL CAJON, CALIF. -- The Avengers have teamed up to help lift the spirits of a teenage fan with cancer.

Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. joined Captain America Chris Evans to visit 18-year-old Ryan Wilcox at his former suburban San Diego high school Monday.

• Avengers disassembled - Who's who in "Captain America: Civil War"

The trip was documented on Instagram by Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Pepper Potts in the "Iron Man" films.

Today @ryanwilcox0303 got a little surprise. Thank you to the incredible #chrisevans and my better work half @robertdowneyjr for being the men you both are. And thank you to the Wilcox family for your hospitality! #ryanstrong A photo posted by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on May 23, 2016 at 12:10pm PDT

KSWB-TV reports students at Grossmont High School made a plea on Facebook this month asking the cast of "Captain America: Civil War" to visit Wilcox, saying it could be the best moment of his life. Evans responded with a video message telling Wilcox to "stay strong."

• Gwyneth Paltrow starts her day with a moon dust smoothie

The station says Wilcox left the school a year and a half ago to battle leukemia.

• Gwyneth Paltrow

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Avengers: Endgame Screening Organized for Cancer Patients

One List One Life has rented a movie theater in Sacramento, California, for a special screening of Avengers: Endgame for cancer patients.

The creators of One List One Life , a crowdfunded video series dedicated to helping cancer patients can complete their bucket lists, have rented out a theater in Sacramento, California, for a screening of Avengers: Endgame for local cancer patients and children in the hospital.

However, Dillon Hill and Clay Stevens have another goal in mind: having the cast of the  Endgame  make a special video for those who attend, encouraging them to stay strong as they undergo treatment. Hill revealed plans for the screening, as well as this special mission, on the Marvel Studios subreddit .

RELATED: Avengers: Endgame to be Screened Early for Terminally Ill Fan

Hill explained the project began with Lexi , a cancer patient who wants to meet a Marvel Cinematic Universe actor. Knowing how difficult that would be to achieve, they decided to attempt to try to surprise her with a video from one of the Avengers themselves. Before long, the larger plan began to form.

"Thing is, we like to think big," Hill wrote. "So, we thought we would try and make this a life-changing event for her and other people that have been affected by cancer. Hence, renting out a theater (and trying to get Marvel's attention)."

He continued, "We know that filling up the theater won't be too hard, but cancer is a truly horrible disease and we hope we'll be able to give an incredible memory by surprising them with a word from some of their heroes."

RELATED: Marvel Kicks Off Avengers: Endgame's Two-Month Countdown

Hill and Stevens' screening will take place April 29 at Studio Movie Grill in Sacramento, California.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland and Anthony Mackie. The film arrives April 26.

Entire Theater Rented Out For Cancer Patients To See ‘Avengers: Endgame’

It’s safe to say that in these days that happy stories surrounding comic fandom are few and far between. Just this past week, we have seen a group attempting to bring down the Rotten Tomatoes score for Captain Marvel ahead of its release next week. So it’s nice that every once in a while we get a little bright spot in the darkness and the latest example of this is possibly one of the brightest – and it involves Avengers: Endgame .

It was revealed today that Charitable Organisation, One List One Life, has rented out an entire Sacramento Theatre so that those suffering from Cancer can enjoy Avengers: Endgame in a friendly and supportive environment. The organization is headed by  Dillon Hill and Clay Stevens, whose main aim is to help those suffering from the terrible disease achieve something from their bucket list.

This recent act of goodwill actually came about in an effort to help Lexi, a girl diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma back in 2017. One of Lexi’s hopes is to actually meet a Marvel actor. After getting the word out over social media via the use of the #AvengerStrong hashtag, the pair eventually decided on the renting of the theater in an attempt to draw attention to the campaign aswell as giving deserving people the chance to check out the highly anticipated sequel.

You can check out a video of Levy’s cause below:

It’s not unknown for members of the cast to help out with campaigns such as this, in the past we have seen actors such as Chris Pratt, Chris Evans and Tom Holland visit children’s hospitals to deliver toys and spread joy to it’s patients. Hopefully someone within the MCU family does manage to see this and give Lexi the chance to knock that wish off her list.

Stories like this definitely restore some faith in the community, although you do have to remember that the majority of fans are good people and it’s only a small minority who choose to ruin it for the rest.

Avengers: Endgame hits theaters in two months time and be sure to help the campaign by sharing #AvengerStrong.

What do you think? Does this act of kindness bring a smile to your face? Let us know below!

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Look to the Stars - the world of celebrity giving

Avengers: endgame stands up to cancer.

April 23, 2019

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), Mastercard and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame announced today that they are teaming up to take down one of the biggest villains of all, cancer, with an impactful new Public Service Announcement scheduled to launch in April.

The PSA campaign features Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame Super Heroes alongside real-life heroes: cancer survivors. The two global brands are collaborating to raise awareness for SU2C to help all patients become long-term survivors. The PSA will come to life across print, TV, radio, digital and out-of-home networks, aligning with the premiere of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame in theaters April 26, 2019.

The new PSA is the latest collaboration between SU2C and Mastercard, marking Mastercard’s 10th year as a supporter of SU2C. To date, Mastercard has donated more than $45 million to SU2C’s collaborative cancer research programs, providing invaluable support for research leading to five FDA approvals for new cancer therapies. This marks the second collaboration between SU2C and Marvel Studios, who collaborated with American Airlines, a longstanding donor to SU2C, on a PSA campaign tied to Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War in 2018.

“It’s incredible to look back at the impact our donations have had on cancer research. We are so proud of what we have been able to accomplish with the help of our cardholders over the last ten years,” said Cheryl Guerin, executive vice president, North America marketing and communications, Mastercard. “This new campaign gives us the extraordinary opportunity to spotlight the heroes of our community— those who have defeated cancer in their own lives. It further underscores the message that no one is alone standing up to this disease and that we are stronger when we join forces. We are so honored to collaborate with Stand Up To Cancer and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame on this galvanizing PSA . Together, we want to create a future where everyone facing a cancer diagnosis becomes a long-term survivor.”

“It’s a privilege to team up with Stand Up To Cancer and its long-time supporter, Mastercard, to spotlight the true heroes of our world,” said Mindy Hamilton, SVP of Marvel Partnerships. “On behalf of the entire studio, we deeply admire the courage, strength and empowering Super Hero examples that patients and survivors continue to set. We look forward to the day when there is an end to cancer.”

“At Stand Up To Cancer, collaboration is the cornerstone of our mission,” said Rusty Robertson, Stand Up To Cancer co-founder. “We are so grateful to Mastercard and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame for standing with us, and to all the survivors who bravely share their personal journeys. This incredible collaboration illustrates how we can all be Super Heroes.”

The print PSA features Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame cast members Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, along with Pearl, a pediatric cancer survivor, Arnold a Myelodysplastic syndrome ( MDS ) survivor and Lori, a breast cancer survivor. Arnold and Pearl are also included in the Spanish language print PSA .

The broadcast PSA , including TV and radio, also features Chris Evans (Captain America) and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), as well as Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Karen Gillan (Nebula), and Danai Gurira (Okoye). Survivors featured include Arnold, Lori and Pearl, as well as Dave, an esophageal cancer survivor, Phuong, a colon cancer survivor, and Robyn, a breast cancer survivor. It is inspired by Stand Up To Cancer’s UK colleagues’ innovative PSA , “The Takedown,” which was created and directed by Melissa Bolton-Klinger, a Stage 3 head and neck cancer survivor. The US adaptation and print campaign were produced by L Associates, an integrated creative agency located in Hollywood, Calif. that focuses on entertainment and brands. 
Mastercard launched its support for SU2C with a “Priceless” PSA which aired during the 2009 MLB World Series. Since then, Mastercard has continued to collaborate with SU2C, most notably on their annual dine out campaign. Over the last 10 years, Mastercard’s donations have significantly supported SU2C’s research in immunotherapy, precision treatments, and the development of technologies using blood tests to identify cancers early, imaging cancers to understand tumor progression, and new laboratory tools to target drug discovery and precision medicine. Financial support from Mastercard currently is helping SU2C to advance the new fields of convergence, bringing mathematicians, physicists and oncologists together to investigate immunotherapy in difficult to treat cancers, as well as cancer interception, which seeks to diagnose cancer and pre-cancerous conditions as early as possible, and develop treatments to intervene in the formation or advancement of cancer.

In 2019, over 1.7 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer, with 1 in 3 Americans diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. This compelling PSA campaign will raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer while also raising funds needed to continue critical ground-breaking research.


Please visit StandUpToCancer.org/Mastercard to learn more about the campaign, and follow us on @SU2C across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.

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Entire Theatre Rented Out So Cancer Patients Can Watch Avengers: Endgame

It is also hoped that a video message from some of the cast will be screened at the event.

Jake Massey

Two Marvel fans have done the work of real-life superheroes and booked out an entire theatre to screen Avengers: Endgame for cancer patients and sick children.

The screening has been organised by Dillon Hill and Clay Stevens, who are always trying to help people with cancer get their bucket lists ticked off through their charity, One List One Life.

Their latest good deed was inspired by Lexi, who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in 2017 and given a 17 per cent chance of surviving. Since then, the charity has helped her tick many things off her list, such as visiting Universal Studios, playing with a pile of puppies and swimming with dolphins.

Number four on her list is her dream of meeting 'any Marvel actor'. Now, obviously this was going to be trickier to arrange than a trip to Universal Studios, so Mr Hill and Mr Stevens had to think outside of the box.

By renting out an entire theatre at Studio Movie Grill in Rocklin, California, USA , the pair are hoping they will generate enough buzz online to catch the attention of Marvel.

The charity isn't necessarily expecting the gesture to secure a face-to-face meet for Lexi, but they're hoping they may be able to arrange a video message to put a smile on her face - and all of the faces in the audience for that matter.

Speaking to ComicBook.com , the One List One Life team, said: "Our end goal for this event is to have a theatre full of people that have been greatly affected by cancer, including Lexi, then surprise them with a video from some of the cast and crew.

"We will be documenting it all, so hopefully we can bring some joy and surprises."

The charity hope as their community grows, they will be able to harness the power of social media to make dreams come true for more and more people.

They said: "Our end goal for the series as a whole is to build a large enough community where we can do awesome stuff like this for other people.

"As an example, we're helping a young Stage 4 cancer patient with his bucket list and one of the things he wants to do is meet The Rock. We plan on building a WWE ring in our back yard as an attempt to raise some viral awareness."

Here's hoping they succeed, and maybe inspire more people to use social media for good.

The Avengers: Endgame screening will take place on 29 April, three days after the film is released.

Topics:  TV and Film , News , Inspirational , Avengers , US News , Avengers: Endgame , Community , US Entertainment , Marvel

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@ jakesmassey

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40 hours of watching movies later and we have completed #AvengeSarcoma ! All 19 Marvel movies in one sitting...BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE #4 on Lexi's bucket list possible. Tweet at Marvel and the Avengers and let them know she wants to 'Meet a Marvel Actor'. @Avengers

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‘The Avengers’ Assembled To Make A Final Wish Come True For A Terminal Cancer Patient

Only the most special of tasks can bring together the entire Avengers team for action. That’s why when Sophie Caldecott took to the Internet to make her father’s dying wish come true, the entire cast and plenty of others from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe sprang to action via #CapForStrat.

“Strat” would be Stratford Caldecott, the father and massive comic book fan who was too ill to go to the theater and see Captain America: The Winter Soldier . And so it began. From Mashable :

Sophie Lippiatt (a freelance journalist whose “pen name” is Sophie Caldecott) started the #CapForStrat initiative, posting about it on her blog early this week. Their mission: to convince Disney/Marvel to send a copy to their home in the U.K., where her father has been given less than three months in his battle with prostate cancer. She went straight to the actors, and wow did they respond. As Sophie later wrote: ‘When we started out on Monday evening, all we wanted to do was to make it possible for my father to see ‘The Winter Soldier’ and maybe to get a few superhero selfies to make him chuckle. In under 48 hours our mission was accomplished, and then … we kind of went viral.’

Mark Ruffalo was the first to get the news and tweet out a photo, soon followed by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans. After too long, the entire team and many of the cast members from Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D . got involved to ensure that Caldecott got his wish.

You can keep an eye on the outpouring of support over at Sophie Lippiatt’s blog , but the group of photos are below. It’s a pretty sweet story and one of the nicer elements made possible by the Internet.

(Via Mashable )

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Fans Rent Out Theater For Free Avengers: Endgame Screening For Cancer Patients

Avengers: Endgame is set to be the biggest blockbuster event of 2019, and it’s the plan of Dillon Hill and Clay Stevens to make the film’s release just a little more special for fans who are currently battling with cancer.

Hill and Stevens are the pair behind One List One Life, a charity that uses digital media as a means of helping cancer patients to check things off their “bucket lists.” This latest campaign, for instance, started when the pair got in contact with a Marvel fan named Lexi, who was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in 2017 and has hopes of meeting a Marvel actor.

In response, One List One has rented out an entire theater with the intent of screening the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War sequel to a room full of cancer patients and patients of a local children’s hospital. With this grand gesture, it’s the charity’s aim to get the attention of Marvel Studios and encourage them to record a personal video for the audience. Speaking to ComicBook.com, the team explained their objectives as follows:

“Our end goal for this event is to have a theater full of people that have been greatly affected by cancer, including Lexi, then surprise them with a video from some of the cast and crew. We will be documenting it all, so hopefully we can bring some joy and surprises.”

The charity has asked fans to use the hashtag #AvengerStrong across social media platforms in an effort to get Marvel Studios to notice the cause. As for One List One Life’s overall vision, the team reportedly intends to build a community around their various missions in order to carry out similar campaigns:

“Our end goal for the series as a whole is to build a large enough community where we can do awesome stuff like this for other people. As an example, we’re helping a young Stage 4 cancer patient with his bucket list and one of the things he wants to do is Meet The Rock…we plan on building a WWE ring in our back yard as an attempt to raise some viral awareness.”

Those interested in learning more can check out the One List One Life website or email them at [email protected] . The free Avengers: Endgame screening for cancer patients will be held at Studio Movie Grill in Rocklin, California on April 29th. In the meantime, the film is set for release on April 26th.

• Entertainment

Marvel to show Avengers: Endgame early to man with terminal illness

Thanks to social media and a phone call to Chris Hemsworth, the man may receive his dying wish.

• Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards

When Avengers fans rally, they rally.

Thanks to huge support on social media, and with the help of Avengers star Chris Hemsworth , Marvel  may grant a 33-year-old Australian man with terminal illness his dying wish of watching Avengers: Endgame before its April release.

The man, known as Alexander, is suffering from liver cancer, mouth cancer and the rare genetic disease Fanconi anemia which affects bone marrow, and could die before the massive film's official cinema release.

Alexander wrote about his condition on Marvel's subreddit on Jan. 5 . He called his post: "Dying Before April: My Endgame."

"Liver cancer, mouth cancer, bone marrow failure. Will probably be dead before April. I've heard of people getting early screenings before," Alexander wrote.

"I'm not a child or anyone with a particularly tragic story. Just a normal guy. I'm 33, lost my sister three years ago to the same rare genetic disease it turns out I have too. I'll leave behind a devoted girlfriend and an adopted greyhound."

"I thought I'd make it to April at least but my bone marrow is toast."

"Any suggestions?"

The response to Alexander's post was massive. A hashtag -- #Avengers4Alexander -- spread on Twitter, directors Anthony and Joe Russo were contacted through their Reddit accounts, and it seems even Chris Hemsworth, star of the Avengers films and three Thor films, got word.

"Also, because Australia is a small place, turns out I know a guy who knows a guy who is chums with Chris Hemsworth. I think they called him tonight on my behalf," Alexander wrote.

Marvel apparently contacted Alexander, who wrote, "I've had a few messages from people assuring me that Disney/Marvel are going to reach out."

Alexander followed up on that post with the incredible news that Disney , which owns Marvel, is getting involved.

"Disney have reached out and we are discussing options. I cried when I read their email."

"It's everything I hoped for and I owe it to all of you."

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How I assembled the Avengers: Daughter of cancer patient Stratford Caldecott explains how Hollywood’s biggest stars came together to grant a dying grandfather’s wish

Marvel to give 60-year-old fan exclusive advance screening of new avengers dvd following worldwide support for #capforstrat campaign, article bookmarked.

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A grandfather dying from prostate cancer has had his final wish granted by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, after his daughter persuaded actors from Marvel’s Avengers films to support his cause on social media.

A huge fan of comic books from an early age, Stratford Caldecott, 60, was diagnosed with cancer in October 2011 and became too ill to see the latest Avengers film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in the cinema.

The DVD release is not until August, and doctors feared that Mr Caldecott would not be around to see it. That was until his daughter, Sophie, intervened.

Coining the Twitter hashtag #CapForStrat, Ms Caldecott encouraged stars on social media to post selfies in support of her father – and the response was overwhelming.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent , she said: “Mark Ruffalo (who plays the Hulk) was the first, and seems to have been encouraging the others to join in. He told me his dad had prostate cancer too, so I guess that's why this resonated with him.”

Samuel L Jackson followed, and before long Mr Caldecott had the backing of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Captain America himself (Chris Evans).

Ms Caldecott said that eventually Christopher Markus, one of the writers who worked on the Avengers films, got in contact to say he might be able to help.

In pictures: The Avengers assembled

“They must have so many requests like this,” Ms Caldecott said. “So we were completely stunned that they got in touch and said that they had heard of our request.

“They are going to send someone round to his house with the film, I guess for security reasons, so dad can watch it in his bed – he can't really sit anymore, for long.”

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The #CapForStrat campaign was also shared by ordinary fans around the world – but Ms Caldecott explained that they didn’t reveal it to her father until Marvel had got in touch.

“We didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing,” she said. “The first 'superhero for Strat selfie' we showed him was Mark Ruffalo's, and he was stunned - his first comment was 'this feels like a dream', and then 'Green is my new favourite colour!' (because of the Hulk, obviously).

“He doesn't like the limelight, but is so very touched. It means a lot to him that this isn't just about blessing his last days, but also about a wider campaign to raise awareness about prostate cancer.”

Ms Caldecott described the family’s anger when her father was diagnosed with an advanced stage of the cancer after almost a year of illness and extensive testing.

“In the US, men over a certain age are regularly checked for prostate cancer just as a matter of course, but it just didn't seem to be on the medical profession's radar here in the UK at all,” she said.

“Prostate cancer doesn't always show up in blood tests, so to be checked effectively for it you have to use other methods. That's the main thing we'd like to get across in terms of cancer awareness. We always thought doing a simple blood test would be enough.”

Mr Caldecott has experienced being a grandfather for just six months, after his daughter had her first baby in November.

Ms Caldecott said: “We all have down moments when it hits us anew that even all of this can't make dad's illness go away, or change the fact that we're losing him, but we're trying to put off thinking about that while we still have time left to celebrate him and enjoy this time together.”

She said that while the campaign initially started out as a way to make dealing with the cancer “bearable”, the significance of comic books went beyond just a simple distraction for her father.

“His whole life he has loved comic books and collected them as a child, and through his illness he has found great relief in the escapism of watching the Marvel films and TV series,” Ms Caldecott said.

“But it's kind of more than just escapism for him - he loves the comics so much because they are all about themes of hope, good fighting evil, and a greater good.

“That's why they have inspired him his whole life, and that's why it's so fitting that this world has become associated with the struggle that people have with cancer.”

For more information about how prostate cancer might affect you, visit prostatecanceruk.org

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The Avengers Make One Cancer Patient’s Dream Come True

The Avengers spend most of their time saving the world from disaster — or, as in Captain America: Civil War , fighting amongst themselves. But as a recent outing proved, the stars of Marvel’s blockbuster cinematic universe are also no slouches when it comes to lifting the spirits of those in difficult circumstances.

As first reported by People.com , 18-year-old Ryan Wilcox from San Diego was recently diagnosed with leukemia for the second time, and in response, he took to Twitter — using the hashtag #ryanstrong — to voice his fandom for, and desire to meet, his Avengers idols. That grassroots campaign attracted the notice of none other than Pepper Potts herself, Gwyneth Paltrow, who was so touched by Ryan’s tale that she convinced her co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans (a.k.a. Iron Man and Captain America) to join her on a surprise visit to Wilcox’s home – a mission that began with Evans sending Ryan a video message encouraging him to keep up the good fight.

Paltrow documented their trip in a series of Instagram pictures:

Let’s do this #ryanstrong @robertdowneyjr #chrisevans A photo posted by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on May 23, 2016 at 10:09am PDT

Today @ryanwilcox0303 got a little surprise. Thank you to the incredible #chrisevans and my better work half @robertdowneyjr for being the men you both are. And thank you to the Wilcox family for your hospitality! #ryanstrong A photo posted by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on May 23, 2016 at 12:10pm PDT

After an afternoon spent hanging out with his favorite Marvel studio stars, Ryan even got Evans to decorate his Captain America-postered bedroom with an autograph.

#Repost @ryanwilcox0303 with @repostapp ・・・ Chris Evans in my room. Robert Downey Jr in my chair #chrisevans #ryanstrong #captainamerica #steverogers #captainrogers #captainsteve #captain #superhereos #marvel #marvelcast #captainsteverogers #christopherrobertevans A photo posted by @chris.evans_whaaat on May 23, 2016 at 11:50am PDT

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Young cancer patient asks to know what happens in avengers 4 as dying wish.

A young Avengers: Infinity War fan in the UK named Keira has only a few months to live, and her dying wish is to learn the plot of Avengers 4.

As fans continue the countdown to  Avengers 4 , one dying fan has put out a plea for Marvel Studios to tell her what happens in the follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War , since she likely won't be able to see it herself. Aside from putting out some of the biggest movies on the planet, Marvel Studios has done their fair share of giving back as well, forming Marvel Studios: Hero Acts  in October 2016, just ahead of the release of Doctor Strange .  The charitable initiative was re-launched earlier this year, when they pledged to donate $250,000 to Starlight Children's Foundation, and also donated a portion of Marvel product sales to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe themselves have also taken time out of their busy schedules to visit children's hospitals. While Spider-Man: Homecoming was in production in October 2016, Tom Holland donned his Spider-Man costume  and paid a surprise visit to an Atlanta children's hospital, to lift the spirits of these ailing kids. Chris Evans and Chris Pratt also took part in a Super Bowl bet when their hometown teams (New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks) were playing in the big game. Each actor showed up at a children's hospital in Boston and Seattle, in full costume, as part of the bet.

Related: The ONE Reason Marvel Villains Are So Disappointing

Earlier this week, the My Shining Star Children's Cancer Charity  sent out an "urgent appeal" on Twitter on behalf of a brave young girl named Keira, who has been fighting brain cancer for the past four and a half years. Sadly, her fight is coming to an end, with the Twitter post revealing she has been given just three to six months left to live. If that prognosis is accurate, that means Keira won't be able to see Avengers 4  in theaters, so her dying wish is, "to find out what happens in the next Infinity War film." The post adds that the family has "tried everything" to make Keira's dying wish come true, and now legions of fans are doing their part as well.

Since the initial Twitter post went out on Tuesday, it has received over 34K retweets and over 20K likes, with several fans retweeting while also reaching out to the MCU stars themselves. Several fans have tagged the official Twitter handles for Marvel Studios, and stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, Dave Bautista, Don Cheadle, directors the Russo Brothers and more. There has been no official response from Marvel Studios or any of the stars just yet, but regardless of what happens, Keira clearly has the support of the MCU fan base, and then some.

Given how secretive everything swirling around Avengers 4  has been, and how it will likely set up Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some might be surprised if Marvel does end up granting young Keira her dying wish. Then again, Keira didn't actually ask to see the movie itself, a wish that would likely be more difficult to grant since the Russo Brothers are still deep in the throes of post-production, with the May 2019 release still several months away. Still, if Marvel and the Russo Brothers do grant this dying wish to Keira, it would be among the most generous gifts they could give to a fan in need.

More: Avengers 4 Theory: The Soul Stone Doesn't Contain the Dead Avengers

Source: My Shining Star Children's Cancer Charity/Twitter

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Home » Using “The Avengers” to explain how cancer treatments work.

Using “The Avengers” to explain how cancer treatments work.

Last updated on March 26, 2019

In a recent talk I gave for colleagues, I ventured outside the box.

I searched for a metaphor to make cancer treatments easy to understand. Around the same time, it so happened my kids decided we needed to re-watch all of The Avengers movies at home. (in order – of course).

Here’s where you get some insight into an oncologist-mom’s brain. While we watched the movies, another part of my brain cogitated on my upcoming talk, and a light-bulb went off.

I could use an Avengers’ character to illustrate each type of cancer treatment.

I was super excited about this idea.

Well…I’m not sure academic medicine was ready for “Oncology 101” given Avengers -style, but afterward, I thought, this sure would make a great blog post!

So here it is, cancer treatments broken down, using The Avengers.

1. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, a la Bruce Banner and The Hulk

The immune checkpoint inhibitors are a class of drug that have been game-changers for cancer treatment.

As of March 9, 2019, there are seven immune checkpoint inhibitors approved by the FDA.

I picked Bruce Banner as the character to represent immune checkpoint inhibitors because his character’s a brilliant scientist, and these drugs are in use today only because of the many real-life brilliant scientists whose work brought these drugs to fruition.

Two of them were recognized in 2018 with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. (their research lab probably doesn’t quite look like this…)

What is an immune checkpoint? you might ask.

In brief, some cancer cells have found a way to evade our bodies’ immune system by “putting the brakes” on the immune cells, our bodies’ natural defenders.

The immune checkpoint inhibitor medications, however, prevent the cancer cells from doing this, in effect “releasing the brakes” on the immune system. The immune defender cells can now recognize and attack the cancer cells. Here’s a short (1 min 20 sec) video on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) website.

In the ideal situation, these medications “take the brakes off” the immune system, so that it only goes after the cancer cells. But a small percentage of the time, the immune system becomes so supercharged, it accidentally attacks the bodies’ normal cells and tissues.

In my talk, I compared this unwanted side effect to The Hulk.

The drug indiscriminately can go after normal cells, not just the bad cancer cells. If that happens, we calm the overactive immune system (The Hulk) back down with immunosuppressant medications.

2. Targeted therapies, a la Hawkeye

The term “targeted therapies” encompasses any medication used in cancer treatment that targets a specific protein or receptor in the cancer cell.

Many of them are oral (pill) medications, making them convenient to take at home without needing to come to the cancer center for infusions.

These medications target the cancer cell with precision, often with minimal effect on normal cells, which means minimal day-to-day side effects.

Some examples of targeted therapy:

• Gleevec (imatinib)
• Tarceva (erlotinib)
• Sutent (sunitinib)
• Tamoxifen (yes, it’s an anti-hormonal therapy, but in some ways it is the original targeted therapy. In use now for over 40 years, it targets the estrogen receptor. Targeted therapy since before the term was even around–pretty cool!

Some patients question the power of a medication if it’s “only a pill.”

I hope the Hawkeye analogy will help you realize that you don’t have to be the biggest Avenger (cancer drug) to be lethal (to cancer cells).

Targeted therapy is powerful therapy!

If you want to read more on targeted therapies, here’s a nice fact sheet from the National Cancer Institute.

3. “Old-school” chemotherapies, a la Captain America

Despite the advent of immunotherapies and the advances of targeted therapies, there are still many cancers that we treat with “chemotherapy.”

As oncologists, when we use the term chemotherapy, we mean any drug that causes direct damage to cancer cells.

As opposed to targeted therapies, general chemotherapy drugs damage cancer cells by damaging a broader cellular mechanism, usually by targeting the DNA or proteins that affect the cell division cycle.

The damage is indiscriminate, but chemotherapy takes advantage of the fast growth rate of cancer cells compared to normal cells. The cancer cells will divide and take up more of the chemotherapy (and thus undergo more harm), than normal cells.

However, some of our bodies’ cells are still actively dividing, including our skin cells, hair cells, mucosal cells (lining of mouth and GI tract). Which is why many of these drugs cause side effects to these other tissues (hair loss, nausea, etc). But these cells can recover, whereas the cancer cells cannot.

It is a tricky balance, in terms of dose and schedule of chemotherapy medications to maximize damage to the cancer cells, and minimize damage to the normal cells. Which is why medical oncologists go through special training.

Some common chemotherapy drugs that still have an active role in cancer treatment today:

• 5FU (5-flourouracil)
• Paclitaxel (“Taxol”) — of note, originally extracted from the Pacific yew tree
• Gemcitabine (“Gemzar)”
• Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)

Here’s a good NCI article on Chemotherapy

If any non- Avengers fans will bear with me for one final Avengers analogy:

If cancer is our Infinity War , what will be the Endgame ?

Support cancer research ! It’s our key to get there!

if you are a patient in search of more information see also this post on adjuvant chemotherapy , and my patient resources page.

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• cancer patients
• cancer research
• chemotherapy definition
• immune checkpoint inhibitor
• what is chemotherapy

Many cancer drugs remain unproven 5 years after accelerated approval, study finds

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s  accelerated approval program  is meant to give patients early access to promising drugs. But how often do these drugs actually improve or extend patients’ lives?

In a new study , researchers found that most cancer drugs granted accelerated approval do not demonstrate such benefits within five years.

“Five years after the initial accelerated approval , you should have a definitive answer,” said Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a cancer specialist and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the research. “Thousands of people are getting those drugs. That seems a mistake if we don’t know whether they work or not.”

The program was created in 1992 to speed access to HIV drugs. Today, 85% of accelerated approvals go to cancer drugs.

It allows the FDA to grant early approval to drugs that show promising initial results for treating debilitating or fatal diseases . In exchange, drug companies are expected to do rigorous testing and produce better evidence before gaining full approval.

Patients get access to drugs earlier, but the tradeoff means some of the medications don’t pan out. It’s up to the FDA or the drugmaker to withdraw disappointing drugs, and sometimes the FDA has decided that less definitive evidence is good enough for a full approval.

The new study found that between 2013 and 2017, there were 46 cancer drugs granted accelerated approval. Of those, 63% were converted to regular approval even though only 43% demonstrated a clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and discussed at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego on Sunday.

It’s unclear how much cancer patients understand about drugs with accelerated approval, said study co-author Dr. Edward Cliff of Harvard Medical School.

“We raise the question: Is that uncertainty being conveyed to patients?” Cliff said.

Drugs that got accelerated approval may be the only option for patients with rare or advanced cancers , said Dr. Jennifer Litton of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who was not involved in the study.

It’s important for doctors to carefully explain the evidence, Litton said.

“It might be shrinking of tumor. It might be how long the tumor stays stable,” Litton said. “You can provide the data you have, but you shouldn’t overpromise.”

Congress recently updated the program, giving the FDA more authority and streamlining the process for withdrawing drugs when companies don’t meet their commitments.

The changes allow the agency “to withdraw approval for a drug approved under accelerated approval, when appropriate, more quickly,” FDA spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones wrote in an email. The FDA can now require that a confirmatory trial be underway when it grants preliminary approval, which speeds up the process of verifying whether a drug works, she said.

The Associated Press