Celebrities participate in Stand Up to Cancer event

Kind of a slow cancer news day. Maybe it's the summer heat. So, to numb your neurons further, here is the celebrity oncology round-up.

Lots of big name celebrities are getting behind Stand Up To Cancer, which is a major fundraising initiative to benefit the American Association for Cancer Research. There is a telethon scheduled for September 5th. The most exciting part of this initiative to me is that they are focusing on bringing together diverse researchers to collaborate on "Dream Teams," to accelerate new cancer therapies (Hello! Creator of Dream Teams, I'm available!). This is more than just lip service for the whole "bench to bedside" business. In any case Katie Couric will be there. So will Beyoncé and Mariah Carey. And the list goes on. It will be interesting to see how many ribbons there are and how many are pink (or not).

Patrick Swayze is looking darn good, despite actively undergoing treatment for his unresectable pancreas cancer. He is back to work on a new TV series. Kudos, Patrick!

Paul Newman might have lung cancer, maybe? Judging from the pictures on Martha Stewart's blog, I think it is safe to surmise he has lost quite a bit of weight, though of course we all hope he does not have cancer.

Finally, Leroy Sievers, of NPR "My Cancer" blog fame, died recently. His writing helped a tremendous number of people. Rest in peace, Leroy.