I learned today that Teresa's husband, Richard, has passed away. I wrote about Richard and Teresa a few days ago, thanking Teresa for continuing to post thoughout his final days. Pattie and I wish nothing but the best for her as she tries to adjust to a new, different life.
Try to keep smiling, Teresa. One breath, one step, one day at a time.
Pat & Pattie
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
A Hopeful Meeting
Yesterday I bumped into an old friend who, like me, has multiple myeloma. Loren is probably ten years older than I am. Like me, he is also a real estate agent who works in a neighboring community. Loren was diagnosed with myeloma thirteen years ago. Thirteen years! It is very unusual for someone with this type of cancer to live that long. Only five percent live longer than ten years. Last autumn, Loren fell while hunting elk in Wyoming. (Loren, what were you thinking?) Anyway, he broke his arm and doctors discovered a new lesion, or tumor, at the site of the break. This worried his doctors because Loren's blood work and markers looked good. He didn't admit it, but Loren seemed worried too. Two months ago Loren enrolled in a Mayo Clinic study featuring a new drug. Within one month his tumor was gone! I have never seen him so excited! Thirteen years and counting!
That should make you feel good and keep smiling! It sure worked for me!
That should make you feel good and keep smiling! It sure worked for me!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
This Is Real Life
I have been following a sad, yet touching blog site aptly called The Beast. The blog's author,Teresa, is a family nurse practitioner, not currently working. Her husband Richard was a fifth grade teacher. He retired on disability in 2005 after thirty years of teaching. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April of 1999, one week after his 49th birthday. Richard is close to death. Although I have never met them I feel close and care about their lives. Teresa is very brave and seems to be an exceptionally loving wife. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her to watch Richard slowly slipping away. Even so she posts on her blog regularly, good news or bad. If you visit Teresa's site, http://www.purpleride.blogspot.com/, take the time to go back a ways and read some posts from the better, more hopeful times. Pattie and I wish both Teresa and Richard the best. Our prayers are with both of them.
Try to feel good and keep smiling, Teresa! Pat & Pattie
Try to feel good and keep smiling, Teresa! Pat & Pattie
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tumors of the Pituitary Gland
Most tumors of the pituitary gland are benign. Often excess hormones are produced, causing a wide variety of symptoms. Treatment is usually surgical, although radiation is often used as well. A patient's vision is often affected, either by the tumor and/or the treatment. Sometimes it improves with time. To learn more about how tumors affect the pituitary gland, go to www.pituitary.org for an excellent video overview of causes and treatment options.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Easy Access To Info About Colon Cancer
On the right side of this page you will find a link to the American Cancer Society's in-depth Website about colon and rectal cancer. 10% of all the cancers diagnosed each year in the United States originate in the colon or rectum. My elderly mother-in-law was treated for this disorder a decade ago and is still alive today. Take a few moments and read about this common type of cancer by clicking on the colon and rectum cancer link described above.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Monday, February 23, 2009
Are More Drug Studies Overseas Good Or Bad?
Here is a thought-provoking article run last week:
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new report contends many clinical drug trials are now being run outside the United States and in far reaches of the globe, and that the trend raises troubling ethical and medical issues.
The implications of this, according to Dr. Kevin A. Schulman, senior study author, are that drugs are being tested on people who may not align with the types of patients in the United States who would ultimately use the drug.
"At the end of the day" with such a scenario, added Schulman, a professor of medicine and business administration at Duke University, in Durham, N.C., "would [the potential drug] work the same way here? We may not know the answer to that question."
Dr. Robert M. Califf, a Duke University medical professor who is rumored to be one of President Barack Obama's candidates to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees clinical trials in the United States, was a co-author of the research. Their report appears in the Feb. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Their review of a U.S. government clinical trials registry and of 300 published reports in major medical journals revealed this: A third (157 of 509) of Phase 3 trials -- typically the largest and most significant trial in the development of a drug -- led by major U.S. pharmaceutical companies were being conducted entirely outside the United States. In addition, half of the study sites (13,521 of 24,206) used in these trials were located overseas, with many in Eastern Europe and Asia.
At the same time, the researchers found, the number of FDA-regulated investigators running trials abroad has increased by 15 percent each year, while the number of U.S.-based investigators declined 5.5 percent annually.
Several forces are pushing trials elsewhere, the researchers noted: cost (a trial at a top medical center in India may cost less than one-tenth per patient what it would cost at a second-tier U.S. center); faster approval times; and less red tape.
"One reason the industry is going abroad is the fact that there are complicated regulations [in the U.S.] discouraging pharmaceutical companies, although the main driving force is cost," said Adil Shamoo, a biochemistry and bioethics professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore and editor-in-chief of Accountability in Research.
But what happens to the rights of human subjects, and to the types of drugs being developed?
"Are their rights being protected? Are they being given unfair financial inducements to participate?" Schulman asked. "That's very hard to govern and regulate and even to understand."
"The public and potential volunteers in the U.S. are more aware of their rights in the U.S. than in populations elsewhere," added Shamoo. "If we have a hard time reporting adverse events in this country, can you imagine how that would be in poor countries?"
Another consideration is whether drugs approved via trials overseas would actually be available at a reasonable cost in those countries.
And whether overseas trials even test drugs that are needed in those countries is also a question, the study authors said, citing, for example, that drugs for overactive bladder and fibromyalgia are being developed in countries where diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are prevalent.
"There's a huge benefit to research being conducted in the U.S.," Schulman said. "At a national level, we need to understand which therapies Medicare should pay for and which are effective in a Medicare [older] population, and we can only answer those questions if we do the research here."
Reacting to the report, FDA spokeswoman Karen Riley said the agency weighs in on clinical trials in many venues, and "is doing a number of things to enhance foreign oversight."
She added, "There is no prohibition against doing research in the developing world, and FDA expects sponsors and researchers to follow the applicable laws and regulations of the country or countries in which the trials will be conducted. Fortunately, international standards have been almost universally adopted. The next step for countries is to enforce these standards."
So much to digest and think about here! More and faster clinical studies. Good. I find the argument that, just because the studies are done in Asia, they don't apply to Americans weak and borderline racist. However, the part that concerns me is that we, as American patients, won't have the opportunity to participate in these studies if they are done overseas. That means fewer opportunities for subsidized or free drugs through the studies. Also less employment opportunities here at home.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new report contends many clinical drug trials are now being run outside the United States and in far reaches of the globe, and that the trend raises troubling ethical and medical issues.
The implications of this, according to Dr. Kevin A. Schulman, senior study author, are that drugs are being tested on people who may not align with the types of patients in the United States who would ultimately use the drug.
"At the end of the day" with such a scenario, added Schulman, a professor of medicine and business administration at Duke University, in Durham, N.C., "would [the potential drug] work the same way here? We may not know the answer to that question."
Dr. Robert M. Califf, a Duke University medical professor who is rumored to be one of President Barack Obama's candidates to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees clinical trials in the United States, was a co-author of the research. Their report appears in the Feb. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Their review of a U.S. government clinical trials registry and of 300 published reports in major medical journals revealed this: A third (157 of 509) of Phase 3 trials -- typically the largest and most significant trial in the development of a drug -- led by major U.S. pharmaceutical companies were being conducted entirely outside the United States. In addition, half of the study sites (13,521 of 24,206) used in these trials were located overseas, with many in Eastern Europe and Asia.
At the same time, the researchers found, the number of FDA-regulated investigators running trials abroad has increased by 15 percent each year, while the number of U.S.-based investigators declined 5.5 percent annually.
Several forces are pushing trials elsewhere, the researchers noted: cost (a trial at a top medical center in India may cost less than one-tenth per patient what it would cost at a second-tier U.S. center); faster approval times; and less red tape.
"One reason the industry is going abroad is the fact that there are complicated regulations [in the U.S.] discouraging pharmaceutical companies, although the main driving force is cost," said Adil Shamoo, a biochemistry and bioethics professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore and editor-in-chief of Accountability in Research.
But what happens to the rights of human subjects, and to the types of drugs being developed?
"Are their rights being protected? Are they being given unfair financial inducements to participate?" Schulman asked. "That's very hard to govern and regulate and even to understand."
"The public and potential volunteers in the U.S. are more aware of their rights in the U.S. than in populations elsewhere," added Shamoo. "If we have a hard time reporting adverse events in this country, can you imagine how that would be in poor countries?"
Another consideration is whether drugs approved via trials overseas would actually be available at a reasonable cost in those countries.
And whether overseas trials even test drugs that are needed in those countries is also a question, the study authors said, citing, for example, that drugs for overactive bladder and fibromyalgia are being developed in countries where diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are prevalent.
"There's a huge benefit to research being conducted in the U.S.," Schulman said. "At a national level, we need to understand which therapies Medicare should pay for and which are effective in a Medicare [older] population, and we can only answer those questions if we do the research here."
Reacting to the report, FDA spokeswoman Karen Riley said the agency weighs in on clinical trials in many venues, and "is doing a number of things to enhance foreign oversight."
She added, "There is no prohibition against doing research in the developing world, and FDA expects sponsors and researchers to follow the applicable laws and regulations of the country or countries in which the trials will be conducted. Fortunately, international standards have been almost universally adopted. The next step for countries is to enforce these standards."
So much to digest and think about here! More and faster clinical studies. Good. I find the argument that, just because the studies are done in Asia, they don't apply to Americans weak and borderline racist. However, the part that concerns me is that we, as American patients, won't have the opportunity to participate in these studies if they are done overseas. That means fewer opportunities for subsidized or free drugs through the studies. Also less employment opportunities here at home.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Doctors Can/Should Learn To Have Better Bedside Manner
Here is an interesting letter a friend from our myeloma support group forwarded me from EverydayHealth.com:
A recent study showing that compassion can indeed be taught crossed the newswires recently, and boy did it hit a chord. Last I checked, there were 173 comments in response to New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope’s post about the study on her blog “Well.”
Admittedly, I didn’t read every single comment, but I read a good chunk of them, and people were all over the map in terms of whether they buy the idea that you can teach someone to be a more humanistic doctor. Readers shared plenty of horror stories as well as examples of warm, engaged doctors who held patients’ hands during difficult moments, sat on the sides of their beds to talk, etc.
I liked what one reader wrote: “Contrary to popular belief, most medical students and doctors do not lack empathy, but are not given the tools to express it appropriately. It takes courage to sit on the side of the bed.”
As several people noted, medical schools have done a much better job in recent years of teaching the humanistic skills of doctoring as well as the technical and medical ones. But I believe that training has to be ongoing. I don’t think you can set young doctors loose on the world, with a little training in compassionate caregiving under their belt and say, “now be compassionate for the rest of your career.”
The study focused on training experienced doctor-teachers to teach and model compassion with their medical students and residents. When compared to a control group, those doctor-teachers were found to be very effective in passing on their skills. As part of their compassion training, they would meet together to reflect on their own work through discussion and writing.
I believe that self-reflection is so very important to creating compassionate caregivers, but how many busy doctors - or nurses- have the time or space for that?
For the past decade some healthcare institutions have been carving out the time and space for that. Currently 165 healthcare facilities across the country - most of them hospitals- now sponsor monthly or bi-monthly sessions called Schwartz Center Rounds. Unlike regular Rounds, where hospital staff talk about a patient case that was interesting or instructive for clinical reasons, these sessions focus on patient cases that were interesting or instructive for psychosocial reasons. The Chinese man who refused a bone marrow transplant because of his religious beliefs about blood, the 89-year-old man who wants to die but whose family continues to press for futile medical interventions or the 30-something patient dying of cancer, whose caregivers are having trouble “letting go” of him because he has been a charismatic presence at the hospital for years are all examples of that.
The idea is that through thoughtful processing of the tough emotions that come up in their daily work, caregivers are better able to relate to their patients on a human level. And according to a rigorous evaluation of the program, it’s working.
With best wishes,
Julie Rosen, Executive Director, The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center
We believe doctors are becoming aware of how important it is to show empathy for their patients. We try to remember that often the best students lack social skills. That's OK, because we want to be working with smart doctors! Sometimes patients need to show empathy for their physician as well, don't you think?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
A recent study showing that compassion can indeed be taught crossed the newswires recently, and boy did it hit a chord. Last I checked, there were 173 comments in response to New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope’s post about the study on her blog “Well.”
Admittedly, I didn’t read every single comment, but I read a good chunk of them, and people were all over the map in terms of whether they buy the idea that you can teach someone to be a more humanistic doctor. Readers shared plenty of horror stories as well as examples of warm, engaged doctors who held patients’ hands during difficult moments, sat on the sides of their beds to talk, etc.
I liked what one reader wrote: “Contrary to popular belief, most medical students and doctors do not lack empathy, but are not given the tools to express it appropriately. It takes courage to sit on the side of the bed.”
As several people noted, medical schools have done a much better job in recent years of teaching the humanistic skills of doctoring as well as the technical and medical ones. But I believe that training has to be ongoing. I don’t think you can set young doctors loose on the world, with a little training in compassionate caregiving under their belt and say, “now be compassionate for the rest of your career.”
The study focused on training experienced doctor-teachers to teach and model compassion with their medical students and residents. When compared to a control group, those doctor-teachers were found to be very effective in passing on their skills. As part of their compassion training, they would meet together to reflect on their own work through discussion and writing.
I believe that self-reflection is so very important to creating compassionate caregivers, but how many busy doctors - or nurses- have the time or space for that?
For the past decade some healthcare institutions have been carving out the time and space for that. Currently 165 healthcare facilities across the country - most of them hospitals- now sponsor monthly or bi-monthly sessions called Schwartz Center Rounds. Unlike regular Rounds, where hospital staff talk about a patient case that was interesting or instructive for clinical reasons, these sessions focus on patient cases that were interesting or instructive for psychosocial reasons. The Chinese man who refused a bone marrow transplant because of his religious beliefs about blood, the 89-year-old man who wants to die but whose family continues to press for futile medical interventions or the 30-something patient dying of cancer, whose caregivers are having trouble “letting go” of him because he has been a charismatic presence at the hospital for years are all examples of that.
The idea is that through thoughtful processing of the tough emotions that come up in their daily work, caregivers are better able to relate to their patients on a human level. And according to a rigorous evaluation of the program, it’s working.
With best wishes,
Julie Rosen, Executive Director, The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center
We believe doctors are becoming aware of how important it is to show empathy for their patients. We try to remember that often the best students lack social skills. That's OK, because we want to be working with smart doctors! Sometimes patients need to show empathy for their physician as well, don't you think?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Dogs, Cats and Cancer
One of our many cats was diagnosed with cancer this week. We have always had a lot of rescued animals. I am president of our county humane society and Pattie has never met a homeless animal she didn't want to save. Still, our grey cat Blarney has been with us ever since we rescued him, cold and shivering, from under a neighbor's porch fifteen years ago. We have lost a number of furry family members over the years to cancer. Pattie was diagnosed with cervical and uterine cancer at age 34 and needed surgery, so we never had children. Our animals have always been our kids. So for us, it can be as difficult to lose one as a human friend or family member. Blarney's prognosis is good. The growth on his neck was removed surgically and he should be with us for some time to come. Just another reminder of how finite and fragile our lives really are.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Friday, February 20, 2009
Basic Home Remedies For Chemo Brain
Here are some basic (very basic) suggestions from the Mayo Clinic Website to help alleviate chemo brain type symptoms caused by cancer therapy:
You can take steps to ease chemo brain symptoms on your own. Control what you can about your working environment. If noise and commotion are contributing to your distraction, try to find a quiet corner where you can concentrate. Soft music may help drown out other noises.
Prepare yourself for success. Before tackling a complicated task that requires concentration, take steps to ensure that you will have the best chance for success. Eat so you won't be distracted by hunger. Pick a time of day when you'll be the most alert. Get a good night's sleep. Have a plan so you know exactly what you'll need to do in order to complete your task.
Stay organized. Use calendars or planners to keep on task. That way you won't spend time wondering if you're forgetting an appointment or an item on your to-do list. Write everything down in your planner. Make organization a priority at home and at work, too. Having an organized work space means you can spend more time on tasks that you need to accomplish.
Clear your mind of distractions. When distracting thoughts pop up, write them down in your planner. Recording your thoughts will help to quickly clear them and ensure that you remember them later.
Take frequent breaks. Divide your tasks into manageable portions and take a break each time you complete one part. Give yourself a short rest so that you'll be able to continue later.
Exercise your brain. Try crossword puzzles or number games to exercise your brain. Take up a new hobby or master a new skill, such as learning to play a musical instrument or learning a language.
Exercise your body. Moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, can help you cope with stress, fatigue and depression. All can contribute to memory problems. If you haven't been active lately, get the OK from your doctor first. Start slowly and work up to at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.
Do any of you have any suggestions? Medications or homeopathic remedies that have worked or haven't worked for you?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
You can take steps to ease chemo brain symptoms on your own. Control what you can about your working environment. If noise and commotion are contributing to your distraction, try to find a quiet corner where you can concentrate. Soft music may help drown out other noises.
Prepare yourself for success. Before tackling a complicated task that requires concentration, take steps to ensure that you will have the best chance for success. Eat so you won't be distracted by hunger. Pick a time of day when you'll be the most alert. Get a good night's sleep. Have a plan so you know exactly what you'll need to do in order to complete your task.
Stay organized. Use calendars or planners to keep on task. That way you won't spend time wondering if you're forgetting an appointment or an item on your to-do list. Write everything down in your planner. Make organization a priority at home and at work, too. Having an organized work space means you can spend more time on tasks that you need to accomplish.
Clear your mind of distractions. When distracting thoughts pop up, write them down in your planner. Recording your thoughts will help to quickly clear them and ensure that you remember them later.
Take frequent breaks. Divide your tasks into manageable portions and take a break each time you complete one part. Give yourself a short rest so that you'll be able to continue later.
Exercise your brain. Try crossword puzzles or number games to exercise your brain. Take up a new hobby or master a new skill, such as learning to play a musical instrument or learning a language.
Exercise your body. Moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, can help you cope with stress, fatigue and depression. All can contribute to memory problems. If you haven't been active lately, get the OK from your doctor first. Start slowly and work up to at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.
Do any of you have any suggestions? Medications or homeopathic remedies that have worked or haven't worked for you?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Possible Medications For Chemo Brain
According to the Mayo Clinic Website, no medications have been approved to treat chemo brain. But medications approved for other conditions may be available if you and your doctor agree they may offer some benefit.
Medications that are sometimes used in people with these symptoms include:
Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin), a drug approved for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Donepezil (Aricept), a drug used in people with Alzheimer's disease
Modafinil (Provigil), a drug used in people with certain sleep disorders
More study is needed to understand how or if these drugs may be helpful for people with these types of memory problems.
Mayo Clinic's site is conservative. It doesn't even admit that chemo brain exists. "More studies are needed." is one of the phrases it uses. No doubt it can be difficult to treat a disorder that one doesn't even acknowledges exists! Tomorrow let's look into some natural or homeopathic remedies for chemo brain.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Medications that are sometimes used in people with these symptoms include:
Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin), a drug approved for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Donepezil (Aricept), a drug used in people with Alzheimer's disease
Modafinil (Provigil), a drug used in people with certain sleep disorders
More study is needed to understand how or if these drugs may be helpful for people with these types of memory problems.
Mayo Clinic's site is conservative. It doesn't even admit that chemo brain exists. "More studies are needed." is one of the phrases it uses. No doubt it can be difficult to treat a disorder that one doesn't even acknowledges exists! Tomorrow let's look into some natural or homeopathic remedies for chemo brain.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Chemo Brain Is Real!
Ever since I began my treatment for multiple myeloma, I have experienced symptoms that are often labeled "chemo brain" or "chemo fog." But I have often wondered, is it real? Is my sputtering short term memory loss a result of my treatment, or just my imagination or low blood sugar? Science Daily published an important article on the subject in 2006 titled Chemo Brain, No Figment of the Imagination: "People with 'chemo brain' often can't focus, remember things or multitask the way they did before chemotherapy," explained Dr. Daniel Silverman, head of neuronuclear imaging and associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our study demonstrates for the first time that patients suffering from these cognitive symptoms have specific alterations in brain metabolism."
Are you telling me it took until 2006 to figure out that "chemo brain" is real? I can only imagine how bad patient symptoms were in the early, high dose chemotherapy days in the 1990's. More about "chemo brain" tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Are you telling me it took until 2006 to figure out that "chemo brain" is real? I can only imagine how bad patient symptoms were in the early, high dose chemotherapy days in the 1990's. More about "chemo brain" tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sarcomas Of The Bone And Soft Tissue
According to Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Sacomas are uncommon malignant tumors that begin either in bones or in soft tissues such as muscles, cartilage, fat or connective tissue. About 8,000 thousand cases will be diagnosed this year in the United States. Doctors most often biopsy the suspected mass to identify this disorder. The five year survival rate for most sarcomas' is very good, especially when the tumor(s) are identified early. A combination of surgery and radiation is the most common therapy. Chemotherapy is sometimes also used. CancerCenter.com offers a brief yet informative breakdown of available treatment options for this type of cancer.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Monday, February 16, 2009
Value Of Prognosis For Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients
Here is a basic but interesting article I found on Everyday's Health Cancer Center Website about how a doctor develops a prognosis for his or her cancer patient following their diagnosis.
What is a prognosis?
People facing cancer are naturally concerned about what the future holds. A prognosis gives an idea of the likely course and outcome of a disease—that is, the chance that a patient will recover or have a recurrence (return of the cancer).
What factors affect a patient's prognosis?
Many factors affect a person's prognosis. Some of the most important are the type and location of the cancer, the stage of the disease (the extent to which the cancer has metastasized, or spread), and its grade (how abnormal the cancer cells look and how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread). In addition, for hematologic cancers (cancers of the blood or bone marrow) such as leukemias and lymphomas, the presence of chromosomal abnormalities and abnormalities in the patient's complete blood count (CBC) can affect a person's prognosis. Other factors that may also affect the prognosis include the person's age, general health, and response to treatment.
How do statistics contribute to predicting a patient's prognosis?
When doctors discuss a person's prognosis, they carefully consider all factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment and then try to predict what might happen. The doctor bases the prognosis on information researchers have collected over many years about hundreds or even thousands of people with cancer.
When possible, the doctor uses statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient. Several types of statistics might be used to discuss prognosis. Some commonly used statistics are described below:
Survival rate indicates the percentage of people with a certain type and stage of cancer who survive for a specific period of time after their diagnosis. For example, 55 out of 100 people with a certain type of cancer will live for at least 5 years, and the other 45 people will not. Survival statistics may further categorize the people who die by cause of death because some will die from unrelated causes. For example, of the 45 people mentioned above, 35 may die from their cancer and 10 may die from other causes.
The 5-year survival rate indicates the percentage of people who are alive 5 years after their cancer diagnosis, whether they have few or no signs or symptoms of cancer, are free of disease, or are having treatment. Five-year survival rates are used as a standard way of discussing prognosis as well as a way to compare the value of one treatment with another. It does not mean that a patient can expect to live for only 5 years after treatment or that there are no cures for cancer.
Disease-free or recurrence-free survival rates represent how long one survives free of the disease, rather than until death.
Because survival rates are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient. No two patients are exactly alike, and treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.
The doctor may speak of a favorable prognosis if the cancer is likely to respond well to treatment. The prognosis may be unfavorable if the cancer is likely to be difficult to control. It is important to keep in mind, however, that a prognosis is only a prediction. Again, doctors cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.
Is it helpful to know the prognosis?
Cancer patients and their loved ones face many unknowns. Understanding cancer and what to expect can help patients and their loved ones plan treatment, think about lifestyle changes, and make decisions about their quality of life and finances. Many people with cancer want to know their prognosis. They find it easier to cope when they know the statistics. They may ask their doctor or search for statistics such as survival rates on their own. Other people find statistical information confusing and frightening, and they think it is too impersonal to be of use to them.
The doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to discuss the prognosis and to explain what the statistics may mean for that person. At the same time, it is important to understand that even the doctor cannot tell exactly what to expect. In fact, a person's prognosis may change if the cancer progresses or if treatment is successful.
Seeking information about the prognosis is a personal decision. It is up to each patient to decide how much information he or she wants and how to deal with it.
What is the prognosis if a patient decides not to have treatment?
Because everyone's situation is different, this question can be difficult to answer (see Question 3). Prognostic statistics often come from studies comparing new treatments with best available treatments, not with "no treatment." Therefore, it is not always easy for doctors to accurately estimate prognosis for patients who decide not to have treatment. However, as mentioned above, the doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to discuss prognosis, taking into account individual characteristics of the patient that can affect the overall situation.
There are many reasons patients decide not to have treatment. One reason may be concern about side effects related to treatment. Patients should discuss this concern with their doctor and cancer nurse. Many medications are available to prevent or control the side effects caused by cancer therapies. Another reason patients might decide not to have treatment is that their type of cancer does not have a good prognosis even when treated. In these cases, patients may want to explore clinical trials (research studies). A clinical trial may offer access to new drugs that may be more promising than the standard treatments available.
Last Updated: 04/30/2008
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health: www.cancer.gov. NCI does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
What is a prognosis?
People facing cancer are naturally concerned about what the future holds. A prognosis gives an idea of the likely course and outcome of a disease—that is, the chance that a patient will recover or have a recurrence (return of the cancer).
What factors affect a patient's prognosis?
Many factors affect a person's prognosis. Some of the most important are the type and location of the cancer, the stage of the disease (the extent to which the cancer has metastasized, or spread), and its grade (how abnormal the cancer cells look and how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread). In addition, for hematologic cancers (cancers of the blood or bone marrow) such as leukemias and lymphomas, the presence of chromosomal abnormalities and abnormalities in the patient's complete blood count (CBC) can affect a person's prognosis. Other factors that may also affect the prognosis include the person's age, general health, and response to treatment.
How do statistics contribute to predicting a patient's prognosis?
When doctors discuss a person's prognosis, they carefully consider all factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment and then try to predict what might happen. The doctor bases the prognosis on information researchers have collected over many years about hundreds or even thousands of people with cancer.
When possible, the doctor uses statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient. Several types of statistics might be used to discuss prognosis. Some commonly used statistics are described below:
Survival rate indicates the percentage of people with a certain type and stage of cancer who survive for a specific period of time after their diagnosis. For example, 55 out of 100 people with a certain type of cancer will live for at least 5 years, and the other 45 people will not. Survival statistics may further categorize the people who die by cause of death because some will die from unrelated causes. For example, of the 45 people mentioned above, 35 may die from their cancer and 10 may die from other causes.
The 5-year survival rate indicates the percentage of people who are alive 5 years after their cancer diagnosis, whether they have few or no signs or symptoms of cancer, are free of disease, or are having treatment. Five-year survival rates are used as a standard way of discussing prognosis as well as a way to compare the value of one treatment with another. It does not mean that a patient can expect to live for only 5 years after treatment or that there are no cures for cancer.
Disease-free or recurrence-free survival rates represent how long one survives free of the disease, rather than until death.
Because survival rates are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient. No two patients are exactly alike, and treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.
The doctor may speak of a favorable prognosis if the cancer is likely to respond well to treatment. The prognosis may be unfavorable if the cancer is likely to be difficult to control. It is important to keep in mind, however, that a prognosis is only a prediction. Again, doctors cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.
Is it helpful to know the prognosis?
Cancer patients and their loved ones face many unknowns. Understanding cancer and what to expect can help patients and their loved ones plan treatment, think about lifestyle changes, and make decisions about their quality of life and finances. Many people with cancer want to know their prognosis. They find it easier to cope when they know the statistics. They may ask their doctor or search for statistics such as survival rates on their own. Other people find statistical information confusing and frightening, and they think it is too impersonal to be of use to them.
The doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to discuss the prognosis and to explain what the statistics may mean for that person. At the same time, it is important to understand that even the doctor cannot tell exactly what to expect. In fact, a person's prognosis may change if the cancer progresses or if treatment is successful.
Seeking information about the prognosis is a personal decision. It is up to each patient to decide how much information he or she wants and how to deal with it.
What is the prognosis if a patient decides not to have treatment?
Because everyone's situation is different, this question can be difficult to answer (see Question 3). Prognostic statistics often come from studies comparing new treatments with best available treatments, not with "no treatment." Therefore, it is not always easy for doctors to accurately estimate prognosis for patients who decide not to have treatment. However, as mentioned above, the doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to discuss prognosis, taking into account individual characteristics of the patient that can affect the overall situation.
There are many reasons patients decide not to have treatment. One reason may be concern about side effects related to treatment. Patients should discuss this concern with their doctor and cancer nurse. Many medications are available to prevent or control the side effects caused by cancer therapies. Another reason patients might decide not to have treatment is that their type of cancer does not have a good prognosis even when treated. In these cases, patients may want to explore clinical trials (research studies). A clinical trial may offer access to new drugs that may be more promising than the standard treatments available.
Last Updated: 04/30/2008
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health: www.cancer.gov. NCI does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Common Kidney Cancer Symptoms
There are over 50,000 cases of kidney cancer diagnosed in the United States each year. I found this simple yet informative list of common kidney cancer symptoms on About.Com. There are many variations of kidney cancer. The most commonly diagnosed type of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma. It accounts for more than 85% of kidney cancer diagnosis'.
The most commonly experienced kidney cancer symptoms (renal cell carcinoma) are:
Chronic fatigue
Unexplained, rapid weight loss
Leg and ankle swelling
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Fever
Presence of blood in urine (seen either by the eye, or microscopically)
Pain in side or lower back
Mass or lump in the abdomen
Please keep in mind these symptoms are also the signs for many other illnesses. But since nearly 13,000 Americans will die of kidney cancer this year, vigilance is important. Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone dealing with this serious disorder.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
The most commonly experienced kidney cancer symptoms (renal cell carcinoma) are:
Chronic fatigue
Unexplained, rapid weight loss
Leg and ankle swelling
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Fever
Presence of blood in urine (seen either by the eye, or microscopically)
Pain in side or lower back
Mass or lump in the abdomen
Please keep in mind these symptoms are also the signs for many other illnesses. But since nearly 13,000 Americans will die of kidney cancer this year, vigilance is important. Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone dealing with this serious disorder.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Early Warning Signs Identified For Leukemia
This is interesting and important news! Like most cancers, early diagnosis should help stop or slow down the progression of the disorder before it gets out of control. This study was published in the Feb. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine:
Abnormal blood cells can appear in the blood years before a person is diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CCL), U.S. researchers say.
They added that this finding may help improve understanding of cellular changes that occur at the earliest stages of leukemia, and how the disease progresses.
In previous research, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) team found an abnormal condition called monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) -- in which B-cells in the blood have outer surface proteins similar to proteins found on CLL cells -- in more than 10 percent of family members of CLL patients and in 3 percent to 5 percent of healthy adults over the age of 50. This suggested MBL may be a precursor of CLL.
In this new study, the researchers analyzed frozen samples of blood taken from 45 CLL patients who were cancer-free when they signed up for a national cancer screening trial that included more than 77,000 people. The blood samples revealed that 44 of the 45 CLL patients had MBL between six months to more than six years before their CLL diagnosis.
"Our findings indicate that MBL is present in virtually all of CLL patients prior to full-blown disease," study author author Dr. Ola Landgren, of NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, said in an institute news release. "This important discovery provides novel insights into the natural history of CLL and will open new fields of investigation for understanding its causes."
Among people with MBL, the risk of developing CLL is about 1 percent, Landgren said.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Abnormal blood cells can appear in the blood years before a person is diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CCL), U.S. researchers say.
They added that this finding may help improve understanding of cellular changes that occur at the earliest stages of leukemia, and how the disease progresses.
In previous research, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) team found an abnormal condition called monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) -- in which B-cells in the blood have outer surface proteins similar to proteins found on CLL cells -- in more than 10 percent of family members of CLL patients and in 3 percent to 5 percent of healthy adults over the age of 50. This suggested MBL may be a precursor of CLL.
In this new study, the researchers analyzed frozen samples of blood taken from 45 CLL patients who were cancer-free when they signed up for a national cancer screening trial that included more than 77,000 people. The blood samples revealed that 44 of the 45 CLL patients had MBL between six months to more than six years before their CLL diagnosis.
"Our findings indicate that MBL is present in virtually all of CLL patients prior to full-blown disease," study author author Dr. Ola Landgren, of NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, said in an institute news release. "This important discovery provides novel insights into the natural history of CLL and will open new fields of investigation for understanding its causes."
Among people with MBL, the risk of developing CLL is about 1 percent, Landgren said.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Friday, February 13, 2009
Prescription Medications for Neuropathy
Yesterday I wrote about supplements and vitamins proven to help neuropathy. Here is a list of prescription medications cited in medical journals for the treatment of neuropathy: FDA approved medications for neuropathic pain include Cymbalta,gabapentin and Lyrica. Other drugs used off label include anticonvulsants, anti-inflammatories and antidepressants. Some patients feel topical creams like cocoa butter can help. Chemotherapy induced neuropathy can improve once treatment ends. But often some damage is permanent. Pat tells me his fingers and feet get numb, feeling like they are asleep. The condition improves after a week or two off chemo, but never goes away completely.
As Pat always says, feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
As Pat always says, feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Proven Remedies for Treatment of Neuropathy
The speaker at Pat's multiple myeloma support group meeting Wednesday distributed a useful handout describing dietary modifications and supplements cited in medical journals for the treatment of neuropathy. Amino acid supplements recommended include Acetyl-L-carnitine, A-lipoic acid and L-glutamine. Vitamins/supplements include B-complex, B1,B6,B12, Folic acid, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin e, plus magnesium and potassium for muscle cramps. Anti-inflammatory agents can also be helpful.
Do any of you have any additional suggestions for things that help
(or don't help) your neuropathy? Let us know!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Do any of you have any additional suggestions for things that help
(or don't help) your neuropathy? Let us know!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Funds For Cancer Research In Stimulus Package
According to the International Myeloma Foundation(IMF), the newly proposed economic stimulus package includes research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and prevention and wellness programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NIH funds a very important portion of the world’s cancer research, including the research supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
NIH awards grants to scientists working at local universities, hospitals and research institutions in all 50 states. This work led to breakthroughs that have revolutionized cancer care and created the biotech sector of our economy; but the last 5 years of flat or declining budgets at NIH have strangled progress. Budget reductions have led to a backlog of over 10,000 research projects that have already been vetted. With funding, they could be started quickly, creating new jobs and new hope for patients.
As the nation’s leading prevention agency, the CDC plays an important role in translating and delivering at the community level what is learned from research. The CDC also serves as the backbone of our health care infrastructure, supporting jobs important to our state and local economies, as well as providing services to individuals in communities across the nation.
What can you do to help?
Take action TODAY and send an e-mail to your Congressional Members! Your elected officials need to hear from their constituents about the importance of NIH research funding. The House and Senate will vote on the final version of the Economic Stimulus bill the week of February 9th. Please e-mail your Congressional Members and urge them to support the funding provided in the Economic Stimulus bill for the NIH and the CDC.
I try not to write much about politics because, of course, cancer doesn't discriminate between Republicans, Democrats or Independents. But I support any legislation that helps fund cancer research. Let's all hope this funding doesn't get cut from the final bill.
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to e-mail or call your congressman or senator! Pat
NIH awards grants to scientists working at local universities, hospitals and research institutions in all 50 states. This work led to breakthroughs that have revolutionized cancer care and created the biotech sector of our economy; but the last 5 years of flat or declining budgets at NIH have strangled progress. Budget reductions have led to a backlog of over 10,000 research projects that have already been vetted. With funding, they could be started quickly, creating new jobs and new hope for patients.
As the nation’s leading prevention agency, the CDC plays an important role in translating and delivering at the community level what is learned from research. The CDC also serves as the backbone of our health care infrastructure, supporting jobs important to our state and local economies, as well as providing services to individuals in communities across the nation.
What can you do to help?
Take action TODAY and send an e-mail to your Congressional Members! Your elected officials need to hear from their constituents about the importance of NIH research funding. The House and Senate will vote on the final version of the Economic Stimulus bill the week of February 9th. Please e-mail your Congressional Members and urge them to support the funding provided in the Economic Stimulus bill for the NIH and the CDC.
I try not to write much about politics because, of course, cancer doesn't discriminate between Republicans, Democrats or Independents. But I support any legislation that helps fund cancer research. Let's all hope this funding doesn't get cut from the final bill.
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to e-mail or call your congressman or senator! Pat
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Lipoic Acid: Wonder Drug or Unproven Hoax?
A friend of mine recently recommended I start using lipoic acid. R-lipoic acid, to be exact. I have been using it, on and off, for about three months. I should have researched before taking it but, as with most supplements, I figured, what can it hurt? Let me pause here and stress that I haven't noticed any effects, positive or negative since I began using R-lipoic acid. I probably don't take enough to really make a difference anyway. All I knew is it is a type of antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. It was fascinating to read about lipoic acid tonight on the Internet. Supplement manufacturers and health care Websites rave about it's magical properties. Some recommend A-lipoic acid. Several treat R-lipoic acid as a wonder drug- A sort of new and improved, designer A-lipoic acid. But most interesting to me were the comments I found on a real, live, accredited medical Website. According to the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Newsletter, Alpha-lipoic acid is said to prevent or treat many age-related diseases, from heart disease, and stroke to diabetes and Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as declines in energy, muscle strength, brain function, and immunity. Alpha-lipoic acid is also being studied for HIV disease and multiple sclerosis.
Bottom line: Though evidence has been accumulating, research on alpha-lipoic acid is still in its early stages. This potent antioxidant may some day be seen as an important supplement. Not enough is known now to recommend alpha-lipoic acid. No one knows what dose should be used for what ailment. If you have diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s and decide to take it, tell your doctor. Though alpha-lipoic acid appears to be safe, the long-term effects of large doses are unknown. If alpha-lipoic acid is as powerful as it seems, there may be a danger in too much of a good thing.
Imagine that! Like so many other supplements, lipoic acid is untested and unproven. For now, I am going to continue taking both types of lipoic acid. One capsule of R-lipoic acid in the morning, one capsule of A-lipoic acid at night. After all, it can't hurt, can it?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Bottom line: Though evidence has been accumulating, research on alpha-lipoic acid is still in its early stages. This potent antioxidant may some day be seen as an important supplement. Not enough is known now to recommend alpha-lipoic acid. No one knows what dose should be used for what ailment. If you have diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s and decide to take it, tell your doctor. Though alpha-lipoic acid appears to be safe, the long-term effects of large doses are unknown. If alpha-lipoic acid is as powerful as it seems, there may be a danger in too much of a good thing.
Imagine that! Like so many other supplements, lipoic acid is untested and unproven. For now, I am going to continue taking both types of lipoic acid. One capsule of R-lipoic acid in the morning, one capsule of A-lipoic acid at night. After all, it can't hurt, can it?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Monday, February 9, 2009
Cancervive Helps Cancer Survivors
A non-profit group in California, Cancervive, features a great Website with valuable information to help cancer survivors.
Go to http://www.cancervive.org/index.html to use their wonderful site.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Go to http://www.cancervive.org/index.html to use their wonderful site.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Should You Use Nutritional Supplements While On Chemo?
Yesterday I passed on an article critical of using green tea while using an IV chemotherapy drug, Velcade. There is so little research available to support or discourage using nutritional supplements while undergoing chemotherapy. It is probably best to rule on the side of caution, don't you think? For example, I use a number of vitamin and mineral supplements. But since I am on "perpetual chemo," (with myeloma, most oncologists recommend you keep using the chemotherapy agent until it stops working) I no longer take any antioxidant or other highly concentrated supplements. So blueberries or spinach, yes. The highly concentrated aloe extract or other miracle supplements that promise the moon but deliver a high price tag, no. I have always avoided green tea because I am on a blood thinner and green tea, grapefruit and some vegetables high in vitamin K are contraindicated. I cheat and load up on the vegies, but that isn't as serious as taking a concentrated, unproven and untested antioxidant supplement.
So eat your berries and green, leafy vegies, feel good and keep smiling! Pat
So eat your berries and green, leafy vegies, feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Evidence Green Tea Blocks Chemo
From time to time I have written about growing evidence some supplements can negatively impact the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Here is a specific example that is of interest to me because, if and when my current chemo drug, Revlimid, no longer works, Velcade is the next drug of choice for my Myeloma.
ScienceDaily (Feb. 3, 2009) — Contrary to popular assumptions about the health benefits of green tea, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the widely used supplement renders a cancer drug used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma completely ineffective in treating cancer.
The study, which found that a component of green tea extract (GTE) called EGCG destroys any anticancer activity of the drug Velcade in tumor-bearing mice, will be published in the journal Blood.
"Our finding that GTE or EGCG blocked the therapeutic action of Velcade was completely unexpected," says lead author Axel H. Schönthal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "Our hypothesis was that GTE or EGCG would enhance the anti-tumor effects of Velcade, and that a combination of GTE with Velcade (or EGCG with Velcade) would turn out to be a superior cancer treatment as compared to treatment with Velcade alone."
Herbal remedies, including green tea, have become a popular20remedy for cancer patients dealing with side effects of chemotherapy. However, these supplements are unregulated and, for most, their beneficial and/or detrimental effects have not been qualified through research.
Using preclinical models and tumor-bearing mice, the researchers found that the unusually effective blockage of Velcade's therapeutic activity was based on the chemical interaction between molecules. The EGCG molecule and the Velcade molecule were able to form chemical bonds, meaning that the Velcade molecule could no longer bind to its intended target inside the tumor cells.
Clincal trials to verify these results in humans would be highly unethical to conduct, because of the predictably unfavorable outcome. Nevertheless, the researchers expect the results of the study to be applicable to cancer patients.
"The most immediate conclusion from our study is the strong advice that patients undergoing cancer therapy with Velcade must avoid green tea, and in particular all of its concentrated products that are freely available from health food stores," says Schönthal. "It is important to spread this message to health care providers who administer Velcade to patients."
Schönthal points out that for patients on Velcade, supplementing with green tea products should reduce the burden of harsh side effects—which might be attractive to20the patient, but comes at a high cost.
"Essentially, in addition to not being able to attack tumor cells, Velcade would be unable to cause side effects either," he says. "As a result, the patient would feel a lot better and conclude that the consumption of GTE helped cope with side effects—while in reality, Velcade simply wasn't active in the first place."
The research findings are part of a larger project run by the team called "Yin-Yang Properties of Green Tea Extract in Combination Cancer Chemotherapy: From Encouragingly Beneficial to Dangerously Detrimental."
"Obviously, the combination of GTE or EGCG with Velcade is an example of 'dangerously detrimental,' "Schönthal says. "But we are also studying another well-established chemotherapeutic drug, where the inclusion of EGCG appears to yield an 'encouragingly beneficial' outcome, which is more in line with our original expectation that GTE should be beneficial, not detrimental."
The study was funded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Interesting! More about this tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
ScienceDaily (Feb. 3, 2009) — Contrary to popular assumptions about the health benefits of green tea, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the widely used supplement renders a cancer drug used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma completely ineffective in treating cancer.
The study, which found that a component of green tea extract (GTE) called EGCG destroys any anticancer activity of the drug Velcade in tumor-bearing mice, will be published in the journal Blood.
"Our finding that GTE or EGCG blocked the therapeutic action of Velcade was completely unexpected," says lead author Axel H. Schönthal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "Our hypothesis was that GTE or EGCG would enhance the anti-tumor effects of Velcade, and that a combination of GTE with Velcade (or EGCG with Velcade) would turn out to be a superior cancer treatment as compared to treatment with Velcade alone."
Herbal remedies, including green tea, have become a popular20remedy for cancer patients dealing with side effects of chemotherapy. However, these supplements are unregulated and, for most, their beneficial and/or detrimental effects have not been qualified through research.
Using preclinical models and tumor-bearing mice, the researchers found that the unusually effective blockage of Velcade's therapeutic activity was based on the chemical interaction between molecules. The EGCG molecule and the Velcade molecule were able to form chemical bonds, meaning that the Velcade molecule could no longer bind to its intended target inside the tumor cells.
Clincal trials to verify these results in humans would be highly unethical to conduct, because of the predictably unfavorable outcome. Nevertheless, the researchers expect the results of the study to be applicable to cancer patients.
"The most immediate conclusion from our study is the strong advice that patients undergoing cancer therapy with Velcade must avoid green tea, and in particular all of its concentrated products that are freely available from health food stores," says Schönthal. "It is important to spread this message to health care providers who administer Velcade to patients."
Schönthal points out that for patients on Velcade, supplementing with green tea products should reduce the burden of harsh side effects—which might be attractive to20the patient, but comes at a high cost.
"Essentially, in addition to not being able to attack tumor cells, Velcade would be unable to cause side effects either," he says. "As a result, the patient would feel a lot better and conclude that the consumption of GTE helped cope with side effects—while in reality, Velcade simply wasn't active in the first place."
The research findings are part of a larger project run by the team called "Yin-Yang Properties of Green Tea Extract in Combination Cancer Chemotherapy: From Encouragingly Beneficial to Dangerously Detrimental."
"Obviously, the combination of GTE or EGCG with Velcade is an example of 'dangerously detrimental,' "Schönthal says. "But we are also studying another well-established chemotherapeutic drug, where the inclusion of EGCG appears to yield an 'encouragingly beneficial' outcome, which is more in line with our original expectation that GTE should be beneficial, not detrimental."
The study was funded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Interesting! More about this tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Friday, February 6, 2009
Womens Cancer Information Center
Have you visited the Womens Cancer Information Center Website recently? You can visit by clicking on the link just to the right. Wonderful, wonderful Website! Detailed, insightful. Check it out!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Side Effects of Pain Meds
Yesterday I wrote about three friends, all who endure daily, chronic pain. We all use a different baseline drug to help control our pain. Amitryptline is the least common of the these three drugs. It also produces the most severe side effects. Drowsiness, large blood sugar swings and lightheadedness are common. For some (my friend included) extreme weight gain has been reported. Ultram users often become dizzy and/or nauseated. I take Gabapentin daily to help minimize the pain and tingling caused by the neuropathy in my hands and feet caused by my long term chemotherapy. There are few, if any side effects. But it doesn't help much, either! I take one, 300 mg capsule each night in the evening. Gabapentin does make me drowsy, especially in the morning. Sort of like waking up the morning after you take a large dose of Nyquil or other cold medication. If my back pain becomes too much for my Tylenol Arthritis to handle, I use a half dose of Oxycodone. But not before bedtime... I'm pretty "wired" after taking just one half tablet. I would be interested in hearing about our reader's experience with pain medication. E-mail me if you would rather not comment here on our site.
I hope your evening is happy and pain free! Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
I hope your evening is happy and pain free! Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
There Is Too Much Pain In The World!
The chronic pain I suffer comes up in conversation from time to time. Friends and family are concerned and I am grateful for that. But I often discover I am not the only member of the conversation in pain. One close friend has never fully recovered from a serious automobile accident. She has tried over-the-counter and prescription pain meds with little relief. Amitryptline, a drug normally prescribed as an anti-depressant, helps with her pain when used in combination with other pain meds. Another friend suffers from severe fibromyalgia and uses a drug called Ultram in the same way. I am using a drug called Gabapentin as a baseline drug for my pain and neuropathy. I then use Tylenol Arthritis and Oxycodone as needed. I will write about the side effects and price we all pay for using these and other pain medications tomorrow. For today, my point is this. Three good friends, all with chronic pain. We are not alone! According to the American Academy of Pain Management, Pain is a silent epidemic in the United States. An estimated 50 million Americans live with chronic pain caused by disease, disorder or accident. An additional 25 million people suffer acute pain resulting from surgery or accident. Approximately two thirds of these individuals in pain have been living with this pain for more than five years. The most common types of pain include arthritis, lower back, bone/joint pain, muscle pain and fibromyalgia. The loss of productivity and daily activity due to pain is substantial. In a study done in 2000 it was reported that 36 million Americans missed work in the previous year due to pain and that 83 million indicated that pain affected their participation in various activities. I guess I can take some comfort knowing so many others are out there suffering along with me everyday. I'm so sorry! There is indeed too much pain in the world.
So take your pain meds, sit back on the heating pad with your aching legs up and try to feel good and keep smiling! Pat
So take your pain meds, sit back on the heating pad with your aching legs up and try to feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Stomach Cancer (Continued)
Yesterday I wrote briefly about lymphoma as it relates to stomach cancer. Today I thought I would at least mention the other, most common types of stomach cancer:
Adenocarcinomas. The great majority of stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas, which start in the glandular cells in the stomach's innermost lining. Adenocarcinomas account for about 95 percent of all stomach cancers.
Carcinoid tumors. A small percentage of stomach cancers are carcinoid tumors that originate in the stomach's hormone-producing cells. Carcinoid tumors tend to grow less quickly and spread (metastasize) less frequently than do the more common stomach cancers.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Doctors believe that these rare tumors develop from cells called interstitial cells of Cajal, which are part of your autonomic nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system consists of the nerves that regulate the part of your nervous system that you can't control, such as your heart rate, blood pressure and intestinal function. Although GISTs can occur anywhere from the esophagus to the rectum, most are found in the stomach. Yet GISTs are not the same as other gastric cancers, differing not only in the cells in which they originate but also in their prognosis and treatment. A majority of GISTs have a specific genetic mutation that allows for treatment with a new form of cancer-specific therapy.
A special thanks to Mayo Clinic for the above information!
When my wife Pattie and I started this site a number of months ago, we wanted to use it as a forum to learn more about different types of cancer. We didn't just want to focus on ourselves. Having family members with lung, colon, prostate, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers, along with my multiple myeloma, we realized that different cancers effect people in different ways. Most importantly, we realized having cancer should no longer be viewed as a death sentence. Even with all of those different types of cancer, only my adoptive mother, Jeanne, has died of the disease. My father (prostate), Pattie's mother (colon), Pattie (cervical, ovarian, uterine) and I are all still alive and kicking today, despite our cancer diagnosis. Amazing! And hopefully inspiring!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Adenocarcinomas. The great majority of stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas, which start in the glandular cells in the stomach's innermost lining. Adenocarcinomas account for about 95 percent of all stomach cancers.
Carcinoid tumors. A small percentage of stomach cancers are carcinoid tumors that originate in the stomach's hormone-producing cells. Carcinoid tumors tend to grow less quickly and spread (metastasize) less frequently than do the more common stomach cancers.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Doctors believe that these rare tumors develop from cells called interstitial cells of Cajal, which are part of your autonomic nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system consists of the nerves that regulate the part of your nervous system that you can't control, such as your heart rate, blood pressure and intestinal function. Although GISTs can occur anywhere from the esophagus to the rectum, most are found in the stomach. Yet GISTs are not the same as other gastric cancers, differing not only in the cells in which they originate but also in their prognosis and treatment. A majority of GISTs have a specific genetic mutation that allows for treatment with a new form of cancer-specific therapy.
A special thanks to Mayo Clinic for the above information!
When my wife Pattie and I started this site a number of months ago, we wanted to use it as a forum to learn more about different types of cancer. We didn't just want to focus on ourselves. Having family members with lung, colon, prostate, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers, along with my multiple myeloma, we realized that different cancers effect people in different ways. Most importantly, we realized having cancer should no longer be viewed as a death sentence. Even with all of those different types of cancer, only my adoptive mother, Jeanne, has died of the disease. My father (prostate), Pattie's mother (colon), Pattie (cervical, ovarian, uterine) and I are all still alive and kicking today, despite our cancer diagnosis. Amazing! And hopefully inspiring!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Monday, February 2, 2009
Types of Stomach Cancer: Lymphoma
A friend of mine was asking me about stomach cancer today. Apparently, one of her co-worker's husband was diagnosed this week with a type of lymphoma near his stomach. These are cancers of immune system tissue in the stomach wall. Some lymphomas are aggressive, whereas others grow much more slowly. The latter, known medically as mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas, usually stem from H. pylori infection and are often curable when found in the early stages. The family doesn't have enough information at this point to know what type of lymphoma this is. You can click on the stomach cancer link on the right side of this site for more information. Mayo clinic also offers a good, basic overview of stomach cancer and treatment. That is where I did my reading today. I will keep you updated if and when I get more information.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Support Your Partner!
In her book, Surviving Cancer, Margie Levine writes "While all the sympathy and attention seem to be focused on the ill spouse, the caretaker's needs are often overlooked." How true! Before I was diagnosed with cancer myself, I tried to help my wife through her surgeries and chemotherapy the best I could. Both roles are difficult. But in many ways it can be harder to be the caregiver. The stress is real. But you can't complain because, after all, you aren't the one with cancer! Take the time to thank your caregiver(s) often. After all, we couldn't make it without them!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
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