Breast Cancer Basics

Need to learn the basics about breast cancer? Go to www.breastcancer.org for a quick introduction to understanding breast cancer.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie

Does Avodart Lower Prostate Cancer Risk?

The Associated Press ran a story Tuesday about a large international study claiming Avodart, a medication used to shrink enlarged prostates in men, also helps significantly lower their risk of prostate cancer. Specifics about the study were not included in the article. But a physician affiliated with the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri is quoted saying "There's no question that many (of the men taking part in the study) had small, undetectable tumors, yet the drug still lowered the risk of cancer being found years later." How much is significant? Avodart lowered the odds of a prostate cancer diagnosis by 23% after four years of use. Dr. Gerald Andriole, who I quoted above, was referencing his excitement over the fact that not only was the cancer risk reduced by 23%, but this number was more impressive when you consider many of the men using the drug were at higher risk to develop prostate cancer in the first place. The study was sponsored by Avodart's maker, British-based GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Andriole has done consulting work for Glaxo. It is always good to be skeptical when reading articles like this one. Remember how Selenium was supposed to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by up to 40%? (It doesn't!) Still, these results sound promising, don't you think?
Feel good and keep learning, reading, questioning and, of course, smiling! Pat

Chemo Coach Helps Cancer Patients

Know someone who is about to start chemotherapy? Have them go to www.chemocoach.com and register for their e-newsletter. Lots of useful information to be taken with (excuse the pun!) a grain of salt, since the site is commercially sponsored by Amgen. Amgen is a large pharmaceutical company that manufactures Neupren and Neulasta, drugs designed to increase your body's production of red and white blood cells during chemo. Still, a worthwhile resource. The latest article lists several ways to improve a chemotherapy patent's quality of life.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Concerns About Microwaving Foods Revisited

Last October I wrote about the possible negative effects of microwaving vegetables:

"My most used kitchen accessory is a $10 microwave vegetable steamer. A simple, 3 part device that steams broccoli, spinach or carrots in 3 minutes or less. I have heard and read that a microwave destroys much of the nutritional value of vegetables. According to Dr Lynne Eldridge in her book, Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time, "there are studies that indicate that microwaving may destroy a significant amount of some vitamins and phytochemicals in food and therefore may frustrate their protective effects against cancer." Bummer. I guess that I should take the good doctor's advice and opt for steaming rather than microwaving my veggies."

Since then I am proud to report I now use a stainless steel pot and steamer exclusively to cook my veggies. Does it make a difference? I figure it can't hurt! And if I didn't know better, I would say they taste better slow steamed on the range top, too.
Feel good, keep smiling and please, please eat your vegetables every day!
Pat

Don't Fear A Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

I knew prostate cancer was one of the most common forms of cancer. But it didn't hit home with me until recently. My father was diagnosed and treated almost 12 years ago and has been fine until recently, when his PSA has started to rise. My best friend's father learned he had prostate cancer last week. And I know a number of other people that are successfully dealing with the disorder. The encouraging news is that there are so many men, alive and well, who have been diagnosed, treated and are now living normal or near normal lives. Hormone treatments for prostate cancer are not new. But by using new combinations of hormonal therapies, many patients are able to stay alive even after conventional surgery or radiation therapy haven't done the trick. In my book, Living with Multiple Myeloma, I share an exchange I had with my radiation oncologist shortly after I was diagnosed. "If I had to have cancer, isn't myeloma a good one to have?" I asked. Dr Wang's response: "No, prostate cancer would be much better!" Why did he feel this way? Because using radiation and/or surgery and/or hormone therapy has been so successful in curing prostate cancer. Not just slowing it down, but curing it. My father's has most likely returned because his cancer had spread beyond the prostate before he was diagnosed and treated. So if you, a friend or family member hears the dreaded "I think you have prostate cancer." from your physician, take comfort in knowing the future may not be as bleak as one would think. Think of it as a hopeful diagnosis, try to stay positive and, of course, feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Value of Life

You see it on the news again and again. A husband, distraught over losing his job or being outed for securities fraud, takes his own life and sometimes the life of his wife and children. Since my diagnosis and struggle with cancer, life has become even more precious to me. When you fight so hard for each day of life, it is difficult to accept such a callous disregard for human life! So you lose your job and can't afford the country club membership anymore. Get over it! Yes, it may be embarrassing. But you can still enjoy a quiet walk on the beach, or your favorite burger, or the embrace of your wife and child. I try to be sympathetic; to not be judgemental. But on this point I find it difficult to compromise. Life is short. Life is precious. I think about that every hour of every day.
So feel good, keep smiling and fight for every breath! Pat

Nutritional Myths Debunked Again

Here is another surprising conclusion about beta-carotene from the American Cancer Society:
Does beta-carotene reduce cancer risk?
Because beta-carotene, an antioxidant chemically related to vitamin A, is found in vegetables and fruits, and because eating vegetables and fruits is linked with a reduced risk of cancer, it seemed plausible that taking high doses of beta-carotene supplements might reduce cancer risk. But the results of three major clinical trials show this is not the case. In two studies in which people were given high doses of beta-carotene supplements in an attempt to prevent lung cancer and other cancers, the supplements were found to increase the risk of lung cancer in cigarette smokers, and a third found neither benefit nor harm from them. Therefore, consuming vegetables and fruits that contain beta-carotene may be helpful, but high-dose beta-carotene supplements should be avoided.
Eat your carrots, dump the expensive beta-carotene and/or antioxidant supplements, feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma is cancer of the bone cartilage. It is treated by surgery or radiation; chemotherapy is rarely used. Want to learn more? Go to mayoclinic.org and type in chondrosarcoma or copy and paste http://www.mayoclinic.org/chondrosarcoma/
The site features easy to understand text and color diagrams for those of you who only look at the pictures!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Nutritional Myths Debunked

Nutrition and its influence on cancer (for better or worse!) is extremely controversial, to say the least! Once or twice weekly I will run one of many short posts from a series I like to call "Nutritional Myths Debunked." Let's start with one of the most controversial topics, antioxidants. But why is this controversial? Doesn't everyone agree antioxidants are good for you and most likely help prevent cancer? Yes and no. Few would disagree eating foods high in antioxidants is a bad thing. The controversy emerges once someone begins to use antioxidant supplements. Here is a recent opinion on the subject issued by the American Cancer Association:

What are antioxidants, and what do they have to do with cancer?
The body appears to use certain nutrients in vegetables and fruits to protect against damage to tissues that occurs constantly as a result of normal metabolism (oxidation). Because such damage is linked with increased cancer risk, the so-called antioxidant nutrients are thought to protect against cancer. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and many other phytochemicals (chemicals from plants). Studies suggest that people who eat more vegetables and fruits, which are rich sources of antioxidants, may have a lower risk for some types of cancer. Clinical studies of antioxidant supplements are currently under way but have not yet shown a reduction in cancer risk from vitamin or mineral supplements. To reduce cancer risk, the best advice at present is to consume antioxidants through food sources, rather than supplements

Eat your green peppers, blueberries and other brightly colored fruits and veggies and, of course, feel good and keep smiling! Pat

My Book, Living with Multiple Myeloma, Is Available Now!

Finally! After months of editing, formatting and design work, my book, Living with Multiple Myeloma is ready for the store shelves. Who would have believed it would take longer to get the book ready for publication then it did to write it?
I want to thank Mira Digital Press in St. Louis, Missouri for believing in me and helping me prepare the book for sale, my manuscript editor Julie Ward and the helpful folks at The Copy Shop and The Bit Works for helping to get the process started. Most of all, I would like to thank my caregiver and loving wife Pattie for her unconditional support from the moment my cancer was diagnosed in April, 2007 to this day and hopefully tomorrow!
Feel good and keep smiling friends, family and Help With Cancer.Org visitors! Pat

Is Stage One "The Cure?"

Yesterday Pattie and I wrote about an interesting lecture we viewed on C-Span featuring Fran Drescher speaking on behalf of her new Cancer Schmancer organization. Their motto: "Stage one is the cure!" The premise makes sense. Catch cancer early enough and cure rates, along with life expectancy stats, should go up. We agree 100% with their position that the technology to diagnose most cancers earlier already exists. Pushing for earlier diagnosis is something we can do now. But we do take issue with the implication that early diagnosis "is the cure." Without doing a lot of specific research to back up our point, it is clear to us this statement is a reach. Many studies show little if any increased longevity for several types of cancers, even when they are caught early. My cancer, multiple myeloma, is a perfect example of this. Colon cancer may be another, despite what Katie Couric and others would like us all to believe. Bottom line is this: Empirically, it makes sense that if you catch cancer early enough it can be stopped. But the facts don't always back this up. An analogy for me is increasing school budgets. It makes sense that spending more money in a school district should lead to higher test scores. But often more money doesn't help. There are other socio-economic factors that can far outweigh increases in school budgets. Cancer seems to be the same way. Catch it early and stop it in its tracks! Sometimes, yes. But what about breast cancer. Aren't there large, new studies emerging showing little if any advantage to early diagnosis? Or is that just propaganda put out by a health care system with a vested interest in saving money by trying to limit mammograms and other diagnostics? Ms. Drescher would answer with a resounding "YES!"
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Stage One Is The Cure

Fran Drescher, actress and cancer survivor, has started an organization named after her first book, Cancer Shmancer. Pattie and I watched a tape from Ms. Drescher's one hour news conference Tuesday on C-Span Saturday night. She was surprisingly thoughtful and eloquent. The premise of her organization is two-fold. First, to empower woman to take control of their own healthcare. Second, that "Stage one is the cure." In other words, if a woman suspects something isn't quite right with her body she should seek medical attention immediately and insist on more than the usual testing until she is convinced all is well. Ms. Drescher and Cancer Schmancer are convinced that by identifying cancers of all types early enough (Stage One) they can be cured. A good, if not simplistic idea. We will share my thoughts about the merits of these concepts tomorrow. In the meantime, go to http://www.cancerschmancer.org/ if you would like to learn more about Ms. Drescher or her new organization.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

New York Times Article- Part Three

Some patients end up taking too many pills.Gayne Ek of Allen, Tex., said he once skipped all of his Gleevec capsules for six weeks. Then, with the stockpile of capsules he accumulated, he took twice the prescribed dose for six weeks, hoping it would be more effective. It was not.

For many patients, though, the main challenge is not taking their pills, but paying for them. Under Medicare, most oral cancer drugs are covered by the Part D prescription drug program, which has a 25 percent co-payment. It also has the annual “doughnut hole” — reached when a patient’s total drug costs hit $2,700, after which the patient must shoulder the next $3,000 or so before coverage resumes.

Mary Francis Thomas of Camp Hill, Pa., reached the doughnut hole on her very first prescription of the year. Ms. Thomas, 86, had to pay $4,300 in January for a month’s supply of Revlimid, to treat a disorder that can lead to leukemia. Having now passed through the doughnut hole, she must pay 5 percent of the cost of the drug for the rest of the year — which still works out to $377 a month.

Drug companies say they provide free drugs for some patients and give money to charities for co-payment assistance. And Lee Newcomer, senior vice president for oncology at UnitedHealthcare, the big insurer, said many commercial policies capped total annual out-of-pocket expenditures, so patients should not have huge co-payments month after month.

But nurses and patient advocates say that many patients still have trouble paying for the drugs.

Mr. Stauffer, the Oregon farmer, is no longer one of them, though. After his daughter, Heather Kirk, told his story to Peter Courtney, the president of the state senate, Oregon enacted in late 2007 the nation’s first state law requiring insurers to provide equivalent reimbursement for oral and intravenous chemotherapy drugs.

Mr. Stauffer’s insurer, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, even reimbursed him for the money he had already spent on Temodar. Several other states, including Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma and Washington, are now considering similar legislation.

I thought this was an important article on several levels. The power insurance carriers have over us is far too great. The cumulative stress and anxiety created by trying to navigate insurance company red tape, meet complicated deductible requirements and, worst of all, find the money to pay what is due from the patient sometimes seems worse than the disorder itself. I know first-hand how difficult and frustrating this process can be. So hang in there, save your nickels and dimes for future deductibles and "donut holes" and try to feel good and keep smiling!
Pat & Pattie

New York Times Article- Part Two

Here is the second part of the article from the April 14 New York Times Business Section about insurance complications when using oral chemotherapy medications:

For doctors, the new drugs also pose financial challenges. Physicians can profit from infusing drugs in their offices but not from writing prescriptions that are filled at a pharmacy.

With oral cancer drugs, “the technology has outstripped the ability of society to integrate it into the mainstream in a smooth fashion,” said Carlton Sedberry, a pharmacy expert at Medical Marketing Economics, a consulting firm.

Oregon, partly in response to Mr. Stauffer’s case, has passed a law requiring insurance companies to provide equivalent coverage of oral and intravenous cancer drugs. Some other states are now considering similar measures.

So far the health reform debate in Washington has not drilled into specifics like cancer pill coverage.

Infused drugs, of course, can also be frightfully expensive and under some insurance plans — including Medicare — can carry big co-payments. But it is the oral drugs that seem to be causing a disproportionate number of financial problems for cancer patients. The Patient Advocate Foundation, an organization that helps people make insurance co-payments for cancer drugs, says oral medicines accounted for 56 percent of the cases in which it helped Medicare patients last year, even though far more cancer patients were on intravenous drugs.

One oncology practice in central Pennsylvania has a nurse assigned full time to dealing with patients on oral drugs and arranging insurance or charity payments for the pills. “Trying to obtain this drug for the patient — that’s my struggle, every single day,” said the nurse, Jane Flenner.

Although drug makers are developing oral versions of some infused cancer medications, most of the new pills and capsules have no intravenous equivalent.

The oral exemplar is Gleevec from Novartis, which since its approval in 2001 has helped turn chronic myeloid leukemia as well as gastrointestinal stromal tumors into manageable diseases for many patients.

Douglas Jenson, 75, of Canby, Ore., has taken Gleevec for 10 years for leukemia. He goes for a blood test once every three months and sees his oncologist every six months, but is healthy enough to go whitewater rafting.

Making it even easier, Mr. Jenson gets his Gleevec free because he participated in an early clinical trial of the drug. Otherwise it would cost more than $40,000 a year.

While Mr. Jenson has been diligent about taking his five capsules every day at lunchtime, research indicates that many patients on the oral drugs do not consistently take the proper dose. One study, for example, found that Gleevec patients, on average, were taking only 75 percent of their prescribed doses.

Some cancer patients skip pills or stop taking them completely — whether because of costs, forgetfulness, side effects, complicated regimens or other factors.

“When I first started looking into this, I thought, ‘People with cancer have too much to lose, how can they not take their drugs?’ ” said Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

We will post the third and final part of the article Tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling- Pat & Pattie

NY Times Article About Insurance Problems With Oral Chemotherapy

One of our regular readers forwarded me an article from the April 14th Business Section of the New York Times. Having faced some of these same issues with my oral chemotherapy medications, I felt it was important to share the entire article with you. Thank you, Allison! Here is Part One:

Chuck Stauffer’s insurance covered the surgery to remove his brain tumor. It covered his brain scans. And it would have paid fully for tens of thousands of dollars of intravenous chemotherapy at a doctor’s office or hospital.

But his insurance covered hardly any of the cost of the cancer pills the doctor prescribed for him to take at home. Mr. Stauffer, a 62-year-old Oregon farmer, had to pay $5,500 for the first 42-day supply of the drug, Temodar, and $1,700 a month after that.

“Because it was a pill,” he said, “I had to pay — not the insurance.”

Pills and capsules are the new wave in cancer treatment, expected to account for 25 percent of all cancer medicines in a few years, up from less than 10 percent now.

The oral drugs can free patients from frequent trips to a clinic to be hooked to an intravenous line for hours. Fewer visits might save the health system money as well as time. And the pills are a step toward making cancer a manageable chronic condition, like diabetes.

But for many patients, exchanging an I.V. bag for a pill is a lopsided trade because the economics and practice of cancer medicine have not caught up with the convenience of oral drugs.

Start with the double ledger of drug insurance. Drugs that are infused at a clinic are typically paid for as a medical benefit, like surgery. Pills, though, are usually covered by prescription drug plans, which are typically much less generous; for expensive cancer pills, patients might face huge co-payments or quickly exceed an annual coverage limit. Sometimes, as in Mr. Stauffer’s case, a single insurer is involved.

Many times, though, a separate company — a so-called pharmacy benefit manager — provides the prescription drug coverage.

The growing use of cancer pills is also thrusting patients and doctors into new roles they have not yet fully mastered. Without a physician’s direct supervision, side effects can be missed. Some patients do not take all their medicine, raising the risk their cancer will worsen. Others take too many pills, risking toxic reactions.

The second part of the article will run tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Possible Health Risks Caused By Cancer Therapy

I didn't realize how many different health risks are associated with cancer therapy. Far too many and too specific for each type of cancer and cancer treatment to list here. However, some of these risks seem to be almost universal. For example, two members of our myeloma support group contracted leukemia, most likely caused by the chemotherapy used to fight their multiple myeloma. The same can be said for a number of treatments used for lymphoma. But the largest risk factor for post cancer patients is cardiovascular. Surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy can all contribute to a higher incident of heart attack or stroke. Ask your oncologist to list these risks and help you take action to prevent them. If he or she doesn't know the answer, have them check and do some research or refer you to another physician that can help.
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to address any future risks of complications caused by your cancer therapy once your treatment is complete!
Pat & Pattie

More About Managing The Stress Of Survivorship

The most notable and important point I took away from yesterday's CancerCare Teleconference about living life after a cancer diagnosis was that all survivors should create a survivorship plan. The cornerstone of this plan should be a post-treatment report provided by your oncologist. This report should outline your therapies and medications. More importantly, the report needs to cover the risks of future complications caused by radiation, surgery or chemotherapy and how we might work to delay or prevent them. What are some of these risks? Tune in tomorrow!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Stress Following Cancer Treatment

I listened to a telephone workshop sponsored by CancerCare today titled Managing the Stress of Survivorship. A number of cancer specialists participated and answered questions from listeners nationwide. Several of the physicians noted how stressful it is for a patient to complete their cancer treatment. How difficult it can be to move from an active role to a more passive, "wait and see" mode. The timing of this teleconference couldn't have been better coming the day after my post about adjusting to life after cancer. Details to follow tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

It's Exhausting Thinking About Dying Everyday!

It's exhausting thinking about dying everyday. But today I noticed how 'normal' I felt--normal and hopeful! Running from the bank to the grocery store to the pharmacy, getting my hair cut, stopping by our real estate office. Talking on the cell phone when I should be concentrating on my driving. It has been two years this month since my initial diagnosis and I believe I am finally starting to adjust to my "new normal"... Life after cancer.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Somber Thoughts On Easter Sunday

Pattie and I just returned from Easter brunch with her mother, Marie Doyle at Good Samaritan Nursing Home here in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. It has been a difficult two weeks for Pattie and her mother. After several trips in and out of the hospital, Pattie was encouraged by the doctors to move Marie from her assisted living apartment permanently into Good Samaritan. It is a very nice, clean facility. And her mother's apartment was on the outer edge of the complex so, theoretically, it wasn't that big a change. She knows the staff and eats in the same dining room. Still, psychologically, it was very difficult for her mom to make the move. Marie is a diabetic with congestive heart failure. She is also a colon cancer survivor. Barely mobile, I think she realizes this might be her last move. Sitting there eating with Marie and watching the other residents wasn't easy for me. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for Pattie. And selfishly, I felt sorry for myself and my own mortality. It isn't any fun dealing with the ill effects of aging. But it isn't any fun taking care of an elderly parent or dealing with cancer either. Oh well, we all face difficult challenges everyday. And we are all going to leave this world someday. It was just painful for me to watch so many with so little to live for while I am trying to live every minute like it's my last. But it is a beautiful spring day and I am alive; at least today!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Chemo Brain & Cognitive Problems With Cancer Patients

Cure Magazine's Laura Beil wrote an interesting article about cognitive problems in elderly cancer patients in this year's spring issue. Ms. Beil interviews Tim Ahles, PhD and director of the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. According to Dr. Ahles, "The mental effects from cancer treatment are subtle--strugles with concentration, working memory or multitasking." The gist of this long and detailed article is that memory loss in older cancer patients is often due to more than mere aging. Why this is the case is unclear. I couldn't find a copy of this article on Cure's Website: www.curetoday.com. But you can sign up for a free magazine subscription there. I highly recommend it!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Kidney Cancer Is Suprisingly Common

Here is an excerpt from the Kidney Cancer Association Website:

Last year, more than 1.3 million new cancers were diagnosed in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 50,000 of these individuals were diagnosed with kidney cancer. But there is hope: More than 200,000 kidney cancer survivors are living in the United States right now. Recent advances in diagnosis, surgical procedures, and treatment options will allow even more patients to live with the disease, continuing to maintain their normal schedules and lifestyles.

This marks the beginning of an important new era for kidney cancer patients, with the approval by the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) of two new drugs to treat their disease. These drugs target cancer cells in different ways than current drugs used to treat kidney cancer, and will have a very positive impact for many patients. Continued research efforts will improve our understanding of the disease even more and increase the options available to fight kidney cancer.Sometimes kidney cancer is called by its medical name, renal cell carcinoma. Renal is from the Latin work renalis for kidneys. Kidney cancer includes various forms, including clear cell, papillary, sarcomatoid, transitional cell, and others.

Some patients are diagnosed before the cancer has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body, while others have metastatic disease when their cancer is initially diagnosed. Surgery may be the first course of treatment, or systemic treatment Ð that is, a treatment that is injected into the bloodstream or swallowed -- may be recommended prior to surgery (though this tends to be rare). If surgery is done first, additional treatment may be recommended to delay the cancer's return, or to treat metastatic disease.

To learn more about kidney cancer go to www.kidneycancer.org.
Feel good, keep smiling and drink plenty of clean, fresh water to help your hopefully healthy kidneys do their job!

Can The Cure Be Worse Than The Disease?

Cure Magazine ran an interesting article this month about how some cancer treatments can cause secondary cancers years or decades later. While the article emphasises the the majority of secondary cancers are not related to past cancer treatment, it also goes on to say that "Studies tell us the biggest culprits of secondary cancers are high doses of radiation in certain areas and particular types of chemotherapy, such as alkylating agents." According to this excellent article, written by Teresa McUsic, over 10% of the secondary malignancies identified in a study completed in 2002 among Hodgkin's disease patients were most likely caused by radiation, chemotherapy or both. Read more about this at www.curetoday.com.
Feel good, be forever vigilant against recurring or secondary cancers, and don't forget to keep smiling!

Sarcomas Of The Bone And Soft Tissue Re-visited

I wrote this short post about sarcomas in February. Thought it was worth another look:

According to Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Sarcomas 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

Blood Transfusions Can Be Risky

Cancer patients often need or are offered the option of receiving a blood transfusion. Sometimes there is little choice. But sometimes a transfusion is optional. Your doctor may feel it will help you feel better or gain strength more quickly. But before you say "yes" to a transfusion without thinking, consider the risks. According to the reference guide, Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, here are just some of the complications that can result:

* Bacterial infections
* Aids
* Hepatitis
* Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
* West Nile Virus
* The leukemia-causing viruses HTLV-1 and HTLV-2
* Reactions to differences in donor blood

Want specifics? E-mail me at Pat@HelpWithCancer.Org or comment at the end of this post and I will be glad to help get you more information.
Feel good and keep smiling, hopefully without needing a blood transfusion! Pat

Skin Cancer Checklist

This is an excerpt from an article by Diana Rodriguez last week on the Website EverydayHealth.Com:

Body Moles and Skin Cancer: What to Look For
To spot the warning signs of skin cancer, it's important to be able to tell the difference between a normal, healthy mole and a potentially cancerous facial mole or body mole. You're checking your skin for three main types of skin cancer: basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma.
Basal cell carcinomas may be flat or slightly raised, have a reddish or pink tint, and often appear shiny. This type of skin cancer is usually found on the face, neck, hands or arms.
Squamous cell carcinomas look like scaly, crusty bumps in the skin. They may also start out as a smooth patch of red skin.
Body moles or facial moles that indicate melanoma may be asymmetrical, have jagged edges, contain several colors, and often tend to be larger than a pencil eraser. You may also notice bleeding after minor irritation of these moles. “A healthy mole is uniform in color and symmetric, while an atypical mole is multi-colored, rapidly growing, and it bleeds,” says Mary C. Martini, MD, director of the Pigmented Lesion and Melanoma Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

I notice I get more and more "irregular bumps" on my skin as I age. From time to time I point out ones that look a little suspicious to my oncologist or internist. No one seems too concerned. Guess they are more interested in fighting one cancer at a time! But I probably should see a specialist at some point, just to be safe.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Gene Early Was A Rock Star!

I posted with deep sorrow last week about the passing of fellow myeloma support group member Gene Early. Yesterday Pattie and I attended his memorial service in a small town almost two hours northeast of Minneapolis in Frederic, Wisconsin. Nearly 300 friends, neighbors and family members showed up to honor his life of service and community involvement. Almost 300 people! Less than 1000 people live in the town! I whispered in his wife Eunice's ear as we entered St. Luke's United Methodist Church for the service, "This is amazing! We had to park blocks away just to get here. Your husband was a rock star!" Gene owned and operated service stations and delivered home heating oil to those in the area for thirty years. He was active in his church, village board and local VFW. It was a memorable and touching service. What a good guy! Gene good friend, you have set the bar pretty high for the rest of us who may be joining you soon! I can't envision that many people attending my memorial service if I paid them in advance!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie

Treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Here is a summary of common treatment options used for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)according to the American Cancer Society:
Treatment of AML is usually divided into 2 chemotherapy phases.Remission induction
and post-remission therapy (consolidation)

The first part of treatment is aimed at getting rid of all visible leukemia. It usually involves treatment with 2 chemotherapy drugs, cytarabine (ara-C) and an anthracycline drug such as daunorubicin (Daunomycin) or idarubicin (Idamycin). Sometimes a third drug, 6-thioguanine, is added. This intensive therapy, which usually takes place in the hospital, typically lasts one week. How intense the treatment is may depend on the person's age and on other prognostic factors.

Most of the normal bone marrow cells as well as the leukemia cells will be destroyed by the treatment. During chemotherapy and the following couple of weeks, the patient's blood cell counts will probably be dangerously low, and drugs to raise white blood cell counts, antibiotics, and blood product transfusions may be used to help protect against complications. Usually, the patient stays in the hospital during this time.

If induction is successful, no leukemia cells will be found in the blood, and the number of blast cells in the bone marrow will be less than 5% within a week or two. Normal bone marrow cells will return in a couple of weeks and start making new blood cells.

If one week of treatment does not induce remission, the process may be repeated.

Induction is successful in about 40% to 80% of all AML patients. This depends to a large part on a person's specific prognostic factors. For instance, older people are more likely to have unfavorable cytogenetic test results, are more likely to have a pre-existing blood disorder, and are less likely to be able to tolerate intensive therapy than younger patients, so generally they don't respond as well.

Remission induction usually does not destroy all the leukemia cells, and a small number often persist. Without more treatment, called consolidation, the leukemia is likely to return within several months.

Consolidation (Post-remission) Therapy

If remission induction is successful, further treatment may be given to try to destroy any remaining leukemia cells and help prevent a relapse. The options for AML consolidation therapy are several courses of high-dose cytarabine (ara-C) chemotherapy,allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplant or autologous stem cell transplant.

I find it interesting that the first part of this two part chemotherapy regimen is, in fact, very similar to the way a patients bone marrow is treated with Melphalan prior to the introduction of their own or donor stem cells.

Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Spoke with someone yesterday who's son has leukemia. He is in the middle of treatment, which I found to be different than the treatment for many other cancers. Here is some general information about the disorder from St. Jude Children's Hospital Website. I will post about treatment options and the son's treatment choices tomorrow:

Leukemias / Lymphomas: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Alternate Names: AML, non-lymphoid, myeloblastic, granulocytic or myelocytic leukemia

Definition
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML ) affects various white blood cells including granulocytes, monocytes and platelets. Leukemic cells accumulate in the bone marrow, replace normal blood cells and can spread to the liver, spleen, skin, or central nervous system.

Incidence
Approximately 500 children are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in the United States each year.
AML is diagnosed in about 20 percent of children with leukemia.
AML is the most common second malignancy (a different or second cancer found in a patient previously treated for cancer) in children treated for malignancies.
Influencing Factors
There is a greater incidence of leukemia among people exposed to large amounts of radiation and certain chemicals (e.g. benzene).

Survival Rates
Although approximately 80 to 90 percent of children with acute myeloid leukemia attain remissions (absence of leukemic cells), some of those patients have later recurrences. About 60 percent of children with AML achieve long-term remissions with chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation

More tomorrow. Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Does Anybody Out There Know Anything About Meniere's Disease?

I returned today from visiting with a dear friend of my father who has developed severe vertigo. She has visited a number of specialists and the results have been inconclusive. Preliminary findings point to Meniere's disease. She is the same age as my father, 87. Great gal, smart, independent, personable. I hate to see her so dizzy she needs to use a walker and is losing her independence. Anyone out there have any experience with Meniere's? If so, respond here or feel free
to e-mail me at Pat@HelpWithCancer.Org.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat

Answers to questions about Testicular Cancer

Several weeks ago during an episode of Celebrity Apprentice (OK, so I watch from time to time!) Gold medalist figure skater Scott Hamilton was discussing his difficult yet successful battle against testicular cancer. A good not for profit Website to visit for more information about this common yet rarely discussed form of cancer is http://tcrc.acor.org/. If caught early, testicular cancer is often curable and survivors can go on to live productive lives. (Like Scott Hamilton or the even more famous Lance Armstrong) The bottom line: Guys, if things don't look or feel right down south don't be afraid to get in and see a doctor!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat