Dr. Mercola, a long established nutritional expert and advocate of the raw diet, published an in-depth report on his Website, www.Mercola.Com, earlier this month about the health benefits of turmeric (curcumin). Curcumin has long been thought to slow the progress of multiple myeloma and other cancers. If you would like a more specific interpretation of how curcumin can be used to fight cancer, go to my other site: www.MultipleMyelomaBlog.Com and type in curcumin in the search box, located in the upper left hand corner. Then access Margaret's Myeloma Blog and Don's Myeloma Blog by clicking on links in the upper right hand corner. Both Margaret (Italy) and Don (St. Paul, Minnesota) have used tumeric and write about it extensively.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Plant Flavanoids & Apigenin May Help Prevent Leukemia
Here is a short, interesting article from England about how flavanoids and apigenin may help prevent leukemia:
LONDON (Reuters) - Eating foods like celery and parsley which contain the naturally occurring flavanoid apigenin may help prevent leukemia, Dutch scientists said Thursday.
Maikel Peppelenbosch of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands said tests showed that apigenin -- a common component of fruit and vegetables -- was able to halt the development of two kinds of cells in leukemia and cut their survival chances.
The findings suggest apigenin could hold promise for preventing leukemia, Peppelenbosch said.
But he warned that his study had also found the compound has chemotherapy resistance properties, suggesting it might interfere with standard treatments for people already diagnosed with leukemia.
"Apigenin might be a useful preventative agent for leukemia, but it should not be taken at the same time as chemotherapy for established disease as it could interfere with the positive effects of treatment," Peppelenbosch wrote in a study in the Cell Death and Disease scientific journal.
Flavanoids are compounds with antioxidant properties that protect cells against damage by oxygen molecules.
Previous studies have shown that apigenin, which is found in celery, parsley, red wine, tomato sauce and other plant-based foods, may also be beneficial in protecting against ovarian cancer.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland. Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
LONDON (Reuters) - Eating foods like celery and parsley which contain the naturally occurring flavanoid apigenin may help prevent leukemia, Dutch scientists said Thursday.
Maikel Peppelenbosch of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands said tests showed that apigenin -- a common component of fruit and vegetables -- was able to halt the development of two kinds of cells in leukemia and cut their survival chances.
The findings suggest apigenin could hold promise for preventing leukemia, Peppelenbosch said.
But he warned that his study had also found the compound has chemotherapy resistance properties, suggesting it might interfere with standard treatments for people already diagnosed with leukemia.
"Apigenin might be a useful preventative agent for leukemia, but it should not be taken at the same time as chemotherapy for established disease as it could interfere with the positive effects of treatment," Peppelenbosch wrote in a study in the Cell Death and Disease scientific journal.
Flavanoids are compounds with antioxidant properties that protect cells against damage by oxygen molecules.
Previous studies have shown that apigenin, which is found in celery, parsley, red wine, tomato sauce and other plant-based foods, may also be beneficial in protecting against ovarian cancer.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland. Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Friday, January 29, 2010
Constipation Tips For Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
One of our readers e-mailed us this excellent primer about constipation and chemotherapy last week:
Constipation is the bane of everyone on chemo. Though Revlimid and
Velcade both can bind you up quickly. The reason this happens is that
the chemo we take targets highly active cells. The stomach and gut is
rife with active cells and so the digestive tract suffers a lot from
chemotherapy.
If you take pain killers, they have a tebdency to dry the body out,
making constipation worse. Ergo, it is a wise precaution to take 2 Senna
laxative tablets and a docusate stool softener a couple times a day
(morn and nite). That should keep you regular without causing diarhea.
If you get really plugged, Lactulose is a gentle but very powerful
laxative and works in very few hours.
Constipation straining can damage any hemorrhoids you have and create
new ones, so for a number of reasons, it's wise to address constipation
immediately. Of course, speak to your doctor before trying my ideas.
Actually, they are my oncologists ideas but they work great. Since I
started following the regimen constipation has not been an issue for me
anymore. All these drugs are OK for use while on chemo and do not cause
the issues other remedies and home medicines often cause.
For MEN, if you sufer urination issues which began after chemo, speak
with your doctor about finasteride, it can help a lot. Also, its other
name is Propecia and it really does help prevent hair loss from chemo.
Nothing is sure, but I kept 80% of my hair and the docs all said it was
because of the finasteride. But it causes shrinking of the prostate
which is often irritated during chemo in many guys, giving a lot of relief.
I use all the things I speak of and have not had any bad effects and the
drugs did their job. But as I said, always speak with your doctor.
Bob Kirkpatrick
2 year multiple myeloma survivor so far, dx: 02/08 full non-secretor
Thank you, Bob! Very helpful. Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Constipation is the bane of everyone on chemo. Though Revlimid and
Velcade both can bind you up quickly. The reason this happens is that
the chemo we take targets highly active cells. The stomach and gut is
rife with active cells and so the digestive tract suffers a lot from
chemotherapy.
If you take pain killers, they have a tebdency to dry the body out,
making constipation worse. Ergo, it is a wise precaution to take 2 Senna
laxative tablets and a docusate stool softener a couple times a day
(morn and nite). That should keep you regular without causing diarhea.
If you get really plugged, Lactulose is a gentle but very powerful
laxative and works in very few hours.
Constipation straining can damage any hemorrhoids you have and create
new ones, so for a number of reasons, it's wise to address constipation
immediately. Of course, speak to your doctor before trying my ideas.
Actually, they are my oncologists ideas but they work great. Since I
started following the regimen constipation has not been an issue for me
anymore. All these drugs are OK for use while on chemo and do not cause
the issues other remedies and home medicines often cause.
For MEN, if you sufer urination issues which began after chemo, speak
with your doctor about finasteride, it can help a lot. Also, its other
name is Propecia and it really does help prevent hair loss from chemo.
Nothing is sure, but I kept 80% of my hair and the docs all said it was
because of the finasteride. But it causes shrinking of the prostate
which is often irritated during chemo in many guys, giving a lot of relief.
I use all the things I speak of and have not had any bad effects and the
drugs did their job. But as I said, always speak with your doctor.
Bob Kirkpatrick
2 year multiple myeloma survivor so far, dx: 02/08 full non-secretor
Thank you, Bob! Very helpful. Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Vaccine
Here is a link to an article about how a new vaccine may “mop up” Leukemia cells Gleevec leaves behind on empowher.com. If you, or a loved one has leukemia, check it out!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Nutritional Myths Debunked - Artificial Sweetners: Nutritional Update For Cancer Patients & Survivors
I have written about this topic in the past: Those of us interested in nutrition make assumptions about what is or isn't good for us. Then the myths start--good and bad. Here is an article about artificial sweetners I found this article yesterday on a site called High Diet:
With rising rates of diabetes and obesity, many consumers are looking for products with lower amounts of sugar and fat. Many of these products use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar to lower calories and reduce the risk of raising blood sugar. Some groups, however, have called the sugar substitutes into question, linking them to cancer in animal studies. But what is fact and what is fiction?
Myth: Saccharin Causes Bladder Cancer
Fact: Studies in the 1970 linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Subsequent studies were conducted to either confirm or refute the results found that high doses of saccharin intake increased the incidence of urinary cancer. Upon further review, the mechanism of action that causes the substance to damage and cause cells to multiply (as in cancer cells) only applies in animals, specifically rats, and that human studies have found no such link. The product was removed from the National Toxicology Program’s “Report on Carcinogens” in 2000.
Myth: Aspartame Causes Brain Tumors
Fact: Aspartame has been called “the most studied food additive” by the Food and Drug Administration. After review of a 1996 report that suggested that the increase of the number of people with brain and central nervous system cancers increased since the introduction of aspartame in 1981, the FDA determined that no such link existed and that the data presented does not prove that aspartame is related to the development of brain tumors. Another, more recent, study by the National Cancer Institute has also failed to show a link between brain cancer and the use of aspartame.
Myth: Diet Soda Causes Lymphoma and Leukemia
Fact: A 2005 laboratory study found that rats fed high doses of aspartame had more incidences of lymphoma and leukemia, particularly in females. The dose fed to the rats was the equivalent of a human drinking up to 2000 cans of diet soda a day. The FDA reviewed this study and found inconsistencies in the data, and determined that there was not a link between diet soda consumption and leukemia or lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute also conducted its own study in 2005, involving over 500,000 men and women and did not find a link between aspartame use and blood-related cancers.
Myth: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Stomach and Pancreatic Cancer
Fact: A 2009 study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention reviewed data on over 3000 subjects in Italy and found that neither aspartame nor saccharin contributed to the risk of digestive system cancers, such as stomach or pancreatic cancer. A study from the 2007 journal Annals of Oncology Advance did relate added sugar intake with the risk of gastric cancer in Italian subjects.
The Bottom Line
Excess consumption of sugar substitutes, such as those in diet sodas and sugar-free sweets, is not recommended, as it likely replaces other healthy nutrients from the diet
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
With rising rates of diabetes and obesity, many consumers are looking for products with lower amounts of sugar and fat. Many of these products use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar to lower calories and reduce the risk of raising blood sugar. Some groups, however, have called the sugar substitutes into question, linking them to cancer in animal studies. But what is fact and what is fiction?
Myth: Saccharin Causes Bladder Cancer
Fact: Studies in the 1970 linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Subsequent studies were conducted to either confirm or refute the results found that high doses of saccharin intake increased the incidence of urinary cancer. Upon further review, the mechanism of action that causes the substance to damage and cause cells to multiply (as in cancer cells) only applies in animals, specifically rats, and that human studies have found no such link. The product was removed from the National Toxicology Program’s “Report on Carcinogens” in 2000.
Myth: Aspartame Causes Brain Tumors
Fact: Aspartame has been called “the most studied food additive” by the Food and Drug Administration. After review of a 1996 report that suggested that the increase of the number of people with brain and central nervous system cancers increased since the introduction of aspartame in 1981, the FDA determined that no such link existed and that the data presented does not prove that aspartame is related to the development of brain tumors. Another, more recent, study by the National Cancer Institute has also failed to show a link between brain cancer and the use of aspartame.
Myth: Diet Soda Causes Lymphoma and Leukemia
Fact: A 2005 laboratory study found that rats fed high doses of aspartame had more incidences of lymphoma and leukemia, particularly in females. The dose fed to the rats was the equivalent of a human drinking up to 2000 cans of diet soda a day. The FDA reviewed this study and found inconsistencies in the data, and determined that there was not a link between diet soda consumption and leukemia or lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute also conducted its own study in 2005, involving over 500,000 men and women and did not find a link between aspartame use and blood-related cancers.
Myth: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Stomach and Pancreatic Cancer
Fact: A 2009 study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention reviewed data on over 3000 subjects in Italy and found that neither aspartame nor saccharin contributed to the risk of digestive system cancers, such as stomach or pancreatic cancer. A study from the 2007 journal Annals of Oncology Advance did relate added sugar intake with the risk of gastric cancer in Italian subjects.
The Bottom Line
Excess consumption of sugar substitutes, such as those in diet sodas and sugar-free sweets, is not recommended, as it likely replaces other healthy nutrients from the diet
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Exercising Basics For Cancer Survivors & Patients
Saturday I wrote an article about how exercising regularly may slow or prevent your cancer from comming back. Here are some advertising basics I found on HealthTalkNow.Com:
We define exercise as a physical exertion performed in an effort to improve health, well-being and overall fitness. Obviously, exercize covers a broad spectrum of activity. In general, you can break exercise into three types – aerobic, anaerobic and stretching.
Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption in the body. It is what makes you sweat. Aerobic exercise, to be done properly, requires a warm-up period before and a cool-down afterwards to ensure that the heart rate stays at optimal levels throughout. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), aerobic exercise “uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously and is rhythmic in nature.” Examples of aerobic exercise include: biking, swimming, jogging, walking, dancing, skiing, skating, running, rowing, rollerblading, stair climbing and more. With access to a partner you can also get quite a bit of exercise from sexual intercourse. Regular exercise has been known to increase sexual prowess and stamina but for the impatient there are also herbal sexual enhancers, like Zenerex, that will help you stay in the game long enough to break a sweat.
Anaerobic exercise, by contrast, lasts for a brief time, feature intense activity and demands more oxygen from the body than it brings into the body. Anaerobic exercise requires energy stored in the muscles. It can also be referred to any rapidly-done ‘burst of movement.’ Examples of anaerobic activities include: weight-lifting, sprints, interval training and isometrics (in which one part of the body is used to resist the movement of another part) such as Pilates.
The final category of exercise is stretching. Stretching exercises extend or lengthen the limbs, giving a person increased or added flexibility. Stretching allows you to develop a wider range of motion. Basic stretching exercises deal with specific muscle groups such as calf or hamstring stretches. Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi have stretching elements to them. Each helps an individual develop a wider range of motion and improve his/her flexibility over time.
Of course, some exercises can fit into several categories. In order to reach and keep optimal fitness, you should incorporate movements from each type of activity in your routine.
All set! Now all you need to do is start moving!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
We define exercise as a physical exertion performed in an effort to improve health, well-being and overall fitness. Obviously, exercize covers a broad spectrum of activity. In general, you can break exercise into three types – aerobic, anaerobic and stretching.
Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption in the body. It is what makes you sweat. Aerobic exercise, to be done properly, requires a warm-up period before and a cool-down afterwards to ensure that the heart rate stays at optimal levels throughout. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), aerobic exercise “uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously and is rhythmic in nature.” Examples of aerobic exercise include: biking, swimming, jogging, walking, dancing, skiing, skating, running, rowing, rollerblading, stair climbing and more. With access to a partner you can also get quite a bit of exercise from sexual intercourse. Regular exercise has been known to increase sexual prowess and stamina but for the impatient there are also herbal sexual enhancers, like Zenerex, that will help you stay in the game long enough to break a sweat.
Anaerobic exercise, by contrast, lasts for a brief time, feature intense activity and demands more oxygen from the body than it brings into the body. Anaerobic exercise requires energy stored in the muscles. It can also be referred to any rapidly-done ‘burst of movement.’ Examples of anaerobic activities include: weight-lifting, sprints, interval training and isometrics (in which one part of the body is used to resist the movement of another part) such as Pilates.
The final category of exercise is stretching. Stretching exercises extend or lengthen the limbs, giving a person increased or added flexibility. Stretching allows you to develop a wider range of motion. Basic stretching exercises deal with specific muscle groups such as calf or hamstring stretches. Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi have stretching elements to them. Each helps an individual develop a wider range of motion and improve his/her flexibility over time.
Of course, some exercises can fit into several categories. In order to reach and keep optimal fitness, you should incorporate movements from each type of activity in your routine.
All set! Now all you need to do is start moving!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Early-Onset Prostate Cancer Linked To Fat Intake
Here is a great article I found yesterday in Renal and Urology News:
Early-Onset Prostate Cancer Linked To Fat Intake
Jody A. Charnow - January 25, 2010
Prostate Cancer Men with a high dietary fat intake are at increased risk of prostate cancer at a relatively young age, a British study shows.
Among men aged 60 years or younger, those in the highest quintile of total fat intake or saturated fat intake had a significant 2.5 times increased risk of prostate cancer compared with men in the lowest quintile after adjusting for confounding variables, investigators reported in the British Journal of Nutrition (2009; published online ahead of print). Men in the highest quintile of monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated had a significant 2.7 and 2.3 times increased risk.
Total fat intake was significantly greater among prostate cancer patients than controls (99.40 vs. 86.45 g/day, a 13% difference).
The study, led by Artitaya Lophatananon, PhD, and Ken Muir, PhD, of the Health Sciences Research Institute at Warwick Medical School in Coventry, U.K., included 512 cases and 838 age-matched controls. The mean age of cases (at diagnosis) and controls was 55.7 years. Researchers obtain dietary and other information from questionnaires filled out by study participants.
If the association between dietary fat intake and prostate cancer is causal, about 42% of prostate cancer cases in the study, on average, could be attributed to increased fat intake (greater than 64.8 g/day).
“These results potentially identify a modifiable risk factor for early-onset prostate cancer,” the authors concluded.
Eat your veggies, people--and cut the fat!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Early-Onset Prostate Cancer Linked To Fat Intake
Jody A. Charnow - January 25, 2010
Prostate Cancer Men with a high dietary fat intake are at increased risk of prostate cancer at a relatively young age, a British study shows.
Among men aged 60 years or younger, those in the highest quintile of total fat intake or saturated fat intake had a significant 2.5 times increased risk of prostate cancer compared with men in the lowest quintile after adjusting for confounding variables, investigators reported in the British Journal of Nutrition (2009; published online ahead of print). Men in the highest quintile of monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated had a significant 2.7 and 2.3 times increased risk.
Total fat intake was significantly greater among prostate cancer patients than controls (99.40 vs. 86.45 g/day, a 13% difference).
The study, led by Artitaya Lophatananon, PhD, and Ken Muir, PhD, of the Health Sciences Research Institute at Warwick Medical School in Coventry, U.K., included 512 cases and 838 age-matched controls. The mean age of cases (at diagnosis) and controls was 55.7 years. Researchers obtain dietary and other information from questionnaires filled out by study participants.
If the association between dietary fat intake and prostate cancer is causal, about 42% of prostate cancer cases in the study, on average, could be attributed to increased fat intake (greater than 64.8 g/day).
“These results potentially identify a modifiable risk factor for early-onset prostate cancer,” the authors concluded.
Eat your veggies, people--and cut the fat!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Monday, January 25, 2010
Merck Onclology Offers iChemoDiary For Cancer Patients Using Chemotherapy
Merck Oncology has joined the iPod revolution! You can now download an iChemoDiary onto your mobile digital device or personal computer. iChemoDiary is designed to help patients record and track their chemotherapy schedules, medications and treatment plans, keep an iLog to record possible side effects--even connect with your doctor or nurse to help deal with side effects. Free downloads available at iTunes or at iChemoDiary.com. This was an "unsolicited post"... We saw a PSA about the service and it sounded pretty cool! Let us know what you think- Pat & Pattie
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Curcumin Being Studies For Use Against Pancreatic Cancer, Colon Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease & Multiple Myeloma
Here is a basic but interesting article about research using curcumin against pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, alzheimer's and multiple myeloma we found on PancreaticInjury.Com:
Studies on Curcumin and Alzheimer's disease are currently underway. How can it be used to treat other diseases, is currently being investigated as well. Here's a look at what it is, why they can be effective, and for what conditions.
What is Curcumin?
It is a compound found in the herb turmeric, a member of the ginger family of plants. He and two other curcuminoids have been found in the rhizome of turmeric, which uses a traditional medicinal plant by many across Asia andIndia. He has a bright or deep orange color and was used as a natural food coloring.
What does it do?
The scientific analysis has shown that anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-arthritis, anti-ischemic, anti-amyloid and complexing agents has activity. It is also effective against some viruses and can interfere with the replication of the HIV virus. It has protective benefits for liver and heart. It has been shown to cause the death of cancer cells without damaginghealthy people. It is primarily the anti-amyloid activity that is of interest to Alzheimer's patients, even if the other activities can be helpful as well.
Amyloids are misfolded protein molecules that are hard and insoluble. The plaques are found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, are together by amyloid. In the test tube and animal studies, has shown that curcumin bee breaking existing amyloid plaques and prevent new ones forming. Clinical trials are currentlyunderway to determine whether it is useful for us humans.
What are other studies under way?
Currently, the benefits are evaluated in numerous diseases. One study relates to multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, which can affect many organs of the body. It is considered incurable. The hope is to induce remission with chemotherapy or other therapies. The advantages of a large number of plants that have anti-cancer effect, are investigated for this difficultTo treat form. Studies on pancreatic cancer and colon cancer are not yet complete, as well.
A study concerning the value for the treatment of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. One of the traditional use of turmeric has been treating skin problems. It was applied directly to cuts and injuries. Psoriasis includes over-reactive immune responses. Turmeric and other natural anti-inflammatories, modulates the inflammatory response.
Is it a Miracle Drug?
AlthoughThe medical activities of turmeric is high, it is no wonder drug or magic pill. It is simply one of many plant compounds that have to be beneficial to human health. We have long been known, the values of many vitamins and minerals to our health, but also the value of micro-nutrients such as curcumin only now being investigated.
If you do, as much as possible on your long-term health, to protect the best choice is a multi-nutritional supplement that contains the essential vitaminsand minerals in their natural form, together with a number of micronutrients and plant extracts.
If you would like to learn more about curcumin, go to Pat's other site, www.MultipleMyelomaBlog.Com, and click on links to Margaret's or Don's blogs in the upper right corner of the page. Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Studies on Curcumin and Alzheimer's disease are currently underway. How can it be used to treat other diseases, is currently being investigated as well. Here's a look at what it is, why they can be effective, and for what conditions.
What is Curcumin?
It is a compound found in the herb turmeric, a member of the ginger family of plants. He and two other curcuminoids have been found in the rhizome of turmeric, which uses a traditional medicinal plant by many across Asia andIndia. He has a bright or deep orange color and was used as a natural food coloring.
What does it do?
The scientific analysis has shown that anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-arthritis, anti-ischemic, anti-amyloid and complexing agents has activity. It is also effective against some viruses and can interfere with the replication of the HIV virus. It has protective benefits for liver and heart. It has been shown to cause the death of cancer cells without damaginghealthy people. It is primarily the anti-amyloid activity that is of interest to Alzheimer's patients, even if the other activities can be helpful as well.
Amyloids are misfolded protein molecules that are hard and insoluble. The plaques are found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, are together by amyloid. In the test tube and animal studies, has shown that curcumin bee breaking existing amyloid plaques and prevent new ones forming. Clinical trials are currentlyunderway to determine whether it is useful for us humans.
What are other studies under way?
Currently, the benefits are evaluated in numerous diseases. One study relates to multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, which can affect many organs of the body. It is considered incurable. The hope is to induce remission with chemotherapy or other therapies. The advantages of a large number of plants that have anti-cancer effect, are investigated for this difficultTo treat form. Studies on pancreatic cancer and colon cancer are not yet complete, as well.
A study concerning the value for the treatment of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. One of the traditional use of turmeric has been treating skin problems. It was applied directly to cuts and injuries. Psoriasis includes over-reactive immune responses. Turmeric and other natural anti-inflammatories, modulates the inflammatory response.
Is it a Miracle Drug?
AlthoughThe medical activities of turmeric is high, it is no wonder drug or magic pill. It is simply one of many plant compounds that have to be beneficial to human health. We have long been known, the values of many vitamins and minerals to our health, but also the value of micro-nutrients such as curcumin only now being investigated.
If you do, as much as possible on your long-term health, to protect the best choice is a multi-nutritional supplement that contains the essential vitaminsand minerals in their natural form, together with a number of micronutrients and plant extracts.
If you would like to learn more about curcumin, go to Pat's other site, www.MultipleMyelomaBlog.Com, and click on links to Margaret's or Don's blogs in the upper right corner of the page. Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Exercising Regularly May Help Keep Your Cancer From Coming Back!
While I was doing research for my second book, Living a Longer & Better Life with Cancer, I stumbled across a number of medical studies like this one I found on the American Cancer Society Website:
Exercise Can Improve Breast Cancer Survival
A Few Hours a Week Enough to Make a Difference
Article date: 2005/05/25
A few hours of walking or other exercise each week may help breast cancer survivors live longer, new research suggests. In the study of nearly 3,000 women, those who exercised this amount were less likely to die of their breast cancer than women who got less than 1 hour of physical activity each week.
The finding could give women another way to boost their odds of beating breast cancer, experts said.
"Women with breast cancer have little to lose and much to gain from exercise," said the study's lead author Michelle Holmes, MD, DrPH, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "We already know that [breast cancer patients who exercise] have better mood, better body image, and better self-esteem. We know it fights other diseases that women with breast cancer can also get, like heart disease and diabetes. And it may also help these women avoid dying from breast cancer."
Holmes and her colleagues published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293, No. 20: 2479-2486).
There are so many other good reasons for anyone, especially cancer patients/survivors to exercise, I never stopped to consider how regular physical activity might help prevent cancer from reoccurring.
Feel good, keep smiling and get out and move this weekend! Pat
Exercise Can Improve Breast Cancer Survival
A Few Hours a Week Enough to Make a Difference
Article date: 2005/05/25
A few hours of walking or other exercise each week may help breast cancer survivors live longer, new research suggests. In the study of nearly 3,000 women, those who exercised this amount were less likely to die of their breast cancer than women who got less than 1 hour of physical activity each week.
The finding could give women another way to boost their odds of beating breast cancer, experts said.
"Women with breast cancer have little to lose and much to gain from exercise," said the study's lead author Michelle Holmes, MD, DrPH, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "We already know that [breast cancer patients who exercise] have better mood, better body image, and better self-esteem. We know it fights other diseases that women with breast cancer can also get, like heart disease and diabetes. And it may also help these women avoid dying from breast cancer."
Holmes and her colleagues published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293, No. 20: 2479-2486).
There are so many other good reasons for anyone, especially cancer patients/survivors to exercise, I never stopped to consider how regular physical activity might help prevent cancer from reoccurring.
Feel good, keep smiling and get out and move this weekend! Pat
Friday, January 22, 2010
Stem Cell Treatment For Leukemia Improved - Continued
Here is the second installment of the WebMD article, “Stem Cell Treatment For Leukemia Improved:”
Larger, Longer Cord Blood Study Planned
The researchers will attempt to do this in a much larger clinical trial.
If that trial is successful, Delaney says the approach may prove useful not just for the treatment of blood-related cancers, but for the treatment of other conditions where white blood cell counts are low.
Stem cell transplant expert James Gajewski, MD, of Oregon Health Sciences University, tells WebMD that the new research addresses one of two major issues surrounding umbilical cord blood transplants.
“Every other attempt to expand (cord blood) stem cells has basically failed,” he says. “This is really the first significant proof that these cells can be expanded, and this group should be commended for doing brilliant work.”
But he says it remains to be seen if cord-blood derived stem cells can adequately mature and become useful in the immune systems of adult patients.
"This study wasn’t designed to address this issue, but a longer, larger study should,” he says.
Even if larger studies are positive, it is still not clear if stem umbilical cord blood transplants will ever be commercially viable, he says.
The banks that store umbilical cords are funded by the government. If government funding goes away, Gajewski says cord blood banks probably will too unless cord blood transplants prove useful for much more than the treatment of blood-related cancers.
“For the cord blood banks, the great hope for the future is that there will be many other uses for this treatment, such as repairing damaged hearts or livers,” he says. “But that is a long way away.”
This is very important work! Let's hope research continues. Just as important, let's hope more parents can be persuaded to donate their infant's umbilical cords--and that storage of this precious, life-saving resource is expanded.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Larger, Longer Cord Blood Study Planned
The researchers will attempt to do this in a much larger clinical trial.
If that trial is successful, Delaney says the approach may prove useful not just for the treatment of blood-related cancers, but for the treatment of other conditions where white blood cell counts are low.
Stem cell transplant expert James Gajewski, MD, of Oregon Health Sciences University, tells WebMD that the new research addresses one of two major issues surrounding umbilical cord blood transplants.
“Every other attempt to expand (cord blood) stem cells has basically failed,” he says. “This is really the first significant proof that these cells can be expanded, and this group should be commended for doing brilliant work.”
But he says it remains to be seen if cord-blood derived stem cells can adequately mature and become useful in the immune systems of adult patients.
"This study wasn’t designed to address this issue, but a longer, larger study should,” he says.
Even if larger studies are positive, it is still not clear if stem umbilical cord blood transplants will ever be commercially viable, he says.
The banks that store umbilical cords are funded by the government. If government funding goes away, Gajewski says cord blood banks probably will too unless cord blood transplants prove useful for much more than the treatment of blood-related cancers.
“For the cord blood banks, the great hope for the future is that there will be many other uses for this treatment, such as repairing damaged hearts or livers,” he says. “But that is a long way away.”
This is very important work! Let's hope research continues. Just as important, let's hope more parents can be persuaded to donate their infant's umbilical cords--and that storage of this precious, life-saving resource is expanded.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Stem Cell Treatment For Leukemia Improved - Two Part Article From WebMD
Stem Cell Treatment for Leukemia Improved
Transplant Technique Speeds Immune System Recovery
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News - Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 19, 2010 -- Leukemia patients who receive stem cell transplants from the umbilical cord blood of newborns are usually vulnerable to life-threatening infections for at least a month as their immune systems recover.
Now researchers from Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center may have found a way to dramatically shorten this recovery period and reduce infection-related deaths.
In a small, early study, the researchers were able to successfully manipulate umbilical cord-derived stem cells to speed the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
It took about two weeks for the transplanted cells to start making white blood cells on their own -- a process known as engraftment -- compared to a month when patients got the non-manipulated cord blood.
The research appears in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
“If we really can make stem cell sources better, this may mean we would have donors for pretty much everyone who needs a transplant,” study researcher Colleen Delaney, MD, tells WebMD.
Many Patients Can’t Find Matches
Stem cell transplants are performed in some patients with leukemia and other blood cancers to help the body make new blood cells after its own blood cells have been destroyed by disease or cancer treatments.
But cord blood contains only about one-tenth of the stem cells found in bone marrow, and this is why cord blood transplants usually take so much longer to engraft.
The advantage of cord blood transplants is that they do not need to be as perfectly matched to the patient as bone marrow transplants.
Close to one in three patients -- and as many as 95% of non-white patients -- who could benefit from a stem cell transplant never find a suitable match.
Researchers have long sought ways to increase the number of stem cells in cord blood in an effort to speed the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
In the new research, the Fred Hutchinson researchers manipulated a system known as the Notch signaling pathway, which is involved in embryonic development.
By engineering a protein that activated the pathway, the researchers were able to expand the number of stem cells in a single unit of cord blood about 164-fold -- from 200,000 stem cells per kilogram of body weight to 6 million.
In a phase I study, 10 leukemia patients were treated with one unit of non-manipulated cord blood and one unit manipulated in the lab.
It took 14 days for the manipulated stem cells to engraft versus four weeks for the non-manipulated cells.
“We have shown that we can decrease the time to engraftment,” Delaney says. “Now we have to show a clinical benefit to the patient.
I have a friend with multiple myeloma who underwent a "successful" cord blood transplant. I put quotes around the "successful" part because, although the SCT probably saved his life, the side effects have been troubling, to say the least. Lots of rashes, joint pain, flu-like symptoms, all which make it difficult for him to work, rest or play.
I will post Part Two of this article tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Transplant Technique Speeds Immune System Recovery
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News - Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 19, 2010 -- Leukemia patients who receive stem cell transplants from the umbilical cord blood of newborns are usually vulnerable to life-threatening infections for at least a month as their immune systems recover.
Now researchers from Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center may have found a way to dramatically shorten this recovery period and reduce infection-related deaths.
In a small, early study, the researchers were able to successfully manipulate umbilical cord-derived stem cells to speed the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
It took about two weeks for the transplanted cells to start making white blood cells on their own -- a process known as engraftment -- compared to a month when patients got the non-manipulated cord blood.
The research appears in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
“If we really can make stem cell sources better, this may mean we would have donors for pretty much everyone who needs a transplant,” study researcher Colleen Delaney, MD, tells WebMD.
Many Patients Can’t Find Matches
Stem cell transplants are performed in some patients with leukemia and other blood cancers to help the body make new blood cells after its own blood cells have been destroyed by disease or cancer treatments.
But cord blood contains only about one-tenth of the stem cells found in bone marrow, and this is why cord blood transplants usually take so much longer to engraft.
The advantage of cord blood transplants is that they do not need to be as perfectly matched to the patient as bone marrow transplants.
Close to one in three patients -- and as many as 95% of non-white patients -- who could benefit from a stem cell transplant never find a suitable match.
Researchers have long sought ways to increase the number of stem cells in cord blood in an effort to speed the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
In the new research, the Fred Hutchinson researchers manipulated a system known as the Notch signaling pathway, which is involved in embryonic development.
By engineering a protein that activated the pathway, the researchers were able to expand the number of stem cells in a single unit of cord blood about 164-fold -- from 200,000 stem cells per kilogram of body weight to 6 million.
In a phase I study, 10 leukemia patients were treated with one unit of non-manipulated cord blood and one unit manipulated in the lab.
It took 14 days for the manipulated stem cells to engraft versus four weeks for the non-manipulated cells.
“We have shown that we can decrease the time to engraftment,” Delaney says. “Now we have to show a clinical benefit to the patient.
I have a friend with multiple myeloma who underwent a "successful" cord blood transplant. I put quotes around the "successful" part because, although the SCT probably saved his life, the side effects have been troubling, to say the least. Lots of rashes, joint pain, flu-like symptoms, all which make it difficult for him to work, rest or play.
I will post Part Two of this article tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Foods Today Have Much Less Nutrition Than In The Past - Cancer Nutrition Update
I often read about how foods today are not as nutritious as foods in the past. Do I ever see any scientific data supporting this supposition? No! Does it resonate and seem to ring true? I think so. But then again, every pharmacist or chemist I have ever spoken with says the same thing: Your body can't tell the difference between natural or synthetic vitamins. The same goes for isotonic or liquid vitamins vs pills or capsules--no difference. Here is an article I found yesterday on FitnessandHealthSource.Com. At least this author vaguely quotes a few scientists--but not many sources. See what you think:
Many of us think that we are eating healthy, although there is no doubt that Americans eat some unhealthy junk foods. An alarming new study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis reveals that Americans are getting nearly one-third of their calories from junk foods.
But even if we are trying to eat as healthy as we can, the foods that we think are healthy are often far less nutritious than they used to be. It is no coincidence that the quality of healthy food has been deteriorating as malnourishment and illness have been on the rise in the U.S. and other developed countries.
Here’s what several notable experts in the field have to say about the quality of our food today:
* “Wheat from the US has been rejected at China’s ports because the protein content was so low,” states Dr. Michael Colgan, LaJolla, CA.
* A statement from the Agricultural Testament given to the Congress of the United States states “the impoverished soil of America no longer provides plant food with the mineral elements essential to human nourishment and health.”
* Dr. Alexis Carrel, Nobel Prize Winner says, “Chemical fertilizers, by increasing the abundance of the crops without replacing all the exhausted elements of the soil, have indirectly contributed to change the nutritive value of cereal grains and vegetables.”
A recent analysis of a range of staple foods in Canada, commissioned by The Globe and Mail and CTV news, included potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, apples, onion and broccoli.
This is what the analysis found for potatoes:
Over the last 50 years the potato has lost:
* 100% of its Vitamin A
* 57% of its Vitamin C and iron.
* 28% of its Calcium.
* 50% of its riboflavin
* 18% of its thiamin
Of the seven nutrients analyzed only niacin levels had increased. The results were similar for all the 25 fruits and vegetables tested. One of the worst results was from broccoli in which ALL nutrients had declined measurably including niacin, with Calcium down 63%.
Tim Lang a professor at the center for Food Policy in England says as a further example of how our food has been degraded is that you would now have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of Vitamin A that your grandparents got from eating just one orange.
These foods that have low nutritional values play an important part in obesity and poor health in general. How can the body function when it doesn’t get the good fuel it needs? Many experts believe that the human body is capable of healing itself of every disease known to man. However,we must give it what it requires to heal itself and stop interfering with its innate healing process.
What can be done about this problem?
* Try to eat organic fruit and vegetables wherever possible.
* Avoid processed and junk foods! Not only are they nutritionally empty, but they have harmful ingredients that poison the body, such as trans-fats due to the hydrogenated processing methods that are used.
* Take a quality nutritional supplement. A multi-vitamin/mineral tablet is not adequate because they use synthetic ingredients with both questionable efficacy and bio-availability. They isolate a few nutrients and leave out many other important nutrients. Find a nutritional supplement that is made of whole foods. It should be raw so you get all the enzymes you need as well.
The best raw whole food supplement I have ever found is called FrequenSea™ by ForeverGreen. It is a raw food liquid supplement based on the powerful nutrition of marine phytoplankton.
FrequenSea™ is comprised of hundreds of species marine phytoplankton, which make their marine phytoplankton more powerful than anything you can find elsewhere. The exclusive extraction process allows them to combine the benefits of phytonutrients with a natural and balanced composition of sea minerals.
FrequenSea’s ingredients provide our bodies with the essential minerals, nutrients, vitamins, co-enzymes, enzymes and amino acids that we need to promote optimum health.
Dianne Ronnow
I'm not opposed to using "natural" vitamins, organics or supplements in general. I just wish we really knew if they make a difference!
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies--organic or not! Pat
Many of us think that we are eating healthy, although there is no doubt that Americans eat some unhealthy junk foods. An alarming new study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis reveals that Americans are getting nearly one-third of their calories from junk foods.
But even if we are trying to eat as healthy as we can, the foods that we think are healthy are often far less nutritious than they used to be. It is no coincidence that the quality of healthy food has been deteriorating as malnourishment and illness have been on the rise in the U.S. and other developed countries.
Here’s what several notable experts in the field have to say about the quality of our food today:
* “Wheat from the US has been rejected at China’s ports because the protein content was so low,” states Dr. Michael Colgan, LaJolla, CA.
* A statement from the Agricultural Testament given to the Congress of the United States states “the impoverished soil of America no longer provides plant food with the mineral elements essential to human nourishment and health.”
* Dr. Alexis Carrel, Nobel Prize Winner says, “Chemical fertilizers, by increasing the abundance of the crops without replacing all the exhausted elements of the soil, have indirectly contributed to change the nutritive value of cereal grains and vegetables.”
A recent analysis of a range of staple foods in Canada, commissioned by The Globe and Mail and CTV news, included potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, apples, onion and broccoli.
This is what the analysis found for potatoes:
Over the last 50 years the potato has lost:
* 100% of its Vitamin A
* 57% of its Vitamin C and iron.
* 28% of its Calcium.
* 50% of its riboflavin
* 18% of its thiamin
Of the seven nutrients analyzed only niacin levels had increased. The results were similar for all the 25 fruits and vegetables tested. One of the worst results was from broccoli in which ALL nutrients had declined measurably including niacin, with Calcium down 63%.
Tim Lang a professor at the center for Food Policy in England says as a further example of how our food has been degraded is that you would now have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of Vitamin A that your grandparents got from eating just one orange.
These foods that have low nutritional values play an important part in obesity and poor health in general. How can the body function when it doesn’t get the good fuel it needs? Many experts believe that the human body is capable of healing itself of every disease known to man. However,we must give it what it requires to heal itself and stop interfering with its innate healing process.
What can be done about this problem?
* Try to eat organic fruit and vegetables wherever possible.
* Avoid processed and junk foods! Not only are they nutritionally empty, but they have harmful ingredients that poison the body, such as trans-fats due to the hydrogenated processing methods that are used.
* Take a quality nutritional supplement. A multi-vitamin/mineral tablet is not adequate because they use synthetic ingredients with both questionable efficacy and bio-availability. They isolate a few nutrients and leave out many other important nutrients. Find a nutritional supplement that is made of whole foods. It should be raw so you get all the enzymes you need as well.
The best raw whole food supplement I have ever found is called FrequenSea™ by ForeverGreen. It is a raw food liquid supplement based on the powerful nutrition of marine phytoplankton.
FrequenSea™ is comprised of hundreds of species marine phytoplankton, which make their marine phytoplankton more powerful than anything you can find elsewhere. The exclusive extraction process allows them to combine the benefits of phytonutrients with a natural and balanced composition of sea minerals.
FrequenSea’s ingredients provide our bodies with the essential minerals, nutrients, vitamins, co-enzymes, enzymes and amino acids that we need to promote optimum health.
Dianne Ronnow
I'm not opposed to using "natural" vitamins, organics or supplements in general. I just wish we really knew if they make a difference!
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies--organic or not! Pat
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Living With a Formerly Fatal Blood Cancer - Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
One of our regular readers, Bob O'Connor, forwarded us this article about chronic myelogenous leukemia this morning. Apparently there are just over 5000 cases of CML diagnosed in the US each year:
Living With a Formerly Fatal Blood Cancer
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: January 18, 2010
In December 2005, a series of mysterious symptoms — night sweats, easy bruising, swollen ankles and breathlessness upon exertion — prompted Barry to see his doctor. Only six months earlier, a physical exam had found nothing abnormal. But now Barry’s white blood cell count was through the roof.
A bone marrow test the next day revealed a genetic abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome that is the signature of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or C.M.L., a blood cell cancer that in the last decade has been transformed from ultimately fatal to nearly always treatable, usually until something else claims the patient’s life.
Despite his illness, Barry, a lawyer who for privacy reasons asked that his last name not be used, is living a normal life. “I go to the gym, go to work, travel, play with my grandson — that’s the best,” he said in an interview. “In some of my support groups, people have been living with the disease now for 10 or 12 years.”
Before 2000, fewer than half of C.M.L. patients survived seven years; now nearly 90 percent are alive seven years after diagnosis and, like Barry, lead relatively normal lives. (The basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced in November that he had been living with the disease for nearly a year.)
“C.M.L. has become a chronic disease leading to a normal life span in the majority of patients,” Dr. Elias Jabbour of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center said last month in a teleconference workshop sponsored by CancerCare. “As for quality of life, among more than 3,000 patients who have been followed now for almost 10 years, there’s been no significant increase in the incidence of infection, other cancers or other causes of death when compared to the normal population.”
What led to this turnaround was identification of the genetic marker of the disease and development of a drug called Gleevec (imatinib), which attacks the leukemia-promoting protein, tyrosine kinase, found in 95 percent of C.M.L. patients.
Since the approval in 2001 of Gleevec, a drug that inhibits activity of this protein, two other even more powerful tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease.
Barry, for example, is now on the third generation of anti-C.M.L. drugs, Tasigna (nilotinib), after his cancer became resistant to control by Gleevec and he developed an uncontrollable side effect to its successor, Sprycel (dasatinib).
C.M.L. was diagnosed in about 5,050 new patients last year in the United States, most of them, like Barry, in midlife or older. And, like Barry, about 95 percent of patients have the distinctive Philadelphia chromosome in their leukemic cells. Those missing this genetic trait have a poorer response to treatment.
We have posted the first part of the article here. To read the rest, go to CML New York Times.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Living With a Formerly Fatal Blood Cancer
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: January 18, 2010
In December 2005, a series of mysterious symptoms — night sweats, easy bruising, swollen ankles and breathlessness upon exertion — prompted Barry to see his doctor. Only six months earlier, a physical exam had found nothing abnormal. But now Barry’s white blood cell count was through the roof.
A bone marrow test the next day revealed a genetic abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome that is the signature of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or C.M.L., a blood cell cancer that in the last decade has been transformed from ultimately fatal to nearly always treatable, usually until something else claims the patient’s life.
Despite his illness, Barry, a lawyer who for privacy reasons asked that his last name not be used, is living a normal life. “I go to the gym, go to work, travel, play with my grandson — that’s the best,” he said in an interview. “In some of my support groups, people have been living with the disease now for 10 or 12 years.”
Before 2000, fewer than half of C.M.L. patients survived seven years; now nearly 90 percent are alive seven years after diagnosis and, like Barry, lead relatively normal lives. (The basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced in November that he had been living with the disease for nearly a year.)
“C.M.L. has become a chronic disease leading to a normal life span in the majority of patients,” Dr. Elias Jabbour of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center said last month in a teleconference workshop sponsored by CancerCare. “As for quality of life, among more than 3,000 patients who have been followed now for almost 10 years, there’s been no significant increase in the incidence of infection, other cancers or other causes of death when compared to the normal population.”
What led to this turnaround was identification of the genetic marker of the disease and development of a drug called Gleevec (imatinib), which attacks the leukemia-promoting protein, tyrosine kinase, found in 95 percent of C.M.L. patients.
Since the approval in 2001 of Gleevec, a drug that inhibits activity of this protein, two other even more powerful tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease.
Barry, for example, is now on the third generation of anti-C.M.L. drugs, Tasigna (nilotinib), after his cancer became resistant to control by Gleevec and he developed an uncontrollable side effect to its successor, Sprycel (dasatinib).
C.M.L. was diagnosed in about 5,050 new patients last year in the United States, most of them, like Barry, in midlife or older. And, like Barry, about 95 percent of patients have the distinctive Philadelphia chromosome in their leukemic cells. Those missing this genetic trait have a poorer response to treatment.
We have posted the first part of the article here. To read the rest, go to CML New York Times.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Monday, January 18, 2010
Association of Oncology Social Work Survey Shows More Than Half of Cancer Patients Say Cancer Costs Negatively Impact Their Focus on Recovery
I never did get a chance to post this release about how high costs of cancer treatment negatively effect patients. Pattie and I are both helping with this cause--cancer patients should be concentrating on getting better, not stressing over medical bills and future expenses!
December 2, 2009 12:00 PM EST
66% of Patients with Major Financial Challenges Suffer Depression/Anxiety, 29% of Patients Delay Filling Prescriptions Due to Financial Pressures, and 22% Skip Doses According to Study
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- New data being released today by the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) demonstrate the extraordinary financial hardships that often complicate or compromise a patient's battle against cancer. Sixty-three percent of oncology social workers surveyed said that financial issues reduce patients' compliance with their cancer treatment - even though that treatment is key to their recovery. Forty percent of patients reported depleting their savings, while almost 30% reported dealing with bill collectors. More than half of patients and caregivers (54%) with a major/catastrophic financial burden said that it has become more difficult to afford treatment for cancer in the past year.
"Managing the costs of cancer treatment is difficult for many patients and families coping with cancer, and may cause distress and worry and make it more challenging to follow their doctors' prescribed treatment course," said Carolyn Messner, president of the Association of Oncology Social Work.
The survey results are part of an ongoing effort by the Association of Oncology Social Work to increase understanding and support for people with cancer and their families. AOSW was formed in 1984 and is dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families to help them cope with the practical, financial, emotional and social concerns of living with cancer.
More than two-thirds (68%) of cancer patients and caregivers surveyed reported that the patient is experiencing financial hardship due to medical bills, and 55% of all cancer patients surveyed say the stress of dealing with costs negatively affects their ability to focus on their recovery. Statistics are based on a new national study of 169 cancer patients, 131 caregivers and 153 social workers.
"Our survey findings demonstrate that the number of cancer patients dealing with financial concerns about their care, especially out-of-pocket costs, is on the rise," said Mary Ann Burg, Social Work Oncology Research Group Director, AOSW. "The data also show that social workers are well trained and experienced with helping patients and their families find the resources and support they need to cope with cancer, especially the growing financial burdens associated with living with cancer."
Although most patients report experiencing cost-related psychosocial stresses that social workers are adept at helping manage, only one-third (34%) of patients report actually utilizing a social worker as a resource.
Findings show that nearly all cancer patients, including those with blood cancers such as multiple myeloma, consider effectiveness before all other factors when determining their treatment plan and rank the cost of treatment last in their decision-making process when initially diagnosed. However, new data show that the stress related to finances can impact compliance and potentially present serious consequences. Consider these statistics from the survey:
-- Treatment costs negatively impact the ability to focus on recovery for
87% of patients with catastrophic/major financial burdens due to cancer
treatment, and 75% of these patients constantly worry about financial
issues due to cancer treatment
-- Almost half (46%) of patients who have experienced a financial burden
from their cancer have cut back on necessary expenses, such as food, to
pay for cancer treatment
-- 24% of respondents indicated that they suffered a relationship issue in
their efforts to afford cancer treatment
-- 6% sold a home or relocated due to the financial stress, and 3% had
their homes foreclosed
-- 56% of patients with a financial burden were not at all prepared to
handle the financial burden of cancer, while only 7% indicated they were
completely prepared for it
"Ideally, we would not burden catastrophically ill cancer patients with large co-payments for their treatment," said health economist Louis Garrison, Ph.D., University of Washington. "Out-of-pocket cost shouldn't be a major factor in cancer treatment selection, but they are an issue that many patients now face and are often a consideration and a component of treatment discussions."
Only 36% of patients have discussed the cost of treatment with their oncologist, and only 16% of patients and caregivers report that they believe their oncologists give a lot of thought to the financial implications of treatment they prescribe. In fact, only about half of patients feel comfortable speaking with health professionals about financial issues.
Sixty-nine percent of social workers see themselves as cancer patients' primary resource when dealing with the financial concerns of their cancer treatment. The majority of social workers surveyed indicated that they have a significant impact in helping oncology patients handle their cancer-related financial problems.
"Social workers can help patients reduce overall stress related to cancer treatment costs and care, but not all oncology settings employ social workers, and few employ sufficient numbers of social workers to allow for all patients to have sufficient access to the full range of supportive care social workers can provide," adds Burg.
Other important survey facts:
-- Half of all caregivers agree that they try to shield patients from the
financial aspects of cancer treatment
-- Social workers report that relapsed patients have a much better
understanding of the treatments and medications covered by their
insurance versus newly diagnosed patients, signaling that the more that
patients deal with their insurance plans, the greater their
understanding of their treatment options.
-- Multiple myeloma patients are spending almost twice as much on
prescription drugs as the average cancer patient
Feel good, keep smiling and good luck with your cancer-related finances!
Pat & Pattie
December 2, 2009 12:00 PM EST
66% of Patients with Major Financial Challenges Suffer Depression/Anxiety, 29% of Patients Delay Filling Prescriptions Due to Financial Pressures, and 22% Skip Doses According to Study
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- New data being released today by the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) demonstrate the extraordinary financial hardships that often complicate or compromise a patient's battle against cancer. Sixty-three percent of oncology social workers surveyed said that financial issues reduce patients' compliance with their cancer treatment - even though that treatment is key to their recovery. Forty percent of patients reported depleting their savings, while almost 30% reported dealing with bill collectors. More than half of patients and caregivers (54%) with a major/catastrophic financial burden said that it has become more difficult to afford treatment for cancer in the past year.
"Managing the costs of cancer treatment is difficult for many patients and families coping with cancer, and may cause distress and worry and make it more challenging to follow their doctors' prescribed treatment course," said Carolyn Messner, president of the Association of Oncology Social Work.
The survey results are part of an ongoing effort by the Association of Oncology Social Work to increase understanding and support for people with cancer and their families. AOSW was formed in 1984 and is dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families to help them cope with the practical, financial, emotional and social concerns of living with cancer.
More than two-thirds (68%) of cancer patients and caregivers surveyed reported that the patient is experiencing financial hardship due to medical bills, and 55% of all cancer patients surveyed say the stress of dealing with costs negatively affects their ability to focus on their recovery. Statistics are based on a new national study of 169 cancer patients, 131 caregivers and 153 social workers.
"Our survey findings demonstrate that the number of cancer patients dealing with financial concerns about their care, especially out-of-pocket costs, is on the rise," said Mary Ann Burg, Social Work Oncology Research Group Director, AOSW. "The data also show that social workers are well trained and experienced with helping patients and their families find the resources and support they need to cope with cancer, especially the growing financial burdens associated with living with cancer."
Although most patients report experiencing cost-related psychosocial stresses that social workers are adept at helping manage, only one-third (34%) of patients report actually utilizing a social worker as a resource.
Findings show that nearly all cancer patients, including those with blood cancers such as multiple myeloma, consider effectiveness before all other factors when determining their treatment plan and rank the cost of treatment last in their decision-making process when initially diagnosed. However, new data show that the stress related to finances can impact compliance and potentially present serious consequences. Consider these statistics from the survey:
-- Treatment costs negatively impact the ability to focus on recovery for
87% of patients with catastrophic/major financial burdens due to cancer
treatment, and 75% of these patients constantly worry about financial
issues due to cancer treatment
-- Almost half (46%) of patients who have experienced a financial burden
from their cancer have cut back on necessary expenses, such as food, to
pay for cancer treatment
-- 24% of respondents indicated that they suffered a relationship issue in
their efforts to afford cancer treatment
-- 6% sold a home or relocated due to the financial stress, and 3% had
their homes foreclosed
-- 56% of patients with a financial burden were not at all prepared to
handle the financial burden of cancer, while only 7% indicated they were
completely prepared for it
"Ideally, we would not burden catastrophically ill cancer patients with large co-payments for their treatment," said health economist Louis Garrison, Ph.D., University of Washington. "Out-of-pocket cost shouldn't be a major factor in cancer treatment selection, but they are an issue that many patients now face and are often a consideration and a component of treatment discussions."
Only 36% of patients have discussed the cost of treatment with their oncologist, and only 16% of patients and caregivers report that they believe their oncologists give a lot of thought to the financial implications of treatment they prescribe. In fact, only about half of patients feel comfortable speaking with health professionals about financial issues.
Sixty-nine percent of social workers see themselves as cancer patients' primary resource when dealing with the financial concerns of their cancer treatment. The majority of social workers surveyed indicated that they have a significant impact in helping oncology patients handle their cancer-related financial problems.
"Social workers can help patients reduce overall stress related to cancer treatment costs and care, but not all oncology settings employ social workers, and few employ sufficient numbers of social workers to allow for all patients to have sufficient access to the full range of supportive care social workers can provide," adds Burg.
Other important survey facts:
-- Half of all caregivers agree that they try to shield patients from the
financial aspects of cancer treatment
-- Social workers report that relapsed patients have a much better
understanding of the treatments and medications covered by their
insurance versus newly diagnosed patients, signaling that the more that
patients deal with their insurance plans, the greater their
understanding of their treatment options.
-- Multiple myeloma patients are spending almost twice as much on
prescription drugs as the average cancer patient
Feel good, keep smiling and good luck with your cancer-related finances!
Pat & Pattie
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Contrary View: Vitamins Are A Waste Of Money - Even For Cancer Patients
Here's a contrary view I found on an eclectic Website called Book of Odds.com.
Most medical research suggests that vitamins are a good way to create expensive pee. Many of us take them anyway. Fifty-three percent of men swallow a multivitamin at least once a week, the same as the odds (1 in 1.89) that an adult drinks traditional coffee in a day. Even more women, 1 in 1.57 (64%), take their vitamins.
That’s almost exactly the odds an adult considers him- or herself to be a healthy eater (1 in 1.56)—and hopefully not because he or she has a tablespoonful of vitameatavegamin after every meal. Nutrition can come from a balanced diet, even more easily now (thanks to fortified food) than when Lucille Ball declared “The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle.”
It seems logical that multi-vitamins would be beneficial. Certainly, not having enough can be bad: vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. But having more than enough may not be better. The best randomized trials of the past few years have failed to show that adding nutritional supplements to a normal diet does anything to prevent heart disease, cancer, or death. One study even suggested antioxidants may shorten lives.
“We call them essential nutrients because they are,” Marian L. Neuhouser of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, told the New York Times. “But there has been a leap into thinking that vitamins and minerals can prevent anything from fatigue to cancer to Alzheimer’s. That’s where the science didn’t pan out.”
Sales have not been affected by this news—or by the economy. Even as the stock market crashed, vitamin sales soared to a projected $9.2 billion in 2009. Some theories hold that patients, for lack of affordable health care, are seeing supplements instead of doctors. But it could be more benign than that. “Vitamins may work,” says Los Angeles lawyer David Illions, “and if they don’t, at least I’m giving myself a little kiss every time I take them.”
Eat healthy, people! Take extra vitamins and supplements if you like. But there is no substitute for eating lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables--expecially for cancer patients/survivors!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Most medical research suggests that vitamins are a good way to create expensive pee. Many of us take them anyway. Fifty-three percent of men swallow a multivitamin at least once a week, the same as the odds (1 in 1.89) that an adult drinks traditional coffee in a day. Even more women, 1 in 1.57 (64%), take their vitamins.
That’s almost exactly the odds an adult considers him- or herself to be a healthy eater (1 in 1.56)—and hopefully not because he or she has a tablespoonful of vitameatavegamin after every meal. Nutrition can come from a balanced diet, even more easily now (thanks to fortified food) than when Lucille Ball declared “The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle.”
It seems logical that multi-vitamins would be beneficial. Certainly, not having enough can be bad: vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. But having more than enough may not be better. The best randomized trials of the past few years have failed to show that adding nutritional supplements to a normal diet does anything to prevent heart disease, cancer, or death. One study even suggested antioxidants may shorten lives.
“We call them essential nutrients because they are,” Marian L. Neuhouser of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, told the New York Times. “But there has been a leap into thinking that vitamins and minerals can prevent anything from fatigue to cancer to Alzheimer’s. That’s where the science didn’t pan out.”
Sales have not been affected by this news—or by the economy. Even as the stock market crashed, vitamin sales soared to a projected $9.2 billion in 2009. Some theories hold that patients, for lack of affordable health care, are seeing supplements instead of doctors. But it could be more benign than that. “Vitamins may work,” says Los Angeles lawyer David Illions, “and if they don’t, at least I’m giving myself a little kiss every time I take them.”
Eat healthy, people! Take extra vitamins and supplements if you like. But there is no substitute for eating lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables--expecially for cancer patients/survivors!
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Pattiative Care Is A Positive Thing For Cancer Patients!
Not the most cheerful of subjects--palliative care and hospice. But they are so, so important! I liked this Huffington Post article a lot! Let me know what you think:
Palliative care has a branding issue.
Many people, doctors included, are ill-informed about this essential branch of medicine. As a result, it's rarely discussed, undervalued and underused.
The purpose of palliative care is to make patients feel better -- by managing pain, emphasizing nutrition and providing assistance in daily life. The goal is not, necessarily, to cure disease, but instead to help people cope with any chronic medical disorder.
I think that palliative care matters now more than ever. That's because medical advances have expanded patients' care choices to such a point that health care decisions can overwhelm individuals caught up in the immediacy of an illness. In a specialist-driven system that aims to eradicate disease, sometimes we overlook the simpler need to alleviate patients' discomfort and distress.
Physicians need be educated about palliative care, so they might prescribe it and better discuss the potential benefits with their patients. The public should be informed, too.
A common misconception equates it with hospice care or end-of-life care. While palliative care sometimes overlaps with those, it's not the same. Rather, it's an approach to medicine that comforts people in ways that antibiotics, chemotherapies and most procedures don't - at least not directly. Few realize that palliative care can supplement other, potentially life-saving treatments during any phase of illness.
"It's not just for cancer" explains Dr. Ann Berger, an oncologist and chief of the Palliative Care program at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda. She emphasizes that her team assists patients in any phase of chronic disease such as sickle cell anemia or diabetes.
But few people bring up the subject. Palliative care is too-often considered a last resort, for those who lack hope.
Palliative care lets patients take charge of a serious illness, says Dr. Diane Meier, Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. There's widespread misunderstanding, she considers. "Palliative care is not end-of-life care. It is about making sure that medical care is matched to patient goals and values."
One problem is that few doctors are knowledgeable about palliative care. But the medical school and residency curriculum is slowly changing for the better, Meier says.
Post-graduate education for doctors is gaining traction. In 2006 the American Board of Medical Specialties established palliative care as an official sub-specialty in the field of Internal Medicine. After completing a residency program, doctors can take on additional training through fellowships in palliative care. Since 2008, the board offers certification exams for doctors who've completed these programs.
Dr. Meier directs the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a national organization based at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The agency sponsors GetPalliativeCare.org, a website intended for patients and others who want to learn more.
Apart from a hospice setting, palliative care can improve the quality of patients' lives, Meier explains: first, by providing expert treatment of distressing symptoms such as pain and fatigue; second, by promoting regular and open communication among patients, family members and the health care team; and third, by making sure patients and caregivers have the knowledge, training, and community support required to manage the illness at home.
A priority is that patients "understand their illness, what options they have, and the pros and cons of these options - all the information necessary for patients to choose treatment that meets their goals," Meier says. "It puts the knowledge and power back in the hands of the patient and family, where it belongs."
As I see it, palliative care is a vital component of the modern medical armamentarium. Patients and their physicians shouldn't shun palliative care until the last days of life. Rather, we should embrace this approach early on, so that we can receive its benefits through the typically long course of living with heart disease, arthritis and other chronic conditions.
Perhaps this positive brand of medicine just needs a new name.
I agree! Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Palliative care has a branding issue.
Many people, doctors included, are ill-informed about this essential branch of medicine. As a result, it's rarely discussed, undervalued and underused.
The purpose of palliative care is to make patients feel better -- by managing pain, emphasizing nutrition and providing assistance in daily life. The goal is not, necessarily, to cure disease, but instead to help people cope with any chronic medical disorder.
I think that palliative care matters now more than ever. That's because medical advances have expanded patients' care choices to such a point that health care decisions can overwhelm individuals caught up in the immediacy of an illness. In a specialist-driven system that aims to eradicate disease, sometimes we overlook the simpler need to alleviate patients' discomfort and distress.
Physicians need be educated about palliative care, so they might prescribe it and better discuss the potential benefits with their patients. The public should be informed, too.
A common misconception equates it with hospice care or end-of-life care. While palliative care sometimes overlaps with those, it's not the same. Rather, it's an approach to medicine that comforts people in ways that antibiotics, chemotherapies and most procedures don't - at least not directly. Few realize that palliative care can supplement other, potentially life-saving treatments during any phase of illness.
"It's not just for cancer" explains Dr. Ann Berger, an oncologist and chief of the Palliative Care program at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda. She emphasizes that her team assists patients in any phase of chronic disease such as sickle cell anemia or diabetes.
But few people bring up the subject. Palliative care is too-often considered a last resort, for those who lack hope.
Palliative care lets patients take charge of a serious illness, says Dr. Diane Meier, Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. There's widespread misunderstanding, she considers. "Palliative care is not end-of-life care. It is about making sure that medical care is matched to patient goals and values."
One problem is that few doctors are knowledgeable about palliative care. But the medical school and residency curriculum is slowly changing for the better, Meier says.
Post-graduate education for doctors is gaining traction. In 2006 the American Board of Medical Specialties established palliative care as an official sub-specialty in the field of Internal Medicine. After completing a residency program, doctors can take on additional training through fellowships in palliative care. Since 2008, the board offers certification exams for doctors who've completed these programs.
Dr. Meier directs the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a national organization based at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The agency sponsors GetPalliativeCare.org, a website intended for patients and others who want to learn more.
Apart from a hospice setting, palliative care can improve the quality of patients' lives, Meier explains: first, by providing expert treatment of distressing symptoms such as pain and fatigue; second, by promoting regular and open communication among patients, family members and the health care team; and third, by making sure patients and caregivers have the knowledge, training, and community support required to manage the illness at home.
A priority is that patients "understand their illness, what options they have, and the pros and cons of these options - all the information necessary for patients to choose treatment that meets their goals," Meier says. "It puts the knowledge and power back in the hands of the patient and family, where it belongs."
As I see it, palliative care is a vital component of the modern medical armamentarium. Patients and their physicians shouldn't shun palliative care until the last days of life. Rather, we should embrace this approach early on, so that we can receive its benefits through the typically long course of living with heart disease, arthritis and other chronic conditions.
Perhaps this positive brand of medicine just needs a new name.
I agree! Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Friday, January 15, 2010
Can Mangoes Or Mushrooms Help Fight Cancer?
This story was released today on several different Internet sources:
Can meals rich in mangoes and edible mushroom help to prevent or/and stop the spread of cancers? Mangoes and mushrooms have been discovered to contain ingredients that could be used for the production of new drugs for the treatment of cancers.
Scientists have discovered how a promising cancer drug, first discovered in a wild mushroom, works. The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, team believe their work could help make the drug more effective, and useful for treating a wider range of cancers.
Cordycepin, commonly used in Chinese medicine, was originally extracted from a rare kind of parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars. The study appeared in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Also, mango has been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. A new study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, United States, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.- Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden- found some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers but was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.
The article, found on both Healthtips2U.com and The Guardian, is very long (too long to reproduce in its entirety here) and covers research from the UK and Nigeria. Please note part of the study was funded by a group representing mango growers. Click on this link: Scientists employ mangoes and mushrooms to beat cancer to see the entire article.
Researchers know very little about the way natural foods effect our bodies and cancer. Articles like this are encouraging--as long as someone, somewhere continues to search for practical applications.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Can meals rich in mangoes and edible mushroom help to prevent or/and stop the spread of cancers? Mangoes and mushrooms have been discovered to contain ingredients that could be used for the production of new drugs for the treatment of cancers.
Scientists have discovered how a promising cancer drug, first discovered in a wild mushroom, works. The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, team believe their work could help make the drug more effective, and useful for treating a wider range of cancers.
Cordycepin, commonly used in Chinese medicine, was originally extracted from a rare kind of parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars. The study appeared in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Also, mango has been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. A new study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, United States, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.- Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden- found some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers but was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.
The article, found on both Healthtips2U.com and The Guardian, is very long (too long to reproduce in its entirety here) and covers research from the UK and Nigeria. Please note part of the study was funded by a group representing mango growers. Click on this link: Scientists employ mangoes and mushrooms to beat cancer to see the entire article.
Researchers know very little about the way natural foods effect our bodies and cancer. Articles like this are encouraging--as long as someone, somewhere continues to search for practical applications.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Thursday, January 14, 2010
New Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Drug, Voreloxin, Looks Promising To Investors
I like to watch Internet business sites for cancer drug company news:
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- by By Val Brickates Kennedy
Drug stocks were sluggish in early trading Thursday, while shares of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals soared on the publication of a favorable study for its leukemia drug candidate voreloxin in a leading medical journal. Sunesis shares shot up almost 20% to $1.50. Sunesis said that a laboratory study of voreloxin showed the compound was effective in attacking leukemia cells. The biotech group plans to begin Phase III testing of voreloxin in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, later this year.
Rising stock prices for a particular company can be misleading. However, you know the old saying: "Follow the money!" Financial reports like this one can be good news--only time will tell.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- by By Val Brickates Kennedy
Drug stocks were sluggish in early trading Thursday, while shares of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals soared on the publication of a favorable study for its leukemia drug candidate voreloxin in a leading medical journal. Sunesis shares shot up almost 20% to $1.50. Sunesis said that a laboratory study of voreloxin showed the compound was effective in attacking leukemia cells. The biotech group plans to begin Phase III testing of voreloxin in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, later this year.
Rising stock prices for a particular company can be misleading. However, you know the old saying: "Follow the money!" Financial reports like this one can be good news--only time will tell.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Positive Advice From A Cancer Patient In New Zealand
I read the following excerpt on a dear friends blog:
Celebrate success.
Practice positive visualisation.
Create some positive sayings that have meaning to you. Use the words “I” and “will”.
My treatment is working, I am healing, I will get better.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strengths.
Take time off from being sick, have some fun.
Short, simple yet so, so true! The author of this list, Sid, is a multiple myeloma bone marrow cancer patient from New Zealand. Sid has been an active reader of both my daily blogs, www.HelpWithCancer.Org and wwwMulitpleMyelomaBlog.Com for years. He posts several times a week on his blog: http://www.supersidnz.blogspot.com/
I find him to be insightful and genuine--and many of his posts apply to all cancer patients, not just those with myeloma.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Celebrate success.
Practice positive visualisation.
Create some positive sayings that have meaning to you. Use the words “I” and “will”.
My treatment is working, I am healing, I will get better.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strengths.
Take time off from being sick, have some fun.
Short, simple yet so, so true! The author of this list, Sid, is a multiple myeloma bone marrow cancer patient from New Zealand. Sid has been an active reader of both my daily blogs, www.HelpWithCancer.Org and wwwMulitpleMyelomaBlog.Com for years. He posts several times a week on his blog: http://www.supersidnz.blogspot.com/
I find him to be insightful and genuine--and many of his posts apply to all cancer patients, not just those with myeloma.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Multiple Myeloma Drug, Velcade, May Work For Stomach Cancer Patients As Well
I serve on the Patient Advisory Board of Millennium, makers of bortezomib (Velcade). I was excited to get this release today about possible cross-over application for use against stomach cancer:
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A drug already approved for some cancers could be an effective treatment for a rare tumor found in the gastrointestinal tract, U.S. researchers said.
The drug Bortezomib, also known as Velcade, is used to treat multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, said pathologist Anette Duensing of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
In tests, Bortezomib showed promise against gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells. The stromal tumor cells usually are treated with imatinib, or Gleevec, which is effective initially but rarely kills the cells completely, Duensing and her team wrote in a recent issue of Cancer Research.
Bortezomib suppressed the cancer cells' production of an enzyme called KIT and was active against imatinib-resistant cells.
"This is intriguing because resistance to imatinib seems to permit a small pool of quiescent cancer cells to survive," Duensing said. "But Bortezomib eradicates KIT production, so it might be able to rid the body of the remaining tumor cells."
Looks promising! Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A drug already approved for some cancers could be an effective treatment for a rare tumor found in the gastrointestinal tract, U.S. researchers said.
The drug Bortezomib, also known as Velcade, is used to treat multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, said pathologist Anette Duensing of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
In tests, Bortezomib showed promise against gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells. The stromal tumor cells usually are treated with imatinib, or Gleevec, which is effective initially but rarely kills the cells completely, Duensing and her team wrote in a recent issue of Cancer Research.
Bortezomib suppressed the cancer cells' production of an enzyme called KIT and was active against imatinib-resistant cells.
"This is intriguing because resistance to imatinib seems to permit a small pool of quiescent cancer cells to survive," Duensing said. "But Bortezomib eradicates KIT production, so it might be able to rid the body of the remaining tumor cells."
Looks promising! Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Scientists Find New Leukemia Genetic Risk Factors
Found this on Reuters this afternoon:
By Kate Kelland Kate Kelland – Sun Jan 10, 1:08 pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) – Researchers have found four new genetic variants that increase the risk of contracting one of the major forms of leukemia, confirming that risk factors for the fatal blood cancer can be inherited.
The findings mean scientists now know of 10 genetic variants associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), scientists at Europe's Institute of Cancer Research who conducted the study said.
The four new genetic factors are all common in European populations and each factor contributes to an increase in the risk of the disease.
CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults, accounting for around 30 to 40 percent of all forms of leukemia in Western countries. Most of those diagnosed are over the age of 55, and while the incidence of CLL is broadly equal in black and white populations, the disease is rare among Asians.
Richard Houlston, who led the study, said it confirmed the inherited risk of CLL, and showed it was not due to a single gene due to the cumulative effect of many genetic changes.
Each person may carry any number, from a few of the identified risk factors to all of them, he said in research published in the journal Nature Genetics. And the more genetic factors carried, the higher their risk of developing CLL.
"People who have more than 13 risk factors are seven times more likely than the general population to develop CLL," Houlston added in a statement about the study.
The risk factors were identified using a genetic analysis technique that scientists have used previously to find risk genes in breast, prostate, testes, brain and colon cancer and childhood leukemia.
The researchers scanned the genes of 2,503 CLL patients and compared them to 5,789 healthy people, looking for differences in DNA between the two groups.
In previous studies, Houlston's team found that genetic factors could make people more susceptible to CLL, identifying six genetic factors more common among sufferers.
The four new factors add to those findings and the study also found that 87 percent of people with CLL would have at least one of these genetic risks.
David Grant, scientific director of the Leukemia Research charity which funded the study, said it confirmed some long-held suspicions that this form of leukemia may run in families.
"This research is providing the genetic evidence that an increased risk of developing CLL can be inherited," he said in a statement.
"However it is clearly a complex picture and we need to study more families before we can be certain of the particular genetic traits that are most important."
(Editing by Michael Roddy)
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
By Kate Kelland Kate Kelland – Sun Jan 10, 1:08 pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) – Researchers have found four new genetic variants that increase the risk of contracting one of the major forms of leukemia, confirming that risk factors for the fatal blood cancer can be inherited.
The findings mean scientists now know of 10 genetic variants associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), scientists at Europe's Institute of Cancer Research who conducted the study said.
The four new genetic factors are all common in European populations and each factor contributes to an increase in the risk of the disease.
CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults, accounting for around 30 to 40 percent of all forms of leukemia in Western countries. Most of those diagnosed are over the age of 55, and while the incidence of CLL is broadly equal in black and white populations, the disease is rare among Asians.
Richard Houlston, who led the study, said it confirmed the inherited risk of CLL, and showed it was not due to a single gene due to the cumulative effect of many genetic changes.
Each person may carry any number, from a few of the identified risk factors to all of them, he said in research published in the journal Nature Genetics. And the more genetic factors carried, the higher their risk of developing CLL.
"People who have more than 13 risk factors are seven times more likely than the general population to develop CLL," Houlston added in a statement about the study.
The risk factors were identified using a genetic analysis technique that scientists have used previously to find risk genes in breast, prostate, testes, brain and colon cancer and childhood leukemia.
The researchers scanned the genes of 2,503 CLL patients and compared them to 5,789 healthy people, looking for differences in DNA between the two groups.
In previous studies, Houlston's team found that genetic factors could make people more susceptible to CLL, identifying six genetic factors more common among sufferers.
The four new factors add to those findings and the study also found that 87 percent of people with CLL would have at least one of these genetic risks.
David Grant, scientific director of the Leukemia Research charity which funded the study, said it confirmed some long-held suspicions that this form of leukemia may run in families.
"This research is providing the genetic evidence that an increased risk of developing CLL can be inherited," he said in a statement.
"However it is clearly a complex picture and we need to study more families before we can be certain of the particular genetic traits that are most important."
(Editing by Michael Roddy)
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
New Drug Gives Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients Hope After Other Treatments Fail
FDA Approves Lymphoma Drug Developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Francis M. Sirotnak posted this article earlier in the week about a new drug, Folotyn, which is used to treat peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
Patients with a rare but aggressive form of cancer now have access to a drug that has proven effective after the disease becomes resistant to standard treatments. In September, the Food and Drug Administration approved pralatrexate (Folotyn®), a drug developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering by molecular pharmacologist and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Member Emeritus Francis M. Sirotnak, as a treatment for peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL).
Pralatrexate is the ninth drug that incorporates Memorial Sloan-Kettering research to be approved by the FDA for marketing. A study led by Boston University ranks Memorial Sloan-Kettering in the top three among public sector (academic) research institutes in the discovery of new therapeutic products, behind the National Institutes of Health intramural program and the ten-campus University of California system.
"Until now, patients with PTCL, a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had no options after their first-line treatments failed," Dr. Sirotnak said. "With pralatrexate, these patients now can be treated and look forward to a significant response, even qualifying for additional therapies that may be potentially curative, such as bone marrow transplants."
Pralatrexate is a redesign of a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate, a compound similar to folic acid, which has been used to treat cancer for more than 50 years. Methotrexate interferes with the metabolism of folic acid -- which cells use to synthesize DNA and reproduce -- and targets rapidly dividing cells such as cancer cells. However, in addition to killing cancer cells, methotrexate inhibits DNA synthesis in some normal cells, resulting in side effects. Researchers were also puzzled over why methotrexate was very active against some cancer types but ineffective against others.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Sirotnak and colleagues conducted studies in mouse models to identify the factors determining a cancer cell's response or resistance to methotrexate. They discovered that tumor cells take in natural folate -- and methotrexate -- via a protein identified as a plasma membrane transporter, now designated RFC-1. They also learned that noncancerous cells do not use the transporter for this purpose. Further research with these cancer models revealed that tumors responding to methotrexate had high levels of RFC-1. "When normal cells transform into cancer cells, they often overexpress the RFC-1 gene to ensure they get enough folate," Dr. Sirotnak said.
Dr. Sirotnak collaborated with chemists at the Stanford Research Institute and the Southern Research Institute to develop a compound that would exploit the tumor cells' dependence on RFC-1 for folate intake. "It was a targeted therapy, but our strategy was focused on interaction with the transporter rather than the ultimate effect once inside the cell," he said. "The drug had to be tailored for RFC-1 -- in other words more efficiently use the same route of entry that tumor cells use to bring in methotrexate -- without losing any ability to inhibit folic acid metabolism."
Based on promising animal data, the researchers identified pralatrexate as a viable clinical candidate in the mid-1990s. The drug was first taken into clinical trials in lung cancer patients by Mark G. Kris, Chief of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Thoracic Oncology Service, and his colleagues. Early positive results led Memorial Sloan-Kettering medical oncologist Owen A. O'Connor (now at NYU Langone Medical Center) to propose a study testing pralatrexate in patients with different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including PTCL.
Funding from Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Experimental Therapeutics Center (ETC) supported the manufacturing of pralatrexate and these early trials, as well as a trial in patients with mesothelioma. After additional encouraging human trial results, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Office of Industrial Affairs licensed the drug to Allos Therapeutics, Inc., for the further testing needed for FDA approval.
"The ETC was established for this purpose -- to streamline the development of new therapeutics from the laboratory through early-stage clinical trials," said David A. Scheinberg, Chair of the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program in the Sloan-Kettering Institute and leader of the ETC. "It is often difficult to find government support for drug development, and private companies are frequently risk averse at the early stages. This is a terrific example of how the ETC can help bridge that gap to allow a new drug to become available worldwide for patients."
Researchers keep working "around the edges" to help extend lives of cancer patients - and improve their quality of life - a few months at a time. Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Francis M. Sirotnak posted this article earlier in the week about a new drug, Folotyn, which is used to treat peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
Patients with a rare but aggressive form of cancer now have access to a drug that has proven effective after the disease becomes resistant to standard treatments. In September, the Food and Drug Administration approved pralatrexate (Folotyn®), a drug developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering by molecular pharmacologist and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Member Emeritus Francis M. Sirotnak, as a treatment for peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL).
Pralatrexate is the ninth drug that incorporates Memorial Sloan-Kettering research to be approved by the FDA for marketing. A study led by Boston University ranks Memorial Sloan-Kettering in the top three among public sector (academic) research institutes in the discovery of new therapeutic products, behind the National Institutes of Health intramural program and the ten-campus University of California system.
"Until now, patients with PTCL, a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had no options after their first-line treatments failed," Dr. Sirotnak said. "With pralatrexate, these patients now can be treated and look forward to a significant response, even qualifying for additional therapies that may be potentially curative, such as bone marrow transplants."
Pralatrexate is a redesign of a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate, a compound similar to folic acid, which has been used to treat cancer for more than 50 years. Methotrexate interferes with the metabolism of folic acid -- which cells use to synthesize DNA and reproduce -- and targets rapidly dividing cells such as cancer cells. However, in addition to killing cancer cells, methotrexate inhibits DNA synthesis in some normal cells, resulting in side effects. Researchers were also puzzled over why methotrexate was very active against some cancer types but ineffective against others.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Sirotnak and colleagues conducted studies in mouse models to identify the factors determining a cancer cell's response or resistance to methotrexate. They discovered that tumor cells take in natural folate -- and methotrexate -- via a protein identified as a plasma membrane transporter, now designated RFC-1. They also learned that noncancerous cells do not use the transporter for this purpose. Further research with these cancer models revealed that tumors responding to methotrexate had high levels of RFC-1. "When normal cells transform into cancer cells, they often overexpress the RFC-1 gene to ensure they get enough folate," Dr. Sirotnak said.
Dr. Sirotnak collaborated with chemists at the Stanford Research Institute and the Southern Research Institute to develop a compound that would exploit the tumor cells' dependence on RFC-1 for folate intake. "It was a targeted therapy, but our strategy was focused on interaction with the transporter rather than the ultimate effect once inside the cell," he said. "The drug had to be tailored for RFC-1 -- in other words more efficiently use the same route of entry that tumor cells use to bring in methotrexate -- without losing any ability to inhibit folic acid metabolism."
Based on promising animal data, the researchers identified pralatrexate as a viable clinical candidate in the mid-1990s. The drug was first taken into clinical trials in lung cancer patients by Mark G. Kris, Chief of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Thoracic Oncology Service, and his colleagues. Early positive results led Memorial Sloan-Kettering medical oncologist Owen A. O'Connor (now at NYU Langone Medical Center) to propose a study testing pralatrexate in patients with different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including PTCL.
Funding from Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Experimental Therapeutics Center (ETC) supported the manufacturing of pralatrexate and these early trials, as well as a trial in patients with mesothelioma. After additional encouraging human trial results, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Office of Industrial Affairs licensed the drug to Allos Therapeutics, Inc., for the further testing needed for FDA approval.
"The ETC was established for this purpose -- to streamline the development of new therapeutics from the laboratory through early-stage clinical trials," said David A. Scheinberg, Chair of the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program in the Sloan-Kettering Institute and leader of the ETC. "It is often difficult to find government support for drug development, and private companies are frequently risk averse at the early stages. This is a terrific example of how the ETC can help bridge that gap to allow a new drug to become available worldwide for patients."
Researchers keep working "around the edges" to help extend lives of cancer patients - and improve their quality of life - a few months at a time. Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Monday, January 11, 2010
New Website, Stay In The Game.Com, Designed To Help Kidney Cancer Patients
I wanted to refer those of you who have friends or family dealing with kidney cancer to a very good new site:
Stay in the game.com empowers kidney cancer patients to take a team approach by working closely with their healthcare professionals and loved ones to seek the support and resources necessary to build and stay with a treatment plan.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Stay in the game.com empowers kidney cancer patients to take a team approach by working closely with their healthcare professionals and loved ones to seek the support and resources necessary to build and stay with a treatment plan.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Advantages & Disadvantages Of Moderate Nutritional Supplementation Against Cancer
There are advantages and disadvantages when practicing nutritional moderation in your fight against cancer. The advantages:
1)Eating lots of healthy fruits and vegetables—with moderate vitamin and mineral supplementation, is the natural way to strengthen your body's immune system.
2)Do no harm. A common sense approach when taking supplements is unlikely to negatively interact with your medication or cause any problems down the road.
3)Ingesting lots of antioxidants by eating blueberries, strawberries, beets, red and green peppers, etc., may help fight and prevent cancer naturally.
4)Researchers have no idea what affect ingesting lots of antioxidants by eating or drinking large amounts of highly concentrated and untested nutritional powders and potions may have down the line.
5)Cost. Supplements can be expensive—very expensive if you go for the “miracle” type, direct marketed type.
6)Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps keep your gut healthy and bowels regular—no need for controversial procedures like colon cleansing or coffee enemas.
7)How much is enough of any supplement? No risk of overdoing dosing or frequencies if you are conservative in your supplementation.
The disadvantages of taking a common sense to nutritional supplementation are few, but could be real:
1)It is hard to get enough of a particular antioxidant or nutrient to really be a “game changer” by eating natural foods alone.
2)Do massive doses of antioxidants really help control cancer? Who knows? But if they do, once again it is unlikely a patient will be able to get enough of any particular compound without additional supplementation.
3)Some experts feel today's corporate, genetically engineered food isn't as nutritious as it once was. Still, moderate supplementation should help take care of this.
I will NEVER criticize a fellow cancer patient for trying to stop their cancer by experimenting with nutritional supplements. I am sometimes critical of patients who forgo conventional treatment and rely on nutrition alone to fight their fight. Sometimes you simply need to more. Sometimes you need to use the big chemotherapy “guns” to try and defeat cancer. But even then, good nutrition is more important that ever—to help keep your body strong and better able to withstand the necessary surgery or poison.
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to eat lots and lots of fruits and vegetables! Pat
1)Eating lots of healthy fruits and vegetables—with moderate vitamin and mineral supplementation, is the natural way to strengthen your body's immune system.
2)Do no harm. A common sense approach when taking supplements is unlikely to negatively interact with your medication or cause any problems down the road.
3)Ingesting lots of antioxidants by eating blueberries, strawberries, beets, red and green peppers, etc., may help fight and prevent cancer naturally.
4)Researchers have no idea what affect ingesting lots of antioxidants by eating or drinking large amounts of highly concentrated and untested nutritional powders and potions may have down the line.
5)Cost. Supplements can be expensive—very expensive if you go for the “miracle” type, direct marketed type.
6)Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps keep your gut healthy and bowels regular—no need for controversial procedures like colon cleansing or coffee enemas.
7)How much is enough of any supplement? No risk of overdoing dosing or frequencies if you are conservative in your supplementation.
The disadvantages of taking a common sense to nutritional supplementation are few, but could be real:
1)It is hard to get enough of a particular antioxidant or nutrient to really be a “game changer” by eating natural foods alone.
2)Do massive doses of antioxidants really help control cancer? Who knows? But if they do, once again it is unlikely a patient will be able to get enough of any particular compound without additional supplementation.
3)Some experts feel today's corporate, genetically engineered food isn't as nutritious as it once was. Still, moderate supplementation should help take care of this.
I will NEVER criticize a fellow cancer patient for trying to stop their cancer by experimenting with nutritional supplements. I am sometimes critical of patients who forgo conventional treatment and rely on nutrition alone to fight their fight. Sometimes you simply need to more. Sometimes you need to use the big chemotherapy “guns” to try and defeat cancer. But even then, good nutrition is more important that ever—to help keep your body strong and better able to withstand the necessary surgery or poison.
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to eat lots and lots of fruits and vegetables! Pat
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Maybe – Maybe Not. Moderation Is The Key For Nutritional Supplementation Against Cancer
Yesterday I closed my post by writing:
Anecdotal accounts, speculation and hype are far more effective—and much less expensive! Then add a multi-level marketing plan like Amway, Shaklee or Market American and—Poof—we can mislead even more desperate souls into spending even more money in search of that magic pill or potion. Isn't that the American way? Selling the myth of American Capitalism and getting them to spend even more money in search of the economic American dream. Only in America do we think we can cure cancer—and get rich—by taking and selling a pill!
You can stop sending e-mails about how I am “anti-American” or “anti-capitalism” or “anti-nutritional supplements” or “pro-drug company.” I'm not! I'm just realistic. The facts are the facts. Nutritional supplements do not have to face the rigid and expensive testing it takes to bring new drugs to market. Like snake oil salesman, nutritional peddlers can make any claims they like without reliable scientific data to back them up. Are all nutritional supplements bad or ineffective? Of course not! Most just don't have any proof to back-up their claims.
My solution? Moderation. I take many, many vitamin and mineral supplements each and every day. In moderation.
I take enough of each compound to help make-up for any nutritional deficits my body might face as I get it ready for it's daily onslaught of chemo. Extra magnesium, alpha lipoic acid and vitamin B complex to help fight-off neuropathy. Selenium. Chromium. Potassium to help stop cramping. Extra calcium (several different types) to help heal the multiple myeloma caused holes in my bones. L-glutamine to help me maintain healthy muscle mass. One fish oil and flaxseed capsule daily to provide beneficial omega-3 oils to reduce inflammation. A good multi-vitamin, which I break in half, taking one half in the morning and one half at night. Why only one half? Why not just take one in the morning and one at night? Moderation! Why take more than I need? I'm already taking all of the other supplements I just listed, and more.
Moderation. Does a supplement work? Maybe. Maybe not! Could too much of a good thing be bad for me? Probably! If you want to take supplements to help fortify your nutritional battle against cancer—please—go right ahead! Just don't take so much that you may run into unintended consequences—like taking large doses of concentrated antioxidants which may render your chemotherapy less effective.
Tomorrow I will explore the advantages and disadvantages of my “moderation” theory.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Anecdotal accounts, speculation and hype are far more effective—and much less expensive! Then add a multi-level marketing plan like Amway, Shaklee or Market American and—Poof—we can mislead even more desperate souls into spending even more money in search of that magic pill or potion. Isn't that the American way? Selling the myth of American Capitalism and getting them to spend even more money in search of the economic American dream. Only in America do we think we can cure cancer—and get rich—by taking and selling a pill!
You can stop sending e-mails about how I am “anti-American” or “anti-capitalism” or “anti-nutritional supplements” or “pro-drug company.” I'm not! I'm just realistic. The facts are the facts. Nutritional supplements do not have to face the rigid and expensive testing it takes to bring new drugs to market. Like snake oil salesman, nutritional peddlers can make any claims they like without reliable scientific data to back them up. Are all nutritional supplements bad or ineffective? Of course not! Most just don't have any proof to back-up their claims.
My solution? Moderation. I take many, many vitamin and mineral supplements each and every day. In moderation.
I take enough of each compound to help make-up for any nutritional deficits my body might face as I get it ready for it's daily onslaught of chemo. Extra magnesium, alpha lipoic acid and vitamin B complex to help fight-off neuropathy. Selenium. Chromium. Potassium to help stop cramping. Extra calcium (several different types) to help heal the multiple myeloma caused holes in my bones. L-glutamine to help me maintain healthy muscle mass. One fish oil and flaxseed capsule daily to provide beneficial omega-3 oils to reduce inflammation. A good multi-vitamin, which I break in half, taking one half in the morning and one half at night. Why only one half? Why not just take one in the morning and one at night? Moderation! Why take more than I need? I'm already taking all of the other supplements I just listed, and more.
Moderation. Does a supplement work? Maybe. Maybe not! Could too much of a good thing be bad for me? Probably! If you want to take supplements to help fortify your nutritional battle against cancer—please—go right ahead! Just don't take so much that you may run into unintended consequences—like taking large doses of concentrated antioxidants which may render your chemotherapy less effective.
Tomorrow I will explore the advantages and disadvantages of my “moderation” theory.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Friday, January 8, 2010
Friend Diagnosed With Bile Duct Cancer
Last week Pattie and I learned a close friend and fellow multiple myeloma survivor's mother had just been diagnosed with bile duct cancer. My first thoughts were for the family. The daughter is very, very young to even have been diagnosed with myeloma—and she has had a particularly difficult time coping, both physically and emotionally. Having just undergone a successful stem cell transplant, this brave young woman could not have done it without her mother's help. I can only imagine how difficult it is to then learn your mother,your rock,your care-giver, has herself been diagnosed with cancer. Not just any cancer, bile duct cancer can be deadly if not diagnosed early enough to allow for surgical removal of the cancer, or,better yet,a liver transplant. I'm not sure what her situation or prognosis is at this time. All I know is, as we began to research bile duct cancer, I decided not to reproduce a summary about this type of cancer as I often do. Why? Because it seems to be a cancer of extremes—there can be a high cure rate for some patients—little hope for others. This leads to a complicated prognosis that can't be generalized. We will keep you updated on this family's situation in the days to come.
Feel good, keep smiling and please pray for the mother, daughter, her young children and other family members as well! Pat & Pattie
Feel good, keep smiling and please pray for the mother, daughter, her young children and other family members as well! Pat & Pattie
Maybe - Maybe Not! A Cynical Look At The Use Of Nutritional Supplements To Cure Cancer - Continued
Yesterday I closed my post about nutrition this way:
Good nutrition is a key to good health and to help fight cancer. But ultimately, it is a way for the patient to feel like he or she is in control. “Maybe if I eat enough spinach...” “Maybe if I take enough magnesium or vitamin D...”Maybe if I get my colon cleansed I can remove the toxins which are causing my cancer...” Maybe. Maybe not. I will share my philosophy about nutrition and cancer with you tomorrow. (Hint: Nutritional extremists aren't going to like it!)
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies! Pat
“Maybe. Maybe not.” That is the essence of my nutritional philosophy. Whether you already have cancer or are trying to prevent it. Maybe. Maybe not. Truth be told, there is very little science to support the majority of nutritional claims. Why? Clinical trials are expensive. In the pharmaceutical world, it's the drug companies that pay for these studies—the FDA requires it. But most supplements aren't regulated by the FDA. If you were a vitamin company, why would you commit to years and years of expensive research when it isn't required by law? You have too much to lose! Ten years, 30,000 test subjects and you find—like a recent study which looked at the effects of selenium and vitamin C as a way to prevent prostate cancer and/or improve cardiac health—that taking extra selenium or vitamin C had no positive effect. None. Ouch! Anecdotal accounts, speculation and hype are far more effective—and much less expensive! Then add a multi-level marketing plan like Amway, Shaklee or Market American and—Poof—we can mislead even more desperate souls into spending even more money in search of that magic pill or potion. Isn't that the American way? Selling the myth of American Capitalism and getting them to spend even more money in search of the economic American dream. Only in America do we think we can cure cancer—and get rich—by taking and selling a pill!
More about “Maybe. Maybe not.” tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Good nutrition is a key to good health and to help fight cancer. But ultimately, it is a way for the patient to feel like he or she is in control. “Maybe if I eat enough spinach...” “Maybe if I take enough magnesium or vitamin D...”Maybe if I get my colon cleansed I can remove the toxins which are causing my cancer...” Maybe. Maybe not. I will share my philosophy about nutrition and cancer with you tomorrow. (Hint: Nutritional extremists aren't going to like it!)
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies! Pat
“Maybe. Maybe not.” That is the essence of my nutritional philosophy. Whether you already have cancer or are trying to prevent it. Maybe. Maybe not. Truth be told, there is very little science to support the majority of nutritional claims. Why? Clinical trials are expensive. In the pharmaceutical world, it's the drug companies that pay for these studies—the FDA requires it. But most supplements aren't regulated by the FDA. If you were a vitamin company, why would you commit to years and years of expensive research when it isn't required by law? You have too much to lose! Ten years, 30,000 test subjects and you find—like a recent study which looked at the effects of selenium and vitamin C as a way to prevent prostate cancer and/or improve cardiac health—that taking extra selenium or vitamin C had no positive effect. None. Ouch! Anecdotal accounts, speculation and hype are far more effective—and much less expensive! Then add a multi-level marketing plan like Amway, Shaklee or Market American and—Poof—we can mislead even more desperate souls into spending even more money in search of that magic pill or potion. Isn't that the American way? Selling the myth of American Capitalism and getting them to spend even more money in search of the economic American dream. Only in America do we think we can cure cancer—and get rich—by taking and selling a pill!
More about “Maybe. Maybe not.” tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Key To Preventing Cancer - Or Living Longer With Cancer - Is Good Nutrition. Maybe - Maybe Not!
At the end of yesterday's post about the risks of colon cleaning, I wrote:
I understand I take a risk when I support mainstream medical positions like this one. Many users of the Internet lean toward nutritional and medical extremes - they are often open to, and looking for, medical and nutritional alternatives. But I have found good, solid medicine usually trumps extremes. I will write more about that tomorrow.
My point yesterday was this: Most regular readers, on the Internet, looking for cancer and nutritionally related information aren't there to find a common sense approach. They are looking for out-of-the-ordinary answers or solutions for discouraging, difficult problems. Sometimes, these readers are looking for medical knowledge—they want to understand as much as they can about cancer and nutrition. But many others are looking for a silver bullet—or magic potion—or hidden secret to help control their cancer or pain. Control. That's what this is really about. I write about it in the nutritional chapter of my first book, Living with Multple Myeloma. One third of my second book, which I am writing now, Living Longer (& Better!) with Cancer, is devoted to the subject as well.
Good nutrition is a key to good health and to help fight cancer. But ultimately, it is a way for the patient to feel like he or she is in control. “Maybe if I eat enough spinach...” “Maybe if I take enough magnesium or vitamin D...”Maybe if I get my colon cleansed I can remove the toxins which are causing my cancer...” Maybe. Maybe not! I will share my philosophy about nutrition and cancer with you tomorrow. (Hint: Nutritional extremists aren't going to like it!)
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies! Pat
I understand I take a risk when I support mainstream medical positions like this one. Many users of the Internet lean toward nutritional and medical extremes - they are often open to, and looking for, medical and nutritional alternatives. But I have found good, solid medicine usually trumps extremes. I will write more about that tomorrow.
My point yesterday was this: Most regular readers, on the Internet, looking for cancer and nutritionally related information aren't there to find a common sense approach. They are looking for out-of-the-ordinary answers or solutions for discouraging, difficult problems. Sometimes, these readers are looking for medical knowledge—they want to understand as much as they can about cancer and nutrition. But many others are looking for a silver bullet—or magic potion—or hidden secret to help control their cancer or pain. Control. That's what this is really about. I write about it in the nutritional chapter of my first book, Living with Multple Myeloma. One third of my second book, which I am writing now, Living Longer (& Better!) with Cancer, is devoted to the subject as well.
Good nutrition is a key to good health and to help fight cancer. But ultimately, it is a way for the patient to feel like he or she is in control. “Maybe if I eat enough spinach...” “Maybe if I take enough magnesium or vitamin D...”Maybe if I get my colon cleansed I can remove the toxins which are causing my cancer...” Maybe. Maybe not! I will share my philosophy about nutrition and cancer with you tomorrow. (Hint: Nutritional extremists aren't going to like it!)
Feel good, keep smiling and eat your veggies! Pat
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
More Conservative Advice About Colon Cleansing
I have written about the pros and cons of colon cleansing on this site several times. Here is the best article I have ever read about colon cleansing that I found yesterday on USNews.Com:
When, if Ever, Is Colon Cleansing a Good Idea?
By Bryan Arling, M.D.
Posted: January 4, 2010
I have heard about colon cleansers on the news and Internet. When—if ever—is colon cleansing a good idea?
A hundred years ago, it was felt that a daily bowel movement was important to good health. Prolonged retention of stool in the colon was thought to release toxins into the body and possibly be associated with colon cancer and other maladies. This was a driving force leading to the establishment of the breakfast cereal industry.
We now recognize that there is little difference in health between individuals who have three bowel movements a day and one bowel movement every three days—though we still do believe that adding fiber to the diet decreases the risk of constipation and helps to lower cholesterol. Whole grains provide better nutrition and are released into the body more slowly, thereby preventing reactive hypoglycemia. Apples, prunes, and bulking agents such as Metamucil, Citrucel, or FiberCon promote bowel regularity and can prevent some of the cramps and episodes of diarrhea and constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Actual cleansing of the bowel is only necessary in preparation for diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy or elective surgical procedures on the intestinal tract. Bulk electrolyte mixtures such as MiraLax can be taken in small quantities to keep bowels regular or in larger quantities to provide watery diarrhea, removing the vast majority of fecal material in the colon.
We are learning more about the concept of biological films of bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc., that naturally live on our skin and the mucous membranes of our mouth, vagina, and colon. Many of these living organisms are part of our host defense to protect us from disease-causing organisms. We have found that vaginal douching too frequently can upset vaginal flora in a negative way and actually cause more problems than it solves, and the same may be true of colon cleansers.
Some people think it's a good idea to use enemas and other high colonics mixed with coffee and other substances, but they are introduced under greater physiologic pressure than normally exists in the colon and may result in rupturing of diverticula, causing diverticulitis. In addition to altering one's normal colonic flora, colonics have been shown to introduce pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and viruses and should be discouraged. Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that flourishes when broad-spectrum antibiotics kill the normal flora of the colon. When taking antibiotics, patients should eat yogurt, take acidophilus capsules, or take any of the 20 or 30 new probiotic combinations of healthful bacteria and yeasts that are available to restore the normal flora to the colon and change the ecosystem for C. diff so that it no longer competes effectively and it recedes to an insignificant level.
I understand I take a risk when I support mainstream medical positions like this one. Many users of the Internet lean toward nutritional and medical extremes - they are often open to, and looking for, medical and nutritional alternatives. But I have found good, solid medicine usually trumps extremes. I will write more about that tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
When, if Ever, Is Colon Cleansing a Good Idea?
By Bryan Arling, M.D.
Posted: January 4, 2010
I have heard about colon cleansers on the news and Internet. When—if ever—is colon cleansing a good idea?
A hundred years ago, it was felt that a daily bowel movement was important to good health. Prolonged retention of stool in the colon was thought to release toxins into the body and possibly be associated with colon cancer and other maladies. This was a driving force leading to the establishment of the breakfast cereal industry.
We now recognize that there is little difference in health between individuals who have three bowel movements a day and one bowel movement every three days—though we still do believe that adding fiber to the diet decreases the risk of constipation and helps to lower cholesterol. Whole grains provide better nutrition and are released into the body more slowly, thereby preventing reactive hypoglycemia. Apples, prunes, and bulking agents such as Metamucil, Citrucel, or FiberCon promote bowel regularity and can prevent some of the cramps and episodes of diarrhea and constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Actual cleansing of the bowel is only necessary in preparation for diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy or elective surgical procedures on the intestinal tract. Bulk electrolyte mixtures such as MiraLax can be taken in small quantities to keep bowels regular or in larger quantities to provide watery diarrhea, removing the vast majority of fecal material in the colon.
We are learning more about the concept of biological films of bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc., that naturally live on our skin and the mucous membranes of our mouth, vagina, and colon. Many of these living organisms are part of our host defense to protect us from disease-causing organisms. We have found that vaginal douching too frequently can upset vaginal flora in a negative way and actually cause more problems than it solves, and the same may be true of colon cleansers.
Some people think it's a good idea to use enemas and other high colonics mixed with coffee and other substances, but they are introduced under greater physiologic pressure than normally exists in the colon and may result in rupturing of diverticula, causing diverticulitis. In addition to altering one's normal colonic flora, colonics have been shown to introduce pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and viruses and should be discouraged. Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that flourishes when broad-spectrum antibiotics kill the normal flora of the colon. When taking antibiotics, patients should eat yogurt, take acidophilus capsules, or take any of the 20 or 30 new probiotic combinations of healthful bacteria and yeasts that are available to restore the normal flora to the colon and change the ecosystem for C. diff so that it no longer competes effectively and it recedes to an insignificant level.
I understand I take a risk when I support mainstream medical positions like this one. Many users of the Internet lean toward nutritional and medical extremes - they are often open to, and looking for, medical and nutritional alternatives. But I have found good, solid medicine usually trumps extremes. I will write more about that tomorrow.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Living With Liver Cancer Website
Lori Murray, Associate Director of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations for Onyx Pharmaceuticals, forwarded me a link to this excellent site about liver cancer:
http://www.livingwithlivercancer.com/ - a worldwide awareness program that provides helpful information and resources to patients, caregivers and others affected by liver cancer. Site includes information about liver cancer, including signs and symptoms, risk factors, common terminology and available treatment options.
Liver cancer is not common in the United States, (Tell that to the 20,000+ patients that were diagnosed with liver cancer in 2009!) but it is much more common world-wide. Without access to a liver transplant it can be lethal. An estimated 18,000 Americans will die from liver cancer related complications this year. There are also a number of liver related disorders as well - I am working on an article about bile duct cancer for later this week.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
http://www.livingwithlivercancer.com/ - a worldwide awareness program that provides helpful information and resources to patients, caregivers and others affected by liver cancer. Site includes information about liver cancer, including signs and symptoms, risk factors, common terminology and available treatment options.
Liver cancer is not common in the United States, (Tell that to the 20,000+ patients that were diagnosed with liver cancer in 2009!) but it is much more common world-wide. Without access to a liver transplant it can be lethal. An estimated 18,000 Americans will die from liver cancer related complications this year. There are also a number of liver related disorders as well - I am working on an article about bile duct cancer for later this week.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
Monday, January 4, 2010
Study Could Point The Way To Drugs For Deadly Childhood Leukemia
This article about childhood leukemia was posted last week:
A new study could point the way to the development of better drugs to fight a deadly form of childhood leukemia called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL).
The study will help researchers in their search for what could be the first highly effective drug for MLL. Such a drug would work by disabling a protein that turns normal blood cells into cancer cells.
Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and the University of Virginia reported results online Dec. 13 in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
"This hopefully will lead to an effective therapeutic approach for patients who generally do not do well with current treatments," said second senior author Nancy Zeleznik-Le, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Medicine at Loyola Stritch.
Acute MLL accounts for about 80 percent of infant leukemias. While survival rates for most types of childhood leukemia are high, only about one-third of patients with MLL live longer than five years. Existing drugs have limited effectiveness and often cause toxic side effects.
MLL is caused by a critical gene that regulates hundreds of other genes in blood cells. The problem occurs when this regulatory gene breaks in half and another gene attaches to it, creating a fusion gene. It's this fusion gene that turns a normal cell into a proliferating cancer cell.
This fusion gene codes for a MLL fusion protein. The MLL fusion protein in turn binds to hundreds of other genes. Consequently, these genes are permanently turned on. So instead of aging and dying like a normal cell, the cell turns cancerous, continually growing and dividing into new cancer cells.
The finding will be a big help in the effort to develop a drug that prevents the MLL fusion protein from binding to other genes, Zeleznik-Le said. The National Institutes of Health has begun screening compounds that might prevent such binding. Zeleznik-Le said researchers likely will be ready to test potential drug compounds on laboratory animals within a year.
The study's first-authors are Laurie Risner, a doctoral student at Loyola Stritch and Tomasz Cierpicki, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Virginia. Other authors are John Bushweller, PhD, Monika Omonkowska, PhD and David Shultis, PhD of the University of Virginia. Bushweller is first senior author.
Source
Loyola University Health System
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
A new study could point the way to the development of better drugs to fight a deadly form of childhood leukemia called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL).
The study will help researchers in their search for what could be the first highly effective drug for MLL. Such a drug would work by disabling a protein that turns normal blood cells into cancer cells.
Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and the University of Virginia reported results online Dec. 13 in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
"This hopefully will lead to an effective therapeutic approach for patients who generally do not do well with current treatments," said second senior author Nancy Zeleznik-Le, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Medicine at Loyola Stritch.
Acute MLL accounts for about 80 percent of infant leukemias. While survival rates for most types of childhood leukemia are high, only about one-third of patients with MLL live longer than five years. Existing drugs have limited effectiveness and often cause toxic side effects.
MLL is caused by a critical gene that regulates hundreds of other genes in blood cells. The problem occurs when this regulatory gene breaks in half and another gene attaches to it, creating a fusion gene. It's this fusion gene that turns a normal cell into a proliferating cancer cell.
This fusion gene codes for a MLL fusion protein. The MLL fusion protein in turn binds to hundreds of other genes. Consequently, these genes are permanently turned on. So instead of aging and dying like a normal cell, the cell turns cancerous, continually growing and dividing into new cancer cells.
The finding will be a big help in the effort to develop a drug that prevents the MLL fusion protein from binding to other genes, Zeleznik-Le said. The National Institutes of Health has begun screening compounds that might prevent such binding. Zeleznik-Le said researchers likely will be ready to test potential drug compounds on laboratory animals within a year.
The study's first-authors are Laurie Risner, a doctoral student at Loyola Stritch and Tomasz Cierpicki, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Virginia. Other authors are John Bushweller, PhD, Monika Omonkowska, PhD and David Shultis, PhD of the University of Virginia. Bushweller is first senior author.
Source
Loyola University Health System
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Proof That Sugar Feeds Cancer?
This Swedish study gives amunition to those nutritionists who have always claimed that "sugar feeds cancer." Although the study data doesn't go that far, it certainly asserts diabetics are at a much higher risk to get a number of different cancers. Can controlling your blood sugar level help prevent cancer? It can, according to the study:
Posted on 02 January 2010 - NewsBag.Org
Swedish scientists confirm role played by high blood sugar levels
One in six Britons with high blood-sugar levels faces a greater danger of developing cancer, according to new research.
The findings are worrying because an estimated 10.1 million people in the UK have high blood-sugar, largely as a result of unhealthy lifestyles, especially eating foods containing a lot of sugar, salt or fat.
Excess blood sugar means someone could be more likely both to develop cancer and also to die from it, according to research in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal. Women were more vulnerable than men and high blood sugar is linked to a range of different cancers for each gender, it found .
The 10.1 million people include 2.6 million diagnosed diabetics, 500,000 others who have the disease but do not know it, and a further seven million who have pre-diabetes, a precursor to the full-blown condition.
Scientists at Umea University in Sweden, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), examined blood sugar levels in 274,126 men and 275,818 women from Norway, Austria and Sweden with an average age of 44.8, then followed them up a decade later to see how many had developed or died from cancer.
They write: “Significant increases in risk among men were found for incident and fatal cancer of the liver, gallbladder, and respiratory tract, for incident thyroid cancer and multiple myeloma, and for fatal rectal cancer. In women, significant associations were found for incident and fatal cancer of the pancreas, for incident urinary bladder cancer, and for fatal cancer of the uterine corpus, cervix uteri and stomach.”
Dr Tanja Stock, the lead researcher, said: “The results suggest that, for women, the higher the level of sugar in the blood, the higher the risk. For men, there was still an association, but it was weaker.”
The study is significant because it found that the increased likelihood of cancer occurred regardless of the participants’ body mass index levels. It does not prove that blood glucose of itself leads to cancer, but it suggests that it might promote tumour growth by acting as a source of fuel for tumour cells, especially fast-growing, highly proliferative cells.
Dr Panagiota Mitrou, the WCRF’s science programme manager, said the findings “raise the possibility that controlling blood sugar levels may be a way to reduce risk of some cancers”. A previous South Korean study found the same link, but this is the first research to do so among Europeans.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “This study looked at the link between high blood glucose levels such as those found in people with pre-diabetes and the relative risk of both getting cancer and dying from it. It is important, however, not to oversimplify the findings of this study. It would be wrong to conclude that high blood glucose levels alone are causing the increase in cancer cases and deaths. Nor can we say that, by controlling blood glucose levels alone, we could lower the risk of cancer. There are likely to be other factors at work, such as genetics, diet and levels of physical activity, which are all also linked to both cancer and blood glucose levels,” said Frame.
People could reduce their risk of developing either pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes by being more physically active and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and avoiding foods high in sugar, salt and fat, Frame added.
Dr Laura Bell, Cancer Research UK’s science information officer, said: “This is an interesting study looking at blood-sugar levels and cancer risk, but it’s really only looking at one part of a complicated picture.
“Research consistently shows that what we eat and drink, our levels of physical activity, our body weight – and, of course, smoking – all play a part in our cancer risk. Studies like this can help us to understand more about these links, and adds to the evidence that a healthy diet and staying active can help to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as many other diseases.”
As you should know, a person can help keep their blood sugar levels down by eating more protein and vegetables and less carbohydrates and sugar - especially simple sugars.
If Pattie and I have said it once, we've said it a hundred times:
Feel good, keep smiling and please eat more fruits and veggies!
Posted on 02 January 2010 - NewsBag.Org
Swedish scientists confirm role played by high blood sugar levels
One in six Britons with high blood-sugar levels faces a greater danger of developing cancer, according to new research.
The findings are worrying because an estimated 10.1 million people in the UK have high blood-sugar, largely as a result of unhealthy lifestyles, especially eating foods containing a lot of sugar, salt or fat.
Excess blood sugar means someone could be more likely both to develop cancer and also to die from it, according to research in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal. Women were more vulnerable than men and high blood sugar is linked to a range of different cancers for each gender, it found .
The 10.1 million people include 2.6 million diagnosed diabetics, 500,000 others who have the disease but do not know it, and a further seven million who have pre-diabetes, a precursor to the full-blown condition.
Scientists at Umea University in Sweden, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), examined blood sugar levels in 274,126 men and 275,818 women from Norway, Austria and Sweden with an average age of 44.8, then followed them up a decade later to see how many had developed or died from cancer.
They write: “Significant increases in risk among men were found for incident and fatal cancer of the liver, gallbladder, and respiratory tract, for incident thyroid cancer and multiple myeloma, and for fatal rectal cancer. In women, significant associations were found for incident and fatal cancer of the pancreas, for incident urinary bladder cancer, and for fatal cancer of the uterine corpus, cervix uteri and stomach.”
Dr Tanja Stock, the lead researcher, said: “The results suggest that, for women, the higher the level of sugar in the blood, the higher the risk. For men, there was still an association, but it was weaker.”
The study is significant because it found that the increased likelihood of cancer occurred regardless of the participants’ body mass index levels. It does not prove that blood glucose of itself leads to cancer, but it suggests that it might promote tumour growth by acting as a source of fuel for tumour cells, especially fast-growing, highly proliferative cells.
Dr Panagiota Mitrou, the WCRF’s science programme manager, said the findings “raise the possibility that controlling blood sugar levels may be a way to reduce risk of some cancers”. A previous South Korean study found the same link, but this is the first research to do so among Europeans.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “This study looked at the link between high blood glucose levels such as those found in people with pre-diabetes and the relative risk of both getting cancer and dying from it. It is important, however, not to oversimplify the findings of this study. It would be wrong to conclude that high blood glucose levels alone are causing the increase in cancer cases and deaths. Nor can we say that, by controlling blood glucose levels alone, we could lower the risk of cancer. There are likely to be other factors at work, such as genetics, diet and levels of physical activity, which are all also linked to both cancer and blood glucose levels,” said Frame.
People could reduce their risk of developing either pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes by being more physically active and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and avoiding foods high in sugar, salt and fat, Frame added.
Dr Laura Bell, Cancer Research UK’s science information officer, said: “This is an interesting study looking at blood-sugar levels and cancer risk, but it’s really only looking at one part of a complicated picture.
“Research consistently shows that what we eat and drink, our levels of physical activity, our body weight – and, of course, smoking – all play a part in our cancer risk. Studies like this can help us to understand more about these links, and adds to the evidence that a healthy diet and staying active can help to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as many other diseases.”
As you should know, a person can help keep their blood sugar levels down by eating more protein and vegetables and less carbohydrates and sugar - especially simple sugars.
If Pattie and I have said it once, we've said it a hundred times:
Feel good, keep smiling and please eat more fruits and veggies!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
More Lymphoma News From ASH
News from last month's ASH conference in New Orleans continues to trickle-out. (or should it be "trickle-in?) I found this article interesting about a new standard of care for Hodgkin's lymphoma:
December 21, 2009 (New Orleans, Louisiana) — A new standard of care for the treatment of early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma has now been established. The final results from a large German study presented here at the American Society of Hematology 51st Annual Meeting show that the best results were seen with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
Two cycles of chemotherapy with ABVD (doxorubicin [Adriamycin], bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) followed by 20 Gy involved-field radiotherapy (IFR) is the new standard of care for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in early favorable stages, concluded lead researcher Andreas Engert, MD, from the University of Cologne, Germany.
In the discussion period following his presentation, several experts congratulated him and agreed that this should be the new standard of care. In an interview with Medscape Oncology, Richard Van Etten MD, PhD, director of the Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, explained that there was a long-standing question about the treatment of these patients with favorable early-stage disease, and this trial has finally offered an answer as to what is the best option.
Ongoing Debate About Best Approach
In the ongoing debate about the best approach to the treatment of patients with early favorable Hodgkin's lymphoma, one of the main questions has been whether to use chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy in combination with radiation, but there have also been questions about the optimum radiation dose and about the optimal number of chemotherapy cycles, Dr. Engert explained.
The German Hodgkin Study Group addressed these questions in a large trial, conducted in 1370 patients, which had 4 treatment groups. Each group had a different combination of chemotherapy with ABVD (2 or 4 cycles) and IFR (20 Gy or 30 Gy).
The 4 treatment groups were: 4 cycles of ABVD plus 30 Gy IFR; 4 cycles of ABVD plus 20 Gy IFR; 2 cycles of ABVD plus 30 Gy IFR; and 2 cycles of ABVD plus 20 Gy IFR.
All of the groups showed a similar efficacy, but there were significant differences in toxicity, Dr. Engert told the meeting.
Complete remission was achieved in 97% of patients who were treated with either 4 or 2 cycles of ABVD and who received 20 Gy IFR, and in 99% of patients who received 30 Gy.
With a median follow-up of 79 to 91 months, there was no significant difference between 4 and 2 cycles of chemotherapy in terms of overall survival at 5 years (97.1% with 4 cycles of ABVD and 96.6% with 2 cycles), in freedom from treatment failure (93% vs 91.1%), or in progression-free survival (3.5% vs 91.2%).
There were also no significant differences between the 2 doses of radiotherapy in terms of overall survival at 5 years (97.6% with 30 Gy and 97.5% with 20 Gy), in freedom from treatment failure (93.4% vs 92.9%), or progression-free survival (93.7% vs 93.2%).
"Importantly, there were also no significant differences in overall survival, freedom from treatment failure, or progression-free survival when all 4 arms were compared," Dr. Engert explained.
However, there were significant differences in toxicity, Dr. Engert reported. Four cycles of ABVD were significantly more toxic than 2 cycles. Overall adverse events were reported in 52% of patients receiving 4 cycles and in 33% receiving 2 cycles; leukopenia was seen in 24% and 15%, respectively, and alopecia was seen in 28% and 15%, respectively.
A similar pattern was seen with radiotherapy, with more toxicity at the higher dose. Overall adverse events were reported in 8.2% of patients treated with 30 Gy and in 2.9% treated with 20 Gy, dysphagia was seen in 3% and 2%, respectively, and mucositis was seen in 3.4% and 0.7%, respectively.
Dr. Engert concluded that because all of the treatment groups showed a similar efficacy, the new standard of care should be the least toxic treatment of 2 cycles of ABVD and 20 Gy IFR.
Dr. Engert also said that his group is continuing with this research and is looking at whether the radiotherapy portion of the treatment is necessary. A new trial will compare 2 cycles of ABVD with and without the addition of 20 Gy IFR. In addition, an ongoing study is looking at the various components of the chemotherapy regimen to see if any drug can be dropped, he said. This trial is comparing ABVD with ABV, AVD, and AV, he added.
The researchers have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
American Society of Hematology (ASH) 51st Annual Meeting: Abstract 716. Presented December 7, 2009.
Oncologists and hematologists keep trying to find the best therapy options for lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia. Until there is a cure, guess that's the best they can do. We are sure glad they are all working so hard, aren't you? Someday...
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
December 21, 2009 (New Orleans, Louisiana) — A new standard of care for the treatment of early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma has now been established. The final results from a large German study presented here at the American Society of Hematology 51st Annual Meeting show that the best results were seen with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
Two cycles of chemotherapy with ABVD (doxorubicin [Adriamycin], bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) followed by 20 Gy involved-field radiotherapy (IFR) is the new standard of care for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in early favorable stages, concluded lead researcher Andreas Engert, MD, from the University of Cologne, Germany.
In the discussion period following his presentation, several experts congratulated him and agreed that this should be the new standard of care. In an interview with Medscape Oncology, Richard Van Etten MD, PhD, director of the Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, explained that there was a long-standing question about the treatment of these patients with favorable early-stage disease, and this trial has finally offered an answer as to what is the best option.
Ongoing Debate About Best Approach
In the ongoing debate about the best approach to the treatment of patients with early favorable Hodgkin's lymphoma, one of the main questions has been whether to use chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy in combination with radiation, but there have also been questions about the optimum radiation dose and about the optimal number of chemotherapy cycles, Dr. Engert explained.
The German Hodgkin Study Group addressed these questions in a large trial, conducted in 1370 patients, which had 4 treatment groups. Each group had a different combination of chemotherapy with ABVD (2 or 4 cycles) and IFR (20 Gy or 30 Gy).
The 4 treatment groups were: 4 cycles of ABVD plus 30 Gy IFR; 4 cycles of ABVD plus 20 Gy IFR; 2 cycles of ABVD plus 30 Gy IFR; and 2 cycles of ABVD plus 20 Gy IFR.
All of the groups showed a similar efficacy, but there were significant differences in toxicity, Dr. Engert told the meeting.
Complete remission was achieved in 97% of patients who were treated with either 4 or 2 cycles of ABVD and who received 20 Gy IFR, and in 99% of patients who received 30 Gy.
With a median follow-up of 79 to 91 months, there was no significant difference between 4 and 2 cycles of chemotherapy in terms of overall survival at 5 years (97.1% with 4 cycles of ABVD and 96.6% with 2 cycles), in freedom from treatment failure (93% vs 91.1%), or in progression-free survival (3.5% vs 91.2%).
There were also no significant differences between the 2 doses of radiotherapy in terms of overall survival at 5 years (97.6% with 30 Gy and 97.5% with 20 Gy), in freedom from treatment failure (93.4% vs 92.9%), or progression-free survival (93.7% vs 93.2%).
"Importantly, there were also no significant differences in overall survival, freedom from treatment failure, or progression-free survival when all 4 arms were compared," Dr. Engert explained.
However, there were significant differences in toxicity, Dr. Engert reported. Four cycles of ABVD were significantly more toxic than 2 cycles. Overall adverse events were reported in 52% of patients receiving 4 cycles and in 33% receiving 2 cycles; leukopenia was seen in 24% and 15%, respectively, and alopecia was seen in 28% and 15%, respectively.
A similar pattern was seen with radiotherapy, with more toxicity at the higher dose. Overall adverse events were reported in 8.2% of patients treated with 30 Gy and in 2.9% treated with 20 Gy, dysphagia was seen in 3% and 2%, respectively, and mucositis was seen in 3.4% and 0.7%, respectively.
Dr. Engert concluded that because all of the treatment groups showed a similar efficacy, the new standard of care should be the least toxic treatment of 2 cycles of ABVD and 20 Gy IFR.
Dr. Engert also said that his group is continuing with this research and is looking at whether the radiotherapy portion of the treatment is necessary. A new trial will compare 2 cycles of ABVD with and without the addition of 20 Gy IFR. In addition, an ongoing study is looking at the various components of the chemotherapy regimen to see if any drug can be dropped, he said. This trial is comparing ABVD with ABV, AVD, and AV, he added.
The researchers have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
American Society of Hematology (ASH) 51st Annual Meeting: Abstract 716. Presented December 7, 2009.
Oncologists and hematologists keep trying to find the best therapy options for lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia. Until there is a cure, guess that's the best they can do. We are sure glad they are all working so hard, aren't you? Someday...
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Friday, January 1, 2010
Acupuncture Benefits Breast Cancer Patients
Happy New Year! Maybe you should celebrate with a visit to the acupuncturist. Here is an article from WebMD.com about benefits of acupuncture in breast cancer patients. No reason this couldn't apply to other cancer patients as well:
Acupuncture May Help Ease Hot Flashes
Study Shows Acupuncture Offers Relief to Breast Cancer Patients With Hot Flashes
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDDec. 31, 2009 --
Acupuncture not only cools hot flashes that occur as a result ofbreast cancer treatment but may offer a host of other benefits to boost women's well-being.
A new study shows acupuncture was as good as drug therapy with Effexor (venlafaxine) at easing hot flashes in breast cancer patients, but it also improved sex drive, energy levels, and clarity of thought.
"Acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors. Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects," researcher Eleanor Walker, MD, division director of breast services in the department of radiation oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, says in a news release.
According to the National Cancer Institute, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Typical treatment for breast cancer involves chemotherapy and five years of hormone therapy that often causes unpleasant side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and decreased sex drive and energy levels.
Researchers say these side effects of breast cancer treatment significantly decrease a woman's quality of life and may cause some women to discontinue treatment.
Acupuncture has already been shown to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women, but researchers say this is the first study to compare acupuncture to drug treatment in easing hot flashes in breast cancer patients. The results appear in theJournal of Clinical Oncology.
Fifty breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or drug treatment for 12 weeks. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments twice per week for the first four weeks and then once a week for the remaining eight weeks; the drug group received 37.5 milligrams of Effexor each night for the first week and then 75 milligrams per night for the remaining 11 weeks.
All participants stopped their treatment after 12 weeks and kept a diary to record the number and severity of hot flashes; they were surveyed about their overall physical and mental health for one year.
Both groups experienced a 50% decline in hot flashes and symptoms of depression, but the acupuncture treatment appeared to have more lasting effects with fewer side effects.
For example, two weeks after the treatments stopped, the drug therapy group experienced an increase in hot flashes; the acupuncture group did not experience any increase in the frequency of their hot flashes until three months after treatment.
In addition, the Effexor group reported 18 instances of negative side effects, including nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, and anxiety, compared with no adverse side effects reported among the acupuncture group.
Most breast cancer patients treated with acupuncture also reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being. About 25% of women in the acupuncture group also reported an increase in their sex drive.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
Acupuncture May Help Ease Hot Flashes
Study Shows Acupuncture Offers Relief to Breast Cancer Patients With Hot Flashes
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDDec. 31, 2009 --
Acupuncture not only cools hot flashes that occur as a result ofbreast cancer treatment but may offer a host of other benefits to boost women's well-being.
A new study shows acupuncture was as good as drug therapy with Effexor (venlafaxine) at easing hot flashes in breast cancer patients, but it also improved sex drive, energy levels, and clarity of thought.
"Acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors. Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects," researcher Eleanor Walker, MD, division director of breast services in the department of radiation oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, says in a news release.
According to the National Cancer Institute, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Typical treatment for breast cancer involves chemotherapy and five years of hormone therapy that often causes unpleasant side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and decreased sex drive and energy levels.
Researchers say these side effects of breast cancer treatment significantly decrease a woman's quality of life and may cause some women to discontinue treatment.
Acupuncture has already been shown to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women, but researchers say this is the first study to compare acupuncture to drug treatment in easing hot flashes in breast cancer patients. The results appear in theJournal of Clinical Oncology.
Fifty breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or drug treatment for 12 weeks. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments twice per week for the first four weeks and then once a week for the remaining eight weeks; the drug group received 37.5 milligrams of Effexor each night for the first week and then 75 milligrams per night for the remaining 11 weeks.
All participants stopped their treatment after 12 weeks and kept a diary to record the number and severity of hot flashes; they were surveyed about their overall physical and mental health for one year.
Both groups experienced a 50% decline in hot flashes and symptoms of depression, but the acupuncture treatment appeared to have more lasting effects with fewer side effects.
For example, two weeks after the treatments stopped, the drug therapy group experienced an increase in hot flashes; the acupuncture group did not experience any increase in the frequency of their hot flashes until three months after treatment.
In addition, the Effexor group reported 18 instances of negative side effects, including nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, and anxiety, compared with no adverse side effects reported among the acupuncture group.
Most breast cancer patients treated with acupuncture also reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being. About 25% of women in the acupuncture group also reported an increase in their sex drive.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat & Pattie
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