Cancer Q&A

Cancer Tumors Grow in an Acid Condition

2009-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Cancer Free eBook we reviewed. See below for the link.Will an inexpensive supermarket cleaning and baking product kill cancer cells better than chemotherapy?Is this the Cure for Cancer?Itallian doctor is healing cancer patient after cancer ...

Cancer Free eBook we reviewed. See below for the link.

Will an inexpensive supermarket cleaning and baking product kill cancer cells better than chemotherapy?

Is this the Cure for Cancer?

Itallian doctor is healing cancer patient after cancer patient with Sodium Bicarbonate. Now for a short Lesson in Cancer and General pH Management.

Most of us are going to be surprised to find out that there is an oncologist in Rome Italy, Doctor Tullio Simoncini , destroying cancer tumors with sodium bicarbonate.

"Sodium bicarbonate is safe, extremely inexpensive and unstoppably effective when it comes to cancer tissues. It��s an irresistible chemical, cyanide to cancer cells for it hits the cancer cells with a shock wave of alkalinity, which allows much more oxygen into the cancer cells than they can

atlerate. Cancer cells cannot survive in the presence of high levels of oxygen.

Sodium bicarbonate is, for all intent and purposes, an instant killer of tumors.

Full treatment takes only days, as does another cancer treatment that heats the

cancer cells with laser generated heat. (see combining ph shift with the application of heat on this same web site below.)

To learn more about simple cancer treatments: go to the International Medical Veritas Association

http://www.imva.info/essay_sodium_bicarb.shtml

Additional Cure Cancer information

Learn why 75% of the physicians refuse chemotherapy themselves

http://www.curenaturalicancro.com/2-physicians-refuse-chemo.html

The great lack of trust is evident even amongst doctors. Polls and questionnaires show that three doctors out of four (75 per cent) would refuse any chemotherapy because of its ineffectiveness against the disease and its devastating effects on the entire human organism.

This is what many doctors and scientists have to say about chemotherapy:��The majority of the cancer patients in this country die because of chemotherapy, which does not cure breast, colon or lung cancer. This has been documented for over a decade and nevertheless doctors still utilize chemotherapy to fight these tumors.�� (Allen Levin, MD, UCSF, ��The Healing of Cancer��, Marcus Books, 1990).

��If I were to contract cancer, I would never turn to a certain standard for the therapy of this disease. Cancer patients who stay away from these centers have some chance to make it.�� (Prof. Gorge Mathe, ��Scientific Medicine Stymied��, Medicines Nouvelles, Paris, 1989)

��Dr. Hardin Jones, lecturer at the University of California, after having analyzed for many decades statistics on cancer survival, has come to this conclusion: ��%26hellip; when not treated, the patients do not get worse or they even get better��. The unsettling conclusions of Dr. Jones have never been refuted��. (Walter Last, ��The Ecologist��, Vol. 28, no. 2, March-April 1998)

��Many oncologists recommend chemotherapy for almost any type of cancer, with a faith that is unshaken by the almost constant failures��.(Albert Braverman, MD, ��Medical Oncology in the 90s��, Lancet, 1991, Vol. 337, p. 901)

��Our most efficacious regimens are loaded with risks, side effects and practical problems; and after all the patients we have treated have paid the toll, only a miniscule percentage of them is paid off with an ephemeral period of tumoral regression and generally a partial one�� (Edward G. Griffin ��World Without Cancer��, American Media Publications, 1996)

��After all, and for the overwhelming majority of the cases, there is no proof whatsoever that chemotherapy prolongs survival expectations. And this is the great lie about this therapy, that there is a correlation between the reduction of cancer and the extension of the life of the patient��. (Philip Day, ��Cancer: Why we��re still dying to know the truth��, Credence Publications, 2000)

��Several full-time scientists at the McGill Cancer Center sent to 118 doctors, all experts on lung cancer, a questionnaire to determine the level of trust they had in the therapies they were applying; they were asked to imagine that they themselves had contracted the disease and which of the six current experimental therapies they would choose. 79 doctors answered, 64 of them said that they would not consent to undergo any treatment containing cis-platinum a�� one of the common chemotherapy drugs they used a�� while 58 out of 79 believed that all the experimental therapies above were not accepted because of the ineffectiveness and the elevated level of toxicity of chemotherapy.�� (Philip Day, ��Cancer: Why we��re still dying to know the truth��, Credence Publications, 2000)

Cancer Is A Fungus

-- The Cure for Cancer Has Been Discovered --

http://www.curenaturalicancro.com/

Tullio Simoncini (1951) is a roman doctor specialising in oncology, diabetology and in metabolic disorders.

He has a strong opposition to any type of intellectual conformity, which is often based on suppositions without foundation or worse, on lies and falsities.When, considering the total failure of official oncology, which is obvious to all, one can understand his strongly critical position of an Italian and global medical system that operates in what is a scientific dead end that is of no help whatsoever to the patients.

Dr. Simoncini cultivates sports and takes care of his mind and body by following elementary natural rules such as a healthy diet, physical activity and the practice of moral responsibility. He favourite sports are jogging, skiing and soccer.His tendency to medical and scientific synthesis also stems from a natural sensitivity that tends to perceive the harmony of the whole as distinct from the value of its constituent parts. This quality is reinforced and expressed by his propensity for music, and cultivated by his practice of musical instruments such as piano and classical and modern guitar.When a student in high school and university, his musical abilities led him to form various musical bands that toured central Italy.

Simoncini��s personality is pervaded by a strong humanitarianism, which triggered him to reflect, because of the impotence of medicine when faced by the pain of patients, on how little and inadequate medicine��s fundamental knowledge is. This empathy for the pain of others has been the constant motivator on the path of his personal life.

He��s always travelling throughout the Italy to explain his theory in congresses, conferences and interviews, and to show how many patients healed from cancer. Dr. Simoncini diecovered that the cause of this terrible illness is a fungus and tried hard to persuade scientists how wrong are the actual theories on cancer. His therapy based on the strongest antifungal substance, sodium bicarbonate, is harmless and very effective and should be adopted all over the world.

Cancer-Free (eBook) http://www.beating-cancer-gently.com/aboutme.html

About The Author: "Hi. My name is Bill Henderson. In November 1990, my former wife, Marjorie, began her four-year bout with ovarian cancer. She died on November 1, 1994. Her many operations, chemotherapy treatments and intense pain made her wish often in her last two years for a quick death, or "transition," as she called it. "

Roi just read the eBook: "Cancer Free -- your guide to gentle non-toxic healing." He thought it was a great resource for alternative healing. http://www.beating-cancer-gently.com/buybook.html

Please do your research... people do not always have to follow the 3 only approved AMA cancer procedures of: surgery, chemo or radiation.

There are hundreds of success stories where people try healthy alternative treatments and change their lifestyle to feel good again.

Another first person anti-cancer Book: "Killing Your Cancer without Killing Yourself -- using natural cures that work!" by Allen Chips. Search for this book. I read it and highly recomment it.

PS: Thank you from: http://www.reikiranch.com

Tests & Diagnostics for Leukemia & Lymphoma

2009-02-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of some of the common tests and diagnostics for Leukemia & Lymphoma: Bone Marrow TestPlatelet CountOf course, these are just some of the common tests and diagnostics for Leukemia & Lymphoma.You can connect with experts and ot...

Here is a list of some of the common tests and diagnostics for Leukemia %26 Lymphoma:

Bone Marrow Test
Platelet Count

Of course, these are just some of the common tests and diagnostics for Leukemia %26 Lymphoma.
You can connect with experts and other people who have Leukemia %26 Lymphomain the Wellsphere communities.
If you're interested in finding more information, tips, news and videos about Leukemia %26 Lymphoma, go to the Leukemia %26 Lymphoma WellPage or the Tests for Leukemia %26 Lymphoma WellPage.

2009-02-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

New Role of NK Cells may Lead to Improved Treatment for Cancer

2009-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

A new role for natural killers (NK) has been discovered by scientists at the University of York. This may lead to improved treatments for chronic infections and cancer.

Natural Killer cells are abundant white blood cells that were recognized over 30 years ago as being able to kill cancer cells in the test tube.

Since that time, a role for NK cells in activating other white blood cells (including 'T' lymphocytes and phagocytes) and in directing how the immune system responds to a wide range of infections has also been established.

Because of these properties, NK have been widely regarded as being of benefit in the fight against cancer and infection, and methods to increase NK cell activity underpin a range of new experimental anti-cancer drugs and anti-infectives.

However, a research team in the University of York's Centre for Immunology and Infection and led by Professor Paul Kaye, has now demonstrated that NK cells also make chemicals that inhibit immune responses.

The research has shown that in an experimental model of the tropical disease visceral leishmaniasis, too many NK cells can actually make the disease worse.

They have identified that NK cells produce a chemical called interleukin-10 that can counteract many of the otherwise beneficial effects of these cells.

According to Professor Kaye, %26quot;Other researchers have suggested in the past that NK cells might not always be good for you, but we now have the first direct evidence that this can actually be the case.%26quot;

%26quot;Although we have worked on an infectious disease, the same is likely to be true for NK cells in cancer. So, in practical terms, it means that we need to consider more carefully exactly how we use therapies that affect NK cells, to maximize their beneficial role,%26quot; he said.

The new findings also open up the potential of developing new drugs that specifically target the beneficial properties of NK cells, and which leave their inhibitory properties switched off.

Conversely, in autoimmune diseases, where the immune system is too active, it may be possible to stimulate NK cells to turn it off.

Source-ANI
RAS/L

You are reading a Blog Post from %26quot;Reflections%26quot; Thoughts about Medicine, Community, India, Tamil Nadu, Exams, Computers by Dr.Bruno

How do tumors metastasize?

2009-02-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

Research published in the journal Cancer Research sheds new light on the formation of metastases.Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumors at distant sites. It is a complex process in which cell...

Research published in the journal Cancer Research sheds new light on the formation of metastases.

Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumors at distant sites. It is a complex process in which cell motility and invasion play a fundamental role. In order to understand how metastasis develop one must identify the molecules, and characterization of the mechanisms that regulate cell motility.

Until now there has been minimal understanding of these mechanisms. Now, a team of researchers lead by Professor Marco Falasca at The London School of Medicine and Dentistry has shown not only that the enzyme phospholipase C%26amp;gamma;1 (PLC%26amp;gamma;1) plays a crucial role in metastasis formation, but that down regulation of PLC%26amp;gamma;1 expression is able to revert metastasis progression.

The team investigated the role of PLC%26amp;gamma;1 in cell invasion and metastasis using different approaches to modulate its expression in highly invasive cancer cell lines. Their results showed that PLC%26amp;gamma;1 is required for breast cancer cell invasion and activation of the protein Rac1. They revealed a functional link between PLC%26amp;gamma;1 and Rac1 that provides insight into processes regulating cell invasion.

Professor Falasca explained: %26quot;Consistent with these data we detected an increase in PLC1 expression in metastases compared to primary tumours in breast cancer patients. Therefore PLC%26amp;gamma;1 is critical for metastasis formation, and development and inhibition of this enzyme has a therapeutic potential in the treatment of metastasis dissemination.%26quot;

%26quot;This is an exciting discovery. He has shown that turning off this molecule prevents metastasis. The simple fact is that if you stop metastasis, you stop cancer from killing people. We now need to focus on developing drugs that can block PLC%26amp;gamma;1.%26quot;

Tumor Cell Profiling...the tests ...

2009-02-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

Tumor Cell Profiling... the tests show if your cancer cells were killed by exposure to one or more of the 20 or so different anti-cancer drugs that might otherwise have been considered as possible treatments for your type of cancer.A test t...

Tumor Cell Profiling... the tests show if your cancer cells were killed by exposure to one or more of the 20 or so different anti-cancer drugs that might otherwise have been considered as possible treatments for your type of cancer. A test that can help determine which cancer drugs would appear to be the best treatment plan. He has an office and lab and is currently providing tests in this area.

To have the test done, first of all you need a biopsy to delivery the cells for the study. Fees for a complete 20 to 25 drug Functional Tumor Cell Profiling analysis will be in the neighborhood of $5,000. The procedure is covered by Medicare and some insurers as well. BD

Today's online edition of the Journal of Internal Medicinereports discovery of the first practical laboratory test to guide the use of new-generation drugs that kill cancer cells by cutting off their blood supply. The new test, called the Microvessel Vascular (MVV) assay, was developed by Larry Weisenthal, MD, PhD., a medical oncologist who operates a cancer testing laboratory in Huntington Beach, California. The test works by measuring drug effects upon endothelial cells which make up blood vessels. Its use could prolong lives, save money, and spare patients exposure to harmful side-effects of ineffective chemotherapy treatments.
According to Dr. Weisenthal,therapeutic levels of ethanol in the bloodstream theoretically could be achieved simply by drinking wine or another alcoholic beverages in prescribed doses concurrent with receiving angiogenesis-inhibiting drugs. The concept might please some patients and alarm others but Dr. Weisenthal finds support in actual case studies reported in the medical literature. However, he warns that further clinical studies are required.
Dr. Weisenthal says that he would like to see the test become available to patients worldwide through service agreements with larger laboratory companies or with a biotechnology company which might develop a testing kit for sale to hospitals and laboratories. He also would like to license the test to pharmaceutical companies for use in new drug development.

Cancer Physician Invents Test For New Drugs That Cut Off Tumor's Blood Supply

http://www.weisenthalcancer.com/index.htm

Technorati Tags: Cancer, Tumor, Research, Lab Test

Bladder Cancer - UK Biopsy Procedure

2009-02-12T00:54:00.000-08:00

The inspiration (and much of the content) of today's post is brought to you courtesy of David F. in Kent (near London). He has managed to describe the UK bladder biopsy process, atmosphere, and capture the essence of the event with good humor, considering the circumstances. One major difference between US and UK medical care, besides how its funded, is the fact that in the UK you work with a National Health Service %26quot;Consultant,%26quot; assigned randomly based on who is on duty and what your condition is.

This person, who may be a specialist (depending on the factors) arranges everything - dates, doctors, assistants, in-hospital scheduling, bureaucracy running, etc. On no occasion do you choose WHO does WHAT to you. Other doctors, surgeons, and nursing staff are all assigned by who's on duty when you are there, and perhaps within that subset the consultant may have a little influence. Where you go, hospitals, clinics, etc. are a matter of negotiation rather than convenience. Only the consultant follows your personal case from beginning to end. In the US you the patient call all the shots. You choose the doctors...

CLICK HERE to read the entire post on my blog: http://gotbladdercancer.blogspot.com

2009-02-12T00:51:00.000-08:00

Genetic Mutations Linked to Deadly Cancers

2009-02-12T00:47:00.000-08:00

By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter10 minutes agoTHURSDAY, Sept. 4 ( HealthDay News ) -- Potentially groundbreaking discoveries involving genetic mutations of two deadly cancers -- the brain cancer glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer -- may...

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter10 minutes ago

THURSDAY, Sept. 4 ( HealthDay News ) -- Potentially groundbreaking discoveries involving genetic mutations of two deadly cancers -- the brain cancer glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer -- may lead to new treatments and even cures, researchers say.

%26quot;These studies represent the most complete genetic analysis to date of any tumor type and provide a detailed genetic map of these deadly cancers,%26quot; Kenneth Kinzler, a professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University, and co-author of the study on pancreatic cancer, said during a teleconference Wednesday.

Click on the title link to read this entire story.

Somatic mutations in cancer and genetic syndromes

2009-02-12T00:44:00.000-08:00

As for clinical geneticist, traditionally concerned more with germline (hereditary) mutations and disease, it might be strange to search through somatic mutation (or acquired) databases. But it is obvious that understanding of cancer genetics can not be limited to only germline or somatic mutations - it must be combined approach. And then you start to think in systemic way, or in other words, you think inpathways or patterns(pretty much the same way as main character fromD. Aronofsky%26#8217;s notorious %26#8220;Pi%26#8221;)

Anyway, currently I%26#8217;m gliding through Ras-MAPK signaling pathway and in a future some posts will be related to it. Interestingly, lot of things in genetics are connected or in other ways, as a friend of mine once stated, %26#8220;traditional geneticsis dead%26#8221;

Just take a look: Ras-MAPK pathway is probably one of the most upregulated pathway in sporadic cancers. And there are bunch of syndromes with inherited altered mutations in a genes from there:

Among other symptoms, Neurofibromatosis type 1 have up to 13% risk for developing maligancy (mostly forMPNST), Costello syndrome have about 17% increased risk of cancer (particularly rhabdomyosarcomas and bladder Ca), in Noonan there is increased risk for juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. LEOPARD (which is allelic for Noonan s.) and CFC syndrome seems do not have increased cancer risk.

For somatic mutation in cancer invaluable tool seems to beCOSMIC database - Catalogue of Somatic Mutation In Cancer by Wellcome Trust institute.COSMIC is designed to store and display somatic mutation information and related details and contains information relating to human cancers. Enjoy.

Study: Phytochemicals in natural olive oil suppress breast cancer cells

2009-02-12T00:40:00.000-08:00

Phytochemicals found in extra-virgin olive oil may suppress the gene HER2 which is responsible for the formation of breast cancer cells, say authors of a new study published in the peer-reviewed open access journal BMC Cancer.Numerous studi...

Numerous studies over the past few years have tied Mediterranean diets, rich in olive oils, to a lower risk of heart disease, Alzheimer%26rsquo;s disease, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and cancer. Two researchers in Spain, Javier Menendez of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada, set out to investigate which parts of olive oil -- believed to be the key beneficial ingredient in the Mediterranean diet -- were most active in inhibiting growth of breast cancer cells in culture.

%26ldquo;Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress over-expression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells,%26rdquo; according to Menendez.

Only extra-virgin olive oil contains lignans and secoiridoids, the phytochemicals that inhibit HER2. Phytochemicals are lost if olives are refined using heat or chemical treatments. Menendez and his team separated the oil into fractions and tested them against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

While the findings offer insights into how olive oil might contribute to lowered breast cancer risk, the researchers caution that the concentration of phytochemicals used to kill cancer cells in culture were much higher than what a human could consume from a diet alone.

Instead, they suggest that lignans and secoiridoids, already safely consumed by people, might be a good basis for future development of drugs to fight breast cancer.

Citation:

Anti-HER2 (erbB-2) oncogene effects of phenolic compounds directly isolated from commercial Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Javier A Menendez, Alejandro Vazquez-Martin, Rocio Garcia-Villalba, Alegria Carrasco-Pancorbo, Cristina Oliveras-Ferraros, Alberto Fernandez-Gutierrez, Antonio Segura-Carretero
BMC Cancer 2008, 8:377 (18 December 2008)

2009-02-12T00:37:00.000-08:00

My Cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma. What Are the Symptoms?

2009-02-12T00:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, I don't really think I was the norm. I go through the list of symptoms and I don't know if I had many if any. Also called Hodgkin Disease, was named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, who recognized it in 1832. It is not to be confused...

First of all, I don't really think I was the norm. I go through the list of symptoms and I don't know if I had many if any. Also called Hodgkin Disease, was named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, who recognized it in 1832. It is not to be confused with non-Hodgkin's which is not the same thing. The lymph system is made up of lymphoid tissue, lymph vessels, and a clear fluid called lymph. According to the American Cancer Society: Lymphatic tissue includes the lymph nodes and other organs that are part of the body%26rsquo;s immune and blood-forming systems. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs found in many places throughout the body. Other parts of the lymphatic system include the spleen, the bone marrow, and the thymus gland.

The lymph nodes make and store lymphocytes, which are special white blood cells that fight infection. There are 2 types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes (or B cells) and T lymphocytes (or T cells). Most cases of Hodgkin disease start in B lymphocytes.

Most often it starts in the upper part of the body such as the chest and neck or under the arms. Hodgkin disease can spread through the lymphatic vessels in a stepwise fashion from lymph node to lymph node. Rarely, and late in the disease, it gets into the blood vessels and can then spread to almost any other place in the body.

The cancer cells in Hodgkin disease are unique. They are called Reed-Sternberg cells (or Hodgkin cells). They are an abnormal type of B lymphocyte that is much larger than normal lymphocytes.

The 2 main types are classical Hodgkin disease (which has several subtypes) and nodular lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin disease. The types differ in the way the cancer cells look under a microscope. The types are important because each grows and spreads in a different way. Often they are treated differently. Ask your doctor about the exact type of Hodgkin disease you (or your loved one) has. All types of Hodgkin disease are cancerous (malignant) because as they grow they may compress, invade, and destroy normal tissue and spread to other tissues. Hodgkin disease occurs in both children and adults.

Back to the symptoms. Typically you'll hear this:

Drenching Night Sweats
Frequent Fever that comes and goes
Itchy Palms and Feet
Lump under the skin

You may notice a lump in the neck, under the arm, or in the groin. Sometimes this may go away, only to come back. Although it doesn't hurt, it may finally not go away, and lead you to see a doctor.

I never had a night sweat. I only once had a fever of about 99.9 that was unexplained. It was not long before I was diagnosed. I don't remember having itchy palms and feet. From what I hear, this itchiness is extreme and hard to relieve. Some people feel like they are just crazy.

I had a lump or pressure in my throat. That wasn't really how it started. I remember oddly enough the very first ever time I felt a fullness in my chest. I was driving. I felt a sort of odd sensation in my chest followed by a full sort of feeling. I can't properly explain it. I remember it was odd but it was followed by pressure and it never went away. I remember thinking what if I have cancer, immediately followed by me thinking I was crazy and then letting it go. I saw a regular doc for a regular checkup when he found a thyroid nodule. I figured that was what caused my pressure and let it go at that. I had sonograms on my thyroid but every single day almost this pressure was feeling worse. I felt like someone was squeezing on my neck and it was very uncomfortable. I found out later that even my family thought it was in my head! I am not one to rush to the doctor. I don't get crazy about myself being sick. I do worry about my kids, but not me really. Anyway, I also developed wheezing. It was on the exhale and my breathing was getting a little more labored. It was way worse late at night and when I was lying down. I had tests on my thyroid, saw endocrinologists, Ear Nose and Throat specialists and my gynecologist even sent me in for tests. I let this go on for four years.

My husband had to move for his job. The move was very hard on me physically. I was a couple of weeks pregnant while moving and didn't know it. I was so tired, wheezing, coughing and having a very hard time breathing. I felt lazy and didn't know what was wrong with me. We officially moved out in April and by the end of that month I couldn't get out of bed. I had to see doctors to find out what was wrong and it was hard. I had the fine needle biopsy on my throat. I mentioned it before. I definitely have to save the details of that procedure for another day. I have had that done twice. The second time with no anesthesia. I had this camera shoved up my nose on a long tube and down my throat too. I had that done twice. They charge me about $200 just for that tube up my nose not counting the numbing spray, the doctor, and all the other things they did just to tell me I was ok.

Regardless, the endocrinologist did schedule the MRI and finally found the tumor. By the time we had those results back (which was only about a week) I could not lie flat at ALL for an MRI. So we couldn't do any more testing. The doctor said it would be pointless to do one after chemo began because it wouldn't be accurate and the treatment was the same. I want to know what stage I was but I don't think I'll ever know for sure. I know it was considered bulky and that automatically puts me at stage II. We just don't know how much it spread without the full body MRI. I suppose it doesn't matter since I am in remission. Still, I am going to discuss with my doc when I see him again just exactly what stage HE considered me. I don't know what to tell people who ask. Especially those who have had cancer as well.

So, I guess my point of this post is to inform. I want to help anyone else who is going through this cancer. I want to inform those who are looking for information and to know my experience. I do remember something I read a few times about drinking alcohol causing pain in the tumor area. I have had some wine and it never caused me pain. I may have felt more pressure though and I specifically remember after having a glass of wine, the next day I coughed up a little blood. I did that more than once though. I was pretty scared when that happened as I was still undiagnosed.

Hmmm I just found something new myself. I discovered this on the American Cancer Society site.

Overview: Hodgkin Disease
After the Tests: Staging

Staging is the process of finding out how far the cancer has spread. This is very important because the treatment and the outlook for recovery depend on the stage of the cancer.

Hodgkin disease most often starts in one set of lymph nodes and then spreads to a nearby set without skipping areas, at least until late in the disease. Growth into nearby organs can sometimes happen too. The current staging system is based on these facts.

If a biopsy has confirmed that Hodgkin disease is present, the next step is clinical staging. This includes taking a medical history, doing a physical exam, and then doing imaging studies.

Imaging Tests Used to Stage Hodgkin Disease

One or more of the following tests may be used to help determine the extent of the Hodgkin disease in the body.

Chest X-ray

Hodgkin disease often causes swelling of lymph nodes in the chest which can usually be seen on a plain chest x-ray.

Computed Tomography (CT)

This test gives your doctor a better look at lymph nodes in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, as well as other organs. The CT scan is like an x-ray but instead of taking one picture like an x-ray, a CT scanner takes many pictures as it rotates around the patient. A computer combines these pictures into an image of a %26quot;slice%26quot; of the body.

Often after the first set of pictures is taken, you or your child will get an injection of a contrast dye, or you may also be asked to drink a liquid of contrast material. This helps better outline structures in the body. A second set of CT scan pictures is then taken. Some people are allergic to the dye and get hives or a flushed feeling or, rarely, have more serious reactions like trouble breathing and low blood pressure. Be sure to tell the doctor if you or your child has ever had a reaction to any contrast material used for x-rays.

CT scans take longer than regular x-rays. You need to lie still on a table while they are being done. You might feel a bit confined by the ring you have to lie in when the pictures are being taken.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

This test is rarely used in Hodgkin disease, but if your doctor is concerned about spread to the spinal cord or brain, MRI is very useful for looking at these areas. MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. MRI scans take longer than CT scans -- often up to an hour. You may have to lie inside a narrow tube, which is confining and can upset people with a fear of enclosed spaces.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

PET scans involve injecting a form of sugar that contains a small amount of radioactivity into the blood. This sugar collects in the cancer cells. A special camera can then detect the radioactivity and show the areas of cancer in the body. PET scans can help tell if an enlarged lymph node contains Hodgkin disease or is benign. Recently, newer devices have been developed that combine the PET scan with a CT scan. PET/CT scans can help pinpoint the exact location of the lymphoma.

Gallium Scan

During this test, a small dose of radioactive gallium is injected into a vein. It goes to lymph tissue in the body. A few days later a special camera is used to find the gallium. This test can find tumors that might be Hodgkin disease in lymph nodes and other organs.

The gallium scan can be useful in finding lymphoma that the PET scan may miss. It can also tell the difference between infections and lymphomas.

Other Tests

Blood Tests

Blood tests aren't used to stage Hodgkin disease, but they may be useful in getting a sense of how advanced the disease is and how well a person might withstand certain treatments. Hodgkin disease cells do not appear in the blood, but a complete blood count (CBC) can sometimes show signs of the disease. A shortage of red blood cells (anemia) can be a sign of more advanced Hodgkin disease. A high white blood cell count is another sign, although it can also be caused by infections. Blood tests of liver function might also point to Hodgkin disease in that organ.

Bone Marrow Biopsy and Aspiration

Tests of the bone marrow (a bone marrow biopsy) may be done to tell if Hodgkin disease is in the marrow. To do the test, a long thin needle is used to remove small bits of bone marrow. A piece of bone might also be removed with a thicker needle. The 2 samples are usually taken at the same time from the back of the hip bone. The area is numbed first. But even with the numbing, many people feel some pain. The whole process takes only a few minutes.

Ann Arbor Staging System

The staging system for Hodgkin disease is known as the Ann Arbor system. It has 4 stages, labeled with the Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV. The higher the number the more advanced the disease is. If Hodgkin disease affects an organ outside of the lymph system, but is next to a known area of lymph node involvement, the letter %26quot;E%26quot; is added to the stage. If it involves the spleen, the letter %26quot;S%26quot; is added.

%26quot;Bulky%26quot; Disease

This term is used to describe tumors in the chest that are at least 1/3 as wide as the chest or tumors in other areas that are at least 4 inches across. If bulky disease is present the letter %26quot;X%26quot; is added to the stage. Bulky disease may require more intensive treatment.

So....I know for a fact mine was considered bulky. I had a tumor between the size of a %26quot;baseball and a volleyball in my chest%26quot; according to my doctor and my charts said bulky. I saw it. I have a small chest, as I am a pretty small person. So, I guess that puts the letter X on my stage. I knew it was bad at the time. I just always hoped it hadn't spread. It kills me to not know for sure.

And here is what scares me folks:

The terms resistant or progressive disease are used when the disease does not go away or keeps on growing while you are first being treated. Recurrent or relapsed disease means that Hodgkin disease responded well to treatment at first and went away, but it has now come back. If Hodgkin disease returns, it may do so in the area of the body where it first started or in another part of the body. This may happen shortly after treatment or years later.

My doctor does NOT think it will return so I hold onto that faith. He knows what he is doing. If it does, I'd fight it same as before. The cure rate for Hodgkin's IS good though.

Stage 5-year relative survival rate
I 90% to 95%
II 90% to 95%
III 80% to 85%
IV About 60% to 70%

You really do not get good statistics like that on too many cancers. That gave me hope through it all too.

It does repeatedly say that the treatment is more intense and the statistics lower if the stage is bulky. That's kinda scary but oh well. I am in remission and I have faith that is where I'll stay. I hope I have clarified some things for some people and hopefully helped out some new people. I feel great and I breathe fine. My neck has never felt 100% like it did before. I have scar tissue and I do have four thyroid nodules in my throat that cause some pressure. I still feel 100% better than I did before with no wheezing or shortness of breath so I am very very thankful. I'll post more on this disease later because I really didn't cover much of it at all! I'll go over the treatments and all that in a later post.

2009-02-12T00:19:00.000-08:00

Study: Phytochemicals in natural olive oil suppress breast cancer cells

2009-02-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

Instead, they suggest that lignans and secoiridoids, already safely consumed by people, might be a good basis for future development of drugs to fight breast cancer.

Citation:

2009-02-12T00:12:00.000-08:00

2009-02-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

2009-02-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Study: Phytochemicals in natural olive oil suppress breast cancer cells

2009-02-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

Instead, they suggest that lignans and secoiridoids, already safely consumed by people, might be a good basis for future development of drugs to fight breast cancer.

Citation:

My Cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma. What Are the Symptoms?

2009-02-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Bladder Cancer - UK Biopsy Procedure

2009-02-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE to read the entire post on my blog: http://gotbladdercancer.blogspot.com

Somatic mutations in cancer and genetic syndromes

2009-02-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Just take a look: Ras-MAPK pathway is probably one of the most upregulated pathway in sporadic cancers. And there are bunch of syndromes with inherited altered mutations in a genes from there:

New Role of NK Cells may Lead to Improved Treatment for Cancer

2009-02-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

You are reading a Blog Post from %26quot;Reflections%26quot; Thoughts about Medicine, Community, India, Tamil Nadu, Exams, Computers by Dr.Bruno

The adenoma-carcinoma sequence C...

2009-02-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

The adenoma-carcinoma sequence Colorectal cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in developed countries.A person's lifetime risk of ending up with this tumor is 1 in 20.Virtually all colon cancers arise from a pre-existing polyp, a phenomenon...

The adenoma-carcinoma sequence

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in developed countries. A person's lifetime risk of ending up with this tumor is 1 in 20. Virtually all colon cancers arise from a pre-existing polyp, a phenomenon known as the adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

So here's the deal on colonoscopies. Much as you do not want to go through the icky prep, and much as you do not want someone touring your colon via a tube stuck up your backend, the fact is that colonoscopies are one of the most effective cancer screening tools we have. If a polyp (aka adenoma) is found during the procedure, it's removed on the spot.

Adenoma snagged, cancer averted. It's that simple. I've had mine, go have yours.
_____
Check out the fun at Colonoscopy city!

Blocking The Effect Of Inflammation-Causing Cells Lowered Prostate Cancer Cells Invasion

2009-02-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Inflammation is at the root of many ��incurable�� 1st world specific diseases.Why?According to Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D. more than 50% of all Americans suffer from some kind of Inflammatory Disease .The proof is in the research findings!Science...

Inflammation is at the root of many ��incurable�� 1st world specific diseases.

Why?

According to Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D. more than 50% of all Americans suffer from some kind of Inflammatory Disease .

The proof is in the research findings!

ScienceDaily (2008-04-11) �� Recent studies have suggested an association between chronic inflammation and cancers of the prostate, colon, stomach and liver. Now scientists report success in blocking an early step in metastasis of prostate cancer cells by interrupting the communication between the cancer cells and other cells that promote inflammation.

The good news is that there are simple, easy to follow diet solutions that can stop, reverse and prevent this debilitating condition.

Your health

Popularity: 8% [ ? ]

Scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells

2009-02-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Link: Scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells. Promising cancer research
...

Link: Scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells. Promising cancer research

Celiac disease patients have a significantly increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)

2009-02-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ying Gao, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues studied 37,869 patients with NHL, 8,323 with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and 13,842 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were diagnosed between 1965 and 2004, ...

Ying Gao, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues studied 37,869 patients with NHL, 8,323 with Hodgkin%26rsquo;s lymphoma, and 13,842 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were diagnosed between 1965 and 2004, and also 236,408 matched controls and 613,961 first-degree relatives.

Overall, the researchers found that celiac disease patients had a significantly increased risk of NHL (5.35-fold) but not a significantly increased risk of Hodgkin%26rsquo;s lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. But they found that the risk of NHL significantly decreased in patients diagnosed with celiac disease in 1995-2004 (3.84-fold increased risk) compared with those diagnosed in 1975-1984 (13.2-fold increased risk). The investigators also found that siblings of celiac disease patients had a 2.03-fold increased risk of developing NHL.

%26ldquo;Our observation that NHL risk was increased among persons with a sibling affected with celiac disease suggests shared susceptibility for celiac disease and NHL,%26rdquo; the authors conclude. %26ldquo;There is a great need to improve our understanding regarding underlying mechanisms of our findings and to develop better biomarkers for prediction of lymphomagenesis among patients with immune-related and inflammatory conditions.%26rdquo;

Posted in Celiac

Breast cancer cells switch to ‘survival mode�?to escape death

2009-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

New research has revealed how breast cancer cells avoid being killed by antiestrogen drugs, such as tamoxifen.

Dr Patricia V Schoenlein and colleagues at the Medical College of Georgia found that breast cancer cells that possess estrogen receptors have the ability to reorganize themselves and switch to a survival mode called macroautophagy %26ndash; a strategy also used by normal cells when faced with starvation %26ndash; in the presence of antiestrogen drugs. The researchers found that breast cancer cells took just one week to reorganize their cellular components and switch to macroautophagy, a state in which they cannot grow or replicate. The cells were found to remain in survival mode until antiestrogen treatment ended, or until they mutated and became resistant to the drugs, then they would switch back to normal mode and begin growing and dividing again.

Laboratory tests showed that just 20-25% of cancer cells were killed when continuously exposed to antiestrogen drugs. Thus, meaning that approximately 75% of cells survive the treatment, however adding a macroautophagy inhibitor to the treatment %26ldquo;promoted robust cell death.%26rdquo;

%26quot;We believe targeting the autophagosome function will significantly improve the efficacy of hormonal treatment for estrogen-positive breast cancer,%26quot; said Dr Schoenlein in a news release issued by the Medical College of Georgia. The researchers believe that the malaria drug chloroquine may be able to block macroautophagy, and they hope to test its effectiveness in combination with antiestrogen drugs.

You are reading a Blog Post from %26quot;Reflections%26quot; Thoughts about Medicine, Community, India, Tamil Nadu, Exams, Computers by Dr.Bruno

Molecular/Energy Healing: New Theory Sheds Light on Cancer Cells

2009-02-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

Cancer; that immutable disease that has eluded the healing powers of modern medicine. Cancerous cells seem to have minds of their own, their DNA brains churning out mutations on a mission to infiltrate the healthy cells and tissues of our bodies. No, it is not some alien life form that has come to wreak havoc on our unsuspecting planet. Cancerous cells come from within us. The leading theories about their origin center on the idea that DNA mutates to a point of no return. It is unable to correct such errors causing these cells to take on a life all their own with their progeny carrying the ominous message forward in time.

Now there is a new theory about cancer. Dr. Heinrich Kremer sees the origin of cancer differently than the mainstream. He terms his new theory Cell Dyssmybiosis. According to Kremer cancerous cells do not originate from DNA mutations, but from a functional process that occurs in the mitochondrion (a cell organelle or "organ of the cell" if you will). The mitochondrion makes energy for the body in the form of ATP. We need lots of ATP to keep living. In fact we use about our bodies weight in ATP each day in order to survive.

The process of making ATP in the mitochondrion is a complicated one and has caused much stress for many a medical, biology or physiology student (I remember those days of seeing hieroglyhpic biochemical equations in my dreams). But what is really interesting is the role of good ole electromagnetic energy (light) in the process. It appears that the complex matrix of reactions that make ATP absorb light.

According to Kremer "in fact a low frequency pulsating electromagnetic field is induced by the constant flow of uncoupled, paramagnetic aligned electrons in the respiratory organelles." hot dog!!

What this means in English is that the source of the light is not sunlight but a field of energy that permeates everything. The likely candidate for this energy source is the zero-point energy field. The zero-point field is a ubiquitous field of energy resulting from the birth and death of particles in our universe.

So what does this have to do with cancer? Well if the chain of reactions producing ATP goes awry then a host of harmful molecules is produced such as free radicals.

Kremer cites a study conducted in 2003 at the Anderson Cancer Research Center of the University of Texas in Houston that examined the effects of curcumin (a spice and bioflavinoid) on cancer cells in animals. The results were that the curcumin inhibited the cancer cells. What is interesting is that curcumin absorbs light that is the same wavelength as an important molecule in the ATP producing process.

Kremer states "In cancer cells curcumin, so to say, bridges the III and IV complex photon switch ��short-circuit�� of the respiratory chain in mitochondria and thus normalizes the information transfer for maintaining modulation of ATP."

The implications of Kremer's theory include the development of a therapeutic regimen based on the light absorbed by substances. These substances (like curcumen) would support the ATP process and more specifically the information exchange that occurs throughout the process.

A very different idea than the DNA mutation theory.

For Kremer's paper click here.

For more information on alternative medicine, natural healing and wellness as well as free podcast downloads visit my site:

www.informationalhealing.com

Grape Seed Extract Triggers Leukemia Cell Death

2009-02-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

In a new in vitro experiment, grape seed extract caused human leukemia cells to commit cell suicide (a process known as apoptosis).In past studies, grape seed extract has shown activity in a number of laboratory cancer cell lines, including...

In a new in vitro experiment, grape seed extract caused human leukemia cells to commit cell suicide (a process known as apoptosis).

In past studies, grape seed extract has shown activity in a number of laboratory cancer cell lines, including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancers. However, until now, the extract had not been tested in hematological cancers such as leukemia. In addition, the precise mechanism of action by which it has demonstrated activity against other cancer lines has never been revealed. Consequently, researchers undertook a new study on grape seed extract to determine what effects grape seed extract has on leukemia cells.

The scientists, who report their findings in Clinical Cancer Research, treated human leukemia cells with varying doses of grape seed extract. Their findings indicated that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the higher dose of the extract. The extract did not affect normal cells.

The researchers also investigated the cell signaling pathway associated with use of grape seed extract that led the cancer cells to commit suicide. They found that the extract activates JNK, a protein that regulates the apoptosis pathway. To confirm this finding, they used an agent to inhibit JNK and found that the grape seed was then ineffective. Additionally, they silenced the JNK gene and found that this too canceled out grape seed extract%26rsquo;s ability to cause cell suicide in the leukemia cells, confirming that the extract does indeed work by activating JNK.

%26quot;These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological malignancies and possibly other cancers,%26quot; said the study%26quot;s lead author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D., in a press release issued by the American Association for Cancer Research. %26quot;What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this category.%26quot;
After calling for more studies to confirm the results of the findings, Shi said, %26ldquo;%26quot;This is a natural compound that appears to have relatively important properties

reported by www.griffinmedical.com

Vaccine Against Cancer - By Tijn Touber- Using Patients' Own "Killer" Cells To Battle Cancer

2009-02-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Six months. That was how long 59-year-old Joe Pacini was expected to live��at least according to the doctors who were treating him for pancreatic cancer. Pacini, who could barely walk, wrote his will and waited for the inevitable end. Then he got a call from his son, who had attended a lecture by Robert Gorter, a Dutch cancer specialist working in Cologne , Germany . Gorter, who studied at the University of Amsterdam and University of California medical school in San Francisco , had developed a new treatment for cancer that raised hopes for the family.
So Joe Pacini flew from the U.S. to Germany . After a single treatment, he was able to walk a little. Two days later, he no longer needed any pain medication. On the third day, Gorter suggested they might be celebrating his 80th birthday together.

Gorter��s breakthrough came in 1999 when he developed a procedure to cultivate so-called dendritic cells, which play a key role in fighting off cancer cells. The method attracted international attention, causing quite a positive stir among his colleagues at the conference of the American Society for Clinical Oncology��the international symposium for cancer specialists.
He tested his findings in a study involving 171 women with metastasized breast cancer who had undergone many forms of chemotherapy and radiation treatment and were considered hopeless cases. Following Gorter��s treatment, about 10 percent of the patients were in remission��a surprising result in patients considered terminal. In 60 percent of the women, the treatment greatly extended and enhanced the quality of their lives although they did not recover. According to Gorter, no other treatment offers similar results.

But he isn��t one to rest on his laurels. For 35 years he has been working seven days a week, 14 hours a day, to develop new therapies and refine current treatment methods. His patients can call him any time. Whether he��s in San Francisco, where he is a professor at the University of California, or one of the clinics he heads in Cape Town, Istanbul, Cologne or (shortly) Dubai and Shanghai��he is always on hand to help.

Gorter developed the cancer treatment using dendritic cells in co-operation with Professor Wolfgang K%26ouml;stler of the University of Vienna in Austria and Professor Hinrich Peters of the University of G%26ouml;ttingen in Germany . These cells are vital to fighting cancer because they systematically scan all the body��s cells searching for aberrations. Gorter explains, ��When they discover an abnormal cell, they move at lightning speed to the nearest lymph node, where hundreds of thousands of ��killer�� cells are stored like soldiers in a barracks. These cells go out on the attack if they are so instructed by the dendritic cells, like generals commanding an army.��
One dendritic cell can simultaneously inform 5,000 ��killer�� cells of the characteristics of a cancer cell that must be destroyed. The dendritic cells, which look like little octopi, do this by spreading their tentacles. Gorter adds, ��The ��killer�� cells then swarm out and kill every cell with cancerous characteristics. As a result of this process, all the cancer cells that patients produce every day are dead within 24 to 36 hours.��

According to Gorter, cancer often takes root when dendritic cells are malfunctioning. ��We��re all a bit cancerous�� is his way of explaining that everyone has cancer cells in his or her body. ��But things really start to go wrong when the body no longer recognizes or can kill these cells.��
That insight inspired Gorter and his colleagues to develop a method of producing large numbers of healthy, dendritic cells, which are reintroduced into the patient��s system. It works like this: ��We take five tablespoons of blood and isolate the monocytes [undifferentiated or immature white blood cells produced in the bone marrow] that can be developed into dendritic cells. One week later we have 15 to 20 million extremely vital cells that are given back to the patient. These are well tolerated. Many people��even when their cancer has metastasized�� do much better or recover completely. The therapy works on all types of tumours: both solid tumours��as is the case with colon, breast and lung cancer��as well as non-solid tumours such as lymphomas and leukemia.��
The treatment (which costs 2,600 euros or $3,300 U.S. ) is repeated six times with one-month breaks in between. This is why Gorter refers to it as a vaccine: ��When the immune system has to learn something new, or change a particular function, the lesson must be repeated a number of times. The same thing is true with childhood illnesses. You have to repeat the vaccine several times. The patient often shows real signs of recovery after the third or fourth vaccination.��
And indeed, sometimes even after the first treatment, as was the case with Joe Pacini.

When Pacini arrived in Cologne via special transport, he was on his deathbed. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and difficult types to treat. His Californian doctors had given up hope because 80 percent of his liver had been destroyed. Pacini underwent three days of getting vaccinations containing dendritic cells along with hyperthermia treatments (a method which artificially raises the patient��s body temperature) . After that, he says, ��I was even able to walk up to the third floor of my hotel without help. After the second day here I didn��t take any more pain medication because I was feeling so good.�� Now, three months later, as Pacini returns to Cologne for his second treatment, he feels wonderful: ��I feel so fit I��m walking three to four hours a day.�� A smile lights up his face. ��Yesterday I walked back and forth to Cologne ��s cathedral.��
After the first series of treatments, Pacini��s oncologist in the United States measured his tumour markers��abnormal proteins made only by cancer cells that demonstrate the presence of cancer and its degree of aggressiveness. The doctor was surprised to see a sharp drop in the markers when he had expected a rise. Pacini notes, ��My oncologist said: ��I don��t know what they��re doing, but it��s working.��

Despite promising results like this, research into treatments with dendritic cells is barely getting off the ground. ��There��s not a lot of money to be earned from the research,�� Gorter states. ��You can��t get a patent on it because dendritic cells are autologous [drawn from and reintroduced to a patient��s own body]. Which is why pharmaceutical companies aren��t interested. Classic, random studies have never been done because this type of research is very expensive.�� Gorter worries that his treatment, like other alternative methods, will not be approved by influential authorities like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because these treatments run counter to the pharmaceutical- based philosophy of the medical establishment. He worries that legal charges may even be brought against doctors applying the therapy.

That��s the reason Gorter ended up working in Germany . The flamboyant professor feels more at home in a climate of professional freedom. All of his life he has lived by his own rules: ��I used to wear jeans and shirts with flower prints. But when everyone started wearing them, it was time for a change.�� In Germany he can wear his dicky bow ties and experiment with new therapies without any problem. Gorter: ��In Germany , doctors enjoy a unique, constitutionally protected freedom to practise.�� Recently, in fact, Germany ��s High Court in Karlsruhe ruled unanimously that qualified physicians have complete freedom to treat seriously ill patients as they see fit and that insurers must pay for the prescribed treatments.
this therapeutic freedom means that German doctors are not limited to the standard cancer protocols imposed in other Western countries: operations, radiation or chemotherapy. New treatments can be used alongside conventional ones, and even some traditional healing methods are employed. Gorter, for instance, makes frequent use of hyperthermia or fever therapy, which has been used since ancient times. Hippocrates said: ��Give me a fever and I��ll heal every illness.��

This therapy was rediscovered around 1880 by the American doctor William Coley. While researching the relationship between fever and tumour growth, Coley chanced to find a man who��d had several unsuccessful operations to remove tumours on his face and neck. His condition become further complicated by a serious skin infection that went hand in hand with a high fever. Yet the patient survived the high fever and, even more amazingly, discovered his tumours had disappeared.
Coley looked at the medical literature and discovered this was not an isolated case: As soon as patients developed a high fever, their tumours sometimes vanished. Coley started successfully experimenting with artificial fevers among cancer patients. He did this by giving them bacilli. Sometimes these bacilli even erupted into the worst inoperable tumours, only to disappear within hours.
��Fever therapy works amazingly well��alone and in combination with other therapies,�� Gorter states. ��When you combine chemotherapy with fever therapy you��ll have fewer side effects from the chemo.
��Cancer is a so-called ��cold illness�� and often disappears when the body��s temperature rises,�� he continues. ��The immune system also works optimally when a fever strikes. The only down side of Coley��s therapy was that he couldn��t precisely determine the level of the fever. We can now, thanks to special beds in which patients are wrapped to their necks and the temperature is controlled using infrared lamps, rising to around 40 degrees Celsius [104 degrees Fahrenheit].��
When Gorter calls cancer a ��cold�� illness, he��s not simply referring to the temperature. ��The characteristic of many modern illnesses is that they are cooling, debilitating, hardening and chronic. Until recently, nearly all epidemics��such as tuberculosis, malaria and the flu��were caused by parasites or bacteria. But particularly after World War II, bacteria slipped increasingly into the background. They��re still there, but nowadays no one dies of pneumonia. But what has taken its place are the debilitating, degenerative diseases that are mainly caused by viruses like hepatitis B and C. The distinguishing characteristics of these illnesses are hardening or sclerosis. When viruses are isolated, they take on the form of a crystal; it looks like fine table salt.��

Ninety-nine percent of all cancers also show hardening properties, according to Gorter. ��If you��ve got a little lump in your breast but you can press into it��if it��s a little spongy��doctors say: ��We��ll wait a month and see.�� But when a lump is hard and you regularly see calcification in the mammogram, there is cause for concern and usually a malignancy.��
Gorter says this hardening is not only seen in modern diseases like cancer, hardening of the arteries, multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome, but also in our values, norms and language use. Gorter observes, ��In our society, you��re not well paid for having a warm heart but for being smart. We have to be cool and efficient and above all we must not show too much warmth and enthusiasm. Those who do are quickly considered a little nuts or over the top. It��s a sign of our times.��
But these are the reasons why softness��or love��and warmth are particularly healing when it comes to cancer. Gorter nearly always asks his patients if there��s something that excites them; if they still have ideals. ��I ask them: ��Do you ever do anything for other people?�� Many look at me and say they��ve been busy working for decades and haven��t done anything all those years to help others.��

Gorter knows from experience the healing power of enthusiasm, love and optimism. When, at the age of 26, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that had spread to his stomach and lungs, he decided to heal himself. He took very hot baths��something he doesn��t necessarily advise for older patients as the heat can cause strong heart palpitations and low blood pressure as well as severe dizziness. He also started to live life with even more joy and optimism. Now he says he has learned this: ��If something makes you enthusiastic you have a reason to live. Ultimately that is the way to break the vicious circle of hardening and cooling.��

http://www.odemagaz ine.com/article. php?aID=4350
Robert Gorter can be reached via Medical Center Cologne, Hohenstaufenring 30-32, 50674 Keulen, Germany. Phone: +49 (0)221 7886301.
(PLEASE NOTE: DIFFERENT FROM PAPER VERSION OF ODE MAGAZINE)
Email: r.gorter@cologne- model.com.
www.cologne- model.com and www.anthroposophica l-medicine. info

Early Stem Cell Mutation Linked to Rett Syndrome

2009-02-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

A communication release by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research claims that a study by Burnham scientists shows that neural stem cell development may be linked to Rett Syndrome. The study published today in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports that mice lacking the myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) protein in neural stem cells had smaller brains, fewer nerve cells and showed behaviors similar to those seen in humans with Rett Syndrome. The communique claims that the study represents the first direct link between a developmental disorder of neural stem cells and the subsequent onset of autism.

The research team was led by Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical neurologist and Professor and Director of the Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center at Burnham who expressed optimism that the results of the study could lead to correction of the mutation in mice and ultimately in humans:

"These results give us a good hint of how to look at Rett Syndrome and potentially other forms of autism in humans," said Dr. Lipton. "Having identified a mutation that causes this defect, we can track what happens. Perhaps we can correct it in a mouse, and if so, eventually correct it in humans."

autism Sphere: Related Content

Metastatic Prostate Cancer

2009-02-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: When disease returns after a man has been treated for prostate cancer, hormonal therapy is usually effective. This involves the removal of the testicles to shut down the production of testosterone. Or the use of drugs that have t...

ANNOUNCER: When disease returns after a man has been treated for prostate cancer, hormonal therapy is usually effective. This involves the removal of the testicles to shut down the production of testosterone. Or the use of drugs that have the same effect.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: Traditionally, the approach to advanced disease has been hormonal therapy. Prostate cancer is driven by the male hormone testosterone. So by taking testosterone away, in many ways, you stop one of the promoting factors for cancer growth.

ANNOUNCER: Hormonal therapy, however, is likely to fail after a period of time. Tumors will eventually spread to bone or soft tissue. The first sign of the return of advanced disease is likely to be a rise in blood levels of a protein called PSA, which signals tumor growth and resulting damage to the prostate.

DANIEL P. PETRYLAK, MD: In the advanced prostate cancer patient, the median duration of response to hormones is generally about 18 to 24 months.

The first evidence that a patient is failing hormone therapy is usually a rise in the PSA. This usually precedes changes in the tumor that we can visually see on a bone scan or a CAT scan.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: When someone has a rising PSA despite being on hormonal therapy, there are several additional hormonal manipulations or hormonal changes that can be made. If a patient is on what is called an antiandrogen, which is a medicine that actually blocks testosterone from binding its binding site or receptor, you can manipulate that. You can actually stop the antiandrogen.

DANIEL P. PETRYLAK, MD: There is almost a paradoxical withdrawal effect by stopping these medications, we sometimes, in about 20 to 30 percent of patients, see a PSA decline.

ANNOUNCER: But even among those patients, the effect will likely be temporary. At this stage, depending on a variety of factors, a patient may have only one or two years to live. Doctors traditionally could do little beyond helping prevent bone fractures, and managing pain. And there wasn't much of a role for chemotherapy in prostate cancer, until recently.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: Probably the initial advance in chemotherapy was a drug called mitoxantrone, which, while it did not prolong survival, did help with symptoms of pain. And men who were on the drug had greater pain relief than men who did not receive mitoxantrone.

More recently, the taxanes, primarily Taxotere, which is a chemotherapy drug, has been shown to actually not only help with pain, but also prolong survival in prostate cancer. Again, these are men with advanced, what we would call hormone refractory prostate cancer.

DANIEL P. PETRYLAK, MD: When taxane-based chemotherapy is compared to the previous standard of care, which had been mitoxantrone combined with prednisone, there is a 20 to 24 percent improvement in the overall survival in patients treated with a taxane.

ANNOUNCER: That translates to a modest average increase in life. But among men with advanced disease that has stopped responding to hormonal therapy, a small gain can mean a lot.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: The survival advantage in the large clinical trials looking at Taxotere showed a modest benefit, probably in the range of two to three months. While that doesn't sound like a prolonged period of time, life expectancy in this group of men with advanced prostate cancer is only about 14-16 months. So an extra two to three months is actually significant.

ANNOUNCER: The problem of side effects remains, especially since these men are quite ill. But doctors say few men actually stop chemotherapy.

DANIEL P. PETRYLAK, MD: There does seem to be a higher frequency of side effects with docetaxel-based therapy and these include drops in white blood cell counts. These can also lead to infections. Swelling of the legs and fluid retention, tearing of the eyes, and numbness in the fingers and toes. But even though there is a higher rate of side effects with docetaxel-based treatment, the quality of life still seems to be better in those patients who receive docetaxel when that's compared to mitoxantrone or prednisone.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: Medical oncologists are very experienced with dealing with these toxicities, if you will. And as long as the patient is monitored, the treatments can be adjusted appropriately. And in general, the medications are very well tolerated.

ANNOUNCER: When men with advanced prostate cancer begin to fail on hormonal therapy, their disease has entered a very serious stage. That's why data showing chemotherapy can extend their lives is so important. Beyond the direct benefit to patients, the results from the trials with taxanes show researchers they are on the right track.

JAMES A. EASTHAM, MD: We had never shown a survival advantage for any type of drug, chemotherapy or not, in this stage of disease. So while it's certainly not a home run �?we're not curing all of these patients by any means �?it gives researchers and clinicians and most importantly patients, some hope that we've started to open a door that previously in prostate cancer hasn't led anywhere.

Study Shows More Women with Breast Cancer and Lumpectomy Should Receive Radiation Therapy

2009-02-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Cancer expert Eric Winer, MD, says he’s worried about a new study that reveals radiation treatment rates following lumpectomy for breast cancer are low across the United States.Dr. Winer, from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, ...

Cancer expert Eric Winer, MD, says he’s worried about a new study that reveals radiation treatment rates following lumpectomy for breast cancer are low across the United States. Dr. Winer, from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, Massachusetts, expressed his concerns to the Press before the 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium in Washington, DC, sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and several other cancer and breast disease societies.

Dr. Winer says, “I am shocked to see such low rates for radiation. This is a really important finding. “It shows that there are many women still falling through the cracks. What is happening to the 20% of women who do not have radiation? Where are they disappearing to? We must find them." Dr. Winer points out that only 74% of white women and 65% of black women received radiation after lumpectomy, saying radiation treatment%26hellip; “should be a standard of care in all but the oldest and sickest women." Breast cancer survival rates are comparable to those seen in women who have mastectomy when radiation therapy is given to women after conservative surgery, yet it appears that too many women are only receiving partial therapy.

The findings come from a review of Medicare records involving 37,000 women treated in 2003 with new diagnosis of early stage breast cancer and lumpectomy - 34,024 of the women were white. Disparity was also associated with treatment of black women, with only 65% of black women receiving radiation compared to 75% of white women.

Grace Smith, MD, PhD, MPH, from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas presented the findings at the meeting, saying, "We don't know if fewer black women are receiving radiation therapy because it is not offered to them, because they decline treatment, or because they are unable to complete a whole course of treatment." Dr. Smith suggests that some work is needed to get the word out that radiation after lumpectomy provides important benefits to women for breast cancer survival.

The researchers also found that geographic location had no effect on whether radiation treatment was received, studying nearly 80,000 patient records. Their analysis showed that 39% of women in urban areas and 38% in rural areas received the recommended tratment.

Past studies have shown that radiation therapy improves survival rates in younger women who have lumpectomy for breast cancer. The benefits to women over age 70 have not been proven.

Sources:

Racial disparities in treatment for early invasive breast cancer: A national Medicare study of radiotherapy after conservative surgery
Radiation therapy in urban and rural breast cancer patients
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/580259

Ugly Cell: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Brain

2009-02-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

A 69-year-old woman presented with a brain mass that was thought to be a primary brain tumor. Instead, our diagnosis turned out to be Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Anaplastic Type. This is not a lymphoma that is restricted to the central n...

A 69-year-old woman presented with a brain mass that was thought to be a primary brain tumor. Instead, our diagnosis turned out to be Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Anaplastic Type. This is not a lymphoma that is restricted to the central nervous system; but thus far in this patient the malignancy has only shown up in the brain. A representative photomicrograph from this case illustrates how ugly these tumor cells can be:

Colon cancer chemotherapy

2009-02-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

Or trail and error… Vicky shares her father’s colon cancer chemotherapy and the scary chemotherapy side effects. Vicky’s father was diagnosed with stage iv colon cancer that has spread into his lungs and liver. Her fathe...

Or trail and error%26hellip; Vicky shares her father%26rsquo;s colon cancer chemotherapy and the scary chemotherapy side effects. Vicky%26rsquo;s father was diagnosed with stage iv colon cancer that has spread into his lungs and liver.

Her father started his chemotherapy for colon cancer with Avastin cancer drug. This colon cancer chemotherapy worked well that it broke down the tumor but%26hellip; it also put a hole in his colon.

The doctors managed to remove the cancer during surgery.

One year later her father had undergone 3 different colon cancer chemo drugs, but none seems to work.

So now they are trying again to give Avastin chemotherapy, be it in a lower dose and see what%26rsquo;s going to happen.

Enhance your health using alternative cancer treatments

Since Avastin worked before and is now given in a smaller dose, I would suggest Vicky%26rsquo;s father to find %26amp;#34;something%26amp;#34; that enhances the power of the chemotherapy. Google for alternative cancer treatments that have proven to enhance the results of chemotherapy.

Get some inspiration from our post where we describe how Jim%26rsquo;s son survives metastatic liver cancer using chemotherapy and alternative treatments for cancer.

What%26rsquo;s utterly important is your father%26rsquo;s overall strength. With a longer history of chemo colon cancer treatments, one can imagine your father%26rsquo;s immune system, his spirit and his body strength can all use a boost.

Colon cancer prevention

It is said that a persons diet is very important in preventing colon cancer. Since the advice below helps to maintain a general healthy lifestyle, it%26rsquo;s good that you make it part of your lifestyle:

quit smoking (if you do)
every day eat fruit and vegetables
eat food rich in fibre and calcium
eat less red meat and fatty foods
exercise! at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day
avoid more than 1 glas of red wine a day
make sure your weight is healthy for your size
some do advice to take aspirin : one or two per day decreases the risk of colon cancer. Be warned: Aspirin causes stomach ulcers, at least it did in my stomach.

In an holistic cancer treatment, all of these should be practiced in stead of thinking: well, at least I practice one from the list%26hellip;

New colon cancer treatments

Hepatic Arterial Infusion or HAI is a new cancer treatment for people with metastatic colon cancer. This cancer treatment administers the chemotherapy drugs to the liver through a catheter into the main artery supplying the liver.

Even more high tech is the use of an Hepatic Artery Infusion pump.

The placement of such an hepatic artery infusion pump into the blood supply of the liver allows chemotherapy medication to be delivered directly into the liver. The pump will be connected to the hepatic artery after liver resection and will give up to 6 months of additional chemotherapy.

Although it looks promising in clinical trials, most likely your hospital won%26rsquo;t have the pump available. And although it looks %26amp;#34;clean%26amp;#34;, it%26rsquo;s still chemotherapy, be it straight delivered into the liver.

Vicky%26rsquo;s father colon cancer chemotherapy story

Vicky commented her father%26rsquo;s secondary liver cancer first at What do you say to man who is going to die and left her update describing the colon cancer chemotherapy treatments at Avastin cancer drug.

My dad was on Avastin chemotherapy when he was first diagnosed with colon cancer back in February of last year.

He only got two doses in before he had to have emergency surgery, because it had worked so well that the tumor had broken down, and put a hole in his colon.

They ended up getting the tumor out, but they had to stop using the Avastin because this chemo was too strong and they were afraid it might rupture another hole in his colon.

So here we are a year later and he has been through three other types of chemo, none of which have worked.

They are now going to try to put him back on the Avastin starting today, a lighter dosage, and see if that works, this is his last chance, so we are keeping our fingers crossed, that it will work as well as it did the first time, on his liver and lungs, and at least extend his life a couple of more years.

I will keep you updated on his progress.

Try to make your loved ones life as meaningful as you can for their last days.

My father has stage 4 colon cancer that has moved into his lungs and liver, diagnosed in February 2008.

I struggle everyday with that thought, how do you say good bye , but also keep on living.

I know that God has a special place for my father, and that he will be OK . It is just getting there that is hard.

A big hug for Vicky and her family!

Thanks for keeping us updated and try what Patrick Swayze said to Barbara Walters recently:

%26amp;#34;gotta have a dog!%26amp;#34;.

I would say love is important and I see you are giving all you have.

Yet every extra love can make a difference! Vicky%26rsquo;s father is our next metastatic liver cancer survivor!

Colon cancer chemotherapy summarized

Vicky%26rsquo;s father underwent more than 1 different colon cancer chemotherapy with positive results using Avastin, be it with the scary chemotherapy side effect that shrinking the cancer made a hole in his colon.

We wished we knew then what we know now: when you add the following alternative cancer treatments to chemotherapy, you end up with an holistic cancer treatment that has a better outcome than only using chemotherapy.

We repeat again what we learned from our metastatic liver cancer survivors so far how they treat cancer:

chemotherapy treatment
alternative cancer treatments or natural cancer cures that boost your immune system
a positive mind-set
eliminate stress
lead a healthy lifestyle (that especially means exercise for those who don%26rsquo;t move too much)
Get a dog! (Read our next post on January 26th to find out why)

All our hugs and fingers crossed that Vicky%26rsquo;s new Avastin colon cancer chemotherapy will work!

Technorati Tags: alternative cancer treatments, avastin, chemotherapy, chemotherapy side effects, Colon Cancer, colon cancer chemotherapy, HAI, Hepatic Arterial Infusion, holistic cancer treatment, Liver Cancer, Metastatic Liver Cancer, patrick swayze, Secondary liver cancer, stage iv colon cancer

Chemotherapy Options for Prostate Cancer

2009-02-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: Traditionally, chemotherapy had little to no role in treating advanced prostate cancer.TOMASZ BEER, MD: Initially, there were many, many studies that looked at chemotherapy agents that really weren't showing much activity at all ...

ANNOUNCER: Traditionally, chemotherapy had little to no role in treating advanced prostate cancer.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: Initially, there were many, many studies that looked at chemotherapy agents that really weren't showing much activity at all in advanced prostate cancer. And in fact when I started working on it, the mantra was that chemotherapy's not helpful in this cancer.

CELESTIA S. HIGANO, MD: At the end of the '80s, one of my colleagues wrote a review article about chemotherapy in the setting of prostate cancer, and their conclusion was that there was no benefit for chemotherapy.

ANNOUNCER: Doctors had been using the steroid prednisone to alleviate symptoms associated with advanced prostate cancer, and in the 1990s, a chemotherapy agent was proven effective for decreasing pain.

CELESTIA S. HIGANO, MD In the mid-'90s, we had the study with mitoxantrone and prednisone showing that the combination of the chemotherapy with prednisone was better than prednisone alone for helping patients with symptoms.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: Mitoxantrone in combination with prednisone can have important benefits in terms of pain control and quality of life, without extending life. But in patients who have advanced cancer and have significant symptoms, quality of life benefits were very important.

ANNOUNCER: But before 2004, oncologists couldn't give patients much hope that chemotherapy could improve survival.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: And then docetaxel came along, which not only improved upon mitoxantrone with regard to pain control, but also provided for the first time a benefit with regard to survival in men who have advanced metastatic prostate cancer and who are no longer responding to hormonal therapy.

ANNOUNCER: Docetaxel, under the brand name Taxotere, has been proven to not only alleviate symptoms of cancer, but it also has shown a survival benefit.

CELESTIA S. HIGANO, MD: In the clinical trials, the median time -- that means half the patients -- lived as long as 18 to 19 months, and half the patients lived less long. And that is a two-month improvement over the median for the other combination, which was mitoxantrone and prednisone.

But I think that when you say there's a two-month survival advantage, some people are rather shocked at how short that is. But this is for a whole group of men. This is not what the individual may get. And in fact, we've had some excellent, good long-term results with patients. I have patients who have had metastatic prostate cancer on and off chemotherapy for over five years.

ANNOUNCER: Currently docetaxel plus prednisone is the FDA-approved regimen for advanced prostate cancer. But researchers are also testing docetaxel with other agents in a number of clinical trials.

CELESTIA S. HIGANO, MD: We're at the beginning of a big learning experience about what other drugs we can combine with docetaxel to improve on what we've seen with docetaxel and prednisone.

ANNOUNCER: Some drugs used added to docetaxel are biologic agents, which target the blood supply to cancer cells.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: Most of the exciting new drugs that are being added to it are not conventional chemotherapy drugs, but novel drugs that we consider so-called biologic agents: drugs that target various activities or parts of the cancer that we think may give us an advantage. So drugs that target the cancer's ability to resist chemotherapy, the cancer's ability to grow its own blood supply.

ANNOUNCER: Another promising agent tested in combination with chemotherapy is a vitamin D compound.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: It turns out that cancer has receptors for activated vitamin D, which is calcitriol, and I'll call it calcitriol from now on. And in the lab, calcitriol can cause cancer to die, stop it from growing, and is synergistic with chemotherapy agents, including docetaxel.

And what we found was, there was a significant difference in survival in favor of the combination. So the median survival in patients treated with docetaxel alone was about 16.5 months, and the median survival for the combination arm hadn't been reached as of the last analysis, but is estimated at 24.5 months.

ANNOUNCER: There is no cure for advanced prostate cancer, but oncologists are confident that more advances in treatment are on the way.

TOMASZ BEER, MD: I think there's never been a better time to be a prostate cancer researcher. We have so many new drugs that hold promise, and really the most frustrating thing is how long it takes to get the answers. Both our patients and we are impatient and we would like to know right now what's going to help, and how can we move forward.

CELESTIA S. HIGANO, MD: The nice thing about being my age is that I got to live through the era when there was supposedly nothing we could do with chemotherapy to a time when we can offer chemotherapy to most patients and feel very good about the kinds of improvements we see in their quality of life.

Grape Seed Extract & Leukemia Cell Suicide

2009-02-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

At the Hippocrates Health Institute, I met a lovely woman with dark brown hair and very fair skin from South Africa.Almari (I love her name) now lives in Los Angeles and, despite her zest for life and beauty and radiance and outward appeara...

At the Hippocrates Health Institute, I met a lovely woman with dark brown hair and very fair skin from South Africa. Almari (I love her name) now lives in Los Angeles and, despite her zest for life and beauty and radiance and outward appearance of health, has leukemia.

Almari is heading in for a bone marrow transplant on February 2nd and asked that I keep her in my thoughts. I will also keep her in my heart and am praying for her complete recovery. Perhaps you can too, as the power of our vast connectedness is only starting to be understood.

While I regularly read the science news , scanning for natural approaches to heal disease and promote health, my attention is more attuned to leukemia these days after meeting Almari.

On December 22nd, a press release from the American Association for Cancer Research got my attention when they reported:

%26quot;An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract.%26quot;

That's an amazing statistic. If a pharmaceutical drug could combat cancer cells so heroically in 24 hours, all without harming normal cells, well the originating company's stock rise would be enough to put the U.S. economy into a good mood.

Instead, this research is being quietly reported in this month's Clinical Cancer Research journal.

The press release on grape seed extract and leukemia cells went on to report:

%26quot;These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological malignancies and possibly other cancers,%26rdquo; said the study%26rsquo;s lead author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky.

%26ldquo;What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this category,%26rdquo; he said.

While the researchers are cautious and say it's premature to see grape seed extract as a chemo-protective agent, it's still very promising research from my perspective. Here's to all the right follow-on research and to an era where this kind of research -- on safe, natural, truly healing agents from nature -- gets more prominent notice and concommitant funding.

Treatments for Leukemia & Lymphoma

2009-02-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of treatments and procedures that are commonly used to treat Leukemia & Lymphoma: Antibody TherapyBone Marrow TransplantChemotherapyStem Cell TransplantationThese are just some of the treatments and procedures that are used t...

Here is a list of treatments and procedures that are commonly used to treat Leukemia %26 Lymphoma:

Antibody Therapy
Bone Marrow Transplant
Chemotherapy
Stem Cell Transplantation

These are just some of the treatments and procedures that are used to treat Leukemia %26 Lymphoma.
You can connect with experts and other people who have Leukemia %26 Lymphomain the Wellsphere communities.
If you're interested in finding more information, tips, news and videos about Leukemia %26 Lymphoma, go to the Leukemia %26 Lymphoma WellPage or the Treatments for Leukemia %26 Lymphoma WellPage.

Cancer Patient Cured With His Own Cells

2009-02-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

Copyright ? 2008Lucy. Visit the original article athttp://www.fitness-equipment-solutions.com/diseases/cure-for-cancer/.A 52-year-old male cancer patient has been completely cured after being injected with billions of his own so called immu...

Copyright %26#169; 2008Lucy. Visit the original article athttp://www.fitness-equipment-solutions.com/diseases/cure-for-cancer/.

A 52-year-old male cancer patient has been completely cured after being injected with billions of his own so called immune cells, writes The Daily Telegraph.

The man who was suffering from advanced skin cancer that had spread to lymph nodes and one of his lungs, was cured of his cancer within eight weeks after treatment. And now, two years after he remains healthy.

Doctors took cells from the man%26#8217;s own immune system, cloned them and injected them back into his body.

According to experts this man%26#8217;s healing with immune therapy is a milestone in the treatment of cancer. It creates hope for a cure for cancer, which takes 150,000 lives annually in Britain. The cure however, is very expensive and requires a lot more research before it%26#8217;s demonstrated fully its effectiveness.

This mans healing suggests that it may be both effective and safe treatment for people by simply cloning enough immune cells to attack the cancer. In general, there are too few of the cancer cells to effectively win over the disease.

Cancer occurs when the body%26#8217;s own cells get out of control, therefore the body%26#8217;s immune system responds, but not with enough cells to extinguish the disease. But by cloning enough of the cells the body itself produces against the disease, it may be in all probablity - curable.

Natural health extract destroys cancer cells

2009-02-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

Grape seed oil extract has been found to kill off cancerous cells in the blood of people suffering with leukaemia.Related News:Cancer relief from acupuncture, and you don’t need the...Click on the title to read the post in full
...

Grape seed oil extract has been found to kill off cancerous cells in the blood of people suffering with leukaemia.

Related News:Cancer relief from acupuncture, and you don%26rsquo;t need the...

Click on the title to read the post in full

Pancreatic cancer cells killed with nanotech gene therapy

2009-02-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

Jefferson.edu - A research team, led by investigators at the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, has achieved a substantial “kill” of pancr...

Jefferson.edu - A research team, led by investigators at the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, has achieved a substantial %26ldquo;kill%26rdquo; of pancreatic cancer cells by using nanoparticles to successfully deliver a deadly diphtheria toxin gene. The findings %26ndash; set to be published [...]

Technology Review: Zapping Individual Cancer Cells

2009-02-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

Link:Technology Review: Zapping Individual Cancer Cells.Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin have patented a laser microscalpel that allows a surgeon to operate on tissue one cell at a time, precisely targeting disease while leavi...

Link:Technology Review: Zapping Individual Cancer Cells.

Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin have patented a laser microscalpel that allows a surgeon to operate on tissue one cell at a time, precisely targeting disease while leaving healthy surrounding cells alive.

that's amazing!

Stem Cell Research Underway to Treat Breast Cancer

2009-02-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

Breast cancer is Number Six on the list of top ten killers for women, of the 185+ thousand women diagnosed with it, over 41 thousand women die every year. Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Cryo-Cell, which is a company that has made a name for itself as a family cord blood bank, has gone into partnership with the National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Center to begin research on potentially treating diseases, specifically breast cancer.

Through this partnership they will conduct an exploratory study to determine if stem cells collected from menstrual blood can be used in the potential treatment of breast cancer. This study will include cutting-edge techniques making it possible to track stems cells in the body using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)%26mdash;a non-invasive method.

Currently, non-invasive imaging for long term tracking of stem cells in the body do not yet exist, making this truly ground breaking research. The ability to use MRI to monitor the journey of menstrual blood stem cells in the body holds great promise in the utilization of menstrual stem cells in the future treatment of disease. Cryo-Cell%26rsquo;s research partnership with the NIH is a major step towards discovering potential breast cancer therapy.

Cancer Institute Urges Caution With Cell Phones

2009-02-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

Link:Cancer Institute Urges Caution With Cell Phones.A prominent US cancer institute has posted a notice on its website urging cell phone users to take precautions when using cell phones because advice from an international panel of experts...

Link:Cancer Institute Urges Caution With Cell Phones.

A prominent US cancer institute has posted a notice on its website urging cell phone users to take precautions when using cell phones because advice from an international panel of experts says cell phones have not been around long enough for scientists to be sure about their safety.
The announcement comes from the Center for Environmental Oncology (CEO), part of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and says that following the advice of an international panel of experts, comprising cancer experts from Europe and the US:
"Electromagnetic fields generated by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk."

I thought cell phones were now considered safe but I guess this is still a very controversial issue

Electrosmog, Cell Phones, and Cancer.... Oh My!

2009-02-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

By Emily StephensThe Earth is being engulfed in electrosmog!Arthur Firstenbergis one of the growing number of electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) people who suffer physical and psychological symptoms reportedly caused by electromagnetic fi...

By Emily Stephens

%26#8220;The Earth is being engulfed in electrosmog!%26#8221;Arthur Firstenbergis one of the growing number of electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) people who suffer physical and psychological symptoms reportedly caused by electromagnetic fields. Imagine terrible headaches, nausea, or heart arrhythmia whenever being near Wi-Fi, a computer, a cell phone, or electric lights. Firstenberg, along with a handful of others are fighting to stop a plan to install Wi-Fi in all Santa Fe public libraries and government buildings. His argument seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Santa Fe%26#8217;s city attorney determinedEHS is not covered by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Furthermore, there is no legal precedent where Wi-Fi has ever been identified as the cause of EHS. So far, the Santa Fe City Council remains undecided.

Proponents of Wi-Fi insist there is no proven, causal link between the medical symptoms and wireless technology. The World Health Organization agrees with them: although the symptoms of EHS "are certainly real" and disabling for those affected, "there isno scientific basisto link EHS symptoms to EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure." So, is the etiology of EHS simply psychosomatic?

In 1988, 60 Swedish employees of an Ericsson subsidary company developed EHS after a mobile phone base station was installed on their office building%26#8217;s roof. At first, the company tried to keep quiet about the whole ordeal. After receiving a $1 million grant from the Swedish Working Life Fund, they decided to go public and change the working environment. Unfortunately, most of those who were affected are still hypersensitive.

Interesting to note,Swedenis the only country in the world that accepts electrosensitivity as a physical impairment. Over 2.4% of their population is registered as having some form of EHS. Apply that ratio to the US population, and one could extrapolate that as many as6.5 million Americansexperience wireless symptoms.

Nikola Teslais the first person suspected of having EHS. Recognized as one of the greatest technological scientists of all time, Tesla developed a severe illness late in life that many believe was caused by repeated exposure to high levels of electromagnetic fields.

"To doctors [Tesla] appeared at death's door. One of the symptoms of the illness was an acute sensitivity of all the sense-organs. His senses had always been extremely keen, but this sensitivity was now so tremendously exaggerated that the effects were a form of torture. The ticking of a watch three rooms away sounded like the beat of hammers on an anvil. The vibration of ordinary city traffic, when transmitted through a chair or bench, pounded through his body."-The Life of Nikola Tesla by John J. O'Neill

Whether or not you believe in EHS, wireless technology has actually been proven dangerous. This last February,Dr. Seigal Sadetzkifounda link between chronic cell phone usage and the development of benign and malignant tumorswithin the salivary gland. Those who used cell phones heavily on one side of the head were found to have anincreased riskof 50% for developing main salivary gland (parotid) tumors, as compared to non-users.Sadetzki's study, which investigated nearly 500 people diagnosed with salivary gland tumors, also found those who live in rural areas have an increased risk for cancer. Rural areas typically have fewer cell phone towers and antennas, so cell phones must emit more radiation in order to work.

%26#8220;While I think this technology is here to stay,%26#8221; Sadetzki says, %26#8220;I believe precautions should be taken in order to diminish the exposure and lower the risk for health hazards.%26#8221; Her recommendations?

1. Use hands-free devices at all times.

2. When talking, hold the phone away from one%26#8217;s body.

3. Call less frequently.

4. Shorten the length of your calls.

The moral of the story? Beware of electrosmog, cell phones, and cancer. Hmmm. I guess now we know. And knowing is half the battle, right?

Carcinoma and Prostate Cancer

2009-02-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

Adenocarcinoma (or carcinoma for short) is the type of cancer developing from epithelial cells, the type of cell which lines internal organs and bodily surfaces. If it weren't for the epithelial cell we'd all be a soft gelatinous mass of slimy goo. Epithelial cells compose the inner and outer surface of our organs so that things stay separate and generally useful.

The prostate supplies most of the ejaculatory stuff that nourishes the sperm on their fantastic voyage up the female reproductive tract into prospective fatherhood. The other main portion of the ejaculate is the sperm themselves which are produced in the testes and which swim up the vas deferens to hang out in the seminal vesicles until they get their marching orders during orgasm.

The prostate is sort of like the male breast, a hormonally influenced organ that produces a milky white substance. In fact, under the microscope, the breast tissue looks a lot like prostate tissue. Unlike breasts, prostates do not come in pairs and generally are not as fun to look at.

The prostate contains thousands of microscopic passageways that join one another and connect to the urethra, or pissing tube that runs from the bladder, through the middle of the prostate, and then through the penis. These microscopic passageways are lined by epithelial cells which in fact produce the prostatic contribution to the ejaculate. In addition to nutrition for the spermies, the prostatic epithelial cells produce a large amout of PSA.

The purpose of the PSA is to liquify the gelatinous goop of the ejaculate so that the sperm can swim unhindered once they have been splurted closer to their goal. Although PSA made in the epithelial cells is meant to be released into the prostatic tubes and eventually leave the body under pleasurable circumstances, some of it leaks into blood circulating through the prostate and makes its way into the bloodstream where it can be detected by the PSA blood test.

Epithelial cells need to replace themselves because like all things that provide a useful function, they wear out and die. New prostate cells are produced by maturation and division of certain cells (basal cells) which lie beneath the epithilial cells sort of the way adult teeth lie underneath baby teeth waiting for their chance to erupt into the world.

Cancer starts when the dividing mechanism get out of kilter and the cells multiply, not to serve as useful replacements, but just for the hell of it. The cells divide and multiply at rate faster that they are needed. They accumulate in bunches and no longer form the tubules that God intended. They are no longer law-abiding prostate cells serving the needs of the postate and the general good of the body. They are now outlaw carcinoma (cancer) cells and pretty much do as they please.

During the early phase of most prostate cancers, the malignant cells are more akin to motorists who don't make a complete halt at a stop sign. Life and society gets on pretty well with these minor violations and no one seems to mind. Some cancers though, perhaps because they have gotten away with minor violations, develop the chutzpah (or genetic mutations) to more flagrantly ignore the rules of prostatic society.

These tumor cells become less differentiated (i.e., less like their law-abiding benign brethren) and degrade into more aggressive (higher grade) tumors. They begin to look uglier under the microscope. Most prostate cancers accumulate their share of minor traffic offenses and are content to stay where they are in their prostatic home. The ones that have meaner dispositions cause blood vessels to form in order to feed them more nutrients.

Particularly nasty prostate cancer cells may infiltrate into the blood stream and thereby gain access to other parts of the body. This may lead to the formation of tumors in distant parts of the body, a process called metastasis.

As the tumor gets bigger it takes up a larger portion of the prostate and eventually may spread outside the border of the prostate (the "capsule") and eventually into adjacent organs (local spread) or distant organs (metastatic spread). The extent to which the cancer spread is called the stage. Staging is determined by a variety of tests including the digital rectal exam and imaging studies (ultrasound, MRI, bonescan, Prostascint).

The grading of the tumor is a measure of the aggressiveness of the tumor as it appears under the microscope. Gleason grading refers to the pattern of the tubular structures made by the malignant cells. Nuclear grading refers to specific features of the malignant cells and is related toDNA ploidy.

How To Kill Prostate Cancer Cells The Healthy Way!

2009-02-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

You diet will either kill you or save you. Read below how fruits and vegetables can help your body to kill prostate cancer cells.The evidence is mounting, how much more convincing do you need?#########UGA study finds common component of fru...

You diet will either kill you or save you. Read below how fruits and vegetables can help your body to kill prostate cancer cells.

The evidence is mounting, how much more convincing do you need?

#########

UGA study finds common component of fruits, vegetables kills prostate cancer cells

Athens, Ga. �C A new University of Georgia study finds that pectin, a type of fiber found in fruits and vegetables and used in making jams and other foods, kills prostate cancer cells.

The study, published in the August issue of the journal Glycobiology, found that exposing prostate cancer cells to pectin under laboratory conditions reduced the number of cells by up to 40 percent. UGA Cancer Center researcher Debra Mohnen and her colleagues at UGA, along with Vijay Kumar, chief of research and development at the VA Medical Center in Augusta, found that the cells literally self-destructed in a process known as apoptosis. Pectin even killed cells that aren��t sensitive to hormone therapy and therefore are difficult to treat with current medications.

��What this paper shows is that if you take human prostate cancer cells and add pectin, you can induce programmed cell death,�� said Mohnen, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. ��If you do the same with non-cancerous cells, cell death doesn��t occur.��

Mohnen��s study adds to the growing body of evidence on the health benefits of pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol and glucose levels in humans. Cancer studies using rats and cell cultures have found that pectin can reduce metastasis and prevent lung and colon tumors. Another study found that pectin induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells. Mohnen��s is the first to show that pectin induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and brings scientists closer to understanding what makes the common component of plants an effective cancer fighter.

In her lab at UGA��s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, Mohnen and her team analyzed three different types of commercially available pectin and found large differences in anti-cancer activity. They found that treatment under mild base conditions decreased the anti-cancer properties of pectin while heat treatment significantly increased anti-cancer activity.

Pectin is one of nature��s most complex molecules and has the potential to bind to several sites on cells and to elicit several different cellular responses at the same time. Mohnen and her team are working to identify the smallest structure within pectin that can induce apoptosis with the ultimate goal of developing pectin-based pharmaceuticals or foods with enhanced health benefits.

Mohnen said that more evidence is needed to support the use of specific pectin supplements, but said that most Americans would do well to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.

��Even though we hear constantly that we��re supposed to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, it wasn��t until we started working on these studies that it finally hit home how really important that was,�� she said. ��By simply increasing your intake of fruits of vegetables, you��re going to get a lot of pectin and you��re going to get all of the other beneficial phytochemicals at the same time.��

##########

A good starting point to optimum health is a low carb diet like the Atkins diet, studies have proven without a doubt that a low carb diet can help prevent prostate cancer.

Your health

Popularity: 19% [ ? ]

Embryonic Stem Cell Cancer Issue Remains Unresolved

2009-02-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Scientists have been working on this for nearly a decade now on making ES cells capable of being used directly in therapies.They have been stymied by three primary problems; the potential for tissue rejection (which we will not get into in ...

Scientists have been working on this for nearly a decade now on making ES cells capable of being used directly in therapies. They have been stymied by three primary problems; the potential for tissue rejection (which we will not get into in this post), the cells' propensity to form tumors called teratomas, and the problem of some ES cells appearing to be pre cancerous, making them very risky to inject into a living patient. With regard to the latter issue, it turns out that the healthiest appearing ES cells may be the most dangerous. From a blog entry over atNature:

Are ruddy cheeks a sign of health or a symptom of sickness? New work from Mickie Bhatia and colleagues at McMaster University suggests that, when it comes to embryonic stem cells, the very qualities researchers use to pick out a robust cell line may in fact be bestowed by precancerous transformations. %26quot;Current measurements are not capable of distinguishing the difference between great stem cells and cancer stem cells in vitro,%26quot; says Bhatia.

The problem, apparently, is that abnormalities are submicroscopic and can't be determined before they transform into specific body tissues (differentiation). This could mean that the potential cancer threat--which is in addition to the teratoma tumor issue--may be very hard to solve:

%26quot;This paper shows that human ES lines with submicroscopic genetic abnormalities can display altered growth and differentiation properties suggestive of premalignant change,%26quot; says Martin Pera who studies embryonic stem cells at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. %26quot;In other words, a normal karyotype is not necessarily a guarantee of a normal genetic makeup within a cell line.%26quot;...One of the %26quot;major challenges to the field%26quot; is developing techniques that can detect rare, abnormal cells, particularly if the transformations are not due to changes in gene sequence.

Also important, he says, is figuring out just how and when such cells might be dangerous. %26quot;Ultimately it may be difficult or impossible to rule out with certainty that a given culture is totally free of abnormal cells.%26quot;

If that is true, these cells may never be able to meet the potential scientists held out for therapies (which is to be distinguished from bench science use).

Note, this has nothing to do with the Bush policy or using older stem cell lines. It may be a consequence taking these cells out of their sphere of natural development in the living embryo.

What of the alternatives to ESCR? So far, IPSCs also have a teratoma problem--which is one of the signs of pluripotency--and a potential cancer problem caused by using viruses to affect the changes, although the virus issue appears well on its way to being solved. Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be tissue typed more readily than bone marrow and so far as I have seen, have no tumor issues. Adult stem cells do not exhibit tissue rejection (since they are the patient's own cells), tumor formation, or cancer, and are in many early human trials for a variety of ailments, as we have often discussed here.

Cancer Institute Urges Caution With Cell Phones

2009-02-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Link:Cancer Institute Urges Caution With Cell Phones.

A prominent US cancer institute has posted a notice on its website urging cell phone users to take precautions when using cell phones because advice from an international panel of experts says cell phones have not been around long enough for scientists to be sure about their safety.
The announcement comes from the Center for Environmental Oncology (CEO), part of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and says that following the advice of an international panel of experts, comprising cancer experts from Europe and the US:
"Electromagnetic fields generated by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk."

I thought cell phones were now considered safe but I guess this is still a very controversial issue

Electrosmog, Cell Phones, and Cancer.... Oh My!

2009-02-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

By Emily Stephens��The Earth is being engulfed in electrosmog!��Arthur Firstenbergis one of the growing number of electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) people who suffer physical and psychological symptoms reportedly caused by electromagnetic ...

By Emily Stephens

��The Earth is being engulfed in electrosmog!�� Arthur Firstenberg is one of the growing number of electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) people who suffer physical and psychological symptoms reportedly caused by electromagnetic fields. Imagine terrible headaches, nausea, or heart arrhythmia whenever being near Wi-Fi, a computer, a cell phone, or electric lights. Firstenberg, along with a handful of others are fighting to stop a plan to install Wi-Fi in all Santa Fe public libraries and government buildings. His argument seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Santa Fe��s city attorney determined EHS is not covered by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act . Furthermore, there is no legal precedent where Wi-Fi has ever been identified as the cause of EHS. So far, the Santa Fe City Council remains undecided.

Proponents of Wi-Fi insist there is no proven, causal link between the medical symptoms and wireless technology. The World Health Organization agrees with them: although the symptoms of EHS "are certainly real" and disabling for those affected, "there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure." So, is the etiology of EHS simply psychosomatic?

In 1988, 60 Swedish employees of an Ericsson subsidary company developed EHS after a mobile phone base station was installed on their office building��s roof. At first, the company tried to keep quiet about the whole ordeal. After receiving a $1 million grant from the Swedish Working Life Fund, they decided to go public and change the working environment. Unfortunately, most of those who were affected are still hypersensitive.

Interesting to note, Sweden is the only country in the world that accepts electrosensitivity as a physical impairment. Over 2.4% of their population is registered as having some form of EHS. Apply that ratio to the US population, and one could extrapolate that as many as 6.5 million Americans experience wireless symptoms.

Nikola Tesla is the first person suspected of having EHS. Recognized as one of the greatest technological scientists of all time, Tesla developed a severe illness late in life that many believe was caused by repeated exposure to high levels of electromagnetic fields.

"To doctors [Tesla] appeared at death's door. One of the symptoms of the illness was an acute sensitivity of all the sense-organs. His senses had always been extremely keen, but this sensitivity was now so tremendously exaggerated that the effects were a form of torture. The ticking of a watch three rooms away sounded like the beat of hammers on an anvil. The vibration of ordinary city traffic, when transmitted through a chair or bench, pounded through his body." -The Life of Nikola Tesla by John J. O'Neill

Whether or not you believe in EHS, wireless technology has actually been proven dangerous. This last February, Dr. Seigal Sadetzki found a link between chronic cell phone usage and the development of benign and malignant tumors within the salivary gland. Those who used cell phones heavily on one side of the head were found to have an increased risk of 50% for developing main salivary gland (parotid) tumors, as compared to non-users. Sadetzki's study, which investigated nearly 500 people diagnosed with salivary gland tumors, also found those who live in rural areas have an increased risk for cancer. Rural areas typically have fewer cell phone towers and antennas, so cell phones must emit more radiation in order to work.

��While I think this technology is here to stay,�� Sadetzki says, ��I believe precautions should be taken in order to diminish the exposure and lower the risk for health hazards.�� Her recommendations?

1. Use hands-free devices at all times.

2. When talking, hold the phone away from one��s body.

3. Call less frequently.

4. Shorten the length of your calls.

The moral of the story? Beware of electrosmog, cell phones, and cancer. Hmmm. I guess now we know. And knowing is half the battle, right?

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

2009-02-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: Across the globe, and across the US, cigarettes continue to kill.EDWARD S. KIM, MD: If you just look at the United States figures, it's the leading cause of cancer-related death, both in men and in women: over 175,000 cases a yea...

ANNOUNCER: Across the globe, and across the US, cigarettes continue to kill.

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: If you just look at the United States figures, it's the leading cause of cancer-related death, both in men and in women: over 175,000 cases a year, and over 160,00 deaths a year.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: If I were to list the top ten causes of lung cancer, one through nine would be cigarette smoking.

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: Other causes can include industrial fumes; radon has been tied to it. Other things such as asbestos cause other forms of lung cancer like mesothelioma. But, still, the number-one culprit is going to be cigarettes.

ANNOUNCER: There are two main types of lung cancer.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: The most common form of lung cancer is called non-small cell lung cancer. About 15 percent of lung cancer is small cell lung cancer.

ANNOUNCER: Lung cancers don't tend to stay put. They often tend to spread, and how they do so is the basis of a system of staging.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: Non-small cell lung cancer starts in the lung tissue and it grows into a tumor and that tumor, if it stays where it started, is stage I. If the tumor has spread to lymph nodes within the lung, it's stage II. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the center of the chest, that is stage III. And then, if cancer cells get into the bloodstream and move around the body, that's stage IV.

ANNOUNCER: In most patients with stage I or stage II disease, the cancer is resectable, which means it can be removed surgically. If a patient is well enough, treatment usually begins in the operating room.

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: The early-stage lung cancer is treated with surgery and, generally, this is at least with a lobectomy.

There are three separate lobes or areas of your right lung and two on your left lung. If a tumor falls within one of those discrete areas, then that lobe is removed which encompasses the tumor.

ANNOUNCER: Radiation is sometimes used, too. But mostly for people who are elderly and frail, or who otherwise cannot tolerate surgery.

A lung cancer patient's chances for survival depend on how the disease may have spread.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: If you have stage I disease, and you have successful surgery and removal of the cancer, your chance of being alive in five years is 60 to 80 percent. If you have stage II, it's 40 to 60 percent. And if you have stage III, it's 20 to 40 percent.

ANNOUNCER: There's always the possibility lung cancer returns after surgery. That's usually a very dangerous situation.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: If lung cancer were to come back after a successful surgery, chances are it would come back some place outside of the chest, which means that, before the surgeon had a chance to take the cancer out, cells had broken off, gotten into the bloodstream and moved around the body.

ANNOUNCER: It's to get those types of circulating cancer cells that doctors have traditionally used chemotherapy in treating other types of cancer.

There never had been any evidence this use of what is called "adjuvant" therapy had any value in lung cancer until recently.

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: The International Adjuvant Lung Trial was the largest trial ever reported in lung cancer. It consisted of 1900 patients who had stage I through III lung cancer and were surgically resected. Afterwards, they received one of four regimens of adjuvant chemotherapy. And the results showed that there was a benefit. This was 4.1 percent, a modest benefit, but very much similar to the review of studies reported in 1995 that showed a 5 percent at five years. Thus, based on the results of this study, adjuvant chemotherapy became the standard of care in early-stage lung cancer.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: This is big news. For the first time, we have data to justify giving patients chemotherapy after their surgery.

ANNOUNCER: But while chemotherapy is easier to manage than it has been in years past, it is still something many people want to avoid. And the research doesn't offer much help in deciding exactly which patients are most likely to benefit.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: The issue is, of course, if you're only improving five-year survival by 5 percent, you have to treat nearly twenty patients to save one. And so then there's the question: Which patient is the one who you're going to help?

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: I explain to a patient that there is some benefit. It's modest. But most patients want to be aggressive. They want to have their surgery done. They want the tumor taken out of them and they want treatment to try and give it as good a chance as possible to eradicate any cells that may be existing in their body at the time.

ANNOUNCER: Another possible use of chemotherapy in lung cancer might be even earlier, before surgery. It's called neoadjuvant therapy. The goal would be to shrink the tumor, to make surgery easier. And to kill cancer cell that may have already escaped from the original tumor.

EDWARD S. KIM, MD: Neoadjuvant approaches certainly have their place and that's why there are several studies looking at this approach. However, we have not seen a positive study in a controlled manner that has shown overall clinical benefit, and therefore, it is still considered experimental at this point, but still being tested.

ANNOUNCER: The studies in early stage non-small cell lung cancer usually use a platinum-based drug, plus one or more additional drugs, including vinorelbine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and sometimes targeted therapies like cetuximab.

Doctors are gaining important knowledge and new tools in the treatment of lung cancer. But it remains a very serious disease. And no medical advance will ever counter the damage done by cigarettes, often by a remarkably small number of them.

CHRISTOPHER G. AZZOLI, MD: I think when you think about smoking and lung cancer risk, you have to think of a continuum. And, obviously, if you smoke a lot of cigarettes per day for many, many years, you have a much higher risk. If you smoked very little and for a short amount of time in your life, then you have a very low risk. But, if you smoked at all in your lifetime, greater than 100 cigarettes in your lifetime, your risk will always be slightly higher than someone who never smoked.

Carcinoma and Prostate Cancer

2009-02-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

Naturally Treating Epstein Barr Virus & Mononucleosis - Strengthen the Immune System

2009-02-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Back in the summer of 2003, I was diagnosed with a very severe and acute case of EBV- Epstein Barr Virus. Literally my very active life was put on hold. I can still recall the morning I knew I was really sick- I was too weak to even lift my head off my pillow. My lymph nodes were swollen in my neck, armpits and groin. I was nauseous and thought I was just experiencing the flu.

The symptoms of the Epstein Barr Virus is almost like a severe case of the flu. Chills, swollen glands, lack of appetite and severe exhaustion. It impacts each person differently- but when I went to my doctor a few months later- he quickly diagnosed my illness and took a blood test that revealed that I was in the throws of a very severe case of mononucleosis. The Epstein Bar Virus was positive on my blood test and the EBV is a herpes group virus which is ubiquitous. It is the cause of the classic infectious mononucleosis virus... the kissing virus.

Apparently, you can be exposed to these viruses for years-- as a herpes virus it can lay dormant in your body and then something stressful or troubling can trigger the virus. That is what had happened to me... the night before I was sick- my boyfriend and I had broken up. The stress of that event taxed my immune system and triggered the most trying time of my life.

Back when I was in college- there was a girl on my dorm floor who had mono and her immune system was so retarded and taxed that she actually died after contracting a simple case of chicken pox. It was a tragic experience, but an indication that Epstein Barr and Mononucleosis are viruses that need to taken more seriously.

Most doctors will prescribe, as mine had, rest, lots of water and vitamin c. Unfortunately, my previously active lifestyle was in jeopardy if I did not do more than drink water and take vitamin c. I researched the virus and bought an amazing book that changed my life: The Immune System Cure by Lorna Vanderhaeghe and Patrick Bouic.

The diet and nutritional routine I employed much based on this book helped me fight mono and the Epstein Barr Virus and get my immunity back on track.

1. Cut Sugar entirely
2. Eat lots of protein - lean fish, buffalo %26 boiled eggs
3. Green tea - cut caffeine and alcohol
4. Organic Yogurt
5. Super Greens -- Barleans Super Greens in my shakes
6. CoenzymeQ10 -- the Spark of Life -- Energizes your cells and your body
7. Zinc- Boosts the Thymus Gland
8. Glutathione-- Free Radical Fighter
9. Magnesium
10. DHEA - The Immune Hormone

These 10 steps strengthened my immune system and got my body in a state where it was repairing itself and fighting the virus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a question about how to recover from a bad case of mono or Epstein Barr?

Visit our On-Line Store topurchase a variety of supplements, vitamins and homeopathic medicine atHealthy Being Products Store

Colon cancer metastasized to liver

2009-02-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

Lisa’s father has colon cancer metastasized to liver. Lisa’s father is in pain and stays in bed a lot… In this post we will explain how a colon cancer ’suddenly’ becomes a metastatic liver cancer. We will feat...

Lisa%26rsquo;s father has colon cancer metastasized to liver. Lisa%26rsquo;s father is in pain and stays in bed a lot%26hellip;

In this post we will explain how a colon cancer %26rsquo;suddenly%26rsquo; becomes a metastatic liver cancer.

We will feature Lisa%26rsquo;s comment at One caregiver is never enough! Patrick%26rsquo;s father has metastatic liver cancer in our next post. There you will learn that colon cancer chemotherapy isn%26rsquo;t a simple %26#34;1 treatment fits all%26#34; cure.

Colon cancer spreading to liver

Let%26rsquo;s explain in simple terms how and why a colon cancer spreads to the liver. Below we will also explain in more medical terms the above blue %26lsquo;colon cancer metastasized to liver%26rsquo; picture.

Think of your organs as well enclosed countries like China once was well enclosed with the great wall. Meaning nobody can get in or out unless through the normal trade routes or by breaking a hole in the wall. Your colon, liver, pancreas, lungs are all such well enclosed countries.

Now you also know that you can travel from one country to another by highways or secondary roads. The highways and roads in our body are the blood vessels and the lymph canals.

Suppose you have a colon with all it%26rsquo;s normal citizens and one villain: a colon cancer. All other organs don%26rsquo;t have a clue and can%26rsquo;t be bothered what%26rsquo;s happening in the colon. It%26rsquo;s up to the internal security of the colon to deal with it%26rsquo;s villain.

But what happens when the colon can%26rsquo;t keep the villain - colon cancer- inside? What happens when your colon cancer breaks out of the colon and fled away on the roads of your blood vessels or lymph canals?

Think of it that your colon cancer now becomes an international terrorist on the loose. Your colon cancer can strike anywhere he can get using your blood vessels or lymph nodes%26hellip;

When your colon cancer hitches a hike on your blood vessels, sooner or later he will arrive in the liver, as the liver is supposed to be cleaning all your blood in your body.
When your colon cancer hitches a hike on your lymph canals, sooner or later he needs to pass the %26#34;customs%26#34; that are positioned in the lymph nodes. That%26rsquo;s why you will hear that a cancer has %26#34;already traveled to the lymph nodes%26#34;.

A so called stage 4 colon cancer is a colon cancer that has traveled outside the colon and has settled down already in another organ: usually

the liver that cleans the blood or
the lungs that add oxygen to the blood.

Metastatic liver cancer with unknown primary

Father was diagnosed with %26#34;metastatic liver cancer with unknown primary%26#34;. This means that a cancer is found in his liver, but it is not a %26#34;local liver cancer%26#34;. After the biopsy it is clear this cancer is not a liver cancer citizen.

Unfortunately the biopsy cannot explain where the cancer is coming from. Just like some people in Russia looks very Chinese but others look very Caucasian%26hellip; you just cannot pinpoint exactly where they come from.

Not knowing where the cancer comes from makes you wonder: do we give father a breast cancer treatment, a lung cancer treatment (he had been smoking), a prostate cancer treatment or even a mesothelioma treatment (father did come in contact with asbestos when he was much younger%26hellip;)?

Since we don%26rsquo;t know which one to choose, we have to give a chemotherapy that is successful for all the above treatments. In father%26rsquo;s case that meant such a poisonous chemotherapy cocktail that would have killed him faster than the cancer could%26hellip;

Colon cancer metastasized to liver in medical terms

Cancer and tumors aren%26rsquo;t citizens, but cells, so the above story has to be done on a molecular level.

The process of colon cancer spreading to the liver metastasis is a dynamic process which requires the appropriate molecular machinery to allow a tumor cell to:

proliferate in the colon (grow or increase rapidly),
establish its own blood supply,
invade into surrounding tissues,
be released into the circulation,
adhere to the blood vessels of the liver,
invade into the liver (invasion),
proliferate and
acquire its own blood supply ( angiogenesis ).

This complex process requires that the tumor cell interact with the microenvironment of the liver such that the tumor cell can utilize the growth factors and blood vessels of the liver in order to grow.

As soon as that has happened, the medical world will call it a stage 4 colon cancer or since it reached the liver: a colon cancer metastasized to liver.

Technorati Tags: cancer metastasized, Colon Cancer, colon cancer metastasized to liver, Liver, Metastatic Liver Cancer, stage 4 colon cancer

Energy Healing: Cell Phones and Cancer

2009-02-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

Yes there is reseach on both sides of this issue: does heavy cell phone use cause cancer.

Many years ago I worked for a defense contractor that designed and built communications equipment for the military. I worked with a number of engineers, many who worked on microwave communication devices. I was a bit more fortunate to work on digital devices. Needless to say, many of these engineers were quite respectful of the dangers of microwave radiation. There were stories of chocolate bars melting in engineers pockets and lighting paper with by placing it in a precisely focused beam of microwave radiation. We took protective measures; our lab contained large copper cages that insulated us from the radiation.

Later when I purchased my first brick of a cell phone I often thought of the focused beams of microwave radiation going through my brain, jiggling my neurons all for a reminder to pick up a loaf of bread on the way home from work. The cell phone companies say that my concerns are unwarranted. No, cell phones are not like the alien invaders shooting high energy beams like in War of the Worlds. The amount of radiation is "safe."

You can understand my interest then when I came across this story about the link between heavy cell phone use and cancer. It happens to fit right in to my theory about information and healing. Microwaves tend to increase the randomness of tissue molecules--something we don't want if we want to stay healthy.

A study recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology by Dr. Siegal Sadetzki indicated a link between heavy cell phone use and tumors of the salivary glands. It just so happens that we have a large salivary gland located just about where we press that microwave catching phone on the side of our heads. Dr. Sadetzki found that these glands exhibited more tumors with heavy cell phone use. The increased risk was about 50% for developing such tumors.

The study was conducted in rural areas where those microwaves are stronger.

I'm sure the big billion dollar cell phone companies will soon conduct their own research to refute Dr. Sadetzki.

However, I think I will use either a bluetooth device or an earpiece with a long wire.

References:

Tel Aviv University (2008, February 15). Heavy Cell Phone Use Linked To Cancer, Study Suggests.

For more information on alternative medicine, natural healing and wellness as well as free podcast downloads visit my site:

www.informationalhealing.com

Colon cancer metastasized to liver

2009-02-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

Lisa%26rsquo;s father has colon cancer metastasized to liver. Lisa%26rsquo;s father is in pain and stays in bed a lot%26hellip;

In this post we will explain how a colon cancer %26rsquo;suddenly%26rsquo; becomes a metastatic liver cancer.

Colon cancer spreading to liver

Now you also know that you can travel from one country to another by highways or secondary roads. The highways and roads in our body are the blood vessels and the lymph canals.

Think of it that your colon cancer now becomes an international terrorist on the loose. Your colon cancer can strike anywhere he can get using your blood vessels or lymph nodes%26hellip;

When your colon cancer hitches a hike on your blood vessels, sooner or later he will arrive in the liver, as the liver is supposed to be cleaning all your blood in your body.
When your colon cancer hitches a hike on your lymph canals, sooner or later he needs to pass the %26#34;customs%26#34; that are positioned in the lymph nodes. That%26rsquo;s why you will hear that a cancer has %26#34;already traveled to the lymph nodes%26#34;.

A so called stage 4 colon cancer is a colon cancer that has traveled outside the colon and has settled down already in another organ: usually

the liver that cleans the blood or
the lungs that add oxygen to the blood.

Metastatic liver cancer with unknown primary

Colon cancer metastasized to liver in medical terms

Cancer and tumors aren%26rsquo;t citizens, but cells, so the above story has to be done on a molecular level.

The process of colon cancer spreading to the liver metastasis is a dynamic process which requires the appropriate molecular machinery to allow a tumor cell to:

proliferate in the colon (grow or increase rapidly),
establish its own blood supply,
invade into surrounding tissues,
be released into the circulation,
adhere to the blood vessels of the liver,
invade into the liver (invasion),
proliferate and
acquire its own blood supply ( angiogenesis ).

As soon as that has happened, the medical world will call it a stage 4 colon cancer or since it reached the liver: a colon cancer metastasized to liver.

Technorati Tags: cancer metastasized, Colon Cancer, colon cancer metastasized to liver, Liver, Metastatic Liver Cancer, stage 4 colon cancer

Stoned lung cancer cells stopped...

2009-02-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Stoned lung cancer cells stopped in their tracks!The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer.--Anju Preet, Ph.D. Medical marijuana may not...

Stoned lung cancer cells stopped in their tracks!

The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer.
--Anju Preet, Ph.D.

Medical marijuana may not be just for nausea and pain control anymore. Dr. Preet and colleagues discovered that THC or %26amp;Delta;-9 tetrahydrocannabinol which is the active ingredient in the drug inhibits the growth and spread of an aggressive form of lung cancer.

Cellular cannabinoid receptors in cells can be activated by endocannabinoids--naturally produced marijuana-ish sorts of molecules--as well as by THC. Once occupied by the right sort of molecule, these receptors participate in various biological functions such as pain and anxiety control, and inflammatory processes. One THC derivative called Marinol has been approved for appetite stimulation in cancer and AIDS patients. Another drug called Acomplia blocks the cannabinoid receptors and is awaiting FDA approval for the metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition associated with notable weight gain around the waistline.

These Harvard investigators found that THC inhibited the progression of lung cancer cell growth both in petri dishes and in mice. While the mechanism of THC's anti-cancer action is unclear, the researchers speculate that THC may interfere with the formation of the cancer's blood supply.

Energy Healing: Cell Phones and Cancer

2009-02-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

New Technology in Tracing Cancer Cells

2009-02-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

This came as welcome news to me--albeit too late for a loved one--that a new form of technology has now hit the forefront in medical research that may provide a much-needed breakthrough in stopping cancer from doing what it does so well: kill.

The technology comes in the form of a device that researchers say can detect, isolate and analyze the tiniest fragments of tumor cells still circulating in the blood. The cells, called CTC's are crucial in the occurrence of metastatic disease, because they have been extremely difficult to detect and trap, until it was too late for the patient. According to the research team responsible for developing the device, "Nine out of 10 deaths in cancer are due to the metastatic process...These are really the cells that end up killing people."

The technology will be significant in helping to arrest the disease, because the ability to monitor the existence and rate of growth of these cells would give doctors a significant advantage in detecting remaining disease following surgery or drug treatment.

Too late for my niece who waged...and lost...an eleven-year war against breast cancer--but possibly a ray of hope for those currently fighting the fight.

Access the complete Reuters article here.

Breast cancer cells recycle to e...

2009-02-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Breast cancer cells recycle to escape death by hormonal therapyDr. Patricia V. Schoenlein, cancer researcher in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies. 04 oct 2008--Many breast cancer cells facing potentiall...

Breast cancer cells recycle to escape death by hormonal therapy

Dr. Patricia V. Schoenlein, cancer researcher in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies.

04 oct 2008--Many breast cancer cells facing potentially lethal antiestrogen therapy recycle to survive, researchers say.
About 70 percent of breast cancer cells have receptors for the hormone estrogen, which acts as a nutrient and stimulates their growth. Patients typically get an antiestrogen such as tamoxifen for five years to try to starve them to death, says Dr. Patricia V. Schoenlein, cancer researcher in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies.
%26quot;About 50 to 60 percent of these women really benefit from hormonal therapy,%26quot; says Dr. Schoenlein. Why others don't has been asked for at least two decades.
One reason may be breast cancer cells switch into a survival mode that normal cells also use when faced with starvation, according to research published in the September issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Dr. Schoenlein also is reporting on the research during the 2nd World Conference on Magic Bullets (Ehrlich II) Oct. 3-5 in N%26uuml;renberg, Germany.
It's called macroautophagy %26ndash; autophagy means %26quot;self eating%26quot; %26ndash; and within a week, breast cancer cells can reorganize component parts, degrade non-essentials and live in this state until antiestrogen therapy is stopped or the cells mutate and resume proliferation in the presence of tamoxifen. %26quot;It's like taking your foot off of the gas pedal of your car,%26quot; says Dr. Schoenlein, corresponding author on the study. %26quot;The cancer cell is in idle, unable to grow or replicate. But the cell is smart enough to use component parts generated by macroautophagy for the most necessary things required for survival.%26quot; She notes that macroautophagy can't be maintained indefinitely; cells can actually self-digest. %26quot;This is a time-buying strategy.%26quot;
Chemotherapeutic drugs are more direct killers but also kill healthy cells and can be tolerated by patients only for relatively short periods. Antiestrogen therapy is more specific, targeting breast cancer cells that express estrogen receptors.
In the laboratory, 20-25 percent of breast cancer cells died when Dr. Schoenlein and colleagues gave antiestrogen continuously over time %26ndash; similar to how patients get it. More typically, the cells expressed increasing levels of macroautophagy and survived. %26quot;They don't grow, but they survive the therapy. They will grow if you take away the therapy.%26quot; Adding a macroautophagy inhibitor promoted robust cell death.
%26quot;We believe targeting the autophagosome function will significantly improve the efficacy of hormonal treatment for estrogen-positive breast cancer,%26quot; says the researcher. She recently received a three-year, $1.1 million National Cancer Institute grant to pursue that strategy.
She'll now look for ways to block macroautophagy in an animal model, including using chloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria. %26quot;We know patients can take it with few side effects,%26quot; she says. If it works in animals, the drug, in combination with an antiestrogen, could move relatively quickly into human testing.
During autophagy, the internal pH for the recycling center of the reorganized cell gets acidic and chloroquine increases pH. %26quot;If you add this particular inhibitor of the recycling center, you alter the pH and block its ability to do what it is supposed to do,%26quot; says Dr. Schoenlein.
A University of Pennsylvania team led by Dr. Craig Thompson reported in 2007 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation that chloroquine increased death of suicide-resistant lymphoma cells being treated with chemotherapy. Dr. Schoenlein will give chloroquine along with an antiestrogen and measure cell death.
%26quot;Most cancers probably use autophagy as a survival mechanism. You can either block the autophagosome with your therapy or you can make the cell eat itself to the point of no return and the cell self-destructs. You have to push it either way,%26quot; she says. Although there are no known compounds in clinical use to induce self-destruction by autophagy, there is some evidence arsenic trioxide, a compound used in China to treat some aggressive cancers, prompts cancer cells to die from self digestion, she says. That and other compounds will no doubt be studied further, she says.
Dr. Schoenlein believes breast cancer survival during macroautophagy requires high activity of the tumor suppressor protein Rb and low levels of the lipid ceramide. Ceramide is vital but causes cell death at high levels. MCG researcher Erhard Bieberich and colleague Dr. Brian G. Condie at the University of Georgia showed in 2003 that high levels of ceramide kill cells that are unnecessary to the developing brain. The new studies will further explore the roles of Rb and ceramide in breast cancer survival during macroautophagy and determine if chloroquine can change their balance.

Chaos in a cancer cell

2009-02-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

A striking feature of many cancer cells is that the DNA in their chromosomes is all jumbled up. Chunks of DNA containing one or more genes have been ripped out of their chromosome and reinserted in a different place. Other lengths of DNA ha...

A striking feature of many cancer cells is that the DNA in their chromosomes is all jumbled up. Chunks of DNA containing one or more genes have been ripped out of their chromosome and reinserted in a different place. Other lengths of DNA have been transferred to a different chromosome altogether. An article published in the New York Times on Christmas Day gives some information on the chaos inside a cancer cell. For more click here.

Prostate cancer and Brachytherapy

2009-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Prostate cancer is well suited tobrachytherapy. The prostate gland is located under the bladder and in front of the rectum, and it is imperative that the radiation be focused in the prostate to avoid serious side effects. The prostate gland...

Prostate cancer is well suited to brachytherapy. The prostate gland is located under the bladder and in front of the rectum, and it is imperative that the radiation be focused in the prostate to avoid serious side effects. The prostate gland is also close enough to the skin that it can be easily accessed by brachytherapy needles.

There are two major methods of prostate brachytherapy, permanent seed implantation and high dose rate (HDR) temporary brachytherapy. Permanent seed implants involve injecting approximately 100 radioactive seeds into the prostate gland. They give off their radiation at a low dose rate over several weeks or months, and then the seeds remain in the prostate gland permanently.

HDR temporary brachytherapy instead involves placing very tiny plastic catheters into the prostate gland, and then giving a series of radiation treatments through these catheters. The catheters are then easily pulled out, and no radiactive material is left in the prostate gland. A computer-controlled machine pushes a single highly radioactive iridium seed into the catheters one by one. Because the computer can control how long this single seed remains in each of the catheters, we are able to control the radiation dose in different regions of the prostate. The tumor gets a higher dose, helping to ensure that the urine passage (urethra) and rectum will receive a lower dose. This ability to modify the dose after the needles are placed is one of the main advantages of temporary brachytherapy over permanent seed implants.

Andy Grove (chairman of Intel) chose the HDR procedure after analyzing all the available forms of treatment, including permanent seeds. He made the analogy that this treatment was like a "smart bomb", whereas permanent seeding was a more crude "carpet bombing" treatment. He wrote about his experience in a Fortune magazine article in 1996.

What Does HDR Treatment Involve?

Treatment frequently consists of a combination of three separate therapies:

High-dose-rate temporary brachytherapy
Moderate dose external beam radiation
Short term hormonal therapy

This is a three-pronged attack against the cancer, also known as "triple modality therapy". Sometimes the external radiation or hormone therapy is omit. You may wonder why you would even want to add external beam radiation. Cancer cells may migrate outside the prostate gland, known as "extra-prostatic extension". Treatments like the radical prostatectomy and permanent seed implant alone may miss cancer cells which have escaped outside the prostate into the surrounding tissues. Another issue is that scans like the CT, MRI, ultrasound, and Prostascint are far from perfect in their ability to detect cancer cell spread outside the prostate. Even though these scans may not show cancer spread beyond the prostate capsule, it can still be present. The external beam radiation is used to target those areas surrounding the prostate gland. The probability that cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland can be estimated by the Partin tables.

The HDR procedure may differ at other hospitals. Some hospitals may insert 18- 25 catheters hollow plastic needles into the prostate gland. These are placed using anesthetic, and rectal ultrasound guidance. After the needles are placed, the doctor performs a CT scan and a computer plan which will calculate how long the radioactive source will stay in each needle. Three times over the following 24 hours, the needles are hooked up to the brachytherapy machine (HDR remote afterloader), and a treatment is given. During those 24 hours the patient will remain in a hospital bed.

The external beam component is given in a moderate dose, 4500 centigray divided over 4 - 5 weeks. This compares with the standard 7200 centigray divided over 8 weeks which would be required if you were having external beam radiation alone. FOr some patients, your doctor will suggest using intensity modulated radiation therapy and daily ultrasound verification that the prostate is centered in the radiation field (BAT). The reduced dose and precision targeting of IMRT may result in a lower risk of side effects. Some patients may receive broader radiation fields if there is a possibility that their lymph nodes contain cancer.

Mostly, patients suitable for HDR are offered a treatment using HDR alone without any external beam radiation for early prostate cancer. This is known as "HDR monotherapy". If HDR is given without external beam, a higher dosage must be given, over 3 - 6 treatment fractions which may require two separate implants. There is not as much experience or results using HDR alone as there is with using HDR + external beam.

For some patients, doctors recommend short term hormonal ablationtherapy which is usually started 3 months before the brachytherapy, and continued for 3 - 12 months afterwards. The hormone therapy consists of a once-every-three-month injection of Lupron or Zoladex, and an antiandrogen medication like Casodex. The hormone therapy will shrink the cancer, shrink the prostate gland, reduce the PSA, and hopefully increase the cure rate from brachytherapy because there will be less cancer cells for the brachytherapy to kill. Studies have shown that adding hormonal therapy to radiation can increase the tumor control rates, notably for Gleason 7 and higher or PSA 10 or higher. Patients with a low-risk prostate cancer may be recommended to take a shorter duration of hormone therapy, or none at all. Patients with high-risk prostate cancer may be recommended to take triple hormone blockade for approximately 15 months.

Who can have this treatment?
HDR brachytherapy program can be used for a wide range of prostate stages, PSA values, and tumor grade. The components and dosages are modified for those with low, intermediate, or high risk prostate cancer. This treatment can also certainly be used for many tumors which are considered too advanced for radical prostatectomy. As long as there is no obvious spread to distant areas of the body like the bones this treatment can be considered. For early stages, HDR treatment is an alternative to the radical prostatectomy, but with less side effects. Eligible patients usually include:

Any tumor stage (T1 - T3)
Almost any size prostate gland (large glands will require hormone therapy prior to brachytherapy)
No known spread of cancer to other parts of the body, like the bones or lymph nodes
Any PSA
Any Gleason
Previous trans-urethral resection of prostate (TURP / TUPR) is okay, but there may be a higher chance of urinary control problems.
Reasonable health

Check with your doctor for your particular health care needs.

Hadassah's Innovative Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis: Transplanting Stem Cells from Patient's Bone Marrow

2009-02-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, this article is from November 2007, but with so many always asking me for details, I thought I would provide it for those who want to be empowered. Hadassah's Innovative Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis: TransplantingStem Cells from Pa...

Yes, this article is from November 2007, but with so many always asking me for details, I thought I would provide it for those who want to be empowered.

Hadassah's Innovative Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis: Transplanting
Stem Cells from Patient's Bone Marrow

New Multiple Sclerosis Center Launched at Hadassah

22/11/07

A treatment developed at Hadassah, still in the research stage, has been tested on 25 multiple sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) patients. Professor Dmitrius Karussis, a senior neurologist at Hadassah and the director of the new Multiple Sclerosis Center, working in collaboration with the University of Athens, and Professor Shimon Slavin, the former director of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) and the BMT Laboratory at Hadassah, discovered that it is possible to remove stem cells from a patient's bone marrow, to isolate these cells under special conditions and to generate over 50 million cells within two months. As part of this process, mesenchymal cells (mature stem cells) are extracted from the patient and transplanted by a lumbar injection in the spinal column (into the spinal fluid of the central nervous system), with each patient serving as his/her own donor. The transplanted cells are marked in order to track and verify that they reach the intended destination in the patient's body.

%26raquo; Read More

Cell Phones and Brain Cancer

2009-02-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

For an intelligent discussion about the possible hazards of holding cell phones to the ear, check out this column from Tara Parker-Pope's "Well" series in The New York Times.She consults a variety of medical specialists, including neurosurg...

For an intelligent discussion about the possible hazards of holding cell phones to the ear, check out this column from Tara Parker-Pope's %26quot;Well%26quot; series in The New York Times. She consults a variety of medical specialists, including neurosurgeons, who not only avoid close contact for themselves, but express concern for young users who have a lifetime of exposure ahead of them.

Cell Phones and cancer.

2009-02-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Another new study demonstrates a link between cell phone use and cancer: "The study, published Friday in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found a clear link between cell phone use and cancerous growth in the saliva glands. Researchers ...

Another new study demonstrates a link between cell phone use and cancer: "The study, published Friday in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found a clear link between cell phone use and cancerous growth in the saliva glands. Researchers found that among groups who tend to hold the phone on one side and use the phone frequently or for prolonged periods, the risk of saliva-glad cancer increased by 50 to 58 percent, compared to people who did not use a cell phone regularly. A number of studies in recent years indicate an increased cancer risk in the auditory nerve, the brain and the saliva glands for long-time cell-phone users." --http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/137807.

Don't hold your cell phone next to your head for prolonged periods--use speakerphone or a hands-free set instead. In a future blog I'll look over some of the gadgets that claim to decrease cell phone radiation.

Cancer technology and stem cell ...

2009-02-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

Cancer technology and stem cell research coming together.In other related news, another biotech is running short on cash due to inability to sign deals with major drug companies among other issues.BD ROCKVILLE, Md., July 17 -- MacroGenics, ...

Cancer technology and stem cell research coming together. In other related news, another biotech is running short on cash due to inability to sign deals with major drug companies among other issues. BD

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 17 -- MacroGenics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treatautoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced the acquisition of Raven Biotechnologies, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company in South San Francisco, California, focused on the discovery and development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for oncology through its cancer stem cell program. Raven has developed a portfolio of proprietary cancer stem cells from many types of primary tumors. These cancer stem cells are maintained in vitro, and small numbers of these cells can form both localized and metastatic tumors in vivo. Using its proprietary technology platform , Raven has generated more than 1,300 monoclonal antibodies, including many that target cancer stem cells and cancers of the lung, colon, pancreas, prostate, breast and ovary.

MacroGenics Acquires Raven Biotechnologies - FierceBiotech

Tumor in the brain causing metastatic liver cancer?

2009-02-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

What is cancer?Cancer are "some bad cells growing in or on your body". Cells that shouldn’t be growing there in the first place and to make things worse, cells that can start traveling around in your body!What is tumor?A tumor is an abnor...

What is cancer?

Cancer are "some bad cells growing in or on your body". Cells that shouldn’t be growing there in the first place and to make things worse, cells that can start traveling around in your body!

What is tumor?

A tumor is an abnormal growth of cells or tissues in or on your body. These tumor cells are not helping your body in any way, the tumor cells are there merely for their own benefit. There are 2 quite in-comprehendible ways of describing a tumor:

a benign tumor: a good one (not cancerous tumor)
a malignant tumor: a bad one (a cancer)

I have a benign tumor, so I can be entirely happy?

If life is your primary goal, then yes, you have reason to be happy. Remove the tumor and you are safe. Yet a lot of times, removing the tumor means removing more than just a tumor: lots of times when removing multiple fibroids, the whole uterus gets removed. This means: no more kids and your hormone household is thrown up side down%26hellip;

Read more how a benign tumor is mostly just the start of a new story at : Tumor in the brain, form a new author on our blog!

Help spread the word:
invite all your friends atMetastatic Liver Cancer
or email us in the above email to become a co-author
and spread your cancer or tumor story here!

Tumor in the brain causing metastatic liver cancer?

2009-02-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

What is cancer?

Cancer are "some bad cells growing in or on your body". Cells that shouldn’t be growing there in the first place and to make things worse, cells that can start traveling around in your body!

What is tumor?

a benign tumor: a good one (not cancerous tumor)
a malignant tumor: a bad one (a cancer)

I have a benign tumor, so I can be entirely happy?

Read more how a benign tumor is mostly just the start of a new story at : Tumor in the brain, form a new author on our blog!

Help spread the word:
invite all your friends atMetastatic Liver Cancer
or email us in the above email to become a co-author
and spread your cancer or tumor story here!

Cell Phone Cancer Precautions

2009-02-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

It seems in our modern society that most of us carry the latest conveniences around in our pockets, giving us easy access to others at all times.?? For working parents this is a boon--we can track our children wherever they go, assuring us ...

Devra Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H. the author ofThe Secret History of the War on CancerandWhen Smoke Ran Like Water, is the Director of theCenter for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.?Dr. Davis is a member of the International Expert Committee committed to voicing theircautionagainst cell phone use--especially for children.

During the last few years, several studies have been done, showing neither safety nor danger from cell phone use.? However, cell phones do generate electromagnetic fields (radiation)--a potential health risk.? "Electromagnetic fields are likely to penetrate the brain of children more deeply than adults."? Because cell phones are relatively new, long term studies have yet to be completed.? There has been some association between cell phone use and benign tumors and brain cancer on the side the phone is used.

Ten Precautions

1. Do not allow children to use a cell phone except for emergencies.

2. While using your cell phone, keep the device away from the body as much as possible. Use the speaker phone, wireless Bluetooth headset or a hands-free ear piece.

3. Avoid using your cell phone in places where you could expose others to the phone's electromagnetic fields--like on a bus.

4. Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body.? Place it away from your body while sleeping.?

5. If the cell phone is carried on the body, position the keypad toward the body and the back of the phone toward the outside.

6. Biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure (phone usage).? Cut it short and just use the phone for very short conversations.? For long conversations, use the land line (corded phone).? Even the portable phones use electromagnetic fields.

7. Switch sides while using the cell phone.

8. Don't use your cell phone when the signal is weak or while moving in a car or train because this forces the phone to increase its power by making repeated attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.

9. Use text messaging instead of making a phone call.

10. Use a phone with the lowest SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) possible. Search the internet for "sar ratings cell phones."

The International Expert Committee calls on cell phone companies to "provide independent access to records of use so that appropriate studies can be carried out."?? Until the radiation from cell phones and other devices is stopped, all of us need to take precautions.? This is especially true for parents.

Go To Work And Get Cancer?

Causes of Cancer Have Been Known for 100 Years

��Cancer stem cells�� questioned

2009-02-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Many cells within a tumor are capable of initiating tumor formation on their own. This finding sticks a pin in the theory that tumorigenesis is driven and controlled by rare cancer stem cells — and suggests that therapeutic strategies...

Efficient tumour formation by single human melanoma cells
A fundamental question in cancer biology is whether cells with tumorigenic potential are common or rare within human cancers. Studies on diverse cancers, including melanoma, have indicated that only rare human cancer cells (0.1%26ndash;0.0001%) form tumours when transplanted into non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice. However, the extent to which NOD/SCID mice underestimate the frequency of tumorigenic human cancer cells has been uncertain. Here we show that modified xenotransplantation assay conditions, including the use of more highly immunocompromised NOD/SCID interleukin-2 receptor gamma chain null (Il2rg-/-) mice, can increase the detection of tumorigenic melanoma cells by several orders of magnitude. In limiting dilution assays, approximately 25% of unselected melanoma cells from 12 different patients, including cells from primary and metastatic melanomas obtained directly from patients, formed tumours under these more permissive conditions. In single-cell transplants, an average of 27% of unselected melanoma cells from four different patients formed tumours. Modifications to xenotransplantation assays can therefore dramatically increase the detectable frequency of tumorigenic cells, demonstrating that they are common in some human cancers.

(Hat tip to Longevity Meme )

Can chemotherapy cure metastatic liver cancer?

2009-02-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

In all the metastatic liver cancer stories we gathered, none of them is told by a cancer survivor. Some do get chemotherapy, but this cancer treatment is only to: reduce pain (in case it can temporarily reduce or slow down the growth of a c...

In all the metastatic liver cancer stories we gathered, none of them is told by a cancer survivor.

Some do get chemotherapy, but this cancer treatment is only to:

reduce pain (in case it can temporarily reduce or slow down the growth of a cancer)
prolong life.

But we get puzzled when reading Kistan2’s comment on Avastin for metastatic liver cancer where she says :

they tried another infusion of Avastin but
we all knew that this next infusion of Avastin
wouldn’t do anything to help my husband

What worries me is where Kistan2 says : we all knew that this next infusion of Avastin wouldn’t do anything.

3 worried questions come in mind%26hellip;

when you know Avastin is not going to help, then why is it still given?
are you sure %26#34;all%26#34; knew?
Father had clearly asked if there was any chemotherapy that could cure him, and the answer given to father was a clear NO.
Having that knowledge, it’s no point in discussing 5FU, Avastin, Nexavar or what we thought was quite a cute medicine: Xeloda (being a pill that supposedly only starts working when it finds a cancer cell%26hellip;, don’t be fooled: it’s chemotherapy taken orally%26hellip;).
do you tell the patient he or she is dying?
When people don’t know the cancer will kill them, then these people still have hope and courage to try anything.
In father’s case:
if he was told there was hope for a cure,
he would have taken a severe chemotherapy cocktail, no matter what.
Severe, as he had secondary liver cancer with unknown primary. In proper English: nobody knew where his cancer originated from, so in order for a chemotherapy to be effective, they needed to fight %26#34;all cancers possible%26#34;.

Always ask your oncologist what can be expected and
how sure he is relying on his experience.

In simple words: in my experience I have a few friends that survived breast cancer after being treated with radiation, mastectomy and chemotherapy. So when I hear ‘breast cancer�?I have hope (knowing very well that treating breast cancer is a much more difficult and much longer road than surviving dengue fever or treating a cold).

When it comes to metastatic liver cancer, my experience so far is: not having encountered any secondary liver cancer survivor. If you have, please ask him or her to share with us his cancer story!

Technorati Tags: 5FU, avastin, avastin for metastatic liver cancer, chemotherapy, metastatic liver cancer cure, nexavar, xeloda

Are your cancer cells stressed?

2009-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

We're supposed to avoid stress but here's a case where stress may save your life. South Dakota State University scientists are investigating whether "stressing" cancer cells can make radiation and chemotherapy more effective.Professor Xiang...

We're supposed to avoid stress but here's a case where stress may save your life. South Dakota State University scientists are investigating whether %26quot;stressing%26quot; cancer cells can make radiation and chemotherapy more effective.

Professor Xiangming Guan of the Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences explains that when cancer cells are tired out, they are easier to kill using free radicals, the basic mechanism behind radiation and some chemotherapy drugs.

In case you've forgotten, free radicals are molecules. They pose a threat to cancer cells because these radicals steal electrons to regain their own stability.

%26quot;We have identified a compound which can effectively block this enzyme and create stress in cancer,%26quot; said Guan. %26quot;We have also demonstrated that the stressed cancer was more sensitive to radiation treatment in several different human cancer cells such as ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer.%26quot;

Current results show that the compound can also make cancer more sensitive to the widely used anticancer drug, doxorubicin. Doxorubicin is used for cancer of the bladder, breast, head and neck, leukemia (some types), liver, lung, lymphomas, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, ovary, pancreas, prostate, sarcomas, stomach, testis (germ cell), thyroid and uterus.

Sounds like good news for lots of people and bad news for cancer.

http://www.sdstate.edu

High-Carb Consumption Linked to Esophageal Cancer

2009-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

What a strange week. Just as I'm getting excited about my book being featured in TIME magazine and the word is spreading more about the dangers of sugars and refined carbs, a compelling study from Milan comes out, linking culprit-carb overl...

What a strange week. Just as I'm getting excited about my book being featured in TIME magazine and the word is spreading more about the dangers of sugars and refined carbs, a compelling study from Milan comes out, linking culprit-carb overload (i.e., lots of bread) with almost doubling the risk of kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma).

Then, faster than you can say %26quot;refined carbohydrates%26quot; -- (OK, I'm exaggerating of course) -- still more research emerges from scientists at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, who found that quickie carbs are linked with a cascade of factors leading to esophageal cancer.

Lead researcher Vijay S. Khiani, M.D. -- who reported his findings at a meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology -- discovered, as MedPageToday.com puts it, %26quot;an association between the rising incidence of esophageal cancer in the U.S. and the increase in U.S. per-capita carbohydrate consumption over the past three decades.%26quot;

Interestingly, Dr. Khiani blames carbs in a much more roundabout way than many other researchers, whose studies I reported about in my book SUGAR SHOCK!

Indeed, he makes a point to say that his findings shouldn't be construed as proving a %26quot;casual link.%26quot; Even so, he Dr. Khiani contends that a high-carb diet could lead to obesity, which, in turn, as MedPageToday.com reports, %26quot;is known to predispose individuals to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This, in turn, has been linked to a greater likelihood for developing Barrett's esophagus, a precursor to lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma.%26quot;

Dr. Khiani was quick to point out that his findings don't support kicking those carbs totally, and he even expressed wariness that some folks may use the research to motivate them to embark upon an Atkins or other low-carb diet. %26quot;Further research still needs to be done to determine whether there is a direct causal relationship.%26quot;

Trust me: There's loads of research linking sweets and refined carbs with all kinds of cancer. (In fact, I just spent five years of my life trying to pull together information about some of the most compelling findings connecting those quickie carbs with diseases and conditions galore.)

Bone cancer early symptoms

2009-02-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Who else knows your environment is the primary cause of cancer?Reading Barbara’s cancer story about her father having bone cancer and liver cancer at the same time, I googled to find bone cancer early symptoms. Because when you detect can...

Who else knows your environment is the primary cause of cancer?

Reading Barbara’s cancer story about her father having bone cancer and liver cancer at the same time, I googled to find bone cancer early symptoms. Because when you detect cancer at an early stage, chances of having a successful treatment do exist.

Sadly, primary bone cancer is relatively uncommon in comparison with secondary or metastatic bone cancer. And just like father’s metastatic liver cancer had an unknown primary, it seems that in a lot of cases the primary cancer is not yet recognized at the time when the early metastatic cancer in the bone becomes
painful and people go see their doctor.

Primary bone cancer

Cancer that begins is the bone is called a primary bone cancer. But when you or your loved one has cancer, you will hear a lot of terms and it feels that "everybody has his own idea what kind of cancer you are dealing with".

With primary bone cancer, the word sarcoma will often be heard. Sarcoma is a malignant tumor (which is another way of saying a cancerous tumor or bad tumor) arising in the bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue or muscle.

Most people will now criticize my idea that we have cancer due to living in an unhealthy environment, breathing in unhealthy air and eating food filled with pesticide residues. Why criticize? Because children and young people are more likely to have bone cancer than adults.

So my theory that an accumulation of bad residues over the years will cause cancer in older people holds, but how does it explain cancer in younger people?

For this you have to go back to the best pesticide ever DDT: it killed everything and was "oh so practical". What DDT also did was killing the embryo in the eggs of bald eagles after the Second World War:

%26hellip;Along with the passage of the Endangered Species Act, the US ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle in the contiguous US%26hellip;

So as long as adults have to bear living in a sick environment,
adults will bear sick children.

%26hellip;as long asadults have to bear living in a sick environment,
adults will bear sick children%26hellip;

Barbara’s liver cancer story

Barbara left her cancer story in a comment at love your parents you only have 1 pair of them.

I am so sorry for your loss.

I just learned last night that I am facing the same with my father. His cancer spread to his bones and his liver.

I am trying to learn what he will face in this last year or so of his life and none of it looks good.

I know this will be the most difficult thing I have ever faced, but I pray that I can stay strong for him and my mother.

They just celebrated their 54th anniversary and have had many honeymoons.

He says he is okay with the end of his life, but I don’t think I am.

Oh well, I guess I don’t have any choice in this.

Metastatic liver cancer story

Our father seemed to be a bit younger than Barbara’s father when he got diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.

Father kept a stiff upper lip saying that he did live a good life, but the tears in his eyes didn’t really say the same.

You do need to be strong for your mother, because she will be the one loosing her partner for more than 54 years. Loosing a father is bad, but cannot be compared with loosing a partner of 54 years, so try to keep that in perspective.

Mom could really become angry to people coming with a story like: oh, when my husband had a terrible flu I also thought he was going to die and felt so afraid blablabla%26hellip;

Of course you feel afraid, but with a flu you have hope for a better outcome, with terminal cancer you have no other options%26hellip;

If you have more news about bone cancer early symptoms, or you have a cancer story to share: please leave a comment here!

Technorati Tags: bone cancer early symptoms, Cancer, cancer story, metastatic bone cancer, metastatic cancer, Metastatic Liver Cancer

Treating Bone Complications in Multiple Myeloma

2009-02-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: Multiple myeloma is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow. When it spreads and attacks the bone itself, it can cause extensive complications for those living with this disease. But doctors have several treatments available ...

ANNOUNCER: Multiple myeloma is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow. When it spreads and attacks the bone itself, it can cause extensive complications for those living with this disease. But doctors have several treatments available to help reduce and prevent these complications.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer. It involves one of the white blood cells called plasma cell. When the cancer cells, the plasma cells grow rapidly inside the bone marrow, they can destroy the bone architecture internally.

Another way I would look upon this like termite growing inside wood. The cancer cells start growing inside, they eat the bone and cause the bone to get weak. Then even the day-to-day activity, the stress on the bone can cause fracture of the bone.

ANNOUNCER: Though other cancers can spread to the bone, the damage caused by multiple myeloma can be worse because it involves all the bones, where blood is being formed.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: In this particular cancer, the bone is eaten by the osteoclasts but there is no new bone formation or repair mechanism, because the repair mechanism is suppressed. Whereas in solid tumors such as breast cancer or lung cancer when they go to the bone and start growing there, they will cause bone destruction, but the body will normally try to wall off those cancer cells by producing new bone around them.

ANNOUNCER: When the disease begins to damage the bone, the first symptom is usually pain.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The patient could have a cough or sneeze and can feel a sharp pain on the side of the chest due to a rib fracture. Or they could be lifting some weight and suddenly they have a severe back pain because of a compression fracture of the vertebra or the spine in the back.

ANNOUNCER: Managing pain is an important first step in treating multiple myeloma.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The pain relief should be approached in two ways. One is to give immediate pain relief, episodic and you can do that by using codeine-morphine type in short acting form but if the patient has a constant back pain, unable to lie down, unable to sleep, unable to rest, then you want to make sure the patient gets 24 hour pain relief by using long acting pain medication.

ANNOUNCER: Other treatment options include: chemotherapy to treat the underlying cancer cells. Radiation therapy is sometimes used for a localized area where there is bone destruction and pain. But drugs known as bisphosphonates, are the mainstay of therapy to treat and prevent, further bone complications.

JAMES BERENSON, MD: Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs that shut down the cell that drives bone loss. That is called the osteoclast. So when that cell becomes inactive, the pac man if you will, that gobble up bone are no longer available to do that.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: These medications are given monthly intravenously. And when the patient takes this medication regularly over a period of two years or longer, these drugs actually get deposited in the bone.

But more important is it improves the quality of life of the patient, because with time over a period of administration, the bones get stronger, so they do not have additional bone pain and compression fracture.

JAMES BERENSON, MD: The main bisphosphonates used to treat myeloma patients in the U.S. are either pamidronate also known as Aredia, or now Zometa or zoledronic acid.

Aredia or pamidronate is given every 3 to 4 weeks over several hours. Recent studies with Zometa or zoledronic acid show that this can be safely administered in over simply 15 minutes.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The advantage for this particular drug is the infusion time is reduced, especially when the patient's cancer is in remission and the patient's quality of life has improved and they are going about their day-to-day life. They don't have to come and spend a lot of time in a cancer center.

ANNOUNCER: As with many medications, there are some side effects with bisphosphonate therapy.

JAMES BERENSON, MD: The major side effects associated with bisphosphonates are in about %26frac14; of patients, following the first or second infusion only. They can have a flu-like symptom the next day. This only lasts a few hours and will go away with subsequent dosing.

SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: Then when you use these drugs over a period of time, we have to pay attention to the kidney function. Occasionally these drugs can damage the kidney and this can be easily recognized by periodically checking the amount of protein that is leaked by the kidney.

ANNOUNCER: For myeloma patients with severe bone complications, or imminent fractures, there are surgical options available.

JAMES BERENSON, MD: Importantly there are new surgical techniques that have been developed that have greatly increased the quality of life in patients with myeloma. Specifically the use of kyphoplasty, vertibroplasty as well as other surgical techniques, to prevent either fractures of the long bones or to treat them, have made a huge difference in the quality as well as the quantity of life of patients with myeloma.

ANNOUNCER: These treatments-medical and surgical, in addition to radiation therapy, offer hope that patients with multiple myeloma can be spared the debilitating effects of bone complications and so maintain a good quality of life, while fighting their disease.

Apigenin in vegetables improves chemotherapy effect against cancer cells

2009-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

UCR.edu - The leading cause of death in all cancer patients continues to be the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy, a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells.
Now a NIH-sponsored study by UC Riverside biochemists...

UCR.edu - The leading cause of death in all cancer patients continues to be the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy, a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells.
Now a NIH-sponsored study by UC Riverside biochemists that focuses on cancer cells reports that ingesting apigenin %26ndash; a naturally occurring dietary [...]

Chemotherapy Options for Metastatic Breast Cancer

2009-02-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer must deal with a serious disease, but they have many therapeutic options available to them.HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are not designed to eradicat...

ANNOUNCER: Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer must deal with a serious disease, but they have many therapeutic options available to them.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are not designed to eradicate the tumor once and for all. We don't have that ability right now. On the other hand, the good news is that there are many drugs and many treatments that can actually help keep the tumor under control for a very long time. And increasingly, women with advanced breast cancer have both multiple treatment options, are benefitting from newer therapies, and are living longer and better with their disease.

We are increasingly treating the tumor based on the biology of the disease. So we always test all breast cancers to determine whether or not they are sensitive to certain kinds of drugs.

KIMBERLY BLACKWELL, MD: In tumors that are estrogen receptor positive or in very simple terms need the female hormone estrogen to grow, we will almost a 100 perecent of the time recommend some sort of tablet form of antihormonal therapy.

ANNOUNCER: Chemotherapy also has an important role in helping to control advanced cancer.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: What almost all chemotherapy drugs share in common is that they target the DNA machinery of the cell, or they target the so-called microtubules, the small structural elements within the cancer cell that help maintain the normal shape and function of the cell.

ANNOUNCER: There are many different classes of chemotherapy drugs.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: These include anthracyclines, drugs like doxorubicin and epirubicin; taxanes, that's paclitaxel and docetaxel and derivatives of paclitaxel; vinca alkaloids, drugs like vinorelbine; alkylator-type chemotherapy drugs, cyclophosphamide and carboplatin; drugs that are so-called antimetabolites, drugs like capecitabine or 5-FU or gemcitabine.

ANNOUNCER: Combinations of the drugs are sometimes given to patients. Hair loss, nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions, low blood counts, mouth sores and neuropathy, a tingling in the hands and feet are common chemotherapy side effects. Anti-nausea medicines and medicines to help regulate blood counts have improved the patient experience.

ERIC WINER, MD: Most of our large studies have demonstrated that giving single agents one after the other gives you ultimately as good a result as giving combinations and giving single-agent chemotherapy tends to be associated with fewer side effects.

ANNOUNCER: Doctors are finding newer and safer ways to give old chemotherapy drugs.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Consider a drug like paclitaxel, which had been a mainstay of breast cancer therapy in the 1990s. It turned out that by using the exact same drug, but using a lower dose on a more frequent schedule—that is to say, giving it weekly instead of every three weeks—we actually could help patients do better, that it was better to control the tumor, better to achieving a response and better tolerated by giving weekly chemotherapy.

Another example related to paclitaxel is there's a new derivative of paclitaxel called Abraxane, where they have reformulated the paclitaxel into a little albumin shell. When you do that, the drug dissolves better in water and patients don't get allergic reactions. Another example of that has been the drug capecitabine. Capecitabine is an orally available form of chemotherapy, but it's a very old chemotherapy called 5-FU. It turned out, then, when we used to give squirts of 5-FU in the clinic it wasn't all that effective. By developing it into a pill form, you more or less mimic a continuous exposure to the drug, and it turns out that capecitabine, which is marketed as Xeloda, is actually a very effective way of controlling breast cancer.

ANNOUNCER: Patients will be tested for the HER2/neu gene protein to determine if they are eligiable for targeted therapy.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Tumors that are HER2-positive are candidates for treatment with a new anti-HER2 drug called trastuzumab.

ERIC WINER, MD: This is an antibody therapy, an antibody that is targeted to the HER2/neu protein.

ANNOUNCER: Trastuzumab, also known as Herceptin is usually added to chemotherapy. In clinical trials this approach has shown impressive results.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Adding trastuzumab doubled the response rate to chemotherapy alone, substantially improved the length of time before the tumor got worse and contributed to much improved overall survival for women with HER2-positive breast cancer.

ANNOUNCER: Patients whose breast cancer has spread to the bone may be treated with bone strengthening drugs called bisphosphonates.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: It alleviates some of the pain, it helps prevent fractures and it prevents the excessive absorption of bone which can give rise to something called hypercalcemia, when there's so much calcium that's leached out of the bone into the bloodstream it's actually bad for the patient.

ANNOUNCER: Many new therapies are being tested in clinical trials.

HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: There's an explosion right now in the way of biotechnology drug development, so there are tremendous numbers of drugs that are flooding onto the market for clinical trials in breast cancer.

ERIC WINER, MD: For women with advanced breast cancer, clinical trials are often considered both to try to compare existing therapies that we have, and more importantly, to try to push the envelope a bit and to try to look at new therapies.

KIMBERLY BLACKWELL, MD: I think all women with metastatic breast cancer should talk to their physician about clinical trials. Clinical trials will give her an option of receiving some of the newer and, in some cases, more effective treatments earlier than waiting to get them outside clinical trial, once they've been approved. The drugs that are being developed work better than the drugs we had ten years ago. So we want to be able to access those early in your fight against metastatic breast cancer and clinical trials enable you to do that.

Undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary

2009-02-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

As far as I remember, " undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary" was father’s diagnosis.I only got alarmed after the 5th word when it said: cancer. When I then saw father’s liver looking like a raisin bre...

As far as I remember, " undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary" was father’s diagnosis.

I only got alarmed after the 5th word when it said:

cancer.

When I then saw father’s liver looking like a raisin bread over-generously filled with raisons%26hellip;

Unfortunately in father’s case, these raisins were malignant tumors, so surgery nor any other kind of more advance tumor treatments became an option.

Then the doctors were fast enough to explain that metastatic was another term for mentioning that there was a second cancer somewhere in father’s body that caused his liver cancer. And if a miracle could treat the cancers inside father’s liver, we still needed to cure the primary cancer.

16 months after father passed away from metastatic liver cancer%26hellip;

16 months have passed by now, and "cancer" is still part of my thinking process each and every day. I recently thought the universe was trying to tell me to gather more cancer stories, so I started a few days ago the following blogs about:

bladder cancer
pancreatic cancer (yes, the cancer actor Patrick Swayze is dealing with, and Patrick Swayze not being death yet is one of the rare celebrities to come forward with his cancer story!, unlike Yves Saint Laurent who died today battling a not mentioned disease)
stomach cancer
and maybe the most preventable of all cancers: throat cancer, if we just stopped smoking or putting other things in our mouth: those things our mouths were never designed for%26hellip;

But still my mind kept on twisting and turning until today I read about metastatic stomach cancer:

"a stomach cancer that spreads to the liver, will still look like a stomach cancer."

Now that sounds as logical as it comes, doesn’t it?

That’s were I remember telling my father that the oncologist tried to explain him why they were looking for the type of cancer father was having.

So I told father: imagine your cancer is a meatball, then they are trying to find out whether it’s a pork meatball or a chicken meatball%26hellip; For all the info we were overwhelmed with, only now I get the message: if they would have know what kind of cancer father had in his liver, then they would have known where his primary cancer was%26hellip;

In other words: in stead of unknown primary, they would have been able to be more precise.

And that explains why they were calling the cancer "Undifferentiated". If they would have called it " dunno where it comes from", they could have saved me 16 months of trying to put the puzzle back together%26hellip;

I can hear you saying: but they told you it was an unknown primary!

Agreed, but then they should have said :

unknown primary OR
undifferentiated

Keep it short and simple as life becomes way too difficult already the first time you hear the word cancer!

And no: I don’t need a "better next time" : once is enough and actually once too many if most likely cancer is just a consequence of living in a polluted world %26hellip;

Technorati Tags: bladder cancer, CANCER STORIES, cancer story, Liver Cancer, Metastatic Liver Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer

Esophageal cancer and your job

2009-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Does your job increase your risk of cancer?

Spanish researchers have been looking to see if there is an association between certain professions and certain cancers. They have found that there are professions linked to a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.

The primary risks for esophageal cancer are tobacco and alcohol use but of course there are always people diagnosed who don't have any known risk factors. These researchers have found that occupations in the hotel and restaurant trade, stone cutters, wood-working, carpenters or animal handlers.

So if you work in one of these fields is this a doctor's note to quit your job? Not quite. But you should certainly use whatever safety and health precautions that are available. The first symptoms of esophageal cancer are painful and/or difficulty swallowing so if you experience this, talk to your doctor.

This is a link to the release of a summary of the study. The actual study is in Spanish.

FCM and Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Lab

2009-02-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day of real FCM. We discussed the ethics of disconnecting the patient from last week's PBL case from life support. Basically we got into issues of informed consent, and what you do in a situation where the patient is unable to make his own decisions and it is not known what the patient would want. In the case of our PBL patient, he had not had any contact with his family in several decades. So the question then arises about whether it is reasonable to have his family members be his medical proxies and make his medical care decisions. Obviously this is a very difficult issue and underscores the importance of having a living will and designating someone to make decisions for you in case you become incapacitated. Not that I've done one for myself yet, mind you.

The stem cell seminar consisted of several cases. We were divided into small groups, and each group went through the cases individually. It was a pretty good seminar, and somehow the reading didn't seem so onerous even though it included a chapter out of the histo book. Maybe this is a sign that I should become a hematologist. There was some reading out of the path book we'll be using next year also, and I have to say that I actually like that path book, even if it IS over 1400 pages. Well, what's another 1400 pages? I can read it all, no problem!

I was supposed to have clinic this afternoon, but I'm going next week instead. So, that's it for me today. I need to go home and work on my portfolio anyway.

Esophageal cancer and your job

2009-02-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

Fishy links to multiple myeloma, NHL and leukemia

2009-02-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

A blog reader, thank you!, sent me a study titled Dietary Fish Intake and Risk of Leukaemia, Multiple Myeloma, and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, published in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention” in April 2004. The full study i...

A blog reader, thank you!, sent me a study titled Dietary Fish Intake and Risk of Leukaemia, Multiple Myeloma, and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, published in %26ldquo;Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers %26#38; Prevention%26rdquo; in April 2004. The full study is available online, so I won%26rsquo;t load the post up with details that you can read for yourself, right here: [...]

Radioimmunotherapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2009-02-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: It's always exciting when medical research provides new treatment options. Such is the case with radioimmunotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Like traditional radiation therapy, this new technique uses radiation. But with radio...

ANNOUNCER: It's always exciting when medical research provides new treatment options. Such is the case with radioimmunotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Like traditional radiation therapy, this new technique uses radiation. But with radioimmunotherapy the radiation is not delivered externally through a beam, but in the form of medication containing special antibodies.

Normally, your immune system uses antibodies, which are proteins that circulate through the bloodstream and attack foreign substances. Today, science can artificially produce substances known as monoclonal antibodies, which are designed to target cancer cells. A radiation source is attached to these antibodies, providing an extra punch in destroying these cells.

RUSSELL SCHILDER, MD: Radioimmunotherapy is a more targeted way of delivering the radiation. It is usually bound to an antibody which is specific for the lymphoma and thus quickly distributes the radiation to the areas of interest and thus spares a lot of the normal tissue.

ANNOUNCER: Currently there are two medications, Zevalin and Bexxar, which are approved by the FDA for radioimmunotherapy. Both utilize the power of different radiation particles called isotopes

STEPHEN SCHUSTER, MD: Iodine-131 is the isotope that's used in the Bexxar antibody. Yttrium-90 is isotope that's used in the Zevalin antibody.

ANNOUNCER: The radioactive particles in Zevalin emit beta radiation, which travels over a relatively short distance. The radioactive particles in Bexxar give off beta and gamma radiation. The gamma radiation travels a longer distance.

STEPHANIE GREGORY, MD: Beta radiation has a short path length and doesn't penetrate deeply into tissue and outside of the body. Gamma radiation is not stopped by anything short of lead, so it passes straight through the body out into the external environment and actually hits whatever is in its pathway.

ANNOUNCER: Safety issues for those in close contact with the patient depend on which medication is administered.

RUSSELL SCHILDER, MD: Yttrium-90 source of radiation is a pure beta emitter so there's absolutely no radiation that escapes the body. The only instructions they really have is to wash their hands, clean up any spills of bodily fluids quickly, to not share utensils for three days, to use condoms during sexual relations for the first week, though it's recommended that birth control be used for up to a year. The other, if it's using iodine, as in I131, it is mostly a beta emitter but there's some gamma radiation and there are some slight differences depending on what state you live in as to the regulatory issues.

ANNOUNCER: Side effects for the patients themselves appear to be minimal.

STEPHEN SCHUSTER, MD: There's some lowering in the white count, platelet count. It's, in general, very mild. And rapidly reversible by the eighth week following treatment and has little clinical consequences. But nevertheless, patients need to be monitored carefully.

ANNOUNCER: A benefit from these types of radiation could be a "crossfire effect." Experts believe the radiation can attack not only the cells to which the radioactive antibody is attached, but also destroy adjacent tumor cells as well.

STEPHEN SCHUSTER, MD: The crossfire effect is the same for Bexxar and Zevalin in the sense that radiation is delivered over a distance from where the antibody's localized and will treat adjacent cells. The difference, however, is in the magnitude of the crossfire effect.

The radiation travels 1 to 2 mm in distance with Bexxar, where it travels 5 to 10 mm with Zevalin. So the area of crossfire is greater with Zevalin than with Bexxar.

ANNOUNCER: The results for both of these medications are very promising.

STEPHANIE GREGORY, MD: A complete response with Bexxar is a median duration of three years, and there are patients with complete responses out to eight years with Bexxar. We don't have as long follow-up with Zevalin, but the complete responders are out two years with Zevalin, and they do have complete responders who are out four years at the present time.

ANNOUNCER: Both therapies are delivered through a vein and generally require several visits over a period of time lasting one to two weeks. Balancing the administration of these unique treatments requires a coordinated effort between a team of skilled experts.

STEPHANIE GREGORY, MD: We often say that it's a multi-disciplinary approach between the oncologist, the nuclear medicine physician or the radiation therapist, and certainly a nursing staff.

STEPHEN SCHUSTER, MD: I don't know that there are many more people involved in radioimmunotherapy than in other cancer therapies. It's just that there is new people or different people that are on the scene.

ANNOUNCER: Many feel radioimmunotherapy holds new hope for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

STEPHANIE GREGORY, MD: The future of targeted therapy is very bright. We are going to see more and more combinations of targeted therapy.

BRCA1 mutations in cancer stem cells

2009-02-01T01:06:00.000-08:00

BRCA1 mutations are the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer and germline mutations carriers have a greatly increased lifetime incidence of breast and ovarian cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this tissue-sp...

A new study published in PNAS may explain why women with a mutation in the BRCA1 gene face up to an 85 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer.

The study, in mice and in human breast cancer cells, found that BRCA1 is involved in the stem cells differentiating into other breast tissue cells. When BRCA1 is missing, the stem cells tend to accumulate unregulated and develop into cancer. Researchers detected clusters of expanded stem cells in breast tissue isolated from women carrying BRCA1 mutations, and found that women with these expanded stem cells had a particularly high chance of developing breast cancer ( via ).

%26ldquo;If larger studies confirm these findings, it could potentially lead to a test to identify BRCA1 carriers at particularly high risk of developing breast cancer. This might help them and their physicians make a more informed decision about preventative measures such as prophylactic mastectomy,%26rdquo; says senior study author.

Fishy links to multiple myeloma, NHL and leukemia

2009-02-01T01:03:00.000-08:00

The danger of cell phones, laptop computers, electromagnetic fields

2009-02-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

In this video Brian Clement speaks about the dangers of cell phones, laptop computers and electromagnetic fields in general. It’s part of the raw food lecture Brian and Anna Maria Clement gave in Amsterdam, March 2008.

Be careful with cell phones. It’s best not to use them at all. If you do need one, don’t have it close to your body, but in a handbag or so. Use an earphone and a BioPro to protect your brains. In your car, use a car system, if you can afford it.

People don’t realize, but children get cell phones at a younger and younger age.

Research in Sweden has shown that kids, who use cell phones double their chance of getting blastic types of brain tumors by the time they are 20.

In Russia they did a study on 150 thousand children. They found that children below 16 who use cell phones on a regular basis up to one hour a week, between 21 and 28 years old get a 37 times higher incidence of brain cancer.

The same is true for laptop computers. Never put them on your nap.

Children get ovarian and testicle cancer nowadays, because of laptop computers. Imagine, you stick a high power radioactive battery on your penis or vagina. What do you think is going to happen?

Wall sockets are similar. They radiate about 2 square feet. Place your bed in a save place, if possible.

We don%26acute;t realize, but electromagnetic fields are everywhere around us nowadays. Keep them away from your body as much as possible.

Realize that cell phones, Ipods, BlackBerrie’s and laptop computers take away all your contemplative time. You are constantly stimulated from the outside.

Everybody needs this contemplative time. At the end it all comes back to you, self love and self respect.

Decreased T-cell reactivity to Epstein-Barr virus-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines in multiple sclerosis

2009-02-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

The cause of MS is not known but many factors are implicated including possibly viruses. The authors investigated immunity to Epstein-Barr virus in people with MS and found fewer immune cells, suggesting that it might somehow be involved.

authors: Pender MP, Csurhes PA, Lenarczyk A, Pfluger CM, Burrows SR

source: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2008 Nov 17. [Epub ahead of print]

The University of Queensland, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate T-cell and antibody immunity to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in multiple sclerosis (MS).

%26raquo; Read More

Suggestions, Comments and/or Questions are always appreciated.. - Thank you
============================================

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

2009-02-01T00:49:00.000-08:00

The mad scientist/researcher is coming out again in me....this personality overtakes and consumes my thoughts for hours or even days at a time.This is just my own personal rant.....so beware!I noticed in my last set of bloodwork that I have...

The mad scientist/researcher is coming out again in me....this personality overtakes and consumes my thoughts for hours or even days at a time. This is just my own personal rant.....so beware!

I noticed in my last set of bloodwork that I have an elevated EBV titer of 7.6. I didn't have a clue to what this was....so I brought out my husbands old medical books. Turns out this is the virus that causes Mononucleosis. Did I have Mono or did I have it in past??? I did more research and found out that people with Sjogrens Syndrome tend to have an elvated EBV titer. Interesting....

Then I stumbled across a few studies that were trying to come to the conclusion that EBV may cause Sjogrens Syndrome and it does say that there is evidence indirectly.

The virus infects the immune B cells and multiplies in the salivary glands and surface tissues of the nasal and throat passages. After the initial infection, the virus remains dormant in the host's body, that is, exists without being infective. EBV can stimulate the production of autoantibodies, which are abnormal immune proteins directed against the body's own tissues and cells. Various lines of evidence suggest that EBV may be involved in the development of two autoimmune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome.

Hmmmm....I am just wondering.

Anyone have anything to add to this? I wonder if there are any current studies going on about EBV and Sjogrens or other autoimmune disorders.....

Lung tumor, brain tumor, metastatic liver cancer

2009-02-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

The metastatic liver, stomach, brain and lung cancer story you read below could well be from your next door neighbour. And maybe all you knew was "that he was terribly sick" and "had been rushed to the hospital more than once". But you don&...

The metastatic liver, stomach, brain and lung cancer story you read below could well be from your next door neighbour.

And maybe all you knew was %26#34;that he was terribly sick%26#34; and %26#34;had been rushed to the hospital more than once%26#34;. But you don%26rsquo;t even have a clue how %26#34;terrible%26#34; terrible can get %26hellip;

Or you receive the announcement that your neighbour has passed away surrounded by his family battling a long lasting disease%26hellip;

We all heard about Ted Kennedy%26rsquo;s brain tumor and we saw him waving after coming out of the hospital and endorsing Obama, as if it%26rsquo;s all business as usual.

Images like this let us forget that cancer is a killer and that nothing looks like it seems once you or your loved one gets diagnosed with cancer.

That%26rsquo;s exactly what Sylvia points out when she commented at Please pray for Kathy%26rsquo;s liver metastasis:

I always used to hear cancer stories from other people.
But until you experience this on a personal level
you don not really grasp how terrible this disease is.

Sylvia%26rsquo;s brother passed away from cancer before his 40th birthday%26hellip;

Sylvia%26rsquo;s cancer story

Thanks for sharing Sylvia, our prayers, love and hugs go to you. Like you, father%26rsquo;s passing away from metastatic liver cancer is all but a closed chapter%26hellip;

My brother Heron went to the ER on 7/6/2008 for a severe headache.

He was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

A brain tumor that had developed from a tumor in the lung.

He had just turned 39 on 7/3/2008.

He went through brain surgery on 7/10/2008.

From there on cat scans , mri, radiation therapy to the brain area and more tests.

They found more cancer in the stomach as well as his liver.

He had one session of chemotherapy and never recuperated from it.

He passed on 9/2/2008.

I always used to hear cancer stories from other people. But until you experience this on a personal level you don not really grasp how terrible this disease is.

I still have not come to terms with my brothers death and how could he of died so quickly.

He survived less than two months once he was diagnosed.

He is terribly missed.

My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone out there who has experienced this.

Technorati Tags: brain cancer, brain tumor, cancer story, Liver Cancer, Lung Cancer, Metastatic Liver Cancer, stomach cancer

Connie Arnold's Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Survivor Story

2009-02-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

Here is my friend Connie Arnold's amazing story about her recovery. Don't forget about Connie's class tomorrow!"In January of 2004, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, an aggressive large B-cell cancer. This is a cancer that develops...

Here is my friend Connie Arnold's amazing story about her recovery. Don't forget about Connie's class tomorrow!

%26quot;In January of 2004, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, an aggressive large B-cell cancer. This is a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. I was told this cancer could spread to almost any part of my body, including the liver, bone marrow and spleen.

When I heard the word cancer, I felt numb with disbelief and a paralyzing fear. The upcoming weeks were filled with tests and more tests.

As fate would have it, I learned about the macrobiotic lifestyle, a natural approach to health and sickness. %26quot;Macro%26quot; means long or great, %26quot;biotics%26quot; means life. An M.D. I knew who had a holistic approach to medicine explained that macrobiotics is an alkalizing way of eating when cancer patients are known to have an acidic condition in their bodies. I started practicing in January of 2004, eating fresh whole foods brimming with health-supporting qualities.

Three doctors' opinions prescribed 4 to 8 months of aggressive chemotherapy and 6 or more radiation treatments. The doctors urged me to start this treatment immediately. I decided not to do the chemotherapy or radiation and continued on the macrobiotic path. The most difficult part of my decision was to look at my husband and children's eyes and see the fear and disbelief. I knew in my heart it was the right choice for me. Over 4 1/2 years later, ongoing medical tests have found no evidence of cancer in my body. I thank God every day for my health and macrobiotics. Should you be looking for better health or facing serious illness, I encourage you to explore the possibilities.

Since I started the macrobiotic lifestyle, I have attended the %26quot;Way To Health%26quot; week as well as Levels 1, 2, 3 (currently enrolled in Level 4) at the Kushi Institute (in Becket, Mass.) to further my studies and understanding of the energetics of food and macrobiotic healing. My goal is to become a macrobiotic counselor and help others in the same situation I was once in.

I am teaching cooking classes in groups or private sessions by appointment. For more information, call me at (207) 247-5146.%26quot;

Bone-marrow transplantation fails to halt intrathecal lymphocyte activation in multiple sclerosis

2009-02-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

PubMed - Sept 2008

Mondria T, Lamers CH, te Boekhorst PA, Gratama JW, Hintzen RQ.
Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical School, Erasmus MC, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Given the presumed key role for autoreactive lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment strategies have been developed to ablate lymphocyte activity. Intrathecal lymphocyte activation can be measured by CSF-soluble(s)CD27.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of maximum whole-body immune ablation on two different markers that detect lymphocyte activation in CSF-oligoclonal IgG bands and levels of CSF-sCD27.

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Fine Needle Biopsy, Sounds Scarier Than it Is

2009-02-01T00:35:00.000-08:00

I am not sure where to start on this because I can't assume everyone out there knows what a thyroid nodule is to begin with. We all have a thyroid, (if you have never had it removed) and it does a whole lot of things for our body. It stimul...

I am not sure where to start on this because I can't assume everyone out there knows what a thyroid nodule is to begin with. We all have a thyroid, (if you have never had it removed) and it does a whole lot of things for our body. It stimulates our metabolism, which is why people who are very skinny or very heavy can be said to have a thyroid issue. It does run in my family.

My doctor discovered the thyroid nodules upon physical examination and I thought it explained the pressure I was having in my throat. I still think it might explain for some of the pressure. I can now visibly see one of the lumps in my neck. Some can't tell but if you look closely it sometimes appears as though I have an Adam's apple. UGH. I hate it and part of me just wants it gone but for that to happen we'd have to get rid of the thyroid which is functionally properly. That's not an ideal thing to do. We do have to watch for thyroid cancers since I already have four nodules and now I have had radiation to that area.

Anyway, long story short, they decided the first time to biopsy my thyroid nodules to make sure they were not cancerous. This is all before my cancer diagnosis of Hodgkin's. Since I have four nodules I got around 7 to 8 sticks. They put the needle into a nodule with a sonogram to guide it. It's not like a shot though. They don't just go in and then pull out the needle. No. They put the needle in and wiggle it around to get a good sample. The pain wasn't as bad as I thought though. The wiggling around was a little painful but mostly I felt pressure and like if I swallowed, I would swallow the needle. Obviously I wouldn't but it still felt like it. I ended up with a band aid. It was not too traumatic but anytime someone wants to poke you in the neck repeatedly with a needle you get a little scared. The second time was the day they actually did find the tumor. They ran a series of tests one being another fine needle biopsy which I used no anesthesia for this time around. I had realized that shot hurt worse than the others combined so I opted for none. It was again uncomfortable and scary but not too bad. They got nothing but blood though. They got no good samples and then on the sonogram she saw the tumor. So, I think she was pretty sure something else was wrong anyway. So, that is a fine needle biopsy in a nutshell. If you have other questions ask. I have no problem answering what I can.

Treating Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2009-02-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: Follicular lymphoma is not unusual at all in the United States. It is a disease that is associated with long survival, even though we cannot traditionally cure it today.MORTON COLEMAN, MD: It tends to be a disease more...

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: Follicular lymphoma is not unusual at all in the United States. It is a disease that is associated with long survival, even though we cannot traditionally cure it today.

MORTON COLEMAN, MD: It tends to be a disease more of the elderly than of the young, but it is possible to see it in patients 30 and 40 years old.

ANNOUNCER: Twenty-two percent of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is classified as follicular lymphoma. It develops from malignant B-lymphocytes or B-cells and is usually of the indolent type.

MORTON COLEMAN, MD: Follicular lymphoma tends to be very indolent, very lazy. Sometimes, we don't even treat the disease. Certainly initially, we are willing to watch the patient to see what happens.

ANNOUNCER: When a patient begins to experience symptoms, such as fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss or lymph node swelling many doctors may begin treatment.

MORTON COLEMAN, MD: We have a wide range of treatments for follicular lymphoma. Some of the treatment options are chemotherapy; immunotherapy, primarily monoclonal antibody therapy, although there are experimental use of vaccines now in patients.

ANNOUNCER: Monoclonal antibodies target proteins on the surface of lymphoma cells.

DAVID FISHER, MD: I think the most important drug is a drug called Rituxan. It's a manmade antibody that binds to a protein on the lymphocytes called CD20.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: Once that attachment occurs, the antibody attaching to the lymphoma cell, that whole complex goes to the spleen. And in the spleen, that complex is removed by a cell in the spleen and it is literally digested or destroyed.

ANNOUNCER: Rituximab can be used by itself or in combination with chemotherapy.

DAVID FISHER, MD: There are a number of studies now that show, by adding Rituxan to the chemotherapy, it can work much better.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: The side effects of rituximab are very interesting because they're different from the usual side effects of chemotherapy.

DAVID FISHER, MD: The main side effect is an allergic-type reaction. Fever, chill, or an asthmatic-type reaction or tightness in the throat.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: We will treat the patient to try to prevent those symptoms when the antibody is given for the first time. So we will use drugs to prevent fever, drugs to prevent allergy or rashes.

ANNOUNCER: These symptoms usually don't re-occur after the first treatment.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: The average survival of patients with indolent or low grade lymphoma has been stable ever since the 1960s. And now with these new antibodies and so forth for the first time in 40 years, or approaching 50 years for the first time, we are seeing a statistically improved, prolonged survival in those patients.

ANNOUNCER: Doctors may also treat patients with radioimmunotherapies like Zevalin and Bexxar to deliver radioactivity directly to the tumor cells.

MORTON COLEMAN, MD: We tag a radioisotope onto the monoclonal antibody, that's pretty much like saying if you wanna make sure you can shoot down that plane, you'll not only hit it with the missile, but you'll attach an explosive.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: Some of the recent data suggests that as many as 70 percent of patients who have not responded to the antibody alone will respond very nicely to the radioimmunotherapy.

MORTON COLEMAN, MD: If patients don't respond to these "more conventional approaches," then we can also consider the patient for transplantation and we have several options with transplantation.

DAVID FISHER, MD: One approach that's being used for quite some time now is stem cell transplant, using high doses of chemotherapy that require receiving your own stem cells back to recover your blood counts or using donor stem cells. And I think donor stem cells are very interesting, because it's giving a new immune system to the patient and that allows the immune system to go on and attack the lymphoma for years and can be very effective.

ANNOUNCER: Researchers are continuing to study new therapies for the treatment of follicular lymphoma.

ALEXANDRA LEVINE, MD: Just because it cannot be cured today does not mean that it won't be cured tomorrow, and with all of the exciting advances being made right now, this is a very important time for patients with follicular lymphoma.

Testing Vaccines for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2009-02-01T00:28:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCER: There are times when medicine offers up hope for an advance that might change the course of a disease. Such is the case with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a new vaccine therapy which Doctors hope can prolong remissions and extend su...

ANNOUNCER: There are times when medicine offers up hope for an advance that might change the course of a disease. Such is the case with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a new vaccine therapy which Doctors hope can prolong remissions and extend survival.

RONALD LEVY, MD: Chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The standard treatments can make the tumor shrink, can make it go away, but it's temporary and it eventually does come back. And this vaccine (we hope) will keep it from coming back.

ANNOUNCER: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, is particularly suited to a vaccine.

DAVID FISHER, MD: We know that antibodies attack things and help us with our immune system. Everyone's lymphoma has a specific antibody, because all the cells are produced as a clone, they're all the same, because they're cancer cells. We call that antibody idiotype.

And every patient has a unique idiotype. You have to sort of put a flag on those cells and help the body recognize that those are indeed unwanted cells. We can take tumor cells, we can pull out the idiotype antibody, we can purify it and we can give it back to the patient to work as an immune booster, sort of like a vaccine.

RONALD LEVY, MD: It's kind of like using the immune system to go after the immune system. It's fighting fire with fire in a sense

ANNOUNCER: What's innovative about this approach - personalized immunotherapy - is that that the vaccine will be individualized - made for each patient from his or her own tumor cells.

RONALD LEVY, MD: The vaccine is custom-made for each person, from their own tumor. And it's only usable in that one person. So it's made from their tumor, from their own tumor cell and it's given back to them and they're the only one that can benefit from this vaccine that's made from their own tumor

ANNOUNCER: For any new therapy, a series of trials must be done.

DAVID FISHER, MD: Phase I is where we give a drug and we just look to see if it's safe. Phase II is we start to use the drug with a dose that we think that is safe based on the phase I trials and look to see is there any evidence of activity.

ANNOUNCER: Several Phase II trials of vaccine immunotherapy are ongoing. Results from completed Phase II trials were very promising.

RONALD LEVY, MD: We saw from those phase II trials that patients can make an immune response against their own tumor, and that they can stay in remission a long time, and that it's even better if they make that immune response. Not all of them make an immune response, the ones who do, have an exceedingly long time staying in remission and staying alive.

ANNOUNCER: The vaccines in the completed Phase II trials are now in phase III trials, the final step before a drug is approved. One Phase III trial is sponsored by a company named Genitope and a second, by the National Cancer Institute.

RONALD LEVY, MD: We have some people getting the vaccine that's made from their own tumor, and some people getting something that looks and feels like the vaccine but doesn't contain the ingredients from their own tumor. And we're comparing these two groups to each other. We're trying to prove that it actually keeps the lymphoma from coming back and keeps people living longer.

ANNOUNCER: Patients are still being recruited for these trials, but only certain patients are eligible.

DAVID FISHER, MD: The current trials are looking at patients with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma. We're looking at patients who are newly diagnosed, so that they haven't been sort of beaten up with the chemotherapy and they have a good immune system.

RONALD LEVY, MD: We also like to have the tumor down to the minimum, so the tumor is not damaging the immune system.

ANNOUNCER: Two Phase II trials are looking at combining two immunotherapies, an antibody, called Rituxan, with the idiotype vaccine. This is an option for patients who don't respond as well as they might to the chemotherapy, who relapse, or even as their first treatment.

RONALD LEVY, MD: For the people who have what we call an inadequate response to chemotherapy (their tumors shrink not enough or they shrink not long enough and come back again) -- give all those patients Rituxan as a second treatment to get their tumors to shrink, and then to give them the vaccine.

ANNOUNCER: For patients in the Phase III trials, treatment follows a standard plan with an important addition.

DAVID FISHER, MD: We do require a biopsy of fresh tissue either a surgical biopsy or a needle biopsy. We do go through chemotherapy after that and the chemotherapy is standard and routine and it's the same you'd receive even if you weren't on the trial.

RONALD LEVY, MD: We allow a period of recovery from the chemotherapy for the immune system to recover before we start the vaccine.

DAVID FISHER, MD: The vaccinations are given as a shot under the skin like a diabetic gives himself insulin and it's been very well tolerated.

In addition, patients take a drug called GM-CSF as a shot under the skin for four days after each vaccination. This helps stimulate the immune response.

ANNOUNCER: The side effects from the vaccine itself are minimal.

DAVID FISHER, MD: You can sometimes get some redness, some swelling around the sites of the injections. Some people have had some flu-like symptoms, sort of muscle aches, low-grade fevers. Otherwise, they've been well tolerated.

Once the vaccinations are done, we follow patients, which is the standard of what we would do with patients who were receiving chemotherapy watch for any signs of recurrent disease, but without any further therapies.

ANNOUNCER: Yet taking part in the trial doesn't mean abandoning other therapies if the disease returns.

DAVID FISHER, MD: The question is: Does receiving the vaccine close any doors down the line? And it doesn't. So once the disease does show evidence of coming back, if it does, patients can receive any other therapy that they would if they hadn't received the vaccine.

ANNOUNCER: There are also exciting possibilities about combining the vaccine with other therapies and using it on a more wide spread basis.

RONALD LEVY, MD: We would love to be able to combine an active vaccine with a monoclonal antibody treatment, such as Rituxan or other monoclonal antibodies that are being developed. We'd love to try it in other kinds of B-cell lymphomas and T-cell lymphomas. There's no reason this couldn't also be used with aggressive lymphomas or what we call intermediate-grade lymphomas. There's no reason it couldn't be used after bone-marrow transplantation. There's no reason it couldn't be used as the first treatment, instead of chemotherapy.

ANNOUNCER: The development of this vaccine may have far reaching implications and the trials to test it are the first step in making these customized vaccines a reality for all patients.

DAVID FISHER, MD: We know, with chemotherapy, that people tend to have their disease come back. So why not try something that may turn the tables and keep the disease away longer or perhaps eradicate it and what could be better than a drug that's designed to attack my specific lymphoma, my own protein on the surface of the cell? Hopefully, this will pay -- will pay off in the future. Time will tell.

ANNOUNCER: For more information on the Clinical Trials of Idiotype Vaccine in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, visit the Lymphoma Research Foundation website at www.Lymphoma.org.

Radioimmunotherapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2009-02-01T00:25:00.000-08:00