Please share this article with anyone you know that has been diagnosed with cancer and has been prescribed chemotherapy for treatment of killing cancer cells.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
What to Expect During Chemotherapy Treatments
The following video does an excellent job of explaining your journey as a patient with cancer that requires chemotherapy treatment. Watching this tutorial will greatly reduce the anxiety of a patient's first infusion.
Chemotherapy at Norris Memorial Cancer Center
Please share this article with anyone you know that has been diagnosed with cancer and has been prescribed chemotherapy for treatment of killing cancer cells.
Please share this article with anyone you know that has been diagnosed with cancer and has been prescribed chemotherapy for treatment of killing cancer cells.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Advanced Therapies Are Aimed at Cancer
How would you like chemotherapy with less side affects? How would you like chemo that delivered poison to kill only cancer cells and not destroy healthy cells? According to new research there has been a sharp increase in the medical artillery to fight cancer. Many high tech approaches that were only dreamed about were not possible or successful until this decade.
Smart drugs are being developed that only kills the cancer cells. Also, there is a new tool that helps the immune system to attack a broad range of types of cancer. Another wonderful for treatments that aimed at new genes and cancer pathways, plus better tests to predict which patient will benefit from them.
Dr. Richard Pazdur who is the cancer chief for the Food and Drug Administration talks about the new 'smart bombs'. I see major advances being made in big diseases"
Smart drugs are being developed that only kills the cancer cells. Also, there is a new tool that helps the immune system to attack a broad range of types of cancer. Another wonderful for treatments that aimed at new genes and cancer pathways, plus better tests to predict which patient will benefit from them.
Dr. Richard Pazdur who is the cancer chief for the Food and Drug Administration talks about the new 'smart bombs'. I see major advances being made in big diseases"
In fact, an emerging class of "smart bombs" was one of the most hopeful developments reported at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
These are two-punch weapons that combine substances called antibodies, which bond with specific cancer cells, and toxins that are too potent to be given by themselves. A chemical link holds them together until they attach to a tumor cell, releasing the poison inside it and killing the cell.
"This is a classic example of the magic bullet concept" first proposed more than 100 years ago but only now possible with advances in technology, said Dr. Louis Weiner, director of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"The antibody basically targets this very toxic drug right to the cancer cell and places it inside the cancer cell where the drug can do its damage" without harming healthy cells nearby, he said.
On Sunday, a large study showed that one such drug - Genentech's T-DM1 - delayed the time until cancer got worse in women with very advanced breast cancer. The drug also seems to be improving survival, although it will take more time to know for sure. So far, women on the new treatment were living more than a year longer than a comparison group of women who were given two other drugs.
Dozens of similar "smart bomb" drugs are in development. On Monday, Pfizer Inc. plans to report on one it is testing for certain types of lymphoma and leukemia. Only one such drug is on the market now - Adcetris, sold by Seattle Genetics Inc. for some less common types of lymphoma.
The other big news at the conference involved a very different approach: using the immune system to fight cancer. For more than a century, doctors have been trying to harness its power, but tumor cells have cloaking mechanisms that have kept the immune system from recognizing them as "enemy" and going on the attack.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has developed two drugs - one aimed at cancer cells and the other at key soldier cells of the immune system - to remove one of these invisibility cloaks. Two studies involving nearly 500 people found some tumor shrinkage in up to one quarter of patients with lung and kidney cancers as well as the deadly skin cancer, melanoma. The treatments had less impact against colon and prostate cancer.
These are only early results - not survival comparisons or definitive tests, doctors warn. More testing is needed to even establish safety. In one study, three patients died of a lung inflammation considered due to the treatment.
However, ordinary chemotherapy can prove fatal, too, said one study leader, Dr. Julie Brahmer of Johns Hopkins University.
"There were a few patients who had a complete remission" from the immune system treatments and most patients suffered few side effects, she said. "It's great to see patients feeling well. They don't have hair loss, they don't have a drop in blood counts and are not as prone to infections."
Dr. Roy Herbst, medical oncology chief at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn., was hopeful.
"I haven't seen anything this good" for many years for treating lung cancer, he said. "I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some benefit" on survival, said Herbst, who has consulted for the drug's maker.
Other doctors, including Pfizer's cancer drug development chief, Dr. Mace Rothenberg, noted progress on new diagnostic tests to predict which drugs will work for which patients. Cost, time and difficulty have kept many of them from being practical in everyday settings for cancer patients, but "a lot of these barriers are falling," Rothenberg said.
"Every time we say 'this technology is 5 to 10 years off, we've been wrong" and progress has come sooner, he said.
For more info: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/06/03/4017939/more-advanced-therapies-are-being.html and www.cancer.org
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tumors in the Heart
Have you ever known of anyone that had tumors removed from their heart? If you haven't it is because it is not very common.
Most heart tumors are benign myxomas, fibromas, rhabdomyomas, and hamartomas, although malignant sarcomas (such as angiosarcoma or cardiac sarcoma)
have been known to occur. In a study of 12,487 autopsies performed in
Hong Kong seven cardiac tumors were found, most of which were benign. According to Mayo Clinic: "At Mayo Clinic, on average only one case of heart cancer is seen each year."
Video of a removal of a cardiac tumor.
For more information go to www.mayoclinic.com or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_cancer
Human heart cancer health care medicine concept with the inner human organ and red cancer cells forming tumors spreading in the body as a malignant disease that needs chemotherapy or heart surgery.
| Classification and external resources | |
| Heart cancer is an extremely rare form of cancer that is divided into primary tumors of the heart and secondary tumors of the heart. | |
For more information go to www.mayoclinic.com or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_cancer
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Hope For Adult Patients With Relapsed Lymphblastic Leukemia
Phase 2 study has been completed for the drug , blinatumomab (AMG 103. The success for this drug of patients with relapsed lymphoblastic leukemia and refractory B-precursor acute lyphoblastic leukemia was phenomenal.
AMG 103) helped achieve a high-rate of complete response (CR) in 72
percent of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated in the study. Blinatumomab is the
first of a new class of agents called bi-specific T cell engagers
(BiTE®) antibodies, designed to harness the body's cell-destroying T
cells to kill cancer cells. Blinatumomab targets cells expressing CD19,
a protein found on the surface of B-cell derived leukemias and
lymphomas, such as ALL. Full results of the study will be presented
during an oral abstract session at the 48th Annual Meeting of the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on June 4 (Abstract Number
6500, 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. CDT, E354a).
In this Phase 2 single-arm dose-ranging trial, 26 of the 36 patients treated with blinatumomab across all of the tested doses and schedules achieved a CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh*). All but two patients achieved a molecular response, meaning there was no evidence of leukemic cells by polymerase chain reaction. No treatment related deaths or serious adverse events (AEs) were reported in the study.
"For these patients with limited treatment options, the remission rate observed in the trial is a vast improvement over the current standard of care," said Professor Max Topp, Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Wuerzburg and chair of the study. "These results also represent significant progress in our research of immunotherapies; a new approach to fighting cancer that we believe could make a real difference for patients."
Explanation of Immunotherapy for Fighting Cancer
In this Phase 2 single-arm dose-ranging trial, 26 of the 36 patients treated with blinatumomab across all of the tested doses and schedules achieved a CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh*). All but two patients achieved a molecular response, meaning there was no evidence of leukemic cells by polymerase chain reaction. No treatment related deaths or serious adverse events (AEs) were reported in the study.
"For these patients with limited treatment options, the remission rate observed in the trial is a vast improvement over the current standard of care," said Professor Max Topp, Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Wuerzburg and chair of the study. "These results also represent significant progress in our research of immunotherapies; a new approach to fighting cancer that we believe could make a real difference for patients."
Explanation of Immunotherapy for Fighting Cancer
Phase 2 Study DesignThis Phase 2 dose-ranging study evaluated the
efficacy, safety and tolerability of blinatumomab in adult patients with
B-precursor ALL who had relapsed following treatment with standard
front-line chemotherapy or allogeneic stem cell transplant. Patients
received blinatumomab for 28 days followed by two weeks off therapy over
a six week treatment cycle, for up to five treatment cycles. Patients
received a continuous intravenous infusion of blinatumomab at an initial
dose of five or 15 micrograms per meter squared per day, ranging up to
30 micrograms for the remainder of the treatment. The primary endpoint
of the study was the rate of CR/CRh*. Secondary endpoints included
molecular response rate, duration of response and overall survival. As
of April 13, 2012, all 36 patients were evaluable for efficacy and
safety.
About BlinatumomabBlinatumomab (AMG 103) is a bispecific T cell engager
(BiTE®) antibody designed to direct the body's cell-destroying T cells
against target cells expressing CD19, a protein found on the surface of
B-cell derived leukemias and lymphomas. The modified antibodies are
designed to engage two different targets simultaneously, thereby
juxtaposing T cells to cancer cells. Blinatumomab is the first of the
BiTE antibodies and Amgen has received orphan drug designation from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of ALL, chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), hairy cell leukemia, prolymphocytic leukemia
and indolent B cell lymphoma and from the European Medicines Agency for
the treatment of indolent B cell lymphoma, ALL, CLL and mantle cell
leukemia (MCL).
About ALLAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of
the blood and bone marrow -- the spongy tissue inside bones where blood
cells are made. The disease progresses rapidly and affects immature
blood cells, rather than mature ones.(1) Worldwide, ALL accounts for
more than 12 percent of leukemia. Of the 42,000 people diagnosed
worldwide, 31,000 will die from the disease.(2) Patients with ALL have
abnormal white blood cells (lymphocytes) that crowd out healthy white
blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, leading to infection, anemia
(fatigue), easy bleeding and serious side effects.(3,4)
ww.marketwatch.com/story/amgens-bite-antibody-blinatumomab-amg-103-achieved-high-rate-of-complete-response-in-adult-patients-with-relapsed-or-refractory-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-2012-05-16
cute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of the blood and
bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
The disease progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells, rather
than mature ones.(1) Worldwide, ALL accounts for more than 12 percent
of leukemia. Of the 42,000 people diagnosed worldwide, 31,000 will die
from the disease.(2) Patients with ALL have abnormal white blood cells
(lymphocytes) that crowd out healthy white blood cells, red blood cells
and platelets, leading to infection, anemia (fatigue), easy bleeding and
serious side effects.(3,4)
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1c3FP)
cute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of the blood and
bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
The disease progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells, rather
than mature ones.(1) Worldwide, ALL accounts for more than 12 percent
of leukemia. Of the 42,000 people diagnosed worldwide, 31,000 will die
from the disease.(2) Patients with ALL have abnormal white blood cells
(lymphocytes) that crowd out healthy white blood cells, red blood cells
and platelets, leading to infection, anemia (fatigue), easy bleeding and
serious side effects.(3,4)
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1c3FP)
Acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of the blood and
bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
The disease progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells, rather
than mature ones.(1) Worldwide, ALL accounts for more than 12 percent
of leukemia. Of the 42,000 people diagnosed worldwide, 31,000 will die
from the disease.(2) Patients with ALL have abnormal white blood cells
(lymphocytes) that crowd out healthy white blood cells, red blood cells
and platelets, leading to infection, anemia (fatigue), easy bleeding and
serious side effects.(3,4)
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1c3FP)
Acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of the blood and
bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
The disease progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells, rather
than mature ones.(1) Worldwide, ALL accounts for more than 12 percent
of leukemia. Of the 42,000 people diagnosed worldwide, 31,000 will die
from the disease.(2) Patients with ALL have abnormal white blood cells
(lymphocytes) that crowd out healthy white blood cells, red blood cells
and platelets, leading to infection, anemia (fatigue), easy bleeding and
serious side effects.(3,4)
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1c3FP)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Federal Panel Rejects Prostate Cancer Screening
You may be asking yourself the question as to why a government panel would reject a prostate screening test that could save a life. This news is getting posted on many medical websites.
The panel decided that the harm of the screening test outweighs the benefit for preventing prostate cancer.
The following is an article from a Boston publication.
The US Preventive Services Task Force determined that based on evidence
from two large randomized trials, the lifesaving benefits of screening
were “at best very small” and were offset by overdiagnosis and
overtreatment of non-lethal cancers.
.“Our most optimistic estimate is that 1 out of 1,000 men screened will avoid dying from prostate cancer” because of early detection via the PSA test, said Dr. Michael LeFevre, co-vice chair of the task force. “We’re not saying it’s zero. We’re leaving the window open for at least a small benefit.”
“It’s hard to understand where they’re coming from,” said Dr. Anthony D’Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in an interview.
D’Amico argued that the task force relied too heavily on data from a flawed study and failed to consider making separate recommendations for men in high-risk groups, such as those with a family history of prostate cancer and African Americans, who have a two to three times greater risk of dying of the cancer than white men.
The task force, which is comprised of 16 primary care physicians and public health experts with no financial interests in tests or treatments, issues screening and other preventive health recommendations that tend to be more conservative than those of medical societies -- composed mostly of specialists who treat diseases detected through screening -- or patient advocacy groups.
Former New England Patriots player Mike Haynes, a paid spokesperson for the urological association, said in an interview that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, at age 55, after getting a free screening PSA test at an NFL event for retired players, sponsored by the urological association. He said he wasn’t told about any of the risks of the tests such as false positive results, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment of slow-growing cancers. His elevated PSA and subsequent biopsy revealed a stage 1, slow-growing cancer, and he said, “one of my options was watchful waiting, but my immediate reaction was let’s get it out of my system.”
He considers himself lucky, however, in that the only side effect he had from his surgery was a few months of urinary incontinence that has since resolved.
To read the complete article : http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/05/21/psa-screening-for-prostate-cancer-gets-thumbs-down-from-federal-panel/ip80Gu1FRujF8B7mTGfNEJ/story.html
What do you think of the the panel's decision?
The panel decided that the harm of the screening test outweighs the benefit for preventing prostate cancer.
The following is an article from a Boston publication.
.“Our most optimistic estimate is that 1 out of 1,000 men screened will avoid dying from prostate cancer” because of early detection via the PSA test, said Dr. Michael LeFevre, co-vice chair of the task force. “We’re not saying it’s zero. We’re leaving the window open for at least a small benefit.”
“It’s hard to understand where they’re coming from,” said Dr. Anthony D’Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in an interview.
D’Amico argued that the task force relied too heavily on data from a flawed study and failed to consider making separate recommendations for men in high-risk groups, such as those with a family history of prostate cancer and African Americans, who have a two to three times greater risk of dying of the cancer than white men.
The task force, which is comprised of 16 primary care physicians and public health experts with no financial interests in tests or treatments, issues screening and other preventive health recommendations that tend to be more conservative than those of medical societies -- composed mostly of specialists who treat diseases detected through screening -- or patient advocacy groups.
Former New England Patriots player Mike Haynes, a paid spokesperson for the urological association, said in an interview that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, at age 55, after getting a free screening PSA test at an NFL event for retired players, sponsored by the urological association. He said he wasn’t told about any of the risks of the tests such as false positive results, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment of slow-growing cancers. His elevated PSA and subsequent biopsy revealed a stage 1, slow-growing cancer, and he said, “one of my options was watchful waiting, but my immediate reaction was let’s get it out of my system.”
He considers himself lucky, however, in that the only side effect he had from his surgery was a few months of urinary incontinence that has since resolved.
To read the complete article : http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/05/21/psa-screening-for-prostate-cancer-gets-thumbs-down-from-federal-panel/ip80Gu1FRujF8B7mTGfNEJ/story.html
What do you think of the the panel's decision?
Monday, May 21, 2012
Good Explanation of Triple Negative Breast Cancer
A wonderful explanation for us to understand 'triple negative breast cancer' is found at breastcancer.org.
To understand triple-negative breast cancer, it’s important to understand receptors, which are proteins found inside and on the surface of cells. These receptor proteins are the “eyes” and “ears” of the cells, receiving messages from substances in the bloodstream and then telling the cells what to do.
- Hormone receptors inside and on the surface of healthy breast cells receive messages from the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The hormones attach to the receptors and provide instructions that help the cells continue to grow and function well. Most, but not all, breast cancer cells also have these hormone receptors. Roughly 2 out of 3 women have breast cancer that tests positive for hormone receptors. (For a more complete explanation, see the previous section on Hormone Receptor Status.)
- A smaller percentage of breast cancers — about 20-30% — have too many HER2 receptors. In normal, healthy breast cells, HER2 receptors receive signals that stimulate their growth. With too many HER2 receptors, however, breast cancer cells grow and divide too quickly. (For a more complete explanation, see the previous section on HER2 Status.)
Hormonal therapies and HER2-targeted therapies work to interfere with the effects of hormones and HER2 on breast cancer, which can help slow or even stop the growth of breast cancer cells.
About 10-20% of breast cancers test negative for both hormone receptors and HER2 in the lab, which means they are triple-negative. Since hormones are not supporting its growth, the cancer is unlikely to respond to hormonal therapies, including tamoxifen, Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole), Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane), Femara (chemical name: letrozole), and Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant). Triple-negative breast cancer also is unlikely to respond to medications that target HER2, such as Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) or Tykerb (chemical name: lapatinib)
The Biology of Triple Negative Breast Cancer
In addition, triple-negative breast cancer
Tends to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to spread beyond the breast and more likely to recur (come back) after treatment. These risks appear to be greatest in the first few years after treatment. For example, a study of more than 1,600 women in Canada published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer were at higher risk of having the cancer recur outside the breast — but only for the first 3 years. Other studies have reached similar conclusions. As years go by, the risks of the triple-negative breast cancer recurring become similar to those risk levels for other types of breast cancer.
- Tends to be higher grade than other types of breast cancer. The higher the grade, the less the cancer cells resemble normal, healthy breast cells in their appearance and growth patterns. On a scale of 1 to 3, triple-negative breast cancer often is grade 3.
- Usually is a cell type called “basal-like.” “Basal-like” means that the cells resemble the basal cells that line the breast ducts. This is a new subtype of breast cancer that researchers have identified using gene analysis technology. Like other types of breast cancer, basal-like cancers can be linked to family history, or they can happen without any apparent family link. Basal-like cancers tend to be more aggressive, higher grade cancers — just like triple-negative breast cancers. It’s believed that most triple-negative breast cancers are of the basal-like cell type.
- http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/trip_neg/behavior.jsp
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Genetic Testing: Is It Worth It?
The following video is very informational about when genetic testing should be done pertaining to cancer. This question and answer time is with a panel of oncolgists at MD Anderson Cancer Center which is one of the leading cancer centers in the United States. If you have cancer in your family then you must view this video!
Please visit: http://www.mdanderson.org/prevention for more information regarding prevention and screening
How often you should get tested for breast cancer depends on your chances for getting the disease. If you are at increased risk for breast cancer, you may need to start screening exams at an earlier age, get additional tests or be tested more often.
Learn when genetic testing makes sense for you.
Dr. Banu Arun, Professor of Breast Medical Oncology and Co-Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Diana Turco, Certified Genetic Counselor in Clinical Cancer Genetics, answer common questions regarding hereditary risk factors for breast cancer. Dr. Jennifer Litton, Assistant Professor of Breast Medical Oncology, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center moderates the discussion.
How often you should get tested for breast cancer depends on your chances for getting the disease. If you are at increased risk for breast cancer, you may need to start screening exams at an earlier age, get additional tests or be tested more often.
Learn when genetic testing makes sense for you.
Dr. Banu Arun, Professor of Breast Medical Oncology and Co-Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Diana Turco, Certified Genetic Counselor in Clinical Cancer Genetics, answer common questions regarding hereditary risk factors for breast cancer. Dr. Jennifer Litton, Assistant Professor of Breast Medical Oncology, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center moderates the discussion.
I hope that this video was very helpful and please share this with others that are concerned about their family history of cancer.
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