Christine

NEW YORK AUG 28, 2007 (Reuters Health) - Clinicians from Germany have found stereotactic single-dose radiotherapy to be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) not amenable to surgery. "Especially for small tumor volumes, it seems to be equally effective as hypofractionated radiotherapy, while minimizing the overall treatment time," write Dr. Holger Hof of University of Heidelberg and colleagues in the July 1 issue of the journal Cancer. "To what extent this also applies to bigger volumes is unclear." In the paper, they report on 42 patients with NSCLC treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. The single doses ranged from 19 to 30 Gy. Median follow-up was 15 months (range 1.5 to 72 months). Actuarial overall survival rates were 74.5%, 65.4%, and 37.4% at 12, 24, and 36 months after treatment, respectively. Disease-free survival rates were 70.2%, 49.1%, and 49.1%, respectively, and local tumor control rates were 89.5%, 67.9%, and 67.9%. Local tumor control was significantly better in patients receiving 26-30 Gy compared with patients receiving lower doses. "Despite the high single doses, no severe toxicities occurred, indicating that there is room for further dose escalation," Dr. Hof and colleagues note in the report. However, longer follow up on possible late toxicities in patients receiving very high doses up to 30 Gy is needed, they say.

FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Merck KGaA said its division Merck Serono's Phase II trial of Matuzumab to treat metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) did not meet its predefined endpoint, adding it is 'reconsidering' further development of the drug. Matuzumab is being co-developed and co-commercialised jointly by Merck Serono and Takeda. 'Both companies share the view that the study results in mCRC do not meet expectations,' Merck said. However the two companies will continue to study the drug in other tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer

ERIE, Pa., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- An Erie, Pa., leukemia patient, fed up with chemotherapy, developed technology that may one day be used to fight cancer. John Kanzius, who isn't a doctor and never graduated college, developed technology that uses metal nanoparticles activated by radio waves to burn out targeted cells without damaging surrounding tissue, CBS News reported Tuesday. "I envision this treatment taking no more than a couple of minutes or so," he said. Kanzius said the most difficult part developing the device is finding a way to target the cancerous cells with the nanoparticles. Dr. Steven Curley, a surgical oncologist and cancer researcher at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said the potential benefits of the device are exciting. "This has the most fascinating potential I've seen in anything in my 20 years of cancer research," Curley told CBS News. Experts said human tests of the method are at least two years off. Until then, Kanzius will continue chemotherapy.

Gruesome images highlighting the harmful effects of smoking will be printed on all cigarette packets sold in the UK from next year, the government said today. The graphic images, which include pictures of diseased lungs, must be printed on all tobacco products made in the UK by the end of 2009, under the new regulations. After public consultation 15 images have been chosen to accompany text warnings about smoking related diseases, including lung cancer and heart disease. The charity Cancer Research UK estimates the images could help an additional 10,000 smokers in England to quit. But smokers' lobby group Forest said they were being "victimised". The health secretary, Alan Johnson, denied that smokers were being "demonised". He said the graphic images were necessary because of the diminishing impact of written warnings on tobacco products. Mr Johnson told GMTV: "We've had the messages on cigarette packets since 2003, warning that smoking kills, for instance. The evidence is that's very effective, but it's diminishing in its effect. "Using graphic images to get the same message across - that smoking kills, that people who smoke will die younger, that smoking actually makes your skin age - these are important messages, and if you can introduce graphics into it as well it has a more dramatic effect." The chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, added: "This will help promote better awareness of the damage that smoking does to lives and families, an essential step towards reducing the number of people who start smoking." Cigarette packs that only feature written warnings will not be allowed on sale in the UK after September 30 next year. For other tobacco products the deadline is September 30, 2009. Canada was the first country to put visual warnings on cigarettes in 2000. More than 70% of adults and nearly 90% of youths in Canada believe the images are effective, according to the Department of Health. A poll of Canadian smokers found that more than half said they smoked less around other people as a result of the graphic images. In Singapore, where the graphic images were introduced in 2004, a quarter of smokers felt motivated to quit. Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at Cancer Research UK, said one study found that 33% of Canadian smokers said they were more likely to quit as a result of seeing the images. He said that taking into account wishful thinking on the part of smokers wanting to quit, his estimate was that 1 in 1,000 smokers would quit as a result of similar measures in the UK. "That wouldn't even show as a blip on the official statistics but it equates to around 10,000 people in England alone. That's quite a lot of lives saved," Prof West said.

Even years after quitting, former smokers still have a raised risk of lung cancer - and now scientists believe they know why. Smoking appears to permanently alter the activity of key genes, even though most cigarette damage is repaired over time. Canadian researchers, writing in the journal BMC Genomics, looked at lung tissue of 24 people. UK experts stressed that giving up still delivers massive health benefits. It has been shown that the poisons in cigarette smoke can alter the activity of genes. If you give up smoking, your risk of lung cancer falls significantly, but former smokers continue to have a slightly higher risk of lung cancer compared with someone who has never smoked. The latest study from the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver suggests that some of these changes might be permanent. They studied cell samples from the lungs of eight current smokers, 12 former smokers and four people who had never smoked. Some gene changes appeared to be relatively short-lived, reversing after they had quit the habit for a year or more. However, a small group of changes were more persistent, and some of these are thought to be involved in cancer susceptibility. Self-Repair In particular three genes linked to the body's ability to repair DNA had reduced activity levels. Raj Chari, who led the research, said: "Those genes and functions which do not revert to normal levels upon smoking cessation may provide insight into why former smokers still maintain a risk of developing lung cancer." A spokesman for the pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said that it was important for current smokers not to be put off trying to quit by the thought that genetic damage was irreversible. She said: "We know that giving up smoking massively reduces your chances of developing lung cancer, and not only that, but your chances of heart disease and a number of other serious illnesses are also significantly reduced. "Although former smokers do still have a slightly increased risk of lung cancer compared with someone who has never smoked, it is nowhere near as high as the risk of lung cancer to someone who is a current smoker."

Prime Minister John Howard has refused to support a push by asbestos disease sufferers to subsidise the only drug available to treat mesothelioma. Mr Howard has instead told the Asbestos Diseases Foundation that mesothelioma sufferers should go to their state governments for help to buy the drug, which costs $20,000 per treatment cycle. About 600 Australians are diagnosed every year with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Health Minister Tony Abbott also tried to shift blame onto the states, saying that state governments had an obligation to treat patients in public hospitals free of charge. Mr Abbott has consistently refused to support the push to have the drug, Alimta, listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme schedule. Mr Abbott refused to speak to The Sunday Age but through a spokeswoman said that Alimta had not been listed on the PBS because "the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee — an independent, expert committee — rejected the submission on the basis of unacceptable cost-effectiveness and uncertainty about whether there is any increased quality of life associated with any survival gain". Alimta, which is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, has been knocked back three times by PBAC over the past three years. It is due for consideration again in November. It would cost taxpayers between $5 million and $7 million a year to subsidise the drug. Last week, the 2006-07 budget surplus was revised upwards to more than $17 billion. Alimta does not cure mesothelioma, but can extend a patient's life for several years and reduce pain and suffering. Asbestos Diseases Foundation president Barry Robson urged the Government to support the push to have the drug listed on the PBS. "Alimta makes for a softer landing for meso sufferers," Mr Robson said. "Not only does it extend life, but it improves the quality of life. "So, for people who can't afford it, it's just tragic, and also for the doctors who want to use it but can't prescribe when they know patients can't afford it." Alimta is subsidised for the treatment of mesothelioma in most other OECD countries, such as France, Germany, Sweden, Japan and Britain. Last week, Mr Robson received a letter from a senior adviser to Mr Howard, Perry Sperling, which said Mr Howard could not interfere with the deliberations of PBAC and urged mesothelioma sufferers to put pressure on state governments to provide assistance through the state hospital systems. In NSW and Western Australia, government subsidy schemes are in place to help mesothelioma sufferers gain access to Alimta, but Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania provide no government assistance. The executive director of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria, Leigh Hubbard, said the inequities were outrageous. "If the PBAC submission in November is unsuccessful, we will hound whoever wins the federal election until they do the right thing," Mr Hubbard said. "The Government has acted unilaterally on other vaccines and drugs and we expect them to support people in need — victims who in some cases are cancelling treatment or whose doctor won't even suggest Alimta because they know they can't pay for it." The Asbestos Diseases Foundation has joined forces with Eli Lilly in a bid to get the drug listed on the PBS. Eli Lilly spokeswoman Rikki Jones said the company disagreed with PBAC's view that Alimta was not a cost-effective medicine for mesothelioma treatment. "It is important to note the price offered to the PBAC in the last two submissions is among the lowest of any country within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development," Ms Jones said. The latest submission included additional data from clinical programs showing that Alimta's toxicity was "mild and manageable for most patients", she said. Senior pharmaceutical industry sources remain bitter over the conduct of a senior adviser to Mr Abbott, Isobel Brown, who has been accused of trying to bully pharmaceutical manufacturers into not making their PBAC applications public. Industry sources say Ms Brown has been instrumental in ensuring that Alimta was rejected by PBAC. Mr Abbott said through a spokeswoman that he had confidence in Ms Brown. Asked if Mr Abbott was aware that Ms Brown was alleged to have threatened Eli Lilly if it tried to raise public awareness regarding Alimta, Mr Abbott's spokeswoman said: "It is important for companies to respect the processes for drug approvals for PBS listing. Ms Brown would have been doing her job in pointing that out." Federal Labor health spokeswoman Nicola Roxon backed the push to have the drug listed on the PBS. "We're talking about brave Australians who have suffered a lot, and obviously government should be doing all it can to help them," she said. "Labor would ask PBAC to reconsider its decision to reject the listing of Alimta."

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metabolic Research, Inc. announced today that an animal study conducted in cooperation with Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Cranbury, NJ, confirmed that "ABL-SA" protein found in a Brazilian mushroom (a key component in Metabolic Research's Polimmune™ supplement) is effective in avidly binding to particularly aggressive lung cancer cells called H460, in mice. The protein has the ability to identify cancer cells in the body, and stick to them. It then blocks the cancer cells' ability to survive. An earlier in vitro study using HT29 colon cancer demonstrated an 81% inhibition rate of this type of cancer proliferation. In other words, "81% of cancer cells died during the test," says Dr. David Summers, President and CEO of Metabolic Research, Inc. The most recent animal studies demonstrate that the protein began binding and being taken into the cancer cells within ten minutes of administration. The uptake of the single dose effectively peaked at two hours, and then dropped off to baseline after six hours. "There was no apparent toxicity. This protein offers remarkable promise for future pharmaceutical development as the data shows that it avidly seeks out and binds to the tumor antigen and that this TF antigen is common to most epithelial cancers," said Dr. Summers. The protein is currently a component in Metabolic Research's Polimmune™ dietary supplement. However, Metabolic Research may now develop the protein, according to FDA guidelines, as a natural dietary adjunct for cancer treatment. "As an adjunct to already approved FDA cancer therapies, a Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) natural compound, such as this, would only have to be proven safe when used in combination with current treatment regimens. This means that this product could become available within months instead of years," stated Dr. Robert G.L. Shorr, PhD. Metabolic Research Inc. is staffed by an international team dedicated to developing natural pharmaceutical-grade supplements through unique growing techniques. The result is the production of extremely safe and specific supplements containing the proteins, carbohydrates and fats for achieving specific internal health and balance without toxic contaminates such as mercury, lead, and PCBs. For more information about their techniques, see www.metabolicresearchinc.com. For more information on Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals and Dr. Shorr, visit http://www.cornerstonepharma.com/biorob.html

On Valentine's Day 2003, 31-year-old actress/photographer Kris Carr was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer. Weeks later, she began filming her story. Turning a seemingly tragic situation into a creative expression, Kris revealed her intimate thoughts, struggles and fears before the camera, sharing her story of survival with courage, strength, and lots of humor. Said Carr, "What's so sexy about cancer? The women who have it! They're crazy, sexy, vibrant, loving, normal, sparkly and whole individuals." With experimental treatment as her only option, Kris searched for answers where there were none. She traveled throughout the U.S., interviewing experts in alternative medicine as she tenaciously dove head-first into a fascinating and often humorous world of holistic medicine. Along the way, she met other vivacious young women determined to become survivors. She also met cameraman/editor Brian Fassett; they soon began a romance that finally culminated in a September 2006 wedding. As Kris' amazing journey unfolds, she realizes that healing is about truly living rather than fighting. Defiant and thought-provoking, Crazy Sexy Cancer documents one woman's experience as both filmmaker and patient as she refuses to accept the status quo in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Said Carr, "People often ask me why I named the film Crazy Sexy Cancer. The answer is simple: to challenge the perceptions, to poke fun and bring humanity to a disease that is still so misperceived and feared. No matter what happened, I refused to be saddled with the isolating stigma associated with cancer. Just because it had changed my life forever, didn't mean that I had changed."

Results of lung cancer drug’s new trial send Antisoma’s shares soaring Shares in the biotechnology group Antisoma soared 19 per cent yesterday after the company announced promising results from a clinical trial of an experimental lung cancer medicine. Antisoma said that a new Phase-II study of the drug, known as ASA404, supported earlier findings suggesting that its use in combination with chemotherapy had led to one of the biggest increases in survival reported in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer. Full results of the latest 31-patient trial, conducted in New Zealand and Germany, are being kept under wraps until September 5, when they will be presented at the World Lung Cancer Conference in Seoul, South Korea. However, the earlier study of the drug published last year showed that lung cancer patients treated with ASA404 in combination with standard chemotherapy survived almost 60 per cent longer than patients who received chemotherapy alone – 14 months compared with 8.8 months. Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant that is Antisoma’s partner on the drug, is preparing to launch a final-stage trial early next year. These Phase-III trials are likely to take at least three years, but the latest results have paved the way for millions of dollars in extra milestone payments to Antisoma from Novartis – possibly as much as $890 million (£445 million) if the drug eventually achieves a commercial launch. Mr Edwards said that the drug was also being tested against prostate cancer and that further results on this were likely within the next two months. Nevertheless, some analysts remain sceptical about the drug’s prospects against other tumour types. Last month, Antisoma’s shares plunged after disappointing results against ovarian cancer. Others questioned the magnitude of the rise in the company’s share price yesterday. “Antisoma is already a fully valued stock, so I don’t understand the strength of the market’s reaction,” Ibraheem Mahmood, an analyst for Investec, said. If it succeeds, ASA404, Antisoma’s flagship product, which was discovered by two professors at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, would be the first of a new generation of anticancer drugs designed to starve tumour cells of blood. It was originally licensed by Antisoma from Cancer Research Ventures in August 2001 and worldwide rights were licensed to Novartis in April 2007. Nonsmall cell lung cancer is the most common form of the disease, accounting for about 80 per cent of all cases. According to the World Health Organisation, there are more than 1.2 million cases worldwide of lung and bronchial cancer each year, causing approximately 1.1 million deaths. The 19 per cent rise priced Antisoma shares at 34p.

ZURICH, Switzerland: Roche Holding AG said Friday that its cancer drug Avastin has been approved in Europe for the treatment of patients with some forms of lung cancer. The drug has been approved to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease that kills over 3,000 people per day worldwide. Avastin is the only first-line therapy to demonstrate improved survival benefits beyond one year in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, Roche said. "We will continue to work with European authorities to make Avastin available to as many patients with NSCLC as possible," the company said in a statement. Roche said earlier this year that Avastin had sales of 1.91 billion francs, or $1.59 billion in the first half of the year, up 40 percent. Separately, the company said its U.S. partner Genentech Inc. has resubmitted its application for Food and Drug Administration approval for use of Avastin in the treatment of breast cancer. The resubmission, based on the Phase III trial, marks the beginning of a six-month review period by the FDA.

Administering radiation to the head could be the key to prolonging the lives of patients suffering from small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a study has found. The researchers from the Netherlands discovered that the procedure increases patients' survival by reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to the brain, a potentially lethal occurrence, which often accompanies this type of cancer. Constituting nearly 15% of all newly diagnosed lung cancers, SCLC is an aggressive form of pulmonary cancer that can spread to other parts of the body and kill patients in less than a year, even when treated. It is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and the second most common in women, responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide every year. The most significant risk factor linked to the development of this type of cancer is long-term exposure to inhaled carcinogens, especially tobacco smoke. Researchers from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) studied two groups of SCLC patients. They found that those who received standard care plus prophylactic cranial irradiation treatments, meaning radiation was delivered to the brain before the cancer spread there, had a decreased risk of brain metastases and a better survival rate than those who received only standard care. In fact, only 14% of SCLC patients who received prophylactic irradiation treatment developed brain tumours, while more than 40% of patients who did not experienced some form of brain metastases. Patients who received prophylactic cranial irradiation also survived longer than their counterparts. More than 27% of patients in the prophylactic cranial irradiation group survived more than a year, while only 13% of patients in the other group survived more than a year. Prophylactic cranial irradiation significantly reduces the risk of symptomatic brain metastases and significantly prolongs survival,' says Ben Slotman, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the VU University medical centre. 'As this treatment is well tolerated and does not adversely influence quality of life, prophylactic cranial irradiation should now routinely be offered to all SCLC patients with extensive disease whose cancer responds to chemotherapy,' he added. The trial results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are expected to lead to a change in medical practice in both Europe and the US, say the authors of the report. For further information, please visit: http://www.eortc.be/

Former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice William McAnulty died Thursday night after fighting lung cancer that had spread to his brain. McAnulty, 59, was the first African-American to serve on Kentucky's Supreme Court, representing Jefferson County. Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed McAnulty to fill a vacancy created when Justice Martin Johnstone retired in June 2006, and then he was elected to the high court the following November. McAnulty resigned his position earlier this month, and during his 30-plus year career, had served at every level of the state court system. Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson on Friday ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on all Louisville Metro government buildings and properties to honor McAnulty. "Those who knew Justice McAnulty will remember him as a razor-sharp wit with a passion for public service," Abramson said in a news release. "We have lost a man devoted to the pursuit of justice, and we have lost a good friend."

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2007/08 ... tner=email PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc have begun two phase 3 trials of a jointly-developed drug on patients with prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Aflibercept is an anti-angiogenic agent targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). It is designed to be used in conjunction with chemotherapy regimens. The two trials will be double-blind and placebo-controlled, Regeneron said. Sanofi-Aventis will provide an update of the broad-based clinical development programme planned for the drug as well as further details on the trials at its research and development day on September 17. Sanofi-Aventis said in June it would start seeking regulatory approval as early as next year to market the drug.

Published August 21, 2007 Last year, a research study on lung cancer screening published in the New England Journal of Medicine made big news. The authors claimed that doing CT (“cat”) scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people (mostly smokers) resulted in a significant improvement in survival. A study published a year later, by contrast, received hardly any publicity at all — maybe because it came to the opposite conclusion. A team led by Dr. Peter B. Bach of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York published its own study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (March 7, 2007). It was accompanied by an insightful editorial by Drs. William C. Black and John A. Baron of Dartmouth. Dr. Bach’s team looked at 3,246 people who were either smokers or former smokers screened with annual CT scans and then followed up for approximately four years. They used a mathematical model, shown to be highly reliable in other studies, that predicted the expected numbers of cases and outcomes from lung cancer in such a group. The team discovered that the CT-scan screening picked up about three times as many cases of lung cancer as would have been expected without it. That sounds like a huge success, right? They also found that there was no improvement in the number of cases of cancer that were very advanced at the time of diagnosis; and there were no fewer deaths from lung cancer. However, ten times as many people in the screened group ended up having major lung surgery compared with the expected rate. So why did the New England Journal study show apparent improvement in survival, when the Bach study showed no real benefit from picking up more cases earlier? Drs. Black and Baron went into great detail comparing the two studies and made a good case that the Bach study was simply much better done and therefore was more reliable. Black and Baron admitted that the real answer is simply not in yet. Neither of the two previous studies used the most reliable method — randomly assigning high-risk patients to screening or no screening, and then following them long-term. Two such studies are now under way, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, the take-home message is a sobering reminder that, sometimes, a fancy screening test can lead to a much higher chance of having yourself cut open in a rather painful way, with nothing to show for it afterwards in terms of improved length or quality of life. Dr. Howard Brody, a family physician, is director of the Institute for Medical Humanities at UTMB.

NEW YORK AUG 22, 2007 (Reuters Health) - A relatively short aerobic exercise training program can improve lung cancer patients' physical fitness prior to surgery, US and Canadian researchers report in the August 1st issue of Cancer. "Among individuals diagnosed with lung cancer," lead investigator Dr. Lee W. Jones told Reuters Health, "pre-surgical cardiorespiratory fitness level -- physical fitness -- is strongly associated with the rate and severity of surgical complications." "Not surprisingly," he added, "patients with higher physical fitness levels have fewer complications." Based on these findings, Dr. Jones of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina and colleagues conducted a pilot study of 20 pre-surgical patients who underwent 4 to 6 weeks of training. This involved 5 cycle ergometry sessions per week at intensities ranging from 60% to 100% of peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak). The overall adherence was 72%. This ranged from 0 to 100%, and patients completed a mean of 30 sessions. Those who completed 80% or more of the sessions achieved a significant increase in VO2 peak and their 6 minute walk distance increased by 49 meters. "Exploratory analyses indicated that presurgical exercise capacity decreased postsurgery, but did not decrease beyond baseline values," the investigators report. Thus, continued Dr. Jones, "Our study demonstrated that exercise training was associated with significant improvements in physical fitness and other markers of cardiovascular health." "While this study was too small to examine if the observed improvements in physical fitness were associated with reductions in surgical complications," he added, "this benefit may have important implications for the selection of patients eligible for lung surgery, complications from surgery, and recovery following surgery." "Future studies," Dr. Jones concluded, "are now required to answer these questions."

Wed Aug 22, 2007 10:42AM EDT LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog said on Wednesday that Eli Lilly and Co's drug Alimta would not be recommended as a treatment for lung cancer on the state health service. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said its experts had rejected an appeal against the decision by Lilly, because they were not convinced of the clinical and cost effectiveness of Alimta compared with other lung cancer treatments. Alimta is one of a number of new drugs spurned by NICE, to the anger of drugmakers and patient groups. Last month, however, the watchdog did endorse the medicine for treating certain patients with asbestos-related cancer.

Congratulations Nick & Keri. I am so happy for you both. I truly feel this baby is not only a gift from God, but ALSO your mother. She wants you to feel joy again. After all, isn't that what all mothers want for their children? Be joyous Nick, you so deserve it.

Hi again everyone, Thanks for all of your responses. I appreciate your support. Just thought I would provide an update. My father had a brain MRI and bone scan last week --both clear, thank God. He also met with his radiologist and oncologist. They both feel that a biopsy of the lung mass is unnecessary, as treatment plan would still be chemo. I questioned not having a biopsy because "wouldn't the chemo be different if it is SCLC?" The response I got was "yes, but 80% of all cases are NSCLC". My father isn't thrilled with the idea of a biopsy so I'm not pushing it. After all, he's the one that has to go through it, not me. His onc. is suggesting 3 cycles of carbo/taxel/avastin. He said this should have an effect on both the lung mass, and the esophageal cancer (saying prayers). Thanks again. Chrisine

August 20, 2007 Diet is now considered a major factor in the prevention and treatment of cancer. According to the American National Cancer Institute about one-third of the cancers are linked to diet. Thus, right choices of foods can help prevent a majority of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer. Cancer usually develops over a long period. Latest research shows that what one eats may interfere with cancer process at many stages, from conception to growth and spread of the cancer. Foods can block the chemical activation which normally initiates cancer. Antioxidants, including vitamins can eradicate carcinogens and can even repair some of the cellular damage caused by them. Cancers which are in the process of growth can also be prevented from further spreading by foods. Even in advanced cases, the right foods can prolong the patient's life. Researches conducted in ascertaining links between diet and cancer since 1970 have now conclusively proved that fruits and vegetables can serve as antidote to cancer. According to Dr. Peter Greenwald, Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the American National Cancer Institute: "The more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less likely they are to get cancer, from colon to stomach cancer to breast and even lung cancer. For many cancers, persons with high fruit and vegetable intake have about half-the risk of people with low intake. Some studies indicate that eating fruit twice a day instead of less than three times a week cut the risk of lung cancer 75 per cent, even in smokers.” The normal servings of fruits and vegetables are two fruits and three vegetables a day. Adding more fruits and vegetables to these servings can reduce the risk of cancer. The plant foods which are considered to possess anticancer properties by the American National Cancer Institute include vegetables like garlic, cabbage, tomato, soya beans, ginger, carrot, celery, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts' and cucumber; citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime; other foods like turmeric, whole wheat, brown rice, barely and berries; and herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, chives and basil. According to several studies, Vitamin A exerts an inhibiting effect on carcinogenesis. It is one of the most important aids to the body's defence system to fight and prevent cancer. A recent British study found that cancer rates dropped by 40 per cent in men with the most blood beta carotene (a precursor of Vitamin A), compared with those with the least. Other research has found that those with higher levels of folic acid (found in green vegetable) and lycopene (a tomato compound) are much less vulnerable to all cancers, in particular of the lung, cervix and pancreas.

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_chann ... ryid=16863 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A recent study reveals administering radiation to the head may be the key to prolonging the lives of people with small cell lung cancer. The procedure increases patients' survival by reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to the brain, a potentially lethal condition, which often accompanies this type of cancer. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) constitutes 13 percent of all newly diagnosed lung cancers. SCLC is a particularly aggressive form of pulmonary cancer, as it spreads easily to distant parts of the body and can kill patients in less than a year. When SCLC spreads to the brain, it can have a particularly negative effect on physical and psychological functioning. It can also increase a patient's odds of death. When researchers from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam studied two groups of SCLC patients, they found those who received standard care plus prophylactic cranial irradiation treatments, meaning radiation was delivered to the brain before the cancer spread there, had a decreased risk of brain metastases and a better survival rate than those who received only standard care. In fact, only 14 percent of SCLC patients who received prophylactic irradiation developed brain tumors while more than 40 percent of patients who did not experienced some form of brain metastases. Patients who received prophylactic cranial irradiation also survived longer than their counterparts. More than 27 percent of patients in the prophylactic cranial irradiation group survived more than a year, while only 13 percent of patients in the other group survived more than 12 months. "Prophylactic cranial irradiation significantly reduces the risk of symptomatic brain metastases and significantly prolongs survival," Ben Slotman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Radiation Oncology, was quoted as saying. "As this treatment is well tolerated and does not adversely influence quality of life, prophylactic cranial irradiation should now routinely be offered to all SCLC patients with extensive disease whose cancer responds to chemotherapy."

http://wkrg.com/medical/article/calling ... vors/4516/ People who are battling cancer can find hope in the faces of survivors. Survivors can find peace by offering that hope. The Eastern Shore Art Center is in the process of collecting the faces of survivors for an upcoming exhibit and you can be a part of it. 16 year old Jessica Houston is part of the exhibit. She fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this year and today she is the face of survival. “I am in remission since May and I just got my first check up after four months of chemo and I’m good to go.” Jim Thomas is also a cancer survivor. In 1996 he was diagnose with stage 4 lung cancer. He is also the face of survival. “Most people think lung cancer is fatal and I got involved in this program because I want people to know that there’s hope even when you’re told you don’t have long to live.” All of these faces will be part of an exhibit at the Eastern Shore Art Center. It will be called F.A.C.E.S.: Face All Cancer, Emerge with Strength. Susan Harrell is a cancer survivor and the creator of the exhibit. “I think so many people view cancer as a death sentence and I think we need to change that because there’s 10 million people walking on this earth that are survivors. I want this to be about the faces. I want people to say, I am the face of cancer and I survived.” If you are a survivor, the Eastern Shore Art Center needs your face to help people know and believe that cancer doesn’t mean the end. Nancy Raia is helping coordinate the exhibit. “I hope they walk in and see a room full of faces. I hope it overflows our room and goes around the center a couple of times and people go, there’s that many survivors? And if they are currently under the battle, they can say, I can win too.” To participate in this exhibit, just send an image of the survivor to the Eastern Shore Art Center, 401 Oak Street, Fairhope, Alabama 36532. The image should be no larger than 8” by 10”. Images can be photographs or a piece of art that portrays the survivor’s face. Survivors of all ages and from all geographic areas are invited to participate. Please do not send framed pieces. Please be aware that submissions will NOT be returned. All images should be accompanied by the following information: name of survivor, what they survived and words that got them through it. You will also need to submit a release form. Release forms are available at the Eastern Shore Art Center or online at www.easternshoreartcenter.com If you would like more information on this exhibit, call the Eastern Shore Art Center at 928-2228.

Thank you for sharing this with us Tina, and for making a positive difference in the lives of so many people. For me, it was so much more than an interview about lung cancer and your foundation; it is your love story.

DEBORAH MOROSINI, MD A Legacy of Hope and Forging Ahead: Dana Reeve’s Sister Steps Up to Take On the Tragedy of Lung Cancer After her sister Dana Reeve died of lung cancer, days before her 45th birthday, Deborah Morosini took up her sister’s legacy of strength, courage and a willingness to find hope in what to the world may seem the impossible. A mother of two and a medical doctor, Deborah stepped up in her sister’s memory, and on behalf of all who have been affected by lung cancer, to get a jump on this not-so-silent killer. Recently, she joined forces with our Foundation to raise a loud collective voice in the fight against this deadly disease. In just a little more than a year, her crusade has led to unforgettable lessons of hope, frustration and a maze of funding, government and stigma roadblocks that cloud the issue and keep treatment and cures for this deadly cancer elusive. She’s determined to raise public awareness of lung cancer to step up research and support for the cause. She is unstoppable. Here is her story told in the first of two-parts: After her sister Dana Reeve died of lung cancer, days before her 45th birthday, Deborah Morosini took up her sister’s legacy of strength, courage and a willingness to find hope in what to the world may seem the impossible. A mother of two and a medical doctor, Deborah stepped up in her sister’s memory, and on behalf of all who have been affected by lung cancer, to get a jump on this not-so-silent killer. Recently, she joined forces with our Foundation to raise a loud collective voice in the fight against this deadly disease. In just a little more than a year, her crusade has led to unforgettable lessons of hope, frustration and a maze of funding, government and stigma roadblocks that cloud the issue and keep treatment and cures for this deadly cancer elusive. She’s determined to raise public awareness of lung cancer to step up research and support for the cause. She is unstoppable. Here is her story told in the first of two-parts: In August, of 2005, Deborah Morosini and her husband Charlie and sons, James 17, and Peter, 15, were at Logan International Airport in Boston, shuffling through security and biding time waiting to embark on a family vacation to India. Glancing up at the television monitors, Deborah and her family would be reminded, over and over and over again, of the crushing news the world was just learning: Dana Reeve, 44, wife of Superman Christopher Reeve, Deborah’s little sister, and the boys’ aunt, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. “It all happened in such public way,” says Deborah. “Being stuck at an airport with the news repeating it over and over, was just not a great place to be. It was devastating.” Seven months later, Dana, tireless crusader for paralysis, mother extraordinaire for her son Will, and “Mother of the Year for the American Cancer Society,” would lose her battle with lung cancer. A nation, now glued to their televisions again, would express their shock and mourn deeply the loss of Dana, who they had come to embrace as the epitome of a woman filled with grace, courage, and determination. It’s fair to say, that for those of us watching from a distance, yet feeling it so closely in our hearts, it seemed so unfair. “Life isn’t supposed to happen the way it was for our family,” says Deborah. “Chris had died. My mother had just died, and now Dana was diagnosed with lung cancer. “I realized then that you become a survivor the moment you are diagnosed. You decide right now this is all happening, but my sister is still alive, yes she is really sick. But we need to live in the moment. She is still here and we need to put our worries aside.” Certainly, Dana and Christopher Reeve had become public icons of survival, and inspirations for the world to draw strength from, following the 1995 horseback riding accident that left Christopher a vent-dependent quadriplegic. Together, with their laser-like focus on paralysis and stem cell research, the couple and the forces they rallied shone a spotlight on an injury for which research was poorly funded. They made it a cause. Now, for the second time, the world would focus their lens on a disease that for a long time has been swept under carpet as the stigma cancer. “From Chris we were inspired, okay, see what happened with this, now we might be able to make a shift in the way we look at lung cancer,” says Deborah. And these days, when she’s not at work researching cancer as a pathologist at AstraZeneca, or taking care of her two teen sons, Deborah has made it her life’s passion and mission to speak to audiences, legislators - anyone who will listen about the terrible tragedy of her sister’s death, and the tragedy of lung cancer and treatment, or lack of it today. “My sister and Chris created a positive legacy. They showed the world that out of crisis, you can make a life; you can have a sense of humor and not fall apart. They touched so many people … people including myself who maybe looked at them, and said, ‘okay, I can get through this … I can remain optimistic.” Most importantly, Dana and Christopher Reeve showed the world that despite illness, despite fate, despite forces we can’t control, the only thing you can control is what you leave behind. “My sister and Chris did not leave a suffering legacy. They have a young child, Will, and they both were committed to living to the last second. They both had very many bright moments until the very end. ” Part Two: Learn what Dr. Deborah Morosini and lung cancer advocates are doing to make a difference.

Eat more fruit, Southie smokers August 12, 2007 While Southie's smoking rate is somewhat higher than that of Boston as a whole -- 29 percent compared with 20 percent -- its incidence of lung cancer is more than double that of the rest of the city ("Where there's smoke," City Weekly, July 29). If smoking were a primary cause of this disparity, South Boston's higher lung cancer rate would parallel -- in the same proportion -- its higher smoking rate, which it does not. The Environmental Protection Agency's 1992 report on secondhand smoke notes that a high consumption of fruit is related to a low incidence of lung cancer. Perhaps medical officials would be more successful in reducing South Boston's lung cancer rate if they encouraged a better diet rather than concentrating only on quitting smoking.

Atlanta, GA, August 11, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Outskirts Press, Inc. has published The Accidental Caretaker: Battling Cancer for a Loved One and Your Life! by Bill Dillard, which is the author’s most recent book to date. The 6 x 9 Paperback in the Health - Cancer category is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble for a suggested retail price of $19.95. The webpage at www.outskirtspress.com/accidentalcaretaker was launched simultaneously with the book’s publication. About the Book (Excerpts & Info) The book's purpose is to help you deal with the enormous task of battling cancer for a loved one, yourself, or both. Accidental Caretaker Tips and free tools are included to help you manage medications, appointments, in-home care, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and more. In 2005 there were two cancer diagnoses of great significance that forever changed my life. First, my wife was diagnosed in July 2005, with a very rare stomach cancer. So rare in the United States, only 20,000+ cases occur per year out of the more than 1.4 million cases reported. Then in October 2005, I too was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. Not as rare as hers, yet still a small percentage (only 13%) of all annual cancer diagnoses. I soon learned there was very little practical 'How To' information available for non-medically trained people providing patient care at home. After months of struggling with Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, hand written notes, appointment printouts, drug schedules, and finding very little practical 'How To' information about taking care of the patient, I decided to write a book by drawing from my own experiences to help other non-medically trained people. The Accidental Caretaker was written by a husband who became an accidental caretaker, has walked-the-walk, talked-the-talk, and been side-by-side with his wife in the chemo chairs, and survived by the grace of God. Learn from My Experience • How to Manage and Track Medications, and why it's critical. • Why Patient Medical Records are so important, and what copies you need. • Why you MUST be the Patient's Advocate, even if YOU are the patient. • How to talk with Doctors, Nurses, and Home Care Providers. Why it's different than talking with family and friends. • What to take, and expect in an Emergency Room. • Why Family and Friends are vital to your success. • Why it's a Bad Idea to pay medical bills as soon as you receive them! • What information you need, when, and how to start a Disability Claim. • Why everyone needs a Healthcare Power of Attorney, and a Last Will & Testament. • What Resources can help you find more information. Deftly constructed at 164 pages, The Accidental Caretaker: Battling Cancer for a Loved One and Your Life! is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the Health - Cancer category. With U.S. wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and pervasive online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, The Accidental Caretaker meets consumer demand through both retail and library markets with a suggested retail price of $19.95. Additionally, The Accidental Caretaker can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of ten or more from the Outskirts Press wholesale online bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/buybooks ISBN: 9781432702830 Format: 6 x 9 Paperback SRP: $19.95 For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/accidentalcaretaker About the Author Bill Dillard survived Small Cell Lung Cancer. He and his wife were diagnosed with different types of cancer in 2005. His cancer experience comes from providing day-to-day care for his wife while he received chemotherapy and radiation treatments at the same time. The Accidental Caretaker takes you inside the challenges you face battling cancer for a loved one, your life, or both. He has been in a chemo chair side-by-side with his wife and survived.