RandyW

give Mickey a big smooch while you are there And have a blast.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss at this time. My heart and prayers go out to you and your family. MAy the Lord watch over you now and ever.

-- Combretastatin A4P (CA4P) will be Evaluated with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy, a Widely-Accepted Treatment Regimen in the United States-- -- Trial Endpoint Targets a One-Year Survival Benefit in Patients with All Histological Types of Unresectable, Stage IIIa/IIIb NSCLC-- -- Distinct Clinical Trials in the US and Europe Could Maximize the Market Opportunity for CA4P in Key Oncology Indication-- OXiGENE, Inc. (NASDAQ: OXGN, XSSE: OXGN), a leading developer of biopharmaceutical compounds designed to treat cancer and certain ophthalmologic diseases, today announced that it plans to commence a Phase II clinical trial in the United States for the treatment of Stage IIIa/IIIb Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The Company will evaluate its lead clinical candidate, Combretastatin A4P (CA4P), in combination with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, a widely accepted standard in the United States for the treatment of patients with all histological types of unresectable Stage IIIa/IIIb NSCLC. The trial will be conducted under OXiGENE's Investigational New Drug (IND) application on file with the United States Food and Drug Administration. The Phase II clinical trial will commence by enrolling approximately 12 patients to assess the tolerability of the protocol and to establish the recommended dose of intravenously administered CA4P. This trial will be the first in which CA4P is administered to patients in combination with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. In other ongoing clinical trials, CA4P has been paired with chemotherapy or radiation therapy with no observed side effects beyond those typically experienced with either treatment. The Phase II clinical trial will then proceed as a randomized, open label, multi-center trial that will compare two cohorts of patients -- an investigational group and an active control group. Approximately 66 patients who have not had prior treatment for NSCLC will be randomized 2:1 into the two groups. Patients enrolled in the investigational group will be treated with radiotherapy and seven cycles of chemotherapy plus CA4P, followed by maintenance chemotherapy plus CA4P. The objective of the Phase II clinical trial is to evaluate the survival benefit in patients achieved at one year. The response rate will be evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). The announcement of this randomized Phase II clinical trial with CA4P in the United States follows OXiGENE's recent announcement of receipt of regulatory clearance from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to commence a Phase III clinical trial of CA4P in the United Kingdom in patients with inoperable Stage IIIb/IV NSCLC, a subset of patients not deemed suitable for curative treatment with concurrent radiotherapy. "We believe this Phase II clinical trial to be a key stepping stone in the path towards potential commercialization of CA4P for the treatment of NSCLC," commented Frederick Driscoll, President and CEO of OXiGENE. "We expect that the commencement of this trial in the United States, combined with the Phase III clinical trial which we plan to commence in Europe for the treatment of patients with Stage IIIb/IV NSCLC, may provide a springboard for OXiGENE to maximize its registrational opportunities in a key oncology indication, and with standards of therapy most often selected by oncologists for each subset of patients. Strategically, this is a key clinical achievement

HVMC researching new drug for cancer patients Friday, February 03, 2006 By Staff report Dr. Byron May, a radiation oncologist at HVMC, is one of 12 researchers at five Southeast cancer centers who studied the effectiveness of the drug megestrol acetate as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients. Photo courtesy of HVMC. KINGSPORT - Patients undergoing radiation treatment for cancer of the lung, head or neck often suffer severe weight loss - so much so that doctors sometimes have to suspend the potentially lifesaving therapy. New research conducted at Holston Valley Medical Center, however, has found that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer helps combat weight loss among patients receiving radiation treatment for lung and head and neck cancer. Dr. Byron May, a board-certified radiation oncologist at HVMC, is one of 12 researchers at five Southeast cancer centers who recently investigated the effectiveness of the drug megestrol acetate as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients. The results of the clinical trial were presented at a meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. "The average patient with head and neck cancer who has radiation and chemotherapy suffers moderate to severe problems two to three weeks into treatment," May said. "Treatment generally lasts two to three months. During the treatment, many patients lose 5 to 10 percent of their body weight, which is nutritionally horrible. "We've found that megestrol acetate stimulates appetite. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works for enough people to be valuable. It lets people go on with their radiation with no breaks, and it offers a better quality of life while people are receiving their treatments." People who receive radiation treatments for lung cancer and cancers of the head and neck often have difficulty swallowing and must take pain medications to eat or drink, May said. Radiation treatments affect the way food tastes, as well. "Most people who are undergoing radiation treatments tell me that everything they eat tastes like cardboard," he said. "When nothing tastes good and it hurts to eat, it can be difficult to make yourself eat." Megestrol acetate is a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone. The drug was originally used as a treatment for breast cancer and was found to induce weight gain. It has since been used to stimulate the appetite of patients with HIV and other chronic diseases. The recent research study involved 38 patients. Twenty patients received megestrol acetate daily during eight weeks of radiation treatment and for 12 weeks afterward. The remaining 18 patients received a placebo. The patients receiving megestrol acetate did not experience a significant weight change. By contrast, the patients receiving the placebo had a mean weight loss of 11 pounds after 20 weeks. "Megestrol acetate helps some people because it makes them want to eat," May said. "And patients who can eat and drink are more likely to go through their treatment with no breaks. The fewer breaks a patient has in his treatment, the better the outcome is likely to be." The research study was conducted by the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University Research Base, a National Cancer Institute-funded network of 93 community cancer centers in 19 states working with Wake Forest to conduct clinical trials in cancer patients. In addition to Holston Valley, other participating cancer centers were Wake Forest Baptist, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Gibbs Regional Cancer Center, Spartanburg, S.C.; Mountain Radiation Oncology, Asheville, N.C.; and Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.

Ecopia Receives No Objection Letter from Health Canada for Cancer Phase I Clinical Trial Thursday February 2, 3:33 pm ET MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(CCNMatthews - Feb. 2, 2006) - Ecopia BioSciences (TSX:EIA - News) announced today that it has received a No Objection Letter from the Therapeutics Products Directorate of Health Canada for the commencement of a Phase I clinical trial relating to the Company's anticancer agent, ECO-4601. ADVERTISEMENT Ecopia is proposing to conduct a Phase I clinical trial with up to 30 patients who will be recruited at the Clinical Research Unit of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital (JGH), a McGill University Teaching Hospital. Dr. Gerald Batist will chair the trial and Dr. Petr Kavan will be the Principal Investigator. Dr. Batist chairs the Department of Oncology of the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University and is the Scientific Director of the JGH-based Montreal Centre for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer. Dr. Kavan is an Associate Professor of the Department, the Director of the Adolescent and Young adult Oncology Program of the McGill University Department of Oncology, and an oncologist at the JGH. The type of patient to be recruited is one who suffers from one of six types of cancers and is refractory to current chemotherapies. Such cancers are glioblastomas, breast, prostate, ovarian, lung and colon cancers. The purpose of the trial is to test the safety and tolerability of ECO-4601. The clinical trial involves a 21-day cycle where different patients will receive escalating dosages of the compound via continuous infusion using ambulatory pumps for 14 days, followed by a seven-day rest. Recruitment of patients will begin before the end of this month. About Ecopia Ecopia is finding novel anticancer therapies from soil-dwelling microorganisms that are one of the most prolific sources of drugs. Our current focus is to move our flagship compound ECO-4601 through Phase I clinical trials. ECO-4601 is a novel small molecule that crosses the blood brain barrier and is effective in significantly inhibiting primary brain tumor growth and other types of cancers. Just like well-known chemotherapies such as doxorubicin and mitomycin C, ECO-4601 comes from microorganisms that live in common soil. However, unlike these drugs that were discovered many decades ago, ECO-4601 represents a new chemical class that is the fruit of a very unique drug discovery platform called the Decipher® technology. The common shares of Ecopia are listed on the TSX (symbol:EIA). Additional information about the Company can be obtained from Ecopia's website at www.ecopiabio.com.

Biotechnology company NeoRx announced yesterday that it had agreed a £37 million deal with private investors that will help fund research into cancer treatments. Money from the deal is expected to go towards continuing the company's picoplatin development programme. Picoplatin is a platinum-based cancer therapy that is designed to overcome platinum resistance in the treatment of solid tumours. The programme has already had success in reducing tumour activity in ovarian, lung and prostate cancers and further clinical trails are currently underway. Jerry McMahon, chairman and chief executive of the company, said he hopes the deal will help provide a more effective and safer therapy than approved chemotherapy drugs. The financing "would allow us to continue to support and expand clinical development of picoplatin", Mr McMahon said. MPM Capital led the deal, with other investors including Bay City Capital and Deerfield Management.

Deb was on Ketek!! I have issues but do not want to go there right now.

New Treatment: V.A.T.S. VATS: Less Pain, Faster Recovery After Chest Surgery Doctors cut extensively through muscle and cut through or spread apart the rib cage in traditional open-chest surgery, or thoracotomy. Now patients at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) have a less-invasive alternative if they need lung tissue removed: video-assisted thoracic surgery. VATS lung resections are available at only about 30 centers in the country, including the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), an SCCA parent organization. Small incisions are easier on patients VATS allows doctors to perform chest surgery through two to four small incisions, most less than an inch long. A camera inserted through one of the incisions guides their work. Images from the camera show on a video monitor. They use the other small incisions to insert their surgical instruments. In a traditional thoractomy, the surgeon makes a longer incision – usually about 6 to 10 inches long – often from the patient’s back around to her side. Then, in order to see and reach the organs that need repair, removal or other work, the surgeon must move the ribs out of the way by cutting or spreading them. This method, while sometimes necessary, is more traumatic to the body. So recovery can be painful and take many weeks. People who undergo VATS spend less time in the hospital, need less pain medication, have less scarring and recover much faster than those who undergo open-chest surgery. “I would find somebody who could do this for me if I needed [thoracic surgery] done,” says Dr. Michael Mulligan about VATS. “I do things for my patients that I would want someone to do for me. We’re in it together. “I am heavily involved in athletics and hope to begin competing in waterskiing very soon. The thought of having a lot of my back and chest-wall musculature divided would be devastating. I think VATS has a lot to offer, not only for athletes but for all appropriate candidates who want to optimize their postoperative function.” Mulligan is the only board-certified thoracic surgeon in Seattle who routinely performs anatomic lung resections using VATS. He has also performed more than 200 lung transplants and hundreds of other thoracic surgeries at the University of Washington. Read more about Mulligan. The main candidates for VATS among people who have cancer are those in the early stages of their disease, says Mulligan. Generally it’s not suitable for people receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (given before surgery) or those with bulky areas of disease in the thorax, he explains. Also, VATS may not be appropriate for people whose surgery will exceed a certain threshold of complexity because of the location or other characteristics of their cancer. Home and back to life within days While survival rates are about the same for open-chest surgery and for VATS, other measures of success dramatically favor VATS, Mulligan explains. “Our average time to discharge [after VATS] is just over two days,” says Mulligan. Many people are back to their usual activities in about one week. In contrast, after open-chest surgery, most patients spend one week in the hospital and four to six weeks recovering. Studies so far show that people who undergo VATS have less post-operative pain than those who have open-chest surgery. They have better shoulder function and better lung function when the same amount of lung tissue is removed. Also tests soon after surgery show they can walk further in six minutes than patients who have open surgery. Though VATS takes longer to perform than open-chest surgery, patients fair so much better with VATS that it’s been refreshing, says Mulligan. Their response has only reinforced his passion for his work. “It has been great to hear these patients’ reports about how well they are doing,” says Mulligan. “It’s been a real shot in the arm.”

Isis Earns Milestone Payment From Lilly CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced today that Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has initiated clinical trials of LY2275796 in cancer patients. LY2275796, a second-generation antisense drug, targets eukaryotic initiation factor-4E (eIF-4E), a protein involved in the translation of key growth and survival factors that contribute to tumor progression and the spread of cancers. LY2275796 was discovered in the Isis-Lilly drug discovery collaboration, and is the second antisense drug candidate from this strategic alliance to advance into Phase 1 development. Lilly will pay Isis $750,000 for the accomplishment of this milestone. In addition, Lilly is funding the development of LY2275796 and will make additional payments on the achievements of certain development and regulatory milestones, and royalties on product sales to Isis. "Advancing our second drug into clinical trials from the Isis-Lilly collaboration is an important milestone in the discovery and development of novel antisense drugs to treat significant diseases," said C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Antisense Research at Isis. "eIF-4E is a drug target that oncologists believe may play a key role in initiating and maintaining various cancers, yet considered 'undruggable' with traditional drug discovery technologies. Our specific and potent antisense drug has the potential to help patients suffering from cancer, including breast, head and neck, colon, prostate, bladder, and lung cancer." ABOUT LY2275796 AND eIF-4E LY2275796 targets eIF-4E, a protein that is increased in a variety of cancers, including breast, head and neck, prostate, lung, bladder, colon, thyroid and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The molecule facilitates the synthesis of tumor angiogenic factors (factors that facilitate the growth of new blood vessels to support the development and progression of tumors), growth factors and survival factors by selectively enhancing their translation. Based on scientific literature, there is a strong indication that eIF-4E may act as a critical "switch" in cancer progression. ABOUT ISIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has successfully commercialized the world's first antisense drug and has 12 antisense drugs in development to treat metabolic, cardiovascular, ocular and inflammatory diseases, and cancer. In its Ibis division, Isis is developing and commercializing the TIGER biosensor system, a revolutionary system to identify infectious organisms. As an innovator in RNA-based drug discovery and development, Isis is the owner or exclusive licensee of approximately 1,500 issued patents worldwide. Additional information about Isis is available at http://www.isispharm.com. This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Isis' collaboration with Eli Lilly and the development of LY2275796 to treat cancer. Any statement describing Isis' goals, expectations, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are described as Isis' goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing, and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Isis' forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Isis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Isis. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Isis' programs are described in additional detail in Isis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2005, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from the Company.

MEA, Have not walked in your shoes. You had good news once and you have to keep thinking you will get more good news. Will say prayers for you and your family. Medical Sccience can truly amaze you these days. Think Positive and will say a prayer tonite.

Praying For Good News and Hope all goes well. Think Positive and never give up. I know it is hard to do though. Think Happy thoughts.

Many cancer patients take a range of antioxidant vitamins in hope of improving their odds, but some research suggests the supplements may be doing more harm than good. A report published in CA, an American Cancer Society medical journal, says cancer patients shouldn't use antioxidants during radiation or chemotherapy because the supplements may reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Worse, some research suggests that antioxidants may actually feed cancers, protecting the very cancer cells patients are trying to attack. The news further clouds the role that vitamins play in promoting good health. Earlier this year, a major study showed that certain people who regularly take vitamin E supplements had a higher risk for heart failure. The notion that antioxidants may be harmful is likely to be upsetting and confusing to the large number of cancer patients gobbling down vitamins and supplements to help fight the disease. Studies show that as many as a third to half of cancer patients are taking antioxidants, vitamins and other supplements. Advertisement Antioxidants include beta carotene, lycopene and vitamins A, B, C and E, among others. In the body, antioxidants mop up rogue molecules called free radicals, which have the potential to cause extensive cell damage and are believed to play a role in heart disease, cancer and numerous other health problems. A substance that attacks free radicals would seem to battle cancer in theory. But the results of both lab and human studies of cancer and antioxidants have been mixed. One concern is that because chemotherapy treatments sometimes act against the cancer by producing free radicals, taking antioxidants could interfere with that effect. Some lab studies have shown that antioxidants can improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments, such as a 1997 study that showed antioxidant supplements boosted chemotherapy used for colon cancer patients. Other lab studies raise questions about their use, however. For instance, a 1995 report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry showed that cancer cells in a petri dish actually absorb more vitamin C than normal cells, suggesting that vitamin C is better at protecting tumors than healthy tissues. Until more is known, patients undergoing treatment should avoid high-dose supplements, concludes Gabriella M. D'Andrea, breast oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of the CA article. In her review of the scientific evidence on use of antioxidant supplements to prevent or treat cancer, D'Andrea found a handful of human trials that showed supplements often don't benefit cancer patients and may be causing harm. "We would love to find a nutrient or antioxidant that could be anticancer, but I think we need to be very cautious," D'Andrea says. For instance, two randomized trials of patients with advanced cancer found no benefit from vitamin C supplements and suggested that survival may have been worse in the vitamin group. Two large trials of smokers and former smokers found that beta carotene supplements appeared to increase lung cancer risk. Last year, the British medical journal Lancet published a study showing that antioxidants didn't prevent gastrointestinal cancers and may have increased mortality risk. In a 2002 study of early-stage breast cancer patients undergoing treatment, some were prescribed large doses of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Results weren't conclusive but suggested survival may be worse in the antioxidant users. A major study this year of patients at risk for heart disease showed high doses of vitamin E had no impact on risk of melanoma, prostate, lung, oral, colorectal or breast cancers, but they were linked with higher risk for heart failure. A separate vitamin E study showed head-and-neck-cancer patients who took the supplement increased their risk for developing a second cancer. D'Andrea says a large human trial is needed to show the real impact vitamins and antioxidants have on cancer patients. The problem is that such trials are expensive, and it's notoriously difficult to study supplements because dietary patterns vary so widely and issues like fat content and fruit and vegetable consumption may alter the way one supplement acts in different people. Certainly, none of this means cancer patients should never take vitamins or other supplements. Many cancer patients suffer nutrition problems and may be advised to take vitamins. The main concern is that patients discuss diet changes with their doctor. "A lot of people think nutrients in any dose are harmless, but that may not be the case," says Marji McCullough, nutritional epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society. "It's probably prudent to say people should avoid taking large doses of any single supplement unless specifically recommended to do so from their doctor." Patients still may be able to help themselves by adopting a lifestyle of healthful eating and exercise. In May, researchers released the results of a study of 2,400 postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. The study showed that a low-fat diet can lower the chances of the cancer coming back by 24 percent.

Don & Lucie, NEver got the chance to start that drug but was supoosed to on Jan 23 when Deb passed awy. Lots of prayers for you guys and much love to you . Go get em gang we are with you always.

Aranesp supposedly does bettr than Procrit. Onc says Procrit is shorter term acting than Aranesp shot. I agree with everyone. I was asking about alimta avastin and told 10,000 each. Drs office called and it was covered under my insurance. Did not get to try it though. Good Luck

FDA Approves New Cancer Drug Save It Email It Print It (AP) WASHINGTON A new drug that combats both a rare stomach cancer and advanced kidney cancer won speedy federal approval Thursday. Sunitinib, to be marketed by Pfizer Inc. as Sutent, is the first cancer drug to simultaneously win Food and Drug Administration approval for two conditions, the agency said. The FDA granted the medication priority review as a kidney cancer drug and approved it just six months later, given its usefulness in treating the serious and life-threatening disease. A trial of Sutent as a stomach cancer treatment was cut short after the drug's ability to delay tumor growth prompted researchers to give the Pfizer drug to patients who had been taking placebos, or dummy medication. Sutent works by depriving tumor cells of the blood and nutrients needed to grow. The once-a-day capsule is meant to treat both gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a rare stomach cancer also known as GIST, and advanced kidney cancer. Pfizer is studying the drug for use in treating other cancers, including colorectal, breast and lung cancer. The approval comes a month after the FDA gave its OK to sorafenib tosylate, or Nexavar, the first new drug for kidney cancer patients approved in a decade. That drug was developed by Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals. "It's obvious in renal cell carcinoma, there have been a dearth of active therapies available," said Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of FDA's Office of Oncology Drug Products. Other therapies include interferon and interleukin-2. Dr. Charles Baum, Pfizer's global clinical leader for Sutent, said the drug's effect is "many folds greater than what's been the case with previous treatments." About 32,000 new cases of advanced kidney cancer and 5,000 cases of GIST are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The FDA said Sutent should be used by GIST patients whose disease has progressed or who are unable to tolerate Gleevec, a Novartis drug currently used to treat the cancer. Studies show the drug slows the growth of tumors in those patients. In patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma - the most common type of kidney cancer - clinical trials showed Sutent reduced the size of tumors. The FDA says it worked with Pfizer to make the drug more widely available even before approving it. More than 1,700 patients are being treated with the drug, according to the agency. Side effects include diarrhea, skin discoloration, mouth irritation, weakness and altered taste. Also, hyperthyroidism affected 4 percent of patients in trials.

White blood cell count linked to cancer deaths Source: (cancerfacts.com) Monday, January 30, 2006 CHICAGO– Jan. 30, 2006 – A high white blood cell count, a sign of inflammation, may be a reliable marker for having a high likelihood of dying of cancer, according to new study. Led by Dr. Anoop Shankar, of the National University of Singpore, the research team found, in a study of more than 3,000 Australians who averaged 65.9 years old, that the risk of dying of cancer was greatest among the 25 percent of the study participants with the highest white blood cell count. The study appears in the Jan. 23 Archives of Internal Medicine. "In our study, WBC (white blood cell) count was associated with cancer mortality, even after adjusting for smoking status," the authors wrote. "In subgroup analyses, the association was also present among those who never smoked, suggesting that the observed association between WBC count and cancer mortality is not fully explained by smoking." White blood cell count, or the number of infection-fighting white blood cells in a specified quantity of blood, is a reliable and widely used marker that reflects inflammation throughout the body. People who smoke or have acute or chronic infections generally have a higher WBC count. Previous studies have linked WBC count to other chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes. Some studies have also suggested that inflammation is related to the development and progression of cancer, but few researchers have examined whether WBC count and other markers of inflammation can predict cancer, the authors wrote. To assess this potential link, Shankar and colleagues studied 3,189 Australians enrolled in an eye study. Eligible participants were born before Jan. 1, 1943, and were free of cancer when they were initially evaluated between 1992 and 1994. By the end of the study, on Dec. 31, 2001, 212 participants had died of cancer. After controlling for other factors that might affect WBC count, including smoking, diabetes and aspirin use, the researchers found that the individuals in the 25 percent of the study population with the highest WBC counts had an increased risk of death from cancer. The association appeared especially strong for participants who died of lung cancer. The study also suggests that aspirin may have a greater protective effect against cancer for those with high WBC, as the risk of cancer death was higher among those with high WBC who did not take aspirin weekly than among those who did. SOURCE: Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:188-194.

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU GUYS Always nice to hear great news right now. Much love and many prayers to your family for continuing success.

Deb had Both Drugs with success but not at the same time. If we can do anything let us know and keep us posted. PRaying hard in the Carolinas for good news and soon. Think Positive

Saying Prayers For your Family in this time of need. Think Positive. There is much love and prayers. check Make sure about Ketek Drug Can't stress this enough right now. Will keep Prayiing for a speedy recovery.

US Institute has a website named clinical trials.gov currently 372 studies going on for trials. Even Yoga Based Cancer Rehabilitation. Type in Clinical Trials .gov.

FDA Approves New Cancer Drug WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP / CBS) Fast Fact About 32,000 new cases of advanced kidney cancer and 5,000 cases of GIST are diagnosed each year. The FDA says over 1,700 patients are being treated with the newly approved drug. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP) A new drug that combats both a rare stomach cancer and advanced kidney cancer won speedy federal approval Thursday. Sunitinib, to be marketed by Pfizer Inc. as Sutent, is the first cancer drug to simultaneously win Food and Drug Administration approval for two conditions, the agency said. The FDA granted the medication priority review as a kidney cancer drug and approved it just six months later, given its usefulness in treating the serious and life-threatening disease. A trial of Sutent as a stomach cancer treatment was cut short after the drug's ability to delay tumor growth prompted researchers to give the Pfizer drug to patients who had been taking placebos, or dummy medication. Sutent works by depriving tumor cells of the blood and nutrients needed to grow. The once-a-day capsule is meant to treat both gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a rare stomach cancer also known as GIST, and advanced kidney cancer. Pfizer is studying the drug for use in treating other cancers, including colorectal, breast and lung cancer. The approval comes a month after the FDA gave its OK to sorafenib tosylate, or Nexavar, the first new drug for kidney cancer patients approved in a decade. That drug was developed by Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals. "It's obvious in renal cell carcinoma, there have been a dearth of active therapies available," said Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of FDA's Office of Oncology Drug Products. Other therapies include interferon and interleukin-2. Dr. Charles Baum, Pfizer's global clinical leader for Sutent, said the drug's effect is "many folds greater than what's been the case with previous treatments." About 32,000 new cases of advanced kidney cancer and 5,000 cases of GIST are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The FDA said Sutent should be used by GIST patients whose disease has progressed or who are unable to tolerate Gleevec, a Novartis drug currently used to treat the cancer. Studies show the drug slows the growth of tumors in those patients. In patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma - the most common type of kidney cancer - clinical trials showed Sutent reduced the size of tumors. The FDA says it worked with Pfizer to make the drug more widely available even before approving it. More than 1,700 patients are being treated with the drug, according to the agency. Side effects include diarrhea, skin discoloration, mouth irritation, weakness and altered taste. Also, hyperthyroidism affected 4 percent of patients in trials. ©MMVI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Sending Many Prayers for you guys and gals at this trying time from under the Carolina Blue skies.

Brief Communication: Severe Hepatotoxicity of Telithromycin: Three Case Reports and Literature Review Kimberly D. Clay, MD, MPH; John S. Hanson, MD; Scott D. Pope, PharmD; Richard W. Rissmiller, MD; Preston P. Purdum III, MD; and Peter M. Banks, MD 21 March 2006 | Volume 144 Issue 6 | Background: Telithromycin is a ketolide antibiotic approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for acute bacterial infections causing sinusitis, bronchitis, and community-acquired pneumonia. Objective: To describe 3 cases of severe hepatotoxicity in patients receiving telithromycin. Design: Case reports. Setting: A tertiary care medical center. Patients: 3 previously healthy patients who had recently taken telithromycin and no other prescription medications. Measurements: Serologic, histologic, and liver function tests. Results: Within a few days of receiving telithromycin, the patients presented with acute hepatitis. All had jaundice and markedly abnormal results on liver function tests. Results of viral serologic tests were negative. One patient spontaneously recovered, 1 required orthotopic liver transplantation, and 1 died. Histologic examination in the latter 2 patients showed massive hepatic necrosis. Limitations: Two patients had some history of alcohol use. The frequency of severe telithromycin-related hepatotoxicity cannot be established with case reports. Conclusions: Telithromycin can cause severe hepatotoxicity. Caution is advised in prescribing this drug pending additional postmarketing surveillance data. Telithromycin is the first ketolide antibacterial agent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Derived from the macrolide class of antibacterial agents, telithromycin is approved for use in respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, sinusitis, and bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (1). Ketolides are semisynthetic derivatives of the macrolides, with side-chain modifications on the 14-membered ring structure. These alterations substantially affect the molecule’s acid stability and create the ability to overcome most types of macrolide resistance (2). More than 30% of a telithromycin dose is metabolized by the liver; 50% is mediated by cytochrome P450 3A4, and 50% is cytochrome P450–independent (1). Approximately 20% of the dose is excreted unchanged in the bile, intestines, and urine (1). We present 3 cases of drug-induced hepatotoxicity thought to be secondary to telithromycin. One case required liver transplantation, and 1 resulted in death. Each patient received medical care from at least 1 of the authors. Two of the 3 patients were hospitalized at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the course of their treatment after taking telithromycin. All 3 cases have been reported to the FDA Plesase Check this out for your Onc. Could be a major factor I Am. Deb was on this medicine.

I remember when gas was under a dollar a gallon. I am only 43. Ded had a 1963 Cadillac sedan De Ville. Ah Yesss.

Let the tears Flow it is the only way. Remember, YOU ARE NEVER ALONE EVER. Much love to all and many prayers