RandyW

Dear Pat, Could this possibly be pericarditis? This is caused by a build up of fluid around the heart and can usually be fixed with surgery for a window. This may not be the answer, but it is a good question to ask. the only way is to ask your Onc. I am not a doctor but this is a thought that I had. DEb Had This too. I will say prayers for you guys, Take Care and good Luck

Thank you and take comfort that you will be together some day. You have an angel looking over you until that time comes. Will say a prayer for your family

Never Give Up the Fight!!!! We plan to go out fighting kicking and screaming if we have to. I also like to say a prayer under the stars at night. It is very relaxing and empowering to do it this way. I will say one for you tonight.

I once cooked dinner for Greg"The Shark" Norman, LArry Byrd, Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, JimPhillips Of The Phillies; at the same time.RSW Deb once sent an Elephant to Alex Trebek and it is still in his office.

DEb gets an aranesp everyweek to bring counts up. They help with her energy level some and elevate RBCs. Aranesp works longer than Procrit but they are the same other than that.

You Rock Steph!!!!! HE is lucky to have a "Coach" Like you in his corner. He is The True Fighter, therefore you would be the coach directing the fight. Good Luck

Lung cancer is the tragic--and neglected--epidemic of our time Featured Advertiser Lung cancer is the tragic--and neglected--epidemic of our time Date published: 11/9/2005 CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--As we observe Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, the events of this year become particularly poignant. The death of ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, a former smoker, was one such event. Another was the announce- ment by Dana Reeve, Christopher Reeve's widow, that she, too, has lung cancer, even though she has never smoked. The stories of these two individuals have personalized lung cancer in much the same way Rock Hudson's death personalized the AIDS epidemic. And indeed lung cancer also qualifies as an epidemic. It is this nation's largest killer among all cancers, causing more American deaths each year than liver, colon, prostate and breast cancers combined. About 173,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year; about 164,000 are expected to die from the disease during the same time. Yet federal funding for lung cancer research has consistently lagged behind other cancers. The National Cancer Institute estimates that it will spend about half as much on lung cancer research this year as it does on breast cancer research, even though lung cancer is expected to kill four times as many people. Probably as a result of chronic underfunding, five-year survival rates have not improved for lung cancer over the past three decades, whereas they have improved significantly for most other cancers. Today, as in the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer hovers at around 15 percent, with 60 percent dying in the first year after diagnosis. Compare this to the prostate cancer five-year survival rate that has soared from 67 percent to 99 percent. Why has lung cancer been neglected? One reason is stigmatization. Lung cancer patients are frequently blamed for having smoked. It's true that most lung cancer patients have smoked at one time or another, but it's also true that half of the people now being diagnosed with lung cancer are either nonsmokers or have quit smoking. About 15 percent have never smoked. Dana Reeve's announcement also brings to mind another disturbing trend: the number of non-smoking younger women who have been diagnosed with lung cancer. An estimated one in five women lung cancer patients has never smoked. And, while the number of men diagnosed with lung cancer has been going down, the number of women has been rising over recent decades. The American Cancer Society estimates that 73,020 women will die this year from lung cancer, about 14,000 of whom are women who never smoked. Another possible reason for the neglect of lung cancer is the low survival rate. Tragically, this means there are few survivors to act as advocates and long-term testing is practically impossible. This makes it all the more urgent that others in the community become advocates. As we have seen with other illnesses, it is possible for compassion to tip the balance. While companies and research organizations have invested hundreds of millions in lung cancer research, and progress is being made, there is a need for a nationwide effort on a broad front if we are to prolong the lives of lung cancer sufferers. The Lung Cancer Alliance, a national nonprofit advocacy group, is executing an aggressive campaign to bring pressure to bear on Congress to step up funding for lung cancer research. Be sure to urge your congressional representatives to fund lung cancer research. It's time we went on the offensive with this dangerous killer. DR. MARK A. SOCINSKI is an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Date published: 11/9/2005

Lung cancer is the tragic--and neglected--epidemic of our time Featured Advertiser When it comes to our customers we have a hard time saying no. But this week we are putting our foot down! NO PAYMENTS UNTIL 2006! Ultimate Buick Pontiac GMC Isuzu 5150 Jefferson Davis Hwy Fredericksburg, VA 22408 Lung cancer is the tragic--and neglected--epidemic of our time Date published: 11/9/2005 CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--As we observe Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, the events of this year become particularly poignant. The death of ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, a former smoker, was one such event. Another was the announce- ment by Dana Reeve, Christopher Reeve's widow, that she, too, has lung cancer, even though she has never smoked. The stories of these two individuals have personalized lung cancer in much the same way Rock Hudson's death personalized the AIDS epidemic. And indeed lung cancer also qualifies as an epidemic. It is this nation's largest killer among all cancers, causing more American deaths each year than liver, colon, prostate and breast cancers combined. About 173,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year; about 164,000 are expected to die from the disease during the same time. Yet federal funding for lung cancer research has consistently lagged behind other cancers. The National Cancer Institute estimates that it will spend about half as much on lung cancer research this year as it does on breast cancer research, even though lung cancer is expected to kill four times as many people. Probably as a result of chronic underfunding, five-year survival rates have not improved for lung cancer over the past three decades, whereas they have improved significantly for most other cancers. Today, as in the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer hovers at around 15 percent, with 60 percent dying in the first year after diagnosis. Compare this to the prostate cancer five-year survival rate that has soared from 67 percent to 99 percent. Why has lung cancer been neglected? One reason is stigmatization. Lung cancer patients are frequently blamed for having smoked. It's true that most lung cancer patients have smoked at one time or another, but it's also true that half of the people now being diagnosed with lung cancer are either nonsmokers or have quit smoking. About 15 percent have never smoked. Dana Reeve's announcement also brings to mind another disturbing trend: the number of non-smoking younger women who have been diagnosed with lung cancer. An estimated one in five women lung cancer patients has never smoked. And, while the number of men diagnosed with lung cancer has been going down, the number of women has been rising over recent decades. The American Cancer Society estimates that 73,020 women will die this year from lung cancer, about 14,000 of whom are women who never smoked. Another possible reason for the neglect of lung cancer is the low survival rate. Tragically, this means there are few survivors to act as advocates and long-term testing is practically impossible. This makes it all the more urgent that others in the community become advocates. As we have seen with other illnesses, it is possible for compassion to tip the balance. While companies and research organizations have invested hundreds of millions in lung cancer research, and progress is being made, there is a need for a nationwide effort on a broad front if we are to prolong the lives of lung cancer sufferers. The Lung Cancer Alliance, a national nonprofit advocacy group, is executing an aggressive campaign to bring pressure to bear on Congress to step up funding for lung cancer research. Be sure to urge your congressional representatives to fund lung cancer research. It's time we went on the offensive with this dangerous killer. DR. MARK A. SOCINSKI is an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Date published: 11/9/2005

sex and Prostate Cancer? Just Kidding I Know the Answer to that

Chronotherapy Helps Lung Cancer Patient on the Road to Recovery Olszowka was diagnosed with lung cancer on New Year's Eve, 2002. The prognosis was very grim: her disease had advanced to Stage four and was inoperable. Though Olszowka was told she had months to live, she decided she was going to fight the disease, and ultimately found her way to cancer specialist, Keith Block, MD, where she received chronotherapy as part of her treatment plan. Today, she is doing very well and enjoying her two children and six grandchildren. EVANSTON, IL (PRWEB) November 8, 2005 -- Margaret Olszowka was diagnosed with lung cancer on New Year's Eve, 2002. The prognosis was very grim: her disease had advanced to Stage 4 and was inoperable. Doctors at a very well known university hospital told her there was nothing they could do for her. They didn't even offer chemotherapy as an option; she was told she had months to live. However, instead of giving up, she decided she was going to fight the disease, and ultimately found her way to cancer specialist, Keith Block, MD, where she received chronotherapy as part of her treatment plan. Today, she is doing very well and enjoying her two children and six grandchildren. She wants the world to know about the role chronotherapy played in her survival in the hopes of helping other cancer patients. What is chronotherapy? Chronotherapy takes into account how our body's natural rhythms' impact our ability to process medications. Patterns like sleeping, menstrual cycles, even our physical response to the changing seasons, are different for everyone. In the old days we called these biorhythms. Today, doctors are finding that understanding a patient’s biorhythms, and coordinating the timing of their medical treatments to these biorhythms, can profoundly affect the outcome of their treatments. This is called "chronotherapy." “Every drug has an optimal time when it is least toxic and most effective," says Keith Block, MD, editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, and Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Education, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago (UIC), and at the Department of Pharmacology. For cancer treatment, this is determined by several factors, including the biological uniqueness of the particular drug being given, the time when the specific type of cancer cells divide the most, when the normal healthy cells of the patient generally divide the least, the patient’s circadian clock and individual rest-activity cycles, and even the time zone the person resides in." According to Dr. Michael Smolensky, co-author of the book The Body Clock Guide to Better Health, "When cancer medications are given in a chronobiological manner, patients may be able to tolerate higher, more potent doses than would be possible otherwise." “This method of administering chemotherapy is revolutionary and has demonstrated in large randomized trials its potential to improve survival,” states Dr. Block. ”We have found that often patients receiving chronotherapy reduce what would have been recurring side effects of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. This is important because the debilitation caused by chemo can cause patients to reduce or even stop treatments that could otherwise help them win their battle with cancer.” Chronotherapy is being widely researched around the world: There are over 62,000 references in PubMed (the National Institute of Health’s archive of biomedical and life sciences journal articles) about chronobiology (how biology is affected by timing) and over 500 scientific articles specifically about chronotherapy. The National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) devoted an entire web cast for doctors on chronotherapy. So why isn’t chronotherapy used more widely? One of the main problems has been logistics – figuring out how to deliver chemotherapy in exactly timed doses. “Portable infusion pumps may hold the answer,” explains Gerald Sokol, MD, an oncologist with the division of oncology in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Dr. Block has brought technology to the U.S. that administers chemotherapy via a pump designed to precisely time up to four channels of infusion simultaneously to the individual needs of a patient. Highly portable and small enough to fit in a fanny pack, patients are able to maintain full mobility, play sports, and enjoy a full night's sleep – while receiving their specifically timed cancer therapy. About the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care and Optimal Health: The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care and Optimal Health, located in Evanston, Illinois, was founded in 1980 by Penny and Keith Block, M.D. with a focus on treating the patient as a whole person, not treating just the diagnosis or symptoms. The Center's research-based treatment integrates an innovative approach to the best of conventional medicine with scientifically sound complementary therapies -- therapeutic nutrition, botanical and phytonutrient supplementation, prescriptive exercise, and systematic mind-body strategies -- to enhance the recovery process. Block has pioneered this "middle ground" approach to cancer care and optimal health – designing a total treatment plan that is tailored to the precise needs of each patient, using a unique set of clinical and laboratory assessments. The Block Center is breaking new ground with the creation and development of Cancer Rehab as an innovative treatment modality, and is currently the only private North American medical center using chronomodulated chemotherapy. Dr .Block was recently appointed to the US National Institutes of Health’s PDQ Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Editorial Board in Bethesda, MD. While the Block Center is a full treatment clinic, it is involved in collaborative research with university facilities in the United States and Israel (www.blockmd.com). ### Email this story to a colleague Printer Friendly Version Leni S. Kass HOEFFNER PR GROUP, LTD. Visit Our Site 847-229-88911 Email us Here There are no multimedia files attached to this release. If this is your release, you may add images or other multimedia files through your login. If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the company listed in the press release. Please do not contact PRWeb. We will be unable to assist you with your inquiry. PRWeb disclaims any content contained in these release. Our complete disclaimer appears here.

Cheek Cells Used To Identify Lung Cancer A novel test for lung cancer uses inner cheek cells to identify the disease in high-risk patients. In a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), scientists found that buccal mucosa, or cells scraped from the inner part of the cheek, may contain information that separates patients with lung cancer from high-risk negatives, a finding that may support cheek cell analysis as a simple and inexpensive early screening method for patients at risk for lung cancer. Related News Stories Untreated, Women With Lung Cancer Live Longer Than Men (November 4, 2005) -- Women with lung cancer are living longer than men, even when the disease is untreated, shows a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American ... > full story Lung Function Regulated By Circadian Rhythms; Exercise And Respiratory Treatments May Be Best In Afternoon (October 29, 2004) -- Circadian rhythms, the body's biological processes that repeat in 24-hour cycles, may have a significant effect on a person's lung function and, ultimately, help determine the best time of ... > full story Female Smokers Are Twice As Likely As Male Smokers To Develop Lung Cancer (December 2, 2003) -- Women have double the risk of developing lung cancer from tobacco use than do men, according to 10 years of research using computed tomography (CT) screening. The study also found that the risk for ... > full story Duke Study Shows Size Of Lung Tumor Does Not Always Reflect Cancer Severity (December 14, 2001) -- A fundamental assumption of lung cancer screening is that small tumors are less likely to have metastasized -- spreading to other organs -- than large tumors. But a new study by Duke Comprehensive ... > full story > more related stories -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related section: Health & Medicine "Previous research has shown that cell nuclear changes can extend a significant distance from the site of a malignancy. We have already conducted a successful clinical trial for our sputum test for lung cancer. New data suggest that the effects of lung cancer can also be measured as far away as skin cells in the mouth," said lead researcher Bojana Turic, MD, Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, Perceptronix, Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada. "Although a clinical test based on buccal cells is still in development, the method of analyzing cheek cells to detect cancer is showing interesting results." Dr. Turic and colleagues analyzed randomized cheek scrapings of 150 confirmed lung cancer patients and 990 high-risk patients, using Automated Quantitative Cytometry (AQC). Able to detect subtle changes in buccal cell nuclei, the AQC system analyzes several thousand cells per specimen and reduces the data to a single score that predicts the likelihood of the presence of cancer. Of the buccal specimens collected, the AQC showed 66 percent sensitivity at 70 percent specificity overall, and 61 percent sensitivity for stage I lung cancer, which comprised 47 of the 150 cases. "Stage I lung cancer is considered treatable, but most lung cancers are currently detected beyond stage I," said Dr. Turic. "We believe that early detection is the key to reducing lung cancer mortality and have focused our approach around detecting stage I lung cancer." Although the test is not intended for screening the general population, researchers are hopeful that the AQC method will become an accurate, noninvasive, inexpensive, and easy-to-administer lung cancer detection test for patients at risk for lung cancer. "A sufficient amount of cells can be collected by scraping the inside of the cheek with a small wooden spatula similar to a tongue depressor," said Dr. Turic. "Ultimately, this test could be administered in primary care settings or dental offices. The procedure is simple enough that specimen collection could be done by patients themselves." Researchers stress that additional clinical testing of the AQC method is needed, using a sufficient number and appropriate sample of patients in order to validate the test's performance. Researchers have also developed a sputum test that utilizes the AQC method. They hope to receive Canadian regulatory approval in early 2006. Both tests are intended to provide pulmonary physicians with valuable information to help them manage patients at risk of developing or suspected of having lung cancer. "Each year, great strides are made in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer," said W. Michael Alberts, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. "As with any new cancer screening or therapy, rigorous testing must be conducted in order to establish its safety and efficacy. Therefore, we must remain cautious but hopeful regarding new advances in their initial testing stages."

My wife deb and I Met while enrolled in culinary school we both cook great

Deb has lost her voice and we do not know what happened to it, Really. She was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks with C.Diff. During that time she became speechless almost to a whisper at sometimes. Scan shows tumor is shrinking, but because of location it could be resting against the vocal cord nerves causing the inability to speak. Has anyone had this problem and is there anything we can inquire about for possible therapy to recover the vocal ability. Heaven forbid she has to use the phone for an emergency when I am at work! If anyone can offer some assistance it would be appreciated. Thanks.

There are many factors involved in stoppimg chemo. a lot of the time it depends on whether the Onc feels it is or is not working. My wife has had multiple transfusions of blood for low counts. She fell ill and was taken off a drug that has shown promise. We will find out this week if treatments will be resuming on thursday I think. She is taking a break from this drug to regain strength. She was taken off of Tarceva when aScan showed the tumour was growing but not spreading. The Tarceva had reached the point where the Cancer became immune to it; thus not working. She has been through other combos as well and they were stopped because of Cat Scans of the tumour. It depends again on the Type of cancer and many other factors, not just any one thing. I do hope this will help for Info and Reassurance of this issue. Your Fathers Onc can give you a truer insight into this subject. Good Luck

Lung-sparing treatment for cancer proving effective Category: Lung Cancer News Article Date: 06 Nov 2005 Lung cancer patients with extenuating health problems may have an alternative to traditional radiation therapy through a lung-sparing procedure pioneered at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer responded well to high doses of radiation administered through extracranial stereotactic body radiation therapy, according to an article published in the Nov. 15 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics. The Phase I clinical trial, which looked at the safety and efficacy of the procedure, treated 47 individuals with early-stage cancer who normally would have received surgery and radiation therapy. These patients had extenuating health problems that made them poor candidates for surgery. "Patients receiving the extracranial stereotactic body radiation were spared the trauma of surgery but were able to undergo higher doses of radiation for a shorter period of time than the standard treatment," said Ronald C. McGarry, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and an IU professor of radiation oncology. "I think of the treatment as a lung-sparing approach, and this study shows it is one of the most effective options for lung cancer patients for whom surgery is not an option." Using precision mapping of the tumor and a sterotactic body frame that keeps the patient virtually immobile, physicians escalated radiation dosages, directing it all to the tumor site and sparing health surrounding tissue. The mapping allows physicians to administer higher doses of radiation while safeguarding uninvolved tissue and organs. Patients received three treatments in seven to 10 days versus standard therapy of 35 treatments over a six-week period. Physicians treated patients in this study with escalating doses of radiation therapy and were surprised that the careful planning resulted in patients tolerating very intense treatment with few long-term side effects. Only one patient in the higher dose groups had a return of the treated cancer, although 14 of the 47 patients developed spread (metastasis) of their lung cancer. Using the high doses achieved in the first phase of the research, a second trial of more than 70 patients was completed over a year ago. A median follow-up of two years revealed only three of the patients had a cancer recurrence. These optimistic preliminary results of the second trial were reported at the October meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology in Denver, Colo. Final analysis of this data will be completed in 2006. Early cancer spread is not uncommon with lung cancer, said Dr. McGarry. As a pioneer in extracranial stereotactic body radiation therapy, the IU School of Medicine has developed a third clinical trial now underway. Patients with early stage lung cancer will receive the intense therapy to control their lung cancer followed by mild chemotherapy in an effort to control microscopic disease which can spread early in the process. Dr. McGarry said he is hopeful this trial will produce even greater cure rates. "Stereotactic body radiation therapy is proving to be a safe and effective way to treat early stage lung cancer in medically inoperable patients," said Dr. McGarry. "This treatment may become standard treatment for frail patients and an alternative to lobectomy for other patients who do not have the medical complications." Mary Hardin mhardin@iupui.edu Indiana University newsinfo.iu.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - View the latest

Cetuximab clinical trial programme accelerates Category: Cancer/Oncology News Article Date: 06 Nov 2005 The clinical trial programme for cetuximab (Erbitux) is gathering pace with new studies underway in a broad range of malignancies, according to presentations at the 13th Annual European Conference on Clinical Oncology, held this week in Paris, France. Scientists from the Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD) announced a major pan-European collaboration to investigate whether cetuximab in combination with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (FOLFOX-4) will reduce disease recurrence and prolong survival in fully resected stage III colon cancer after surgery. The intergroup study will be conducted in collaboration with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and will recruit 2,000 patients. Around 25 percent of the 370,000 patients in Europe diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year present with stage III disease, in which the tumor has already spread through the bowel wall and to regional lymph nodes. Although surgery followed by chemotherapy has significantly improved survival, approximately one third of the patients are likely to experience disease recurrence within three years. In the PETACC-8 study, patients with fully resected stage III colorectal cancer will be randomly assigned to receive either cetuximab in combination with FOLFOX-4 or FOLFOX-4 alone, after surgery. Treatments will be administered for 6 months. About 340 leading centres will be open for recruitment across Europe, including France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, UK, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, and others. “With more and more people developing colorectal cancer, and a recurrence rate of at least 30 percent in patients with fully resected stage III disease, we need to improve patients' outcomes by including new targeted therapies in our therapeutic armamentarium,” said Dr Julien Taïeb from the Groupe Hospitalier Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, and the study principal investigator. “We really hope that the combination of cetuximab and FOLFOX, already seen to be efficient in patients with advanced disease, will significantly improve disease-free survival after surgery.” First line in colorectal Also at the ECCO 13, Merck KGaA announced that recruitment has just been completed for CRYSTAL, a global phase III clinical trial examining first-line use of cetuximab in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. In the study, 1,212 patients who have received no prior chemotherapy apart from in the adjuvant (post-surgery) setting were randomized to receive either Cetuximab in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and folinic acid (FA) plus irinotecan or 5-FU/FA plus irinotecan alone. The patients were recruited at 189 centers worldwide, including Europe, Australia, South Africa, Latin America and Asia. Recruitment. which began in August 2004 was completed earlier than expected. The primary endpoint of the study is progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints are overall survival, response rate, quality of life and safety. Results are expected to be available early next year. “With five-year survival reported at only 3 percent in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, there is a real need to concentrate efforts on clinical development programs that may improve treatment options and long-term outcomes for these patients,” said Professor Eric Van Cutsem of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven, Belgium, and CRYSTAL lead investigator. “Preliminary studies of Erbitux in the first-line setting are showing consistently high response rates and some very promising outcomes. It is now important to establish how introducing Erbitux earlier in the treatment strategy may benefit patients in the long-term.” Also announced at ECCO, were results from an independent expert review of the ACROBAT study (phase II study of cetuximab in combination with FOLFOX-4 in the first-line treatment of 42 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The independent expert review confirmed a response rate of 79 percent (investigator assessment was 81 percent). The review confirmed that 10 patients (23 percent) whose cancer had spread beyond the bowel became eligible to receive surgical resection for previously inoperable liver metastases. Surgical resection provides the best hope for five-year survival. For patients who have not had surgery and who are treated with the best available chemotherapy without cetuximab, median survival is approximately 20 months. First-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer is also being investigated in the COIN study - a phase III trial conducted by the Clinical Trials Unit of the UK's Medical Research Council, United Kingdom. The trial involves 2,400 patients and comprises three arms: continuous oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (control), continuous oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy with cetuximab and intermittent oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Merck KGaA's phase III clinical trial program involves approximately 5,000 patients and is investigating the use of cetuximab in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with best available chemotherapies _ irinotecan- and oxaliplatin-based _ in the first- and second-line setting as well as first-line settings in non-small-cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Cetuximab specifically targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) which is often present on cancer cells. Blocking the EGFR helps prevent tumors from growing and cancer cells from spreading to other organs in the body. Cetuximab is currently under study in a range of EGFR-expressing tumor types including colon cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, non-small-cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and rectal cancer. A marketing authorization application was submitted by Merck KGaA on 30 August 2005 to Swissmedic and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for approval to extend the use of cetuximab in the treatment of head and neck cancer. “In head and neck cancer, new therapies are needed to inhibit the cancer process and to increase the activity of more common therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy without increasing toxicities such as mucositis,” said Professor Jean Louis Lefebvre, Head of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France. Reviewing current trials of cetuximab in the treatment of head and neck cancer, Professor Jan Vermorken, University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium said that cetuximab may prolong survival of head and neck cancer patients who have failed platinum therapy (showing a 2.5 months increase compared with data from a retrospective study using conventional therapies). “Erbitux does not increase toxicities associated with platinum-based chemotherapy, and skin reactions, the most frequently occurring side-effect can be well managed.” In locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer treated by radiotherapy, he said that cetuximab showed activity and significantly improved locoregional control. “Erbitux significantly improves survival in these patients by 13% _ an additional 26 months median survival.” http://www.merck.de -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -.

Praying That the Sad News will soon be Glad News

YYYYEEEAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praying For Recovery In North Carolina

Will Do Prayers under the stars

DEb came home from the hospital Friday after almost 3 weeks of battling C.Diff. Weight is normal feeling like a fighter again. Lots of Nights praying under the stars really does work I think.

Thanks I Did not Know that

I understand everyones issues withe the causes of lung cancer. I live 30 minutes from RJReynolds and Phillip Morris and work 15 minutes from Lorrilard those are the biggest offenders for smoking caused Lung Cancer

LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 2005 BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, according the American Cancer Society, during 2005 lung cancer will claim the lives of more than 170,000 Americans – over 5,000 of them in North Carolina; and WHEREAS, according the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in all of the United States for both men and women; and WHEREAS, according the American Cancer Society, 85% of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their initial diagnosis; and WHEREAS, according the American Cancer Society, genetics, environmental factors and as yet undetermined factors are all causes of lung cancer and 5,520 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in North Carolina this year; and WHEREAS, early detection plays a crucial role in increasing the rate of lung cancer survivors; and WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society encourages continued monitoring of the effectiveness of spiral CT scans as well as other experimental diagnostic tools; and WHEREAS, North Carolinians are encouraged to become familiar with the sometimes vague symptoms associated with cancer; NOW, THEREFORE, I, MICHAEL F. EASLEY, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim November as “LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina and commend this observance to our citizens. MICHAEL F. EASLEY IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-eighth day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

Great way to vent but don't know if it will work. Was nice to blow off steam at somebody for something. If DISNEY the family series is doing what it sounds like; think about the series they are running and who they are blaming. Know what I mean?!