Cary

http://tinyurl.com/38bky Doctors argue over use of placebos in cancer trials By AMY DOCKSER MARCUS The Associated Press 6/8/04 9:15 AM The Wall Street Journal In a controversial shift, some of the most promising new cancer drugs are heading into clinical trials where only some patients will get the actual drug. Other patients will be given a placebo. The use of placebos is a sharp departure from past practices and is strongly opposed by some influential cancer researchers. Placebo trials generally haven't been used in life-threatening diseases such as cancer. If there is any kind of effective therapy available, the argument goes, it is unethical to give a placebo. Now, drug makers including Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Genentech are adding placebo arms to their trials in an effort to speed promising new drugs to market. Because placebo trials make it easier to verify results, the strategy can cut down on the need for additional studies and lead to faster regulatory approval. Many in the cancer community are angry about the new approach, saying that it denies desperately ill people a last best hope. Some leading cancer centers, including the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Michigan Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, have refused to put patients in clinical trials that use placebos. Patient-advocacy groups have met with drug makers including Pfizer and Bayer in an effort to change their minds about running trials with placebo arms. Some of the most high-profile new drugs used placebo arms in recent trials, including OSI Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and Roche Group's Tarceva for lung cancer and Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s BAY 43-9006 for kidney cancer. A Pfizer drug being tested for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) also has run a recent trial with a placebo arm. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting this weekend, researchers presented positive results from the Tarceva and BAY 43-9006 trials. The practice of using placebos in a study -- whereby some patients get the active drug, but others are given look-alike sugar pills and no treatment -- is the gold standard for drug research in many fields of medicine. The strategy makes it much easier to determine whether it is the drug, and not some other factor, that is making the difference in patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, responding to patients' concerns, has developed accelerated approval processes to speed drugs to needy patients even without placebo-based trials. Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA's oncology-drug products, says "we have not insisted that trials be placebo controlled." Drug companies say that such accelerated approval still requires certain additional trials that add to what already is an estimated $800 million price tag to bring a drug to market. And the research still takes longer to accomplish. In addition to patients' meetings with Pfizer and Bayer in the past few months, other efforts are under way by patient advocates to influence trial design. A GIST patient-advocate organization, the Life Raft Group, has set up a Clinical Trials Advisory Group of cancer patients to lobby drug companies against placebo trials. In November, three major professional organizations of cancer clinicians, oncologists and researchers will meet to come up with better ways to design trials for the new therapies that are emerging. All this comes amid growing concern that it is getting harder to get patients to participate in cancer-drug studies in the first place. Just 3 percent of adult cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, according to the President's Cancer Panel report issued last week. A number of national organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, all are trying to increase the percentage of adult cancer patients who enroll in trials. What all these groups have found is that one reason patients don't enroll is fear of getting a placebo, so the outcome of this current debate is sure to affect recruitment efforts. The University of Michigan Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, along with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, both refused to participate in Pfizer's clinical trial for GIST patients because of their concerns over the trial's placebo arm. "There is almost no good reason to ever do a placebo trial in cancer," says Laurence Baker, director of clinical research at the University of Michigan center. "The only advantage is expediency to the drug manufacturer." When OSI Pharmaceuticals ran recent Phase III clinical trials for its drug Tarceva, for advanced lung cancer, the company didn't include any U.S. sites, concluding "it would take too long to enroll patients" because of the trial's placebo arm, according to OSI Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Colin Goddard. This meant that patients here lost early access to a potentially beneficial drug. The company reported this weekend at ASCO that the drug extended the lives of patients who took it. Mr. Goddard acknowledged that patients on placebo died more quickly than those with the drug. But that "thanks to the sacrifice of those patients, we've taken lung-cancer treatment forward," Mr. Goddard said. "Future patients will benefit." Some drug companies say they are working to come up with innovative trial designs. In the current Phase III trials for Pfizer's GIST drug, called SU-11,258, doctors are allowed to intervene if a patient's tumor grows more than 20 percent. If it turns out the patient wasn't receiving the active drug, the patient is allowed to "cross over" to the drug arm and begin receiving the medicine. "We tried to minimize the number of people getting a placebo," says Charles Baum, the global clinical leader for the drug at Pfizer. Bernie Kaplan, 64, who was diagnosed with GIST in 2000 is enrolled in the Pfizer trial. When the first assessment showed that his tumors had grown, "I was praying I was on placebo," he says. It turned out he had been given a sugar pill. When he started receiving the drug, his tumors shrank. Many pharmaceutical companies say the very nature of these new cancer drugs makes it imperative to have a placebo arm for comparison. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which is designed to shrink or eradicate tumors, many of these drugs aim to stop or slow tumors' growth and allow someone to live with their cancer. This makes it harder to measure if it is the drug that is working, or whether someone simply has a less-aggressive tumor. In addition, some of the diseases these drugs are targeted at have no other therapy against which a new drug can be compared. Bayer, which is testing its BAY 43-9006 in kidney-cancer patients, adopted a placebo-trial design in its Phase III trial of the drug that began in October 2003. This weekend, the company reported extremely promising results with an earlier-phase trial of the drug -- 37 out of 106 kidney-cancer patients had their tumors shrink 25 percent or more, and 38 had stable disease. Early positive results such as this make patient-advocate groups even angrier that some patients in later trials won't get any drug, effectively meaning they will die. A group of patients met with Bayer in December to discuss the trial design but, says patient advocate Steve Dunn, "they wouldn't budge." Susan L. Kelley, Bayer's vice president for product development in oncology, says pharmaceutical companies are trying to do the right thing. She says there are no options for kidney-cancer patients against which to compare the new drug. And, Dr. Kelley says, the company cannot allow patients on placebo whose tumors grow to then receive the drug, because "it would confound our ability to follow survival. We need definitive evidence that the drug is active."

http://tinyurl.com/2fv4n Pregnancy disorder linked to cancer By ISRAEL21c staff March 28, 2004 When Rivka A. gave birth to her son in a Jerusalem hospital in 1972, she had been suffering from preeclampsia. A common complication of pregnancy, preeclampsia is a condition that is marked by high blood pressure after the sixth month. Rivka also suffered from other common symptoms like protein in the urine and swollen ankles from fluid buildup. Preeclampsia can cause a list of problems, even death, for both the mother and the fetus. Rivka recovered from the ailment and went on to enjoy good health for many years before developing breast cancer in 1992. It did not appear initially that there existed a connection between these two different health problems. But thanks to a far-reaching Israeli project which tracked thousands of women like Rivka, that connection has been made, with implications for all women who suffer from preeclampsia. According to the Israel study, women with a history of preeclampsia may have a higher risk of developing cancer, especially cancers of the stomach, breast, ovary, lung and larynx. The findings which appeared in the British Medical Journal, while preliminary, suggest there might be some common environmental or genetic factor under girding both preeclampsia and cancer. Previous studies have shown either no association between preeclampsia and cancer, according to the chief researcher Dr. Ora Paltiel of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine. "With these new findings, we have to speculate that it's either something specific to the population, or maybe to do with diet, or genetic factors common to both preeclampsia and cancer which are specific to the population," she told ISRAEL21c. Preeclampsia occurs in close to ten percent of pregnancies, and most often in the first pregnancy. It can be mild or severe, in which case it can lead to eclampsia, in which seizures or coma can kill the mother and the fetus. Women who are overweight or suffer from hypertension before they become pregnant are at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia. Paltiel's team - which included staffers at the Israel Cancer Registry, Yeshiva University's Einstein College of Medicine, and Columbia University - compared the subsequent incidence of cancer among 37,033 women who had delivered babies in three large hospitals in Jerusalem between 1964 and 1976. Ninety-nine percent of the women were Jewish. Cancer eventually developed in 91 women who had pre-eclampsia and 2,204 who did not. Women who had suffered from preeclampsia appeared to have about a 30 percent increased risk of cancer in general, compared with women who had not developed the condition during pregnancy. The risk of breast cancer was almost 40 percent higher. However, Paltiel cautioned that women should not panic over the findings. "I would stress that although the findings are statistically significant, the size of the risk is small and women should not be alarmed by the findings," she said. The database was a researcher's dream come true - The Jerusalem Perinatal Study compiled information almost 40,000 Israeli women who gave birth to over 90,000 babies in Jerusalem hospitals between 1964 and 1976. During 1998-2002, the project traced 98% of the offspring (median age 30) and 94% of their mothers and linked them to Israel's Population Registry and its Cancer Registry. The median follow-up time for checking the women was 29 years. "The special thing about this study is the uniqueness of the cohort. People had the foresight in the 1960s and 70s to systematically survey every woman who gave birth. It's not a haphazard selection process but population based and systematical," explained Paltiel. "It provides the most valid data base for proving research on future outcome. This unbiased sample includes everyone, it's an ethnic mix." The ethnic distribution is unique, Paltiel explained. "We have women from Ashkenazi, Sephardic background, Arab women, even the Sephardic women are varied - many are Kurdish as many of the Jews living in Jerusalem in the '60s came from Kurdistan." The question of why there might be a relationship between preeclampsia and cancer remains unanswered, said Paltiel. "We studied an epidemiological association and can only speculate about the mechanism behind our findings. We might theorize that factors related to cancer may be operating in preeclampsia and vice versa. These might include diet (such as folate deficiency), angiogenesis (new blood formation) and thrombosis (blood clotting). "Some genes may be common to both cancer and preeclampsia development. There is also the possibility that some of our findings are due to chance, given the small number of cases at some sites," Paltiel added. The findings will need to be confirmed in other studies and in other populations, Paltiel said. "Scientists should be challenged to confirm the findings and try to determine the mechanisms." Paltiel's team plans to probe the latter issue. "We're starting to explore the mechanism to find a common genetic and environmental connection for preeclampsia and cancer. We're also investivating the blood clotting system," she said.

Here is an old thread dealing with Cisplatin. You may also want to post in general to get members personal experiences with it. http://www.lchelp.com/community/viewtop ... =cisplatin Donna G mentions the following link: http://chemocare.com/ Cary

http://tinyurl.com/yvtxw Posted on Mon, May. 17, 2004 Research indicates virus may destroy cancerous cells in lung, colon JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS - A genetically engineered virus similar to a common cold can kill cancer cells in the lung and colon while leaving healthy cells undamaged, a Saint Louis University researcher said Monday. The research by Dr. William Wold, chairman of the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at the university's School of Medicine, could eventually offer an option for many cancer patients, or could be used in combination with other cancer-fighting efforts, Wold said. Details of the study were published in this month's Cancer Research. Lung cancer and colon cancer are generally treated through surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, or some combination of the three. But chemotherapy in particular often can have devastating side effects. Since the mid-1990s, Wold and his colleagues have been seeking ways to convert the relatively benign "adenovirus" that causes symptoms similar to the common cold in children into an anti-cancer drug. His group has developed new "vectors" that alter genes so that the virus will attack cancer cells. "It would be able to infect and reproduce itself and destroy cancer cells and have minimal effect on normal cells," Wold said. "These engineered viruses kill cancer cells through a mechanism that is completely different from chemotherapy or radiation." The treatment could be ready for testing in humans in a year to 18 months, Wold said. Herman Kattlove, medical editor for the American Cancer Society, called the research "intriguing. But clearly, there's still a lot of work that has to be done." "The problem we always face with these things is after you've killed off virus-sensitive (cancer cells), the other ones will still grow and cause trouble," Kattlove said, suggesting that cancer-fighting viruses are probably best used in combination with other measures. Wold's research involves viruses dubbed INGN 007 and INGN 009. Wold said INGN 009, which has been designed to kill cells that carry a mutation common in many colon cancers, efficiently killed cultured colon cancer cells, but not lung cancer cells; INGN 007 effectively killed both types of cancer cells, he said. In tests using mice, injection of either virus suppressed colon tumor growth more efficiently than in a control study. About 30 percent of the tumors vanished, while another 40 percent or so stopped growing, he said. INGN 007 also completely suppressed tumor growth in a lung cancer model of the disease, Wold said. Last year, Wold was awarded a patent for the technology. Introgen Therapeutics Inc. has licensing rights.

Rick, I was actually talking about the computer generated "abuse" of the dog. I once saw on TV, these 3 frogs that were made to preform, I think they must have been beaten repeatedly to get trained so well. I had nightmares for weeks. All I could keep hearing in my head was "bud" "weis" "er". Cary

http://www.funvids.net/funny-video-clip ... ng-Dog.htm Here is the whole video, I am glad we were alerted to this abuse LOL. Here is the full story in case you cannot view the video LOL. http://tinyurl.com/3dag9 Cary

to add to the dilemma, this study was just released and indicates only highly purified soy foods and soy supplements increase the risk. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 083422.htm Cary

This should really help a lot of people. Cary New law to allow donation of leftover cancer drugs Medicine, supplies will cut burden on needy patients By MARILYNN MARCHIONE mmarchione@journalsentinel.com Posted: April 6, 2004 Cancer treatment is about to get more affordable for some who can least afford it in Wisconsin. A new law will allow families of cancer patients to donate leftover medications and supplies to hospitals and pharmacies that will redistribute them to other cancer patients who are uninsured or in financial need. Ohio and Nebraska have similar laws, but the one Gov. Jim Doyle signed Tuesday goes beyond what they provide. It allows medical supplies, not just drugs, to be donated, and allows families, not just hospitals or hospices, to donate them. Called "Nick's law," it's named for Nick Scavone of Kenosha, who died in November at age 64 after fighting cancer off and on for 20 years. Scavone, an American Cancer Society volunteer, brought the Relay for Life fund-raising event to Wisconsin. "He was a dynamic person who lived by the motto 'never give up,' " said his wife, Barbara. She decided to do the same thing when confronted with roadblocks to donating about $2,000 worth of medications and supplies after his death. "I had a closet full of medical supplies that were sealed, and someone else would have been able to use them. I began calling around and found out nobody could accept them, even as a donation," she said. Eventually, Scavone found a group operating relief missions in Afghanistan and donated the goods to that group. But many cancer patients could have used things in the Scavones' closet, such as iron tablets in sealed bottles and 9-volt batteries to power intravenous medication pumps, said Alison Prange, government relations liaison for the cancer society. But Wisconsin law banned the reuse of such goods. Paul Markovina, director of marketing for Covenant HealthCare, found the situation frustrating after his father died in January of lung cancer. "He had Medicare and Medicaid, but he did not have prescription drug coverage, and we're guessing that's a pretty common thing. We were spending about $600 to $700 a month for his medications" - cancer drugs and related medications for blood pressure, digestive problems, anxiety, depression and nausea, Markovina said. "All of these are very expensive. Even if they come from the factory and are still factory-sealed, you cannot give them to anyone to use. You're told to flush them down the toilet so nobody could get to them or use them for unlawful purposes. That's a shame." Under the new law, the state Department of Health and Family Services will create rules for inspecting donated drugs to determine whether they are in their original, unopened and sealed packaging. The department also will set rules for people to receive donated drugs. Hospitals and pharmacies will not be able to resell any supplies or drugs that were donated. Drugs can be donated after a patient dies or if they're left over because a patient's prescription changes and the old medication isn't needed any longer. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Cathy Stepp (R-Sturtevant) and state Rep. Gregg Underheim (R-Oshkosh). The University of Wisconsin's Comprehensive Cancer Center, Aurora Health Care and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin supported it. The law may save lives, not just money, said Cindy Tomlinson, constituent relations director for the cancer society in Wisconsin. "A lot of patients alter the regimens because they cannot afford the regimens that have been prescribed for them," and that compromises their chances of beating cancer, she said. The cost of drugs "is pricing patients out of life-saving care," Doyle said in a statement. The governor also signed a bill that creates an income tax checkoff for breast cancer research. On returns next year, people can designate an amount by which to reduce their refund or increase their tax. The money will be split by the UW Medical School and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Cathy, Here is an article explaining why we can't get the drugs sooner. The article is quite long, it deals with her mother's fight with lung cancer, but well worth the read. It seems that while we want drugs to be approved faster, there are other people that don't. Here is an excerpt. http://tinyurl.com/32cl7 His idea, presented to the FDA last January, was to encourage companies to sell promising, unproven drugs to terminally ill patients who cannot get into clinical trials. This, he thought, would create a stronger incentive for companies to make the drugs available. But the FDA rejected the proposal, known as "Tier 1 Initial Approval," citing concerns about giving its blessing too early in the process of showing a drug's benefit or safety. Burroughs and his group filed a citizens petition, then a lawsuit. "You've got to be a little bold," says Burroughs. "People's lives are at stake." The FDA would not comment on the suit, but Richard Pazdur, head of the agency's oncology division, points out that the FDA seldom stands in the way when companies opt to supply drugs on a compassionate basis -- through individual requests or expanded-access programs. Several mechanisms exist for doing this. "In general, I think that what exists is sufficient," he says. Perhaps surprisingly, the strongest objections have come from other cancer-patient organizations. Several widely regarded leaders, including Fran Visco, president of the politically influential National Breast Cancer Coalition, say the idea would create false hope and lead many patients to abandon scientifically based clinical trials that help test and refine new drugs. Cary

Karen, It's good to see you back and posting again. Cary

This seems promising, but still a few years away. I am hoping that the human trials will be restarted soon. From the Harvard Gazette 2/26/04: http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/200 ... 1-tnp.html Cancer drug given new life Its toxic side effects eliminated By William J. Cromie Harvard News Office The cancer drug's effectiveness surprised everyone. Called TNP-470, it stunted the growth of every malignancy it touched - animal tumors, human tumors, and spreading tumors. It suppressed tumors of the ovaries, colon, prostate, and breasts. In some cases the tumors shrank; in others, they disappeared. But it was too good to last. Some patients whose malignancies were repressed, even eliminated, started showing unacceptable side effects - problems with motor coordination, seizures, and malaise. TNP-470 was developed by Donald Ingber and Judah Folkman of Harvard Medical School, two of the best in the business of cancer research. Folkman, Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery and professor of cell biology, had discovered that cancers could be starved to death by cutting off the growth of blood vessels they depend on for nutrition. In his laboratory at Children's Hospital in Boston, he and his colleagues produced several drugs that stifled the growth of such vessels. TNP-470 seemed to be the most effective. "It's a wonderful drug," Folkman comments. "It inhibits growth of the largest variety of different tumor types of any drug yet tested. It works on metastatic (spreading) tumors. It's rare that a drug does that." So the side effects were a crushing setback. Folkman discussed the problem with Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, a young chemist he recently hired as a research fellow. "I can fix the problem," she told him. Satchi-Fainaro realized that TNP-470 molecules are too small. They slip easily into leaky new blood vessels growing into tumors; that's what made the molecules so effective. But they also penetrate healthy cells. The researchers found them in the spinal fluids of test animals. Their assault on nervous tissue was interfering with motor coordination and producing seizures. Her solution: bulk up the molecules; make them too big to get into any place but the tumor blood vessels. It sounded too simple. But, Folkman admits, "Ronit knew more chemistry than I did. That's why I hired her." He told her to go ahead. A big surprise The idea worked. The jumbo drug technically known as the new conjugated TNP-470, slows the growth of deadly skin cancer (melanoma) and lung tumors in mice. Unlike free TNP-470, it's too big to have toxic effects on the nervous system. The motor coordination of the mice is fine and they develop normally. Satchi-Fainaro, Folkman, and their colleagues describe the success in the March issue of Nature Medicine. While waiting for publication of the report, the team tried jumbo TNP-470 in other cancers, including spreading lung tumors in mice. It works well. "Frankly, it was a big surprise; we didn't expect the results to be so good," Folkman says. "The conjugated drug molecules are too big to seep from normal blood vessels," Satchi-Fainaro explains. But they easily dribble out of leaky new blood vessels and into the tumors. "Once inside the tumors, the copolymer [added baggage] is cleaved chemically, and the TNP-470 can do its work. It stays longer in the tumor than the free molecule, so it's more effective." Will they now try jumbo 470 in humans? "Absolutely," Folkman answers quickly. "Those who did the human trials with the free TNP-470 are eager to try the conjugated drug." These include cancer researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, a Harvard teaching hospital two blocks from Folkman's lab, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. That doesn't mean that it will soon be available to patients. "We have to start the testing all over again," Folkman points out. First there will be safety tests, then efficacy tests; small groups of patients, then larger groups. "It'll be several years before we can get FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval." He says that's "frustrating," but he has his game face on. Folkman sees jumbo TNP-470 being used together with other drugs. One example is Avastin, another blood-vessel wrecker based on his research that was approved Feb. 26 by the FDA. At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Avastin, combined with chemotherapy, is being tested on runaway breast cancer. Chemical therapy has tough side effects, so doctors give patients a chance to rest between doses. But blood vessels grow back during such intervals, making it more difficult to stop the spreading cancer. Now they use Avastin every day to choke and starve tumor cells. Folkman pushes across the table a list of 17 different human tumors that respond to free TNP-470. Another list shows that the drug halts the spreading of five different lung and liver cancers. "That's amazing," he comments. "We expect the conjugated drug will perform better in these and other cancers."

Alisa, Congratulations on being NED for 3 years. A Ceruloplasmin of 29 is good, you would only want to be between 5-15mg/dl if you were doing copper reduction therapy. Then you actually want to get below normal ranges, but not far enough too cause any problems, that is where 5-15mg/dl comes into play.

Geoff, The dosage required in the beginning for most cancer patients is 120-140mg a day. They monitor your Ceruloplasmin levels (surrogate marker for copper, once TM is given copper serum tests are inaccurate), the range that you would want to maintain the Cp at is between 5-15mg/dl, The actual level depends on the individual person though. Once you start to get close to your target, they adjust the TM to maintain the proper level. My dad currently does 60-80 mg per day, it just depends on the week. I don't remember everything about the clinical trial, so i am going to have to look it over again. I remember some of the individuals continued to advance and had to leave the trial(as with any clinical trial). In the real world though, I have never heard of anyone not being able to achieve the 80% of baseline, but I do know that copper reduction does not work for everyone unfortunately. I get my TM from a compounding pharmacist, you need a prescription though. We only get TM in 30 day supplies, in the form of gel caps. If you get more pills you run the risk of them not being full strength by the time you use them. as a side note, even once you get 80% below baseline, it still takes between 90-180 days for your tumors to use their stored copper and you can experience growth during that whole time period. Cary

Well, Dave brings up a good point, copper reduction with TM is not a cure, for most. While some people do have tumor reduction (clinical trial data, provided at bottom) others get stabilization and a few get no benefit at all, the same as with any therapy. My dad originally had 45 tumors in his lungs (multiple 3 cm on down to 1-2mm{12-2002}), 21 brain tumors from 2.9CM down to 5mm(most over 1.5cm, July 2003) and uncountable(100's) enlarged lymph nodes throughout his abdomen and chest. His current situation is 15 1-2mm tumors in his chest, that's all. Since my dad is stage IV we use TM to level the playing field, most therapies work better while on copper reduction(or most angiogenesis prevention drugs), as some clinical trials have pointed out(radiation, chemo etc.) We add and remove treatments all the time and try to manage his cancer as a chronic disease/illness. I don't believe it is possible to kill every single cancer cell in an advanced stage patient, while it does happen, it is not common or even practical to waste energy/time on. I tend to focus on controlling angiogenesis and then add cytotoxic treatments to the mix. I feel it is useless to kill millions of cancer cells, even if only a few survive, they will only grow back and be just as big/bigger as before and/or they could met. There are numerous people on the board who have been in a remission from surgery/chemo/radiation, only to have a recurrence a short time later. Theoretically if you were on an anti-angiogenesis type of treatment the recurrence/tumors would be smaller and more easily to control and wouldn't be life threatening. I can't pinpoint any one cause for my fathers responses, it is more than likely the combination of all his treatments. I don't really believe any one treatment(monotherapy) alone is going to have an effect on the long term outcome, that is where drug "cocktails" come into play. I do know that he was given only three months to live Dec. 2002 and then in July 2003 he was given 1 month. He is still here and active as ever. I already have back-up plans in place to use in combination with TM and his supplements, hopefully I never need them, but in case I do they are ready. As for Hebbie and all the others on TM that don't currently have active cancer, I have no idea how TM will work for them, if they do happen to have a recurrence more than likely it won't be as severe/extensive as others without TM and any additional treatment they do undergo, should theoretically work better. Cary http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/c ... full/6/1/1 "Another level of complexity is added by the fact that in bulky disease, initially effective antiangiogenesis may cause brisk tumor necrosis, as was documented in the mass shown in Fig. 3 . Tumor lysis may result in the release of additional copper from the dying cells. In the case of the patient whose mass is shown in Fig. 3 , a transient rise in Cp was observed at approximately the same time as the ultrasound suggested that the large tumor mass might be undergoing central necrosis due to a significant decrease in blood flow. For these reasons, we conclude that a period of 60–90 days of Cp at the target level of 20% of baseline is a reasonable starting point for evaluation of response to anticopper therapy in future trials in patients with measurable disease. In the two patients who exhibited partial regression of lung lesions, tumor control may have begun earlier. It is also interesting to note that in both of these patients, the lung parenchymal metastases were the sites of tumor regression. It is possible that mild clinical copper deficiency impairs superoxide dismutase function (46) so that under conditions of high oxidant stress, such as those present in the lung, the metastatic foci are more susceptible to oxidative damage. Despite individual differences, the use of three-dimensional ultrasound to determine the total blood flow to a given mass demonstrates that maintenance of mild copper reduction to 20% of baseline induced for at least 8 weeks appears sufficient to alter tumor blood flow. Due to the relative insensitivity of CAT to the blood flow or metabolic status of the lesions, parallel imaging modalities, as demonstrated here for three-dimensional ultrasound, will be required to assess functional response in addition to tumor size. In light of the data presented above, we advance the preliminary conclusion that the size of solid tumors of a variety of types may be stabilized or decreased by TM, given sufficient time in a state of mild clinical copper deficiency represented by a decrease in Cp to or below 20% of baseline, as defined by this study. Among the patients maintained at the target Cp level for more than 90 days, a significant proportion of cases (five of six) were stabilized, with no detriment to their quality of life. However, in this population of patients with advanced disease, only 39% of those treated were able to be maintained at the target Cp for this duration."

That is great news Heather. I believe there are 1 or 2 older copper reduction drugs, but they were pretty toxic when used. That's the great benefit of TM, virtually no side effects and it has the potential to really make a difference. The links below are some of the more relevant articles dealing TM and copper reduction. Cary http://tinyurl.com/355ml http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/c ... full/6/1/1 http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2 ... search.htm http://www.buy2k.net/lungcancersurvivor ... php?t=5878 http://www.cancerprotocol.com/role_of_copper.html http://www.fdanews.com/dailies/dpa/1_17 ... 357-1.html www.copperreduction.com http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/news/ra ... drug03.htm http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2 ... erdrug.htm

Here you go, the ALCASE storefront is a little hidden. http://www.alcase.org/storefront/catalog/index.html Cary

This article is a little old, but it's still very interesting. I am going to look into this further and see if there is any newer information. Cary http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 804101.php Public release date: 8-Apr-2001 Contact: Kristen Woodward kwoodwar@fhcrc.org 206-667-5095 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Cancer virus in sheep may provide clues to understanding human lung cancer, according to Hutchinson Center study SEATTLE - A virus that causes contagious lung cancer in sheep may be instrumental in understanding a similar malignancy in humans that accounts for 25 percent of lung-cancer cases in the United States, according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the National Cancer Institute. The results of the study, led by A. Dusty Miller, Ph.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Human Biology and Basic Sciences divisions, will be published tomorrow in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Miller and colleagues from the NCI report that the Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus protein that promotes docking and entry into cells, called the envelope protein, can cause cancer-like changes in cultured cells. They also have identified the cell-surface molecule that interacts with the envelope protein and allows the virus to infiltrate cells, a key for understanding how the virus causes cancer. This receptor protein had been identified as a candidate tumor-suppressor protein in bronchioalveolar carcinoma, a non-smoking related lung cancer of unknown origin. "This study provides the basis for further understanding of an important human cancer and also advances our efforts to develop this virus as a vehicle for transferring genes to the lung for gene therapy," said Miller, also an affiliate professor of pathology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "The use of a cancer-causing virus for gene therapy may seem contradictory, but if we can knock out the ability of the virus to cause cancer while preserving its ability to transfer genes to lung cells, such gene-therapy viruses may be very useful, especially for treating lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis." A related paper in the same issue of PNAS by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, further explores the ability of the envelope protein to cause cancer. Together, these two studies provide keys for better understanding the mechanism by which this sheep retrovirus causes cancer, as well as its relationship to human lung cancer. ### The Hutchinson Center study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Editor's note: To arrange an interview with Miller, please contact Kristen Woodward in Hutchinson Center Media Relations, 206-667-5095. To obtain a copy of the paper, "Candidate tumor suppressor HVAL2 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell-surface receptor for jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, the envelope protein of which mediates oncogenic transformation," call the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences at 202-334-2138 or e-mail pnasnews@nas.edu The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the development and advancement of biomedical technology to eliminate cancer and other potentially fatal diseases. Recognized internationally for its pioneering work in bone-marrow transplantation, the Center's four scientific divisions collaborate to form a unique environment for conducting basic and applied science. The Hutchinson Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit the Center's Web site at http://www.fhcrc.org. Advancing Knowledge, Saving Lives

http://www.subservientchicken.com

Looks good, I can't wait until it is finished. Cary

Marlo Thomas is compiling a new book with individual stories. the final date for submissions is April 16, 2004. Below is some details. It would be great if someone here got selected and mentioned this website in their story. What's the official name here now LCHelp.com or lung cancer survivors? "That's why I'm so excited about our next project. Inspired by the touching and heartfelt response to The Right Words at the Right Time, we are compiling a second volume of stories and I'm hoping you'll be a part of the adventure by sharing a story of your own. If there's one thing we learned from the first book, it's that you don't have to be a prizefighter, or a world-renowned architect, or a concert violinist to have been affected by the power of words, and to have experienced firsthand how those words can change a life in an eyeblink. I'll bet you have a story just like that." http://www.rightwordbooks.com/ Right Words Competition Story Guidelines Call for Entries Share your story for possible inclusion in an all new volume of The Right Words at the Right Time Was there a moment when words changed your life? Whether they were spoken to you by a family member or friend; whether you read them in a book; whether you heard them in a movie or on the radio; we’d like you to share your story with us. Selected entries will be included in a forthcoming book of stories compiled by Marlo Thomas. • In 550–1,500 words, tell us about the words that had a profound effect on you and how they changed or influenced your life. (For examples of the kinds of stories we are looking for please refer to the stories in The Right Words at the Right Time.) • Include the following information along with your submission: first and last name, postal address, email address, age, occupation, telephone number, title of your story, and any background information that may be relevant to your story. • Enter on the web at www.rightwordsbooks.com or mail entries to: Right Words Books, Atria Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. To submit online: http://www.rightwordsbooks.com/submissionpage.asp

It seems I forgot to log on. LOL Thanks, cary

Ginny, Here are some links that describe TM, It can be obtained with a doctors prescription. Cary http://tinyurl.com/355ml http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2 ... search.htm http://www.fdanews.com/dailies/dpa/1_17 ... 357-1.html http://www.buy2k.net/lungcancersurvivor ... php?t=5878 http://www.cancerprotocol.com/role_of_copper.html http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/c ... full/6/1/1

Karen, The only treatments he's currently doing is TM+Iressa+Celebrex 600mg. he did Taxol+Carboplatin in Feb-may 2001 then surgery, followed up by radiation to his mediastinum. Dec 2002-may 2003 he did weekly taxotere. Whole brain radiation in July 2003. He is still currently NED and in remission. His story is quite long, but this is a quick overview. Tiny: The avatar looks great, you clean up nicely. LOL Cary

Hey everyone, Brenes: I searched the consumerlabs site and it seems they have never tested HPF LLC (High Performance Formulas). I even went to the HPF website to see if they use various other names and I didn't see anything indicating that they do. Karen: I PM'd you. Everyone: Thank you for the kind words, I'm just glad I was able to help. Cary

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 080505.htm Source: Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications Date: 02-12-2004 Copper May Play Role In 'Starving' Cancer To Standstill COLLEGE STATION -- Starving a cancerous tumor of its blood supply might stop its growth while other treatments aim to kill it. "Nutrient depletion" is how Dr. Ed Harris, Texas A&M University biochemist, describes the process in the February issue of Nutrition Reviews. His article traces how independent studies around the world led researchers to consider copper, a trace mineral in the human diet, for its potential in controlling cancerous growth. "The idea is to deprive a selective nutrient from being active in tumors. In research so far, there is no indication of anyone being cured, but tumors have stopped growing," said Harris, who is an expert on the relation of copper in various human diseases. "Ultimately, nutrient depletion may be used in combination with other treatments." The role of copper to control cancer traces its beginnings to Dr. Judah Folkman of the Harvard School of Medicine, whose pioneering work in angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood cells, began about 40 years ago but only since the 1980s have been recognized in medical research. Folkman first launched the idea that if a tumor is to grow, it must have its own blood supply, Harris said. "For one increment of tumor growth, Folkman said, there also must be one increment of capillary or vessel growth," Harris noted. "And that was shocking." But that astonishing notion led some researchers to explore ways to stop the capillary growth that nourished tumors. About the same time, other researchers were examining the role of copper in forming blood vessels. To test a theory of whether copper was instrumental in blood vessel formation, scientists needed an organ that had none. They found that in the cornea of rabbit's eyes. Small pellets of copper were implanted into rabbit corneas, and soon vessels formed around them, the biochemist noted. Then came the idea that if copper was needed to create blood vessels, and if blood vessels were necessary for tumor growth, what would happen if copper were regulated? "Studies looked at inoperable cancer -- cancer that couldn't be touched as in deep in the brain," Harris said. "There was some impact, but there also was fear that perhaps such treatment would stop the cancer but cause a serious copper-deficient disease." Yet another study, by George Brewer in Michigan, looked at the use of tetrathiomolybdate, which is normally given to people with a copper overload, Harris said. Brewer got permission to try the anti-copper drug on terminal cancer patients for six months in an attempt to lower their copper levels and thus stop the blood-vessel growth that was feeding the tumors. "Five of the six people who received the drug showed no further growth in their tumors after one year," Harris noted. "And it was found that cancers of the muscle don't respond to this treatment. But even that is encouraging because it narrows down and gives researchers a place to look to see what is different about cancers of the muscle and blood vessel supplies." Harris said every drug ever made has been tested against cancer, but nutritional intervention may lead to a different approach in combination with other medical treatments.