trish2418

Good luck with treatment, Neil. I hope it treats you kindly and is super effective. Take care. Trish

(((((Ann)))) Trish

Sending prayers. Trish

Nice going, Ernie! Hope you're able to run again soon. Trish

Congratulations on 4 years, Mark! So glad Iressa is working for you. Trish

I'm saying many prayers for all of you. Trish

Great news all around! Trish

Glad to see you're feeling better, too. Hang in there. Trish

Congrats to your mom on finishing chemo -- what a huge step! Trish

I'd definitely report those symptoms to the doc, Heather. Good luck. Trish

Welcome, Diana. Glad you decided to introduce yourself. You'll find lots of encouragement and support here. Hope your husband's treatment goes well. Trish

I'm sending out prayers for good scan results for mom. I'm sharing your scan anxiety -- I had mine on Monday and I'm waiting on results. Aaarrrggghhh! Trish

I'm so sorry to read this, Stephanie. May your dad rest in peace. Trish

Please accept my condolences. May your father rest in peace. Trish

That's beautiful, Connie. Thanks for sharing. Trish

I'm so sorry you all are going through this. I have no advice regarding hospice, except to say, go with your gut. I'm keeping you and your family in my prayers. Trish

"New York, New York"

I'm so sorry you got the runaround at Sloan -- that just seems so unfair. If your oncologist isn't cooperating, perhaps your pulmonologist or primary care doc might be able to offer some alternatives? I hope it all works out. Keep us posted. Trish

We're here for you, Grace, whenever you need us. I'm still sending out lots of prayers and hugs for you and the girls. Trish

Hi Rhonda and welcome. It sounds like treatment is going really well for your mother -- she's quite the fighter. Please keep us posted on how she's doing. Trish

Well done, Wendy! I'll make a toast in your honor tonight. Hope you'll be celebrating, too. Trish

I'm pretty sure I'd be eating. Sigh. Trish

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/business/23drug.html With a Costly Cancer Drug, the Dose Appears Optional By REUTERS Published: February 23, 2007 ZURICH, Feb. 22 (Reuters) — The American biotechnology company Genentech said Thursday that a low dose of its cancer drug Avastin worked just as well as a more expensive high dose in a clinical trial of patients with lung cancer. Genentech’s shares fell 2.5 percent amid concern that the company, as well as its majority owner, Roche Holdings of Switzerland, would receive less revenue from the drug if doctors chose the low-dose version. Results from a late-stage clinical trial showed that Avastin doses of both 7.5 milligrams for 2.2 pounds of a person’s weight and 15 milligrams for 2.2 pounds significantly lengthened the time that patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer lived without progression of the disease, when compared with chemotherapy alone. “This means that future prescribing is likely to be done with the low dose of Avastin instead of the high dose,” said Karl-Heinz Koch, an analyst with Bank Vontobel. “The impact is that the monthly price for Avastin in non-small-cell lung cancer drops to $4,400 from $8,800.” Analysts expect full data to be presented in May. Mr. Koch said that Avastin sales were still “highly likely” to exceed 10 billion Swiss francs ($8.08 billion) in the longer term as the drug gained approval for use against other cancers. The lower pricing could also attract more patients, offsetting some lost revenue, Morgan Stanley said, especially given the promising data from the trial. No new safety issues associated with the use of Avastin were observed with either dose, Roche said. Avastin is one of a new family of drugs that work by starving tumors of their blood supply. Roche and Genentech are banking on increased sales of Avastin to spur their growth. United States sales of Avastin, which is approved for colon cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer and is being studied for other tumors, totaled $1.13 billion last year. In trading Thursday, shares of Genentech fell $2.23, to $85.51, on the New York Stock Exchange. Certificates of participation in Roche fell 1.7 percent in Swiss trading, to 224.30 francs ($181.14).

My eyes change color (dark brown to bright green) I was on softball, volleyball, and bowling teams. I sometimes curse like a sailor.

Welcome, and I'll be praying that the surgery goes well. Trish