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MsC1210

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    My Mom - Is This Typical?

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Mrs Krauss

    I am SO happy to read your latest update! What a relief to hear that you have changed doctors and that Mom is finally getting the care and treatment she so needed and deserved!

    Please keep us posted on Mom's progress and remember we are here for you!

    Christine

    My DARLING JIM

    in GRIEF

    Posted

    ((((Jeannie))))

    I am so very sorry to read of the loss of your wonderful husband. Please know that we will continue to be here for you as you go through this difficult time.

    With my sincere condolences and many hugs and prayers for you and the children,

    Christine

    new looking to chat

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hello MeeMaw and welcome

    I am so sorry you have need to be here but I am glad you found us and have posted. Please let us know how we can help and know that we will do our best.

    If you can give us some more information about your husband, it will make it easier for us to offer the best advice and information.

    Keep posting...

    Many prayers and hugs for you and your Husband

    Christine

    This is not a fun roller coaster

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    ((((Jenn))))

    I can relate to what you are going through on so many levels. It was such a tough thing to go through, watching my step dad decline and endure so much pain. I get it, I really, really get it.

    Please feel free to PM me if you need someone to talk to who has been where you are.

    I don't have a lot of advice other than to leave nothing unsaid and cherish this time with him.

    Sending you, your Mom and step Dad lots of hugs and prayers

    Christine

    My Mom - Is This Typical?

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hello Mrs Krauss and welcome

    I am so sorry to hear about all of the troubles your Mom has had!! I have to agree with the others here and say, get another opinion and get a new doctor! This guy sounds like his ego is bigger than his abilities and that is so wrong!

    Please keep us posted and let us know how your Mom and you are doing.

    Warmly

    Christine

    PS.. the suggestion about consulting an attorney sounds like a good idea, too!!!

    Terminal process

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    ((((Teardrop))))

    Of course you can and SHOULD come here whenever you need to. We are here for you and we will continue to be here!

    I am so sorry that your sister is having so much pain. I wish we could take that away for you both.

    Please keep posting and let us know how you are and how your dear sister is.

    Much love and many hugs and prayers

    Christine

    Grieving is getting harder....

    in GRIEF

    Posted

    ((((Jude))))

    I found that the journaling was one of the best things I could do to come to grips with my own life after Brad and then Jerry died. It helped so much to pour those feelings out and actually SEE them and it made it just a bit easier to cope with them. It kind of made them tangible I guess and in that way they seemed to make more sense to me.

    Keep posting here and we will be here.. We get it and will do our best to hold your hand as you walk this road.

    Many, Many hugs

    Christine

    It's been a while

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Paul and Michael

    I'm so sorry to hear about the setbacks but I am glad that things are improving! Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.

    And, congratulations on your marriage! Many blessings for you both

    Warmly

    Christine

    Hi Everyone

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hello Pamee and welcome to the family!

    I am so glad you finally found us and have posted. It sounds like the treatments thus far have gone fairly well. I hope the lesion that was found on the scan is nothing major!

    Thank you for your service to this country. My son is heading to Afghanistan within the next year and I so appreciate all that our troops have done and continue to do.

    Warmly

    Christine

    My dad and I

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hello Briesgo and welcome

    I am late in welcoming you but I am so glad you have joined us!

    I don't have a lot of advice to offer and I agree with Patti that depression COULD be playing a role with your Dad. One thing you can do is ask the doctor about an appetite stimulant such as Megace. My step dad was on that for a bit and it did help some.

    Please keep posting and let us know how things are going

    Warmly

    Christine

    What a great community

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hello Gary and Denise and welcome

    I am glad you've joined us and that you have been able to find support and information here!

    Please keep us posted and let us know how we can help. There is always someone here that is willing to lend an ear or offer advice.

    Warmly

    Christine

    Lung Cancer Treatment Reduces Bone Toxicity

    in CLINICAL TRIALS

    Posted

    Lung Cancer Treatment Reduces Bone Toxicity

    Proton Therapy, Chemotherapy Show Benefits

    Patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are treated with proton beam therapy and chemotherapy may have fewer instances of bone marrow toxicity than patients who receive the standard treatment of intensity-modulated radiation (IMRT) and chemotherapy.

    This may help them avoid some side effects and withstand more aggressive treatment.

    This first-of-its-kind study was reported by M. D. Anderson researchers at the November 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

    Significance of results

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2008, approximately 215,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and approximately 114,000 people will die from the disease.

    IMRT and chemotherapy, the standard of care for this type of cancer, provide a 25% five-year survival rate, the best outcomes available. But this method of treatment also carries a high risk of bone marrow toxicity and unpleasant side effects.

    Bone marrow toxicity lessens the amount of hemoglobin, neutrophils, lymphocytes and white blood cells in patients’ blood. This further weakens their already compromised immune systems and can make it even more difficult to withstand aggressive treatment. Bone marrow toxicity can lead to infection, bleeding, fatigue and even death.

    "As a physician, I have seen how IMRT and chemotherapy affect patients' overall health. They are tired, suffer from night sweats, are prone to infection and have to compromise their treatment,” says Ritsuko Komaki, M.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Radiation Treatment Center and lead author on the study.

    "Our goal is to find the best way to treat the cancer without further weakening the patient,” she says. “With proton therapy, we may now have an option that lessens this toxicity so that treatment dosage can be maximized."

    Protons are heavier than X-rays, allowing them to travel in straight paths through the body without being deflected. Proton beam therapy strips away the electrons in cancer cells, mutating the cells' structure so they cannot divide and multiply. While standard radiation therapy destroys the tumor and the healthy tissue around it, proton therapy can target a tumor precisely with little damage to normal tissue.

    Proton beam therapy may be especially valuable for patients who are the most vulnerable to bone marrow toxicity or those whose normal cells are growing, such as children.

    "Proton therapy may promise safer and more effective treatment for children, whose bone marrow is still developing, and elderly patients who are more prone to complications and cannot withstand aggressive treatment,” says James Cox, M.D., professor and head of M. D. Anderson’s Division of Radiation Oncology and the study's senior author.

    Background

    This is the first study to examine the benefits of proton beam therapy and concurrent chemotherapy in advanced lung cancer patients.

    Research methods

    Researchers compared bone marrow toxicity levels in 142 patients treated for lung cancer between January 2003 and June 2008. All of the patients received chemotherapy.

    In addition:

    75 patients were treated with IMRT

    67 patients were treated with proton beam therapy

    Primary results

    After 17 months, patients treated with chemotherapy and proton beam therapy experienced significantly less reduction in hemoglobin, neutrophils and lymphocytes.

    What’s next?

    M. D. Anderson is working with Massachusetts General Hospital to enroll patients in a clinical trial to confirm these initial findings.

    -Adapted by Dawn Dorsey from an M. D. Anderson news release.

    Drug Combo Safe for Lung Cancer

    in CLINICAL TRIALS

    Posted

    Drug Combo Safe for Lung Cancer

    Four Types of Therapy Combined

    Drug Combo Safe for Lung Cancer

    Four Types of Therapy Combined

    A novel combination of carboplatin, Taxol® (paclitaxel), and the targeted therapies Avastin® (bevacizumab) and Erbitux® (cetuximab) is safe and may extend the lives of patients with advanced lung cancer, according to a recent study.

    Lead author and study principal investigator Edward Kim, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, conducted the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Phase II study, the first to pair the standard regimen of carboplatin, Taxol and Erbitux with Avastin. Results were presented in November at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

    Significance of results

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2008 approximately 215,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, and approximately 114,000 died from the disease.

    The study looked to increase effectiveness of the standard regimen for lung cancer without compromising patient safety.

    “Due to toxicity concerns of standard cytotoxic chemotherapy, we could not conduct a study with four chemotherapeutic agents,” says Kim, principal investigator. “But after another study showed that Avastin enhances the efficacy of existing therapy, we wanted to see whether it might improve the carboplatin-paclitaxel-Erbitux combination.”

    Data in lung cancer also have suggested an enhanced effect in pairing the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) inhibitor compounds with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor, Kim adds.

    Research methods

    Between August 2006 and September 2007, the Phase II study enrolled 110 stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer patients. Ninety-nine were eligible for evaluation. Patients received six cycles of the four-drug regimen and continued receiving Avastin and Erbitux as maintenance therapy.

    It's unique for a trial to feature a maintenance therapy combining two biologic drugs, Kim explains.

    Primary results

    The study met its primary endpoint, safety, which was defined by frequency of pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding), a concern related to Avastin. There were four deaths related to treatment and two due to bleeding, which is consistent with prior Avastin studies.

    Adverse events such as low blood counts and neuropathy were reported in 40 patients, which is consistent with standard chemotherapy.

    Secondary endpoints included response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival.

    Of patients enrolled:

    53% experienced shrinkage of their tumors

    24% had stable disease

    The median progression-free survival rate was seven months, and overall survival was 14 months. In contrast, previous studies showed an average progression-free survival rate of 5½ months and overall survival of 12 months.

    What’s next?

    "These compelling findings are the best results ever for a SWOG-based study in advanced lung cancer,” Kim says. “While results are in early stages, this four-drug combination seems to show modest, yet promising, improvement without compromising patients' safety.

    "Next, we’ll analyze the tissue from this study to find appropriate biomarkers for the disease to best understand who might benefit from this drug regimen."

    A biomarker analysis of this study is ongoing, and a randomized Phase III study is planned to open in 2009.

    -Adapted by Mary Brolley from an M. D. Anderson

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