MsC1210

Revolutionary New Test May Detect Cancer Earlier 03 Nov 2006 According to recent studies, the risk of cancer increases as people age. In the United States alone, men have a one in two lifetime risk of developing cancer, while women have a one in three lifetime risk. Unfortunately, experts also agree that cancer could soon replace heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. "It's certainly not a pleasant fact to face, but it's true," says Dr. Ricardo Moro-Vidal. "The rate of some cancers has been increasing for many decades. It's only recently, however, that true methods have been discovered to detect the problem at an early stage." "Markers" Identify Cancer Dr. Moro-Vidal is President and CEO of BioCurex (http://BioCurex.com) a cancer research and development company that has developed a method of cancer detection surpassing others in the field. Using their patented RECAF technology, scientists at BioCurex can differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells in ways that previous scientists have been unable to do. "Cancer markers help distinguish cancer cells from non-cancerous cells," says Dr. Moro-Vidal. "The ideal marker is a molecule that's present in all cancer cells of all tissue types -- none of the present markers can do that; and RECAF is the only one discovered to date that comes very close to that ideal." Cancer markers, as scientists refer to them, are molecules found in human cells that identify certain cellular characteristics. By notating whether markers are present or not, scientists are able to determine whether a cell is normal, benign, or cancerous. Although the best cancer markers to date (AFP, CEA, PSA, and Ca125) have been somewhat effective in identifying cancer, they are limited by their ability to identify cancer only in certain organs. RECAF, on the other hand, works across the board, showing very high sensitivity and specificity in all cancers so far studied, including lung, breast, prostate, ovarian, cervical, colorectal, stomach and others. These types represent the vast majority of all cancers. A further advantage of RECAF is that it's found in not only the tissue of cancer patients so biopsies can be examined; but also in the bloodstream so that a simple blood test can be used to detect cancer. "Having the ability to find the marker in the bloodstream is a tremendous advantage over doing a biopsy," states Dr. Moro-Vidal. "It's simple, it's efficient, and it can be applied to some of the most common types of cancer for which there are no other useful markers." Clinical Testing At the annual meeting of the International Society for Oncofetal Biology and Medicine, BioCurex presented its results on blood testing for cancer detection. The company's RECAF test detected twice the amount of cancer than PSA, another widely used cancer detection test. "The medical community definitely has something to take note of," says Dr. Moro-Vidal about RECAF. "I'm lucky and proud to be a part of this significant step in medicine." Syndicated News, Inc. http://BioCurex.com Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medical ... wsid=55719

DNA Profiling Study Identifies Three New Lung Tumor Subtypes 01 Nov 2006 A new study has identified three subtypes of non-small-cell lung cancer tumors, a finding that may provide valuable clinical information about patient survival in early- or late-stage disease, how likely the cancer is to spread and whether the tumor will prove resistant to chemotherapy. A report of the study, led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, appears in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Currently, lung cancer treatment decisions are based largely on the location and size of the tumor and if it has spread, or metastasized. And, lung tumor cells are diagnosed by their appearance under a microscope. About 20 percent of these tumors are classified as small-cell carcinomas; the rest fall into a catch-all diagnosis, non-small-cell carcinoma (NSCLC), for which therapies often lead to unpredictable results. "We are frequently surprised with the range of responses that our patients' non-small-cell carcinomas have. Some are very responsive to treatment, some metastasize early, and we have no way of sorting this out up front," said study lead author Dr. David Neil Hayes, assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology/oncology in UNC's School of Medicine. To that end, Hayes and his colleagues used a relatively new technology, DNA microarray analysis, which allows researchers to identify a tumor's genetic pattern. "We found that among patients who have tumors that look similar under a microscope there are dramatically different gene expression patterns," Hayes said. "But what's more interesting is that we see evidence that these genetic patterns are associated with significant differences in tumor behavior, which could not be anticipated by any conventional testing method." The tumor subtypes, named bronchioid, squamoid and magnoid, according to their genetic pattern, also correlated with clinically relevant events, such as stage-specific survival and metastatic pattern. For example, bronchioid tumors were associated with the likelihood of improved survival in early-stage disease, while squamoid tumors were associated with better survival in advanced disease. And although some early-stage bronchioid tumors appear less likely to spread to the brain, they also may be the same tumors that are least likely to respond to chemotherapy because they express many genes associated with resistance to common chemotherapy agents. "While this is still very preliminary, we hope to take these gene expression patterns and attempt to define a very simple, reproducible system that will allow us to unravel the complex patterns of how the tumors progress and how they respond to therapy," Hayes said. "If we can pigeonhole these tumors right from the start, then we can become much more rational in our decision making for treatment and our ability to tell patients what to anticipate in terms of their risk, likelihood of recurrence and response to therapy," Hayes said. "That's the goal." The new study evaluated lung cancer DNA microarray data sets from the University of Michigan, Stanford University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. A total of 231 microarrays, each with 2,553 genes were analyzed. Hayes and his colleagues noted that the three new subtypes were robust and could be found frequently. All were identified in each of the data sets. ### Co-authors on the study were Dr. Mark A. Socinski and Dr. Charles Perou from UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Drs. Mathew Meyerson, Katsuhiko Naoki and Arindam Bhattacharjee from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School; Dr. Stefano Monti from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Dr. Giovanni Parmigiani from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Funding for the research came from the Director's Challenge Program of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. UNC School of Medicine contact: Les Lang UNC Lineberger Center contact: Dianne Shaw UNC News Services contact: Clinton Colmenares Contact: L. H. Lang University of North Carolina School of Medicine Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medical ... wsid=55446

Shanedillon I am so sorry about your dad and all that he is going through. You are more than welcome here and please let us know how we can help you. Vent all you need to, we are here to listen. Chris

Joanie So great to see you back! Chris

Paulette Dumpy222 is a lady on this site who is also in the UK. I have told her about you and Peter and she was going to try and send you an email or a private message through this site so she can perhaps give you some information about treatments, doctors etc that she has had some experience with. As you are both in the UK she may have some ideas that can help you that those of us from other parts of the world are not aware of. I pray there is something she can do. I have you and Peter in my thoughts and prayers. I understand how hard this is. Please keep us posted and let us help you as much as we can. Love and hugs as well as prayers, Chris

We need your help in spreading the word. This Election Day - Tuesday, November 7 - voters in 7 states will go to the polls and vote on critical tobacco issues, including smokefree measures, tobacco tax increases and funding tobacco prevention programs. This is a plea to mobilize your family and friends in every state voting on these issues in support of these ballot initiatives. The tobacco companies have poured almost $100 MILLION into these states attempting to defeat these ballot initiatives. Big Tobacco is fighting these measures because they know that smokefree laws, tobacco tax increases and tobacco prevention programs are highly effective at reducing smoking. Once again, Big Tobacco is putting its profits ahead of Americans' health and lives. In Arizona, Nevada and Ohio - the tobacco companies and tobacco retailers have stooped to an all-time low by drafting their own ballot measures. For example, while the smokefree workplace initiative supported by the American Lung Association and our public health partners is called "Smokefree Ohio" the tobacco industry's initiative is called "Smoke Less Ohio". Their initiative would actually allow smoking in many workplaces as well as repeal existing local smokefree air ordinances. Please forward this message to your friends and family living in Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and South Dakota and urge them to vote for public health. It is critical that we reach as many people as possible in all of these states. The tobacco industry has flooded the airwaves with their advertising. The votes will be close. We can’t match their television buys but with your help we will prevail. Don’t let Big Tobacco win! Please Join The American Lung Association And Vote For Public Health And To Reduce The Toll Of Tobacco: Arizona Prop 201 – Vote Yes on Prop 201 for a Smoke-Free Arizona, No on Prop 206 California Prop 86 – Vote Yes on Prop 86 to Increase the Cigarette Tax and Fund Tobacco Prevention Florida Amendment 4 – Vote Yes on Amendment 4 to Increase Funding for Tobacco Prevention Missouri Amendment 3 – Vote Yes on Amendment 3 to Increase Tobacco Taxes and Fund Tobacco Prevention Nevada Question 5 – Vote Yes on Question 5 for a Smoke-Free Nevada, No on Question 4 Ohio Issue 5 – Vote Yes on Issue 5 for a Smoke-Free Ohio, No on Issue 4 South Dakota Measure 2 – Vote Yes on Measure 2 to Increase Tobacco Taxes and Fund Tobacco Prevention. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://lungaction.org/lungusa/join.html?r=PpxYAi61ZzrjE

Kim Sending tons of prayers for you and Mike and everyone there. Hugs Chris

I am so very, very happy for you and Lisa!!!!! Congratulations! Chris

Michele I have no words that could begin to ease your pain. I am so sorry. Sending you and your family lots of prayers for strength and comfort as well as hugs. Chris

Prayers for Rose

From the NCI Lung Cancer Screening Study Spurs Optimism, Caution New results from a large, observational study suggest that using spiral computed tomography (CT) to screen people at increased risk for lung cancer can detect the disease at an early stage and may increase the number of people who can be cured. Currently, the vast majority of lung cancer diagnoses aren't made until the disease is well advanced, and most of these patients die within 5 years. Among participants in the study who received a diagnosis of lung cancer based on spiral CT screening and a resulting biopsy, 85 percent had stage I lung cancer (412 of 484), and a statistically estimated 10-year survival among these patients was 88 percent. Among stage I patients who underwent surgery within 1 month of diagnosis, the estimated 10-year survival rate was 92 percent. Very few patients in the study, however, have been followed for 10 years. Some researchers and members of the lung cancer advocacy community have suggested that the results represent a long-awaited breakthrough; others believe that the study, because it wasn't a randomized trial with an unscreened control arm, falls short of answering some critical questions. The study was published in the October 26 New England Journal of Medicine. "The results are potentially exciting," said Dr. Gary Kelloff, a special advisor to NCI's Cancer Imaging Program in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. "Although it isn't possible to determine whether CT screening actually decreases mortality based on these results," he said, "they do provide valuable information." That includes data to help determine the percentage of screened patients with suspicious lesions that will be confirmed as cancers and evaluate the role of various tests, such as bronchoscopies and PET scans, in confirming spiral CT results. The study - the International Early Lung Cancer Action Project (I-ELCAP) - involved 31,567 people without symptoms indicative of lung cancer but who were considered to be at increased risk for the disease. All participants underwent baseline screenings using spiral CT between 1993 and 2005. Based on specific protocols dictated by the baseline screening results, 27,456 patients underwent additional "annual" spiral CT screenings. Initially launched with a focus on current and former smokers in the United States, I-ELCAP was eventually expanded to include some international sites and a broader at-risk group, including people with heavy exposure to secondhand smoke or workplace contaminants linked to lung cancer, such as asbestos. "In a population at risk for lung cancer, such screening could prevent 80 percent of deaths from lung cancer," wrote the study's lead author, Dr. Claudia Henschke of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and colleagues. The results, said Dr. Denise Aberle, a professor of radiology at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, "raises great hope for CT screening" for the early detection of lung cancer. Along with Dr. Christine Berg from NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention, Dr. Aberle is a co-principal investigator on the NCI-sponsored National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), which is comparing spiral CT and chest x-ray in a population of more than 50,000 to determine which offers a stronger mortality benefit when used as a screening tool in current and former smokers. Dr. Aberle cautioned that the findings can't be construed as proof that spiral CT decreases the risk of death from lung cancer because the study provides only an estimate of survival based on a median of 3.3 years of follow-up. "Survival statistics are entirely appropriate when used to compare differences in treatment modalities in patients with the same stage of a condition who are randomized to different treatment arms," she explained. But using a survival endpoint to infer a screening benefit can be misleading, she continued. For example, by diagnosing disease in advance of symptoms, survival will increase even if there is no delay in death. "These results punctuate the critical necessity of addressing the effectiveness of screening by determining mortality differences in a randomized trial," said Dr. Kelloff. By Carmen Phillips http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin ... 3106/page2

shake-rattle and roll, milk, and bake? next word.... cartoon

Hello Aimee and welcome I am so sorry about your loss. Please just let us know what we can do to help you and know we will do our best! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Wishing you ALL the very best, Chris

Cathy I am so sorry for your pain right now. The anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, etc are so hard. Know that your father IS there with you, watching over you all. What beautiful memories YOU have to share with your children, though. Sending prayers for strength and peace and birthday wishes to your son, Chris

Trish Congrats! I am so happy for you!!! Happy Halloween indeed! Chris

Andrea, Prayers continue for you and your entire family for nothing but GOOD GOOD GOOD NEWS!!!! Hugs Chris

Thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers. Meg's testing is done and we are now awaiting the follow up appointment to get results and hopefully answers. I apologize for not having updated sooner. As some of you are aware, my oldest son has enlisted in the Army National Guard and he will be leaving in just 2 weeks for basic training. This will take him away from the family for at least 16 weeks and means that he will not be with us for Thanksgiving. We have been trying to make sure he has everything in order as well as taking care of Meg as well as the youngest little one. It has been a little crazy to put it lightly. I will let you know late next week how the test results turn out. In the meantime please keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. Thank you all so very much, not only from me but from all of us. Love and prayers to all, Chris

Liz, Thank you.. this was beautiful and your timing was perfection in posting... Hugs Chris

Sarah I am so sorry about your mom. Please accept my condolences, Chris

Paulette My thoughts and prayers remain with you and Peter. Please keep us posted, we are here and we care. Chris

Ginny Wonderful news~ I am so happy for you! And yes, the waiting is the worst! Chris

Air Flow Obstructions May Predict Lung Lesions 30 Oct 2006 New research suggests that airflow obstructions determined by spirometry may predict premalignant lung lesions. Using a cohort of subjects who visited lung cancer screening clinics from 1996 to 2005, researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York analyzed the relationship between spirometric parameters of airflow obstruction and central premalignant lung lesions. All of the patients underwent simple spirometry, and 269 high-risk patients received autoflouorescence bronchoscopy with endobronchial biopsy of suspicious legions. In total, 61 biopsy results were normal, while 123 confirmed either early or invasive central lung cancer. Researchers also found that patients with FEV1 less than 70 percent were associated with almost twice the risk of detecting premalignant or malignant lesions. Researchers suggest that spirometry used with autofluorescence bronchoscopy is a potential marker for lung cancer surveillance. ### CHEST 2006 abstract briefs Contact: Jennifer Stawarz American College of Chest Physicians Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medical ... wsid=55185

Radiofrequency Ablation In Inoperable Lung Cancer Yields Results 30 Oct 2006 Patients with lung cancer who were deemed medically inoperable showed mid-to-long-term results when treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), according to new research. Over a 30-month period, 16 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent 19 RFA treatments and follow-up CT-PET scans. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital noted successful completion in all patients, with no 30-day mortality, and 81 percent of patients remained alive after a mean follow-up of nine months. Also, the incidence of major complications remained low. Researchers concluded that RFA treatment in carefully selected, inoperable, lung cancer patients provides excellent control in tumors less than three centimeters. ### CHEST 2006 abstract briefs Contact: Jennifer Stawarz American College of Chest Physicians Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medical ... wsid=55187

Chris, What a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing that with us as I am sure it was probably one of the most difficult things you have ever done. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I am so very, very sorry... Chris

Hello Cindy Liz has given you a lot of great, great advice there. I think the anti depressant is a very good suggestion if you are not already on one. Please keep posting and let us help you through these rough times. Chris