Amy P
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Posts posted by Amy P
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TOO FUNNY!!!!! I can't wait to share this with a few select friend
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I don't like coffee but I LOVE hot mulled Apple Cider - with a little bit of carmel drizzled on top - yummy!
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The Fonz and Shawn Cassidy (who is now the producer of one of my favorite TV Shows, Invasion) ohhh those eyes and then C. Thomas Howell - from The Outsiders - you can only imagine what the walls of bedroom looked like when I was a pre-teen
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That is one of my fav's Frank
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I was board at work and actually looking for something else in the internet when I came across all of these LC articles. Hopefully they will be useful to someone!
Much Love,
Amy
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University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 17.10.2005
Gene therapy may protect normal tissues during radiation retreatment for lung cancer
Gene therapy could be used as an agent to protect normal tissues, including the esophagus and lung, from damage during a second administration of radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer, according to an animal study presented today by University of Pittsburgh researchers at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.
"A major challenge in treating lung tumors with radiation is the toxicity of radiation to healthy tissue," said Joel S. Greenberger, M.D., professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "This can result in major quality-of-life issues for lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy for their diseases. In previous studies, we demonstrated that gene therapy may protect healthy tissues from damage prior to an initial course of radiation therapy. In this study, we found that gene therapy also can protect the same healthy tissue during retreatment with radiation." Dr. Greenberger explained that a related study shows the effectiveness of aerosol delivery of this therapy by an inhalation nebulizer making it clinically feasible.
In the study, animal models were used to test the protective effects of manganese superoxide dismutase plasmid liposome (MnSOD-PL) gene therapy during exposure to radiation. One group of mice received an intratracheal injection of MnSOD-PL 24 hours before a course of 14 Gy irradiation, while a second group received 14 Gy irradiation alone. The mice were observed for six months for any toxic pulmonary effects and then subdivided into two more groups. One of these groups was exposed to a second lung irradiation of 10 Gy without MnSOD-PL and the other received an injection of MnSOD-PL 24 hours prior to radiation exposure.
The researchers found that in mice that received the initial 14 Gy dose there was 50 percent survival at 180 days (due to lung toxicity) compared to 87.5 percent survival during the same length of time for mice that were injected with MnSOD-PL prior to irradiation. Mice that received MnSOD-PL before both the 14 Gy dose as well as the subsequent 10 Gy dose had the best survival rate overall. Mice treated with MnSOD-PL before the first dose of radiation had a survival rate of 31.6 percent, while mice receiving the treatment before both courses of radiation had a survival rate of 47.6 percent.
"Administration of this type of gene therapy appeared to prevent the damaging effects of radiation, even when the radiation was re-administered after six months," said Dr. Greenberger. "Future studies will tell us whether this therapy can improve the quality of life for lung cancer patients and help us more effectively treat lung cancer without the damaging side effects."
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women. In 2005, more than 170,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed. Side effects from radiation therapy for lung cancer can include fatigue, skin changes, swelling of the esophagus, hair loss in the treated area, dry cough caused by swelling of the lung tissue and sore throat.
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Vol. No: 30:10 Posted: 10/19/2005
Survival of NSCLC Patients May Relate to Tumor Growth Habits
US Pharm. 2005;10:12.
Patients with second primary tumors, commonly found in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, tend to have an overall better survival rate than patients without second primary tumors, a team of researchers report.1
"Based on the experience with head and neck cancer revealing many second primary tumors, we wanted to know what the clinical practice is with respect to second primary tumors in NSCLC: What is the prevalence of second primary tumors, and what does it mean for survival?" stated Dr. Stokkel, of the Department of Radiology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. The researchers had several other important questions as well: Should it be possible to detect more second primary tumors when staging NSCLC? What should the interval be between initial diagnosis and follow-up PET studies to increase the diagnostic yield of second primary tumors? And would it be helpful to perform PET studies, for example, twice a year after initial diagnosis of NSCLC?
They retrospectively studied 860 patients for whom NSCLC had been diagnosed in the 1990s. Patients were assigned to one of the following groups: Group 1 consisted of patients with NSCLC as the first tumor; these patients had another primary tumor found during follow-up. Group 2 included patients with another primary tumor in their history that was not NSCLC. Group 3 consisted of patients with NSCLC as the only tumor. Group 4 comprised patients with more than two primary tumors in their history and/or during follow-up.
Drs. Duchateau and Stokkel found that in 25% of study participants with NSCLC, additional primary tumors were diagnosed either in their history or during the follow-up period. In 34 patients, more than one other primary tumor was found; 30 had three primary tumors, and four had four primary tumors. Second primary tumors were most frequently located in the lungs, the head and neck region, and the urinary tract. In more than 80% of patients, the second primary tumors were detected within one year after NSCLC was diagnosed.
Factors Affecting Survival Rates
According to the researchers, survival rates tended to be better among patients with additional primary tumors than among patients who did not have additional primary tumors. The five-year survival rate was significantly better for patients with more than two primary tumors than for those without two primary tumors or with only one other tumor in their history. The five-year survival rate was better among patients diagnosed with a second tumor during follow-up than among patients without any other second tumor. The researchers said the difference in survival rates between patients with and without additional primary tumors suggests differences in growth habits of NSCLC between these patients.
The investigators remarked that initially they expected the stage of the primary tumor--derived from TNM criteria--to be an important factor for the prevalence of second primary tumors. However, they found that TNM stage and therapy were comparable among the different groups and, moreover, could not be used as an explanation for the difference in survival rates. Although the effects of chemotherapy might have had some influence on the results, Dr. Stokkel emphasized that the number of patients in each subgroup in the current study was rather small. He noted that more patients would need to be studied prospectively in a multicenter setting to further investigate this theory.
Because the findings suggest "a difference in growth habits of NSCLC between patients with and without second primary tumors, studies should focus on this aspect to get a better understanding of this possible prognostic feature," the researchers recommended. Additional studies should be conducted "to assess the role of more sophisticated imaging techniques, such as fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, in the early detection of second primary tumors in relation to the costs and consequences for treatment and survival," they said. Dr. Stokkel noted that the results "may have consequences with respect to treatment protocols, but we have to ... study the proliferation rate in NSCLC as first, second, or single primary tumor in relation to the outcome."
REFERENCE
1. Duchateau CSJ, Stokkel MPM. Second primary tumors involving non-small cell lung cancer. Chest. 2005;127:1152-1158.
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This article really focuses more on the "business" side of the treatment but this was the first I had saw on this and wanted to share....
Genentech says Tarceva doesn't aid Avastin effect
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Genentech Inc. said on Tuesday early results from a mid-stage trial show that combining lung cancer drug Tarceva with Avastin works no better than Avastin alone in patients with advanced kidney cancer, sending shares of Tarceva partner OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. down 7 percent.
As a result, the world's No. 2 biotechnology company said it will not pursue further studies of the Avastin/Tarceva combination in kidney cancer but will continue to analyze the results of the study.
The companies continue to enroll patients in a Phase 3 trial designed to test the combination of the two drugs in lung cancer patients, Genentech spokeswoman Colleen Wilson said.
Genentech had hoped that Avastin, which works by cutting off blood supply to tumors, when combined with Tarceva would add to the progression-free survival of patients and improved response rate of Avastin alone.
Preliminary analysis of data from the 104-patient study found that receiving Avastin plus a placebo resulted in progression-free survival and response rates similar to those achieved with the drug combination, Genentech said.
"We consider today's announcement to be the death of the prospects for widespread use of Avastin plus Tarceva in renal cell carcinoma," Rodman & Renshaw analyst Michael King said in a report.
He had previously expected Tarceva sales for the combination therapy to reach $9.1 million in 2010.
Genentech said it was encouraged by the duration of progression-free survival seen in patients treated with Avastin in this and previous studies in kidney cancer.
Avastin is currently approved only to treat colon cancer. But the company has reported encouraging results against several other tumor types and oncologists are already using Avastin to treat some forms of lung and breast cancer on an off-label basis.
OSI's fortunes are far more dependent on Tarceva's performance than is Genentech.
Tarceva sales growth has been disappointing, but OSI earlier this month expressed confidence in the drug's long-term prospects for its flagship drug.
The company is awaiting a decision by U.S. regulators on its application to sell Tarceva to treat pancreatic cancer.
Lazard Capital Markets on Tuesday cut its price target for OSI shares to $40 from $45, but maintained its "buy" rating on the stock.
OSI shares closed down $2.04, or 7.9 percent, at $23.65 on Nasdaq, while Genentech shares were up 63 cents at $84.83 on the New York Stock Exchange
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Posted on Tue, Oct. 18, 2005
Taxolog acquires new anti-cancer drug
By Rocky Scott
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Taxolog Inc., a pharmaceutical research company with offices in Tallahassee, has acquired a new cancer-fighting drug made with a process developed by a former Florida State University professor, a company official said Monday.
"The drug is an anti-cancer drug which, in pre-clinical data, had activity in a range of tumors," said Dr. Martin Huber, vice president of clinical development for Taxolog in the company's main office in Fairfield, N.J.
Huber said the drug, which has been given the name milataxel, originally was sold to Wyeth Inc. by Taxolog.
He said Wyeth performed early testing and found favorable results, but decided to allow the patent to revert to Taxolog, where officials were pleased with some of the early Wyeth test results.
"Wyeth had done some clinical studies and at the end ... we saw responses among patients with breast cancer and lung cancer," Huber said.
He said tests also show milataxel can be taken orally and appears to have some success against patients whose cancers have developed immunity to Taxol and Taxotere, two drugs developed by Taxolog to fight ovarian cancer and breast cancer.
The drug has not been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration and must still undergo a series of extensive clinical trials before its effectiveness is determined, Huber said.
No date has been set for the next round of testing, Huber said.
The process for producing Taxol synthetically was developed by Robert Holton, a former FSU chemistry and biochemistry professor.
FSU has received about $135 million in royalties from Taxol, said Kirby Kemper, vice president for research. Royalties for Taxol stopped last year when a newer process for synthesizing the drug was developed.
Kemper said part of the Taxol royalties will be used to develop a new $65 million chemistry center at FSU. Construction on the center should start the first week of November, he said
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October 2005 Sarasota Magazine
by Pat Haire
Medical Mystery
Why is lung cancer killing so many women?
When Sarasota nurse Kim Laning started having severe backaches last October, she dismissed them. The office manager of a thriving endoscopy practice, Laning thought she must have wrenched her back helping a patient.
Her doctor ordered physical therapy, but by November, with pain spreading to her hips and left arm, Laning was in agony, curling up with heat pads and relying heavily on pain medication for relief. The shoulder rubs from her 21-year-old son, Joshua, and 26-year-old daughter, Kariann, became a nightly ritual.
Eventually, Laning quit physical therapy and turned to a chiropractor. Disturbed by her lack of progress, he ordered a spinal MRI. “That was Dec. 22,” remembers the 46-year-old Chicago native. The next day the chiropractor ordered another MRI, then a CT scan the day after.
Three months after Laning first complained of an unrelenting backache, her doctor called to tell her that she had inoperable lung cancer, which had spread to her liver, adrenal glands and bones. With that phone call, Laning became one of more than 172,000 people who will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Nearly 80,000 of those will be women (Christopher Reeve's widow, Dana, is one recent high-profile example), and Laning hopes she will not be among the 92 percent of them who will die from it.
Of all the cancers that afflict human beings, lung cancer may be the sneakiest and least comprehensible. While deaths from lung cancer continue to decline in men by about 2 percent each year, the National Center for Health Statistics says that between 1979 and 2002, the death rate for women skyrocketed by 163 percent.
Today, lung cancer kills more women than breast and ovarian cancer combined.
Many researchers attribute that astronomical increase to the number of women smoking today, and tobacco is still linked to nearly 90 percent of the cases for either gender. Over the last several decades, female smoking rates have caught up to those of men.
But Laning smoked only socially in her late teens. She hasn't touched a cigarette in more than 20 years.
That doesn't surprise Dr. Bruce Fleegler, a pulmonologist at Sarasota's Lung Associates, who explains, “About 15 percent of people who get lung cancer are non-smokers.” Plus, he adds, quitting when you're young does wonders for the rejuvenation of lung tissues. “If you haven't smoked for 20 years, it's as if you never smoked at all,” he claims.
Laning says her doctor, Kirk Voelker (who practices with Fleegler at Lung Associates), believes she must have been exposed to a chemical like asbestos or radon. And although no clinical studies have linked them to cancer in medical workers, numerous medical products are made with compounds (like nickel, the acrylonitrile used in some medical gloves, and silica) that have been linked to lung cancer. So Laning believes she'll never know for sure what caused it.
But something else may be afoot. A number of studies indicate that estrogen may cause nicotine and tobacco to virulently attack women's bodies. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that estrogens may play a particular role in the development of adenocarcinoma, the type of cancer Laning has, which strikes women much more often than men.
Researchers have found that early onset of menopause (at less than 40 years of age) decreases the risk of adenocarcinoma, while the use of estrogen replacement therapy raises the risk.
But Fleegler is not yet convinced there is a physiological link. “I think we just don't know yet. I know it's intriguing, but the fact is that everyone who smokes is at risk.”
Unfortunately, treatments for lung cancer have not kept pace with those for breast, colon and even ovarian cancer. Six out of 10 lung cancer patients still die within one year of diagnosis. Between seven and eight patients don't survive two years. The five-year survival rate (at which most doctors consider a patient cured) for all stages of lung cancer is still just 15 percent, compared to 64 percent for colon, 88 percent for breast and 99.8 for prostate cancer.
Following up the surgical removal of lung tumors with chemotherapy can raise the five-year survival rate to 69 percent, on average from 73 months overall to 94 months. But only 16 percent of lung cancers are diagnosed before they spread too far for this type of treatment to be useful.
By the time Laning was diagnosed, her cancer was so widespread that her PET scan resembled a Rorschach inkblot. “It was just everywhere,” she says softly, as she flips through the notebook she's kept since her diagnosis. Every test result lies protected in clear plastic sheet holders. “Nodal, bone, liver and adrenal metastasis,” she reads from one report.
Surprisingly, says Fleegler, few people experience lung cancer's classic symptoms of chronic cough, hoarseness, shortness of breath or chest pain. For most, he says, the first sign is bone pain, and by then it's just too late.
Since Laning's tumors were inoperable, she started chemotherapy within a week of her diagnosis. Chemotherapy inflicts the same side effects in both genders, but the hair loss takes a greater psychological toll on women. And since women are at greater risk of developing osteoporosis later in life, radiation that could relieve pain puts their delicate bones at risk for fracture.
Laning's pelvis was too riddled with tumors to start the radiation that doctors said would finally ease her pain. First she had to undergo orthopedic surgery to shore up the thighbone and hip joint. Doctors proceeded with radiation on her arm despite fears that the bone was so fragile it might shatter if she lifted anything too heavy.
Early detection seems to hold the greatest promise for treating the disease, so researchers are exploring new tests that can detect cancer cells in sputum samples, and experimenting with ways to alter the DNA of lung cancer cells. The American Cancer Society reports that new drugs are being tested that may stop the formation of the blood vessels that feed lung cancer cells. A vaccine may even be on the horizon.
But chemotherapy remains the best line of defense against advanced lung cancer, and Laning's first round of chemo had excellent results. A PET scan in February showed her tumors were shrinking, but two months later the news wasn't so good. “It figures out how to get around the medicine,” she notes.
In May, Laning and her husband of 27 years, Dave, took their families to Europe, where she visited the lush tulip fields of Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam, and Dave, an amateur chef, learned to bake torta di cioccolata in Italy. Upon her return, she started a new chemo regimen with Taxol. If that doesn't work, she'll consider entering a clinical trial.
“But I'm feeling more back pain, and the pain in my arm has come back,” she says. “I don't know what that means yet.”
Although she asked for one, Laning never received a prognosis. “It could be months. It could be years,” she says. “You can't really put a number on it for anyone.” Beside, she adds, “I think, overall, that there's a better place than this. I know heaven is waiting for me.”
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Keeping you in my thoughts as well!!!!
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OMG - I almost blew Hawian Punch through my nose - THAT is funny!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tears are still coming..... -
I know this is a really old thread but I wanted to update it and let you know that little Max passed away yesterday. He had been rapidly deteriorating over the past few months and finally slipped into a coma last weekend. I am so sad. Please keep his family in your prayers.
Much Love,
Amy
PS. They had his younger brother tested and he does not have the gene that his brother had, but his mother is the carrier and she has a pretty good chance of developing this disease as well.
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I am not supersticious but my hubby IS. Being a high school soccer coach has made him even more so, to the point that I am not allowed to go to the quarterfinal matches (if they make it that far)because the 4 that I have been to they have lost and the 2 I missed they won and went on to the state finals.
His team last year was the same way, they were very sucessful at the end of the season and as they went into the playoffs they had certain things they insisted upon doing and they would not wear the special shirts that were made for them etc. I laughed but then got in trouble so I kept my mouth shut
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Hula Hoop - my 8 yr old can walk around with the darn thing still going, I told her Mom was jealous!
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High Fives all around!!!!! Sorry I am late, that seems to be the norm for me lately! Congrats Snowflake, awesome news!
Much Love,
Amy
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Jen -
My Mother-in-law was on Gleevac for a clinical trial for ovarian cancer, which turned out to be unsuccessful and they closed the trial fairly quick. The one thing that I remember from her experience was MAJOR fluid retention (fluid retention was listed as a side effect) but that could have been due to the cancer or the combination of the two. I haven't read anything about this for LC but hope that it will do the trick for you!
Much Love,
Amy
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Adding my prayers as well! Hoping Rita loses some steam soon!
TAnn is in Houston as well, I think.
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The Chocolate Bag from McCormick and Schmicks - it is a bag made of the best dark chocolate and filled with the most delicious white chocolate mousse and fresh berries - it is THE best! My best friend is coming from Chicago in a couple of weeks to take me out for a late birthday treat - ohhhhh I just cannot wait!
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I have been following Vicky's story via her website on caringbridge but hadn't checked for a week or so, when I went back today I found a message stating that Vicky passed away on Sept. 4th - another mother with kids/grandkids - this is so very sad!
Prayers for the family!
Much Love,
Amy
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Hello All -
I have been reading every day probably a couple of times. I am sorry I haven't been responding I just haven't had it in me.
Mom is still hanging in there at stable, she just floats along on the Iressa with minimal side effects, we were just talking tonight about how it has been almost a year and half since the beast came back (and 4 1/2 years out from diagnosis)and we are amazed at how well she is doing. In fact she doesn't see the onc as often now as she did when she was NED. I am not sure what to think of that but she is pretty asymptomatic so I will go with it!
Speaking of which, I talked her into joining this evening, her screen name is grammymuiller. I don't know how much she will participate but hopefully she will. She was amazed at the amount of information that was available. I hope she will use this as a resource to ask her own questions and/or fears that she may not feel comfortable sharing with me.
I pray for you all daily and have been rejoicing and shedding some tears and even though I may not post, know that you are all close to my heart.
Much Love,
Amy
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I LOVE Crab Legs/Maryland Blue Crab any kind of Crab!
Geri - I was in England in July and had traditional breakfast, including beans and toast and I actuall kind of like it!
Much Love,
Amy
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I don't have anything that is really unique in my wallet but I have to tell you what my husband carries in his - a picture of his Pride and Joy, now all of you are thinking oh how sweet either me or the kids - NOT.
It is a old picture of a bottle of dishwashing detergent Joy and some waxing product called Pride. His grandfather gave him the picture many, many years ago and he has it laminated and pulls it out on a regular basis to show off his Pride and Joy
Maybe someday it will be me -
This is a really fun thread - and I am totally laughing at Bunny and Ginny!
Growing up I always wanted to be Sabrina or Samantha ie Bewitched, I thought if I had those names I would be able to wiggle my nose and get what I wanted
But as I got older and finally put the pieces together, I love my name because I am named exactly after my Grandma, Amy Clarice (although I was almost a Clarissa). I go by Amy (and growing up I always wanted to change the spelling of my name) and she went by Clarice and now my oldest daughter also shares the name Clarice.
Left Lung Removed What is long term Recovery
in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!
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My Mom had her left lung removed in Feb 2001 and still has shortness of breath. Bruce is right on with the physical therapy - it helped my Mom tremendously and she also worked with a pulmonologist.
Are you on supplemental 02? That sometimes helps until you can get enough energy to start doing day to day activities with out severe SOB.
Best wishes to you - I hope you get some relief soon!
Much Love,
Amy