Breast cancer updates

One third of breast cancer patients don't understand the results of their genetic tests? That just sucks!

New clinical trial using malaria medication to treat breast cancer.

Most early stage breast cancer patients may not need radiation. But not you young women, sorry!

Are you taking aromatase inhibitors and feel like your bones are going to give out? Acupuncture may be just the thing for you.

Will homeopathy treat your breast cancer as well as chemo? I highly doubt it but there are those who would disagree.

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Prostate cancer updates for March

Now men get to decide if they want to argue for screening as prostate cancer screening recommendations changing.

Another prostate cancer treatment on the way.

Using a virus to treat cancer not cause cancer?  That is novel!

And how's this for headline grabbing research - Do men with early prostate cancer commit suicide more frequently?

Don't take supplements without talking to your doctor. Turns out some "natural" supplements interfere with prostate cancer treatment just like they interfere with other cancer treatments.
 
Finally to really rock your world here's a story about a 7 month old who has finished his battle with prostate cancer. I was 462 months old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the average age of a man diagnosed with prostate cancer is 840 months!

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Just how aware do we need to be!?!

Tomorrow morning on the CBS News' "The Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith will undergo a colonoscopy live. The segment will look at preparation for the procedure as well as the exam itself.

The broadcast begins at 7 a.m. --is this awareness or too much information, especially before coffee?

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Just one example of why we need reform to pass

Beside Myself, Waiting for Change

I was diagnosed with throat cancer on Tuesday, January 12. I am unemployed and have no health insurance. I intend to get the care I need. My doctor has not turned me down, nor has the hospital for treatment. I anticipate the bills will begin soon and I will not be able to pay them. Prognosis is 80/20 for recovery with radiation and chemotherapy. I have a notion I am going to face something nastier than cancer in my life: bill collectors. So it begins.

My occupation used to be an administrative assistant. The last two positions that paid well were transferred to different states so my job was gone with them. At 59, with the tight job market, I am not getting any offers. And now, with this diagnosis, there really isn't going to be a job.

I've been beside myself with the Democrats not coming together at once to pass healthcare, and I am livid that just a few people held it hostage. I've tried to do my share by signing petitions and beating up Evan Bayh. This was before I knew I was ill. I think Congress should pass some scrap of something. I wanted the public option. I also hoped they would lower Medicare eligibility to 55. That was selfish, of course. Still, they must try to do something, if only to have it to build upon. They are crazy to think this will come around again this generation.

Sarah Hurt, 59
Indiana

There are many more stories of the uninsured at The Nation. Read them if you can take it. The uninsured are your neighbors, friends and colleagues.

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Correct Link to vote for the wedding

The link to vote for the wedding was not correct (thanks to Sherri for letting me know) This is the correct link, pass it around and share with your friends

http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/31433

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Cancer treatment choices vary based on type of specialist consulted or When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail

CHICAGO – Men who visit a radiation oncologist appear more likely to receive radiation therapy for prostate cancer, whereas men who consult with a urologist with or without a medical oncologist are treated more frequently with hormone therapy, watchful waiting or a radical prostatectomy, according to a report in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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You're invited to a stranger's wedding

Look at these two, aren't they adorable? They're planning to get married and could use your help. You see, she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago at age 19.   Now they've entered Crate and Barrel's Ultimate Wedding contest and they need your vote. I don't know them and neither do you but somewhere deep in your heart you probably do. So read their story and then go here to vote.

 

Our love story.

Brad and I started dating our senior year of high school and we are both seniors at Purdue University. Unlike most couples our age, Brad and I have been through an extraordinary journey. At the age of 19, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I told Brad that if he wanted to rethink our relationship that I would understand. Instead Brad did the opposite and on Valentine’s Day, after I was diagnosed, he asked me to marry him. Now I’m a 2 year survivor and not only did I survive, but so did our love.

Three important details about our Ultimate Wedding.

Our dream wedding would have our friends and family there. It’s a special day in our lives and we’d want to share it with the people that are important to us. Two, we’d want our wedding to be elegant, and for our guests to feel like they are welcomed and be a memorable day for them. Third, we want to commemorate our journey together. We have been through a lot throughout the past two years and it has brought us closer and we want to share that with our guests.

Our everyday dream day.

Our dream day would be to wake up and be healthy and to not to worry about breast cancer. We want to have a family and a lifestyle that will allow us to not only experience things together as a couple but also experience things with our future children. Our dream day would allow us to inspire other people as well as ourselves. We would like to have our dream jobs that would keep our family secure, and a nice home for our family to live in.

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You know, not dying is important to every woman too!

One of the blogs that I read, Shakesville, had an article about this ad which was interesting but I think the comments from the readers of my blog might be a little bit more realistic.

You know what?  I'm a whole lot more interested in finding out why I was just as a breast cancer conference where there was a 14 year old with breast cancer.  Why I was talking to women in their 20's who have had recurrences and are now at stage IV cancer with metastases to the bone?  Why I was listening to women who have had their cars reposessed because they can't afford to m ake the payments?  Why in a nation as wealthy as the U.S. was I talking to a woman who has tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills that she is trying to pay off one at a time when SHE HAD INSURANCE!!!

The woman with all of the medical bills?  Well it gets worse. The insurance company that was insuring the small business that her husband works for dropped coverage for the business because the bills got too high.  They now have insurance with a different company and it has a $16,000 dollar deductible! I don't blame the business owner who is still trying to provide some coverage for his employees but I'm not sure how that qualifies as insurance.

So University of Illinois Medical Center - Go to Hell and take this stupid advertising with you!

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Sharsheret

I'm back from the Young Survival Coalition conference in Atlanta and have lots of new information to share with all of you.

Today - Sharsheret

Sharsheret is a national non profit dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of young Jewish women who are facing the risk or diagnosis of breast cancer.

Jewish women of Ashkenazi (European) descent have a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer than other women as well as a higher rate of BRCA positive genetic mutations.

Sharsheret is very close to the Hebrew translation for "chain" or "to link together" and I would be stunned if it meant anything else. Sharsheret provides The Link Program connecting peers who are at high risk or newly diagnosed with others who have been down the path before.  The provide education and outreach programs, quality of life programs, a booklet series and even an "Ask Sharsheret" phone line for caregiver and family member questions.

They provide Genetics for Life, so very necessary with the ever increasing genetic information out there, as well as Embrace, a support program for women living with advanced breast cancer. And of course, a blog!

For more information about Sharsheret visit their web site.

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You've got cancer AND kids, now what?

So where does chemo fit into the schedule of t-ball, science fairs and book reports? Most people would think that it doesn't but more and more cancer patients are out in the community, living life. While your cancer diagnosis may not be something you want to yell down the street, I hope you're not shoved in a closet and whispering about it either.

In a strange way I was lucky to be diagnosed when my children were still young. There was nothing to explain to my daughter who was 17 months old at diagnosis. My son was 5 when I was diagnosed and we were able to keep the conversation very simple.

"Mommy is sick and the medicine she needs to take is going to make mommy lose her hair and be tired." He's always been a bit of an anxious kid so we watched him for that and actually got therapy when we thought it was needed.

So what should you be watching out for in your children? There are some behaviors to look out for, which may be indicators that your child is struggling.

Now remember, these behaviors in and of themselves are not unusual during the development of children. Teenagers are prone to being moody whether you have cancer or not.  Some responses such as tearfulness or sleep problems are common during a crisis but they should not be ignored. If your child begins to show an increase in defiance, anger, irritability or risk taking behaviors pay attention. If your child becomes more "clingy" than they used to be or begin acting more like a "baby" also be aware.

There are professionals available top help in any number of ways from guidance counselors at school to church social workers. Online there are resources from KidScope and KidsKonnected and others who can help guide you to finding the help you and your family may need to get through this rough spot. The American Cancer Society should be able to help you find support for your children as well.

More and more of us are surviving cancer so we've got to get our families the help they need to get them through what I hope is a temporary situation for all of us.

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Kids with cancer participating in clinical trials don't necessarily do better

Clinical Trial Participation Alone May Not Be Associated With Improved Outcomes for Childhood Cancer Patients

Children with the most common childhood cancer did not experience improved outcomes from participating in a clinical trial between 1997 and 2005. Carl Koschmann, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital studied 322 patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (a cancer involving the white blood cells), approximately half of whom participated in one of several available clinical trial protocols for the disease.

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Helping the parents of children with brain tumors

Study Explores End-of-Life Experiences of Children With Brain Tumors

Parents and clinicians caring for children with brain tumors may experience significant challenges near the end of life due to the neurologic deterioration that often occurs in these patients. Shayna Zelcer, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., of Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Center, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues conducted a qualitative analysis of focus group interviews involving 25 parents of 17 children who had died of brain tumors.

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