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A powerful technology that continues to evolve, researchers say, has rekindled interest in liquid biopsies as a way to disrupt tumor progression. The technology, genetic sequencing, is allowing researchers a closer look at the genetic trail tumors leave in the blood as cancer develops. That capability, as these new “liquid” blood tests work their way into clinics, may further a deeper understanding of how tumors alter their molecular masks to defy treatment.

The post The early promise of “liquid” cancer tests appeared first on OUPblog.

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  मोबाईल फोन बनाम कैंसर का खतरा पहले मैगी फिर ब्रैड और अब मोबाईल … हे भगवान किस किस से बचे और कैसे बचे … थोडी देर पहले मणि मेरे लिए ब्रैड पकौडा बना कर लाई क्योकि मुझे बहुत पसंद है …. या था !!! मैने उसे बडा सा लेक्चर दे दिया कि क्या है […]

The post मोबाईल फोन बनाम कैंसर का खतरा appeared first on Monica Gupta.

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One of the biggest obstacles in treating cancer is drug resistance. There are still many unanswered questions about the genomic features of this resistance, including different patient responses to therapy, the role drug resistance plays in the relapse of tumours, and how cancer treatments in the future will combat drug resistance.

The post What is cancer drug resistance? Q&A with Dr Maurizio D’Incalci appeared first on OUPblog.

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A tired old elephant hunched in the room as President Obama announced the launch of a new moonshot against cancer during his State of the Union address a month ago. We've heard that promise before. On 23 December 1971, when President Nixon first declared a national war on cancer, he also based his conviction on the successfully completed moonwalk.

The post Cancer is no moonshot appeared first on OUPblog.

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Cancer treatment’s biggest failings occur in the metastatic setting, when metastatic cells escaping from the primary tumor colonize and attack critical organs. Much about how cells colonize distant tissues as opposed to remaining in the primary tumor or in circulation without settling in one place remains unknown. But a new bioengineered device could offer insights.

The post Metastatic cells colonize implantable scaffold in mice appeared first on OUPblog.

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Announced on January 13th by President Obama in his eighth and final State of the Union Address, the multi-billion dollar project will be led by US Vice President, Joe Biden, who has a vested interest in seeing new cures for cancer. Using genomics to cure cancer is being held on par with JFK’s desire in 1961 to land men on the moon.

The post The Cancer Moonshot appeared first on OUPblog.

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Type “cancer risk assessment” into Google, and you’ll come up with a list of assessment tools for particular cancers, most with a strong focus on personal risk factors related to lifestyle, exposures, and medical and family history. Would it help also to get a broader view of cancer risk? The National Cancer Institute thinks so.

The post National Cancer Institute’s new tool puts cancer risk in context appeared first on OUPblog.

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There are so many reports of agents that may cause cancer, that there is a temptation to dismiss them all. Tabloid newspapers have listed everything from babies, belts, biscuits, and bras, to skiing, shaving, soup, and space travel. It is also tempting to be drawn into debates about more esoteric candidates for causative agents like hair dyes, underarm deodorants, or pesticides.

The post Let’s refocus on cancer prevention appeared first on OUPblog.

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Initially tested in pet dogs with bone cancer, a new drug that delays metastasis now helps children with the same disease in Europe. The immune modulator, which mops up microscopic cancer cells, has not been approved in the United States, researchers say.

The post Studying pets’ cancers may yield health benefits for humans appeared first on OUPblog.

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I am superstitious. I live with a black cat.

Before Blackberry -- b.B.b. -- I had written many novels. None were published.

B.B.b. -- I had also written half of a memoir about my experience with breast cancer. I didn't finish it. I really didn't want to spend another year of my life describing that year of chemotherapy and radiation.

B.B.b. -- My husband and I were trying to write a musical together. We fought more about characters than we ever did about our finances or taking out the trash.

B.B.b. -- Our daughter was smart and talented, but a little more socially awkward than most.

So, b.B.b., life wasn't always so good.

In 2004, we adopted a little black kitten. Our daughter named her Blackberry.

A.B.b. -- My husband and I stopped writing that musical.

A.B.b. -- Our daughter found an amazing group of friends at her new middle school. She kept those friends, and every year has added more.

A.B.b. -- I have continued to be cancer free.

A.B.b. -- In the summer of 2005, I started writing a humorous adventure story called Nature Girl. It wasn't published until 2010, but I knew I had found what I was meant to do.

My husband jokes that Blackberry changed our luck. I'm pretty rational about correlations and coincidences, but I have to wonder if he's right.

And so in this Thanksgiving month, I want to acknowledge how grateful I am for all the good things in my life. I know that I am lucky to have opportunities to share my stories, the blessings of friends, and especially our good health.


It's nice to know our black cat has our backs.

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A debate over whether to remove lymph nodes from the neck during surgical treatment of early oral cancer has gone on for decades. Now findings from a randomized control trial reported last June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual meeting, in Chicago may finally put that controversy to rest.

The post Elective Neck Dissection in Early Oral Cancer: Debate Resolved appeared first on OUPblog.

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पान मसाला

ह हा हा !!! क्षमा कीजिएगा पर क्या करुं अपनी हंसी जिसमें दर्द भी है रोक नही पा रही. हुआ क्या कि कल दिल्ली से लौटते हुए FM पर विज्ञापन चल रहे थे और सबसे ज्यादा विज्ञापन पान मसाले के थे और बार बार आ रहे थे. अलग अलग तरह के पान मसाले और जाने माने लोग कभी 25 साल पूरा करने पर बधाई दे रहे थे तो कोई कहता है कि इसके बिना जीवन अधूरा है. हैं दाने दाने में दम है वगैरहा वगैरहा.

दस से तीस सैंकिंड के विज्ञापन में मात्र 2 सैंकिंड ( वो भी फास्ट फारवर्ड करके ) ये बताया गया कि पान मसाला स्वास्थय के लिए हानिकारक है. मात्र खाना पूर्ति कर ली कि भई बोलना जरुरी है इसलिए बोलती को भागना पडेगा. हंसी सोच पर आई और दुख इस बात का भी हुआ कि  FM जैसे सशक्त माध्यम के द्वारा भी श्रोताओं में इसके प्रति क्रेज पैदा किया जा रहा है. सब पैसे की माया है पैसे के लिए कुछ भी करेंगें मीडिया वाले. वैसे बात एफएम की नही टीवी पर भी विज्ञापनों की हैं और कितनी खबरें तो प्रायोजित ही पान मसाले द्वारा होती है.फिल्म में तो जहां किसी ने सिग्रेट या शराब पी वही चंद सैंकिड के लिए लिखा आ जाएगा कि स्वास्थय के लिए हानिकारक है विमल पान मसाला हो या रजनी गंधा पान मसाला या पान पराग या  अन्य  कोई भी हो …

 

 

~ Hariom Care

पान मसाला से निजाद पाने का सरल उपाय धूम्रपान से भी खतरनाक है पान मसाला या गुटखा। सुपारियों में प्रति सुपारी 10 से 12 घुन (एक प्रकार के कीड़े) लग जाते हैं, तभी वे पान मसालों या गुटखा बनाने में हेतु काम में ली जाती हैं। इन घुनयुक्त सुपारियों को पीसने से घुन भी इनमें पिस जाते हैं। छिपकलियाँ सुखाकर व पीसकर उनका पाउडर व सुअर के मांस का पाउडर भी उसमें मिलाया जाता है। धातु क्षीण करने वाली सुपारी से युक्त इस कैंसरकारक मिश्रण का नाम रख दिया – ‘पान मसाला’ या ‘गुटखा’। एक बार आदत पड़ जाने पर यह छूटता नहीं। घुन का पाउडर ज्ञानतंतुओं में एक प्रकार की उत्तेजना पैदा करता है। पान मसाला या गुटखा खाने से व्यक्ति न चाहते हुए भी बीमारियों का शिकार हो जाता है और तबाही के कगार पर पहुँच जाता है। पान मसाले खाने वाले लोग धातु-दौर्बल्य के शिकार हो जाते हैं, जिससे उन्हें बल तेजहीन संतानें होतीं हैं। वे लोग अपने स्वास्थ्य तथा आनेवाली संतान की कितनी हानि करते हैं यह उन बेचारों को पता ही नहीं है। > पान मसाला या गुटखा खाने की आदत को छोड़ने के लिए 100 ग्राम सौंफ, 10 ग्राम अजवाइन और थोड़ा सेंधा नमक लेकर उसमें दो नींबुओं का रस निचोड़ के तवे पर सेंक लें।यह मिश्रण जेब में रखें। जब भी उस घातक पान मसाले की याद सताये, जेब से थोड़ा सा मिश्रण निकालकर मुँह में डालें। इससे सुअर का माँस, छिपकलियों का पाउडर व सुपारियों के साथ पिसे घुन मिश्रित पान मसाला मुँह में डालकर अपना सत्यानाश करने की आदत से आप बच सकते हैं। इससे आपका पाचनतंत्र भी ठीक रहेगा और रक्त की शुद्धि भी होगी। Read more…

http://www.bhaskar.com/news/MP-OTH-cancer-from-pan-masala-3690244.html

सामान्य गुटखा पाउच गाल में तो प्रभाव डालता ही है, साथ ही श्वास नली में सिकुड़न पैदा करता है। इसके लगातार खाने से गला चिपकने लगता है। रसायन अपना प्रभाव छोड़ते हैं और अनेक बार इन लक्षणों के बाद कैंसर तक सामने आता है।

मुझे लगता है पान मसाला या अन्य हानिकारक हो न हो पर ऐसे विज्ञापन जरुर हानिकारक हैं तभी हंसी में उभरा दर्द.. कैसे सुधरेंगें हम !!

The post पान मसाला appeared first on Monica Gupta.

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When I meet with patients newly diagnosed with cancer, they often find it difficult articulate the forbidding experience of being told for the first time they have cancer. All they hear is ‘die’-gnosis and immediately become overwhelmed by that dreadful feeling: "Oh my God, I’m gonna die!" I often try to meet them in that intimate and vulnerable moment of existential shock and disbelief by stating, "It’s like being hit by an existential Mack truck."

The post Cancer diagnosis response: Being hit by an existential Mack Truck appeared first on OUPblog.

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दाने दाने में कैंसर… पान मसाला

तरह तरह के ब्रांड और तरह तरह के स्वाद पर एक बात सभी में समान है और वो है चटखारे ले कर खाने वाले दाने दाने में कैंसर छिपा है.. बेशक विज्ञापन बहुत आकर्षित करते नजर आते हैं, कई बार ऐसा लगता है कि पान मसाला नही खाया तो जिंदगी ही बेकार है … सफलता भी नही मिलेगी.

और उपर से ये टीवी वाले सच पूछो तो मैं इनसे बहुत नाराज हूं … क्यो?? अरे भई .. कैंसर का प्रोग्राम भी दिखाते है और प्रयोजक भी दिखाते है … आधे से ज्यादा विज्ञापन पान मसाले के ही होते हैं अब चाहे अजय देवगण हो, गोविंदा हो , शाहरुख हो ,,, और हम इम्प्रेस हुए जाते हैं.. टीवी हमारी जिंदगी में सीधा असर डालता है इसलिए ऐसे विज्ञापनों को दिखाने पर इन पर केस होना चाहिए… कि ये विज्ञापन हमें भ्रमित कर रहें  है.

सिविल जज सीनियर डिविजन सिद्धार्थ ¨सह ने कहा कि तंबाकू का सेवन स्वास्थ्य के लिए हानिकारक है। तंबाकू के सेवन से लोगों में तेजी से कैंसर जैसी खतरनाक बीमारियां हो रहीं हैं। आज की युवा पीढ़ी में यह लत तेजी से बढ़ता दिख रहा है, जो खतरनाक संकेत है। मुख्य चिकित्साधिकारी डा.अखिलेश कुमार ने कहा कि तंबाकू सेवन से प्रतिवर्ष 8 लाख लोग मौत के शिकार हो रहे हैं। जो चिंताजनक है। सीएमओ ने कहा कि तंबाकू से कई बीमारियां फैलती हैं। खैनी, पान, पान मसाला, सिगरेट आदि का सेवन बेहद खतरनाक है। बढ़ते हृदय रोग का एक प्रमुख कारण तंबाकू ही है। Read more…

No Smoking

– पान मसाला, सिगरेट और तंबाकू महंगा होने के बाद बावजूद कम नहीं हुए नशाखोर

ALLAHABAD: आलोक सिंह एक ऑटोमोबाइल कंपनी में फील्ड ऑफिसर हैं. उनकी सैलरी पंद्रह हजार रुपए है. वह स्मोकिंग करते हैं और रोजाना बीस सिगरेट पी जाते हैं. इस तरह से उनकी एक तिहाई सैलरी हर महीने धुएं में उड़ रही है. यह तो महज एग्जाम्पल है. ऐसे लाखों लोग हैं जो रोजाना तंबाकू, सिगरेट, पान मसाला की लत पर बड़ी रकम खर्च कर देते हैं. जिसकी वजह से शहर में तंबाकू उत्पादों की बिक्री का ग्राफ बढ़ता जा रहा है. सरकार द्वारा वैट टैक्स में बढ़ोतरी किए जाने के बाद उत्पाद महंगे हुए लेकिन बिक्री पर बहुत ज्यादा फर्क नहीं पड़ा.

तंबाकू से होने वाले नुकसान को लेकर सरकार भले ही लोगों को लाख जागरुक करने की कोशिश करे लेकिन नशाखोरी कम होने के बजाय बढ़ रही है. केवल शहर में रोजाना आठ से दस लाख रुपए के तंबाकू, सिगरेट और पान मसाला की बिक्री हो रही है. इनमें सबसे ज्यादा डिमांड सिगरेट की है. कुल बिक्री का आधा हिस्सा स्मोकर्स अदा करते हैं. होल सेलर्स बताते हैं कि तंबाकू उत्पादों के मार्केट में सीमित ब्रांड हैं लेकिन इनकी डिमांड बहुत ज्यादा है.

पहले से ज्यादा बढ़ गया पान-मसाले का क्रेज

हाईकोर्ट के निर्देश पर राज्य सरकार ने प्रदेश में गुटखे की बिक्री पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया था. कंपनियों ने इस आदेश का पालन करते हुए पान मसाले का प्रोडक्शन शुरू कर दिया लेकिन इसके साथ तंबाकू के पाउच फ्री कर दिए. इससे गुटखा प्रेमियों को ऑप्शन मिल गया. अब वह पान मसाले के साथ पहले से ज्यादा तंबाकू का सेवन कर रहे हैं, जो कि सेहत के लिए बहुत ज्यादा हानिकारक है. कंपनियां तंबाकू के पाउच का पैसा पान-मसाले के जरिए वसूल कर रही हैं.

महंगाई भी कम नहीं कर पाई दीवानगी

सरकार द्वारा चालीस फीसदी वैट टैक्स में बढ़ोतरी किए जाने के बाद पान मसाले और सिगरेट के दाम तेजी से बढ़े हैं लेकिन इससे बिक्री पर ज्यादा फर्क नहीं पड़ा है. लोग अपना नशा पूरा करने के लिए बढ़े हुए दाम देने को भी तैयार हैं. पान मसाले में एक तो सिगरेट में तीन रुपए तक की बढ़ोतरी हुई है, जिससे सरकार का रेवेन्यू भी बढ़ा है. दुकानदार कहते हैं कि महंगाई के चलते कुछ लोगों ने जरूर नशा छोड़ा है लेकिन उससे ज्यादा संख्या उन टीन एजर्स की है जो नशे की लत का शिकार हो रहे हैं.

तंबाकू उत्पाद बेचने वाले कीडगंज के दुकानदार विवेक की मानें तो इस धंधे में ग्राहकों को बुलाना नहीं पड़ता है. वह खुद ब खुद चले आते हैं लेकिन चिंता का सबब है टीन एजर्स का नशे का शिकार होना. वह बताते हैं कि क्फ् से क्7 साल की उम्र के बच्चों में सिगरेट की लत तेजी से बढ़ रही है. अपना स्टेटस सिंबल मेंटेन करने और शोऑफ के चक्कर में वह शौकिया स्मोकिंग करते हैं और धीरे-धीरे एडिक्ट होने लगते हैं. शुरुआत में वह दस से पंद्रह रुपए की महंगी सिगरेट पीते हैं लेकिन नशे का शिकार होने के बाद 7 रुपए वाली सस्ती सिगरेट पीने से भी नहीं हिचकते. inextlive.jagran.com

कुछ समय पहले मेरी सहेली दक्षिण धूमने गई. उसे सुपारी पान मसाले का शौक है. रास्ते मॆं खत्म होने पर सोचा कि वहां मार्किट से ले लेगी. वहां जब पता किया तो पता लगा कि पान मसाला , सुपारी बैन है… वो हसंने लगी क्योकि उसे पता था कि हरियाणा जैसी जगह मे बैन का मतलब क्या होता है पर वहां सही मायने मे पता लगा कि बैन का मतलब बैन बैन ही होता है … काश देश भर की सरकार इसे अमल मे लाए … काश काश …

कुल मिला कर जब तक हम खुद से विचार करके इसे नकार न दे हमें समझ नही आएगी या साफ शब्दों में ये कहॆं कि  अक्ल नही आएगी.. अब ये हमारे उपर है कि विज्ञापन देख कर हमे भ्रमित होना है या …. केसर समझ कर इसे चबाते रहना है …

The post दाने दाने में कैंसर appeared first on Monica Gupta.

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Green fluorescent proteins, or GFPs for short, are visibly advancing research in biology and medicine. By using GFPs to illuminate proteins otherwise undetectable under the microscope, scientists have learned a great deal about processes that take place within our cells.

The post What can green fluorescent proteins teach us about diseases? appeared first on OUPblog.

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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Rachel Joyce. 2012. Random House. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

The novel opens with Harold Fry receiving a letter in the mail from a former friend, Queenie Hennessy; it is a goodbye letter. Though they haven't seen each other in decades, she wanted to tell him that she was dying of cancer. He's shocked, to put it mildly. Though in all honesty he doesn't think of her all that often, now that her letter is in his hands, he is remembering the woman he once worked with and what she once did for him. He writes a reply and prepares to mail it, but, on his way to the mailbox, it doesn't seem enough, not nearly enough. His reply is so short and inadequate. So after a brief conversation with a stranger about cancer, he decides to have a little faith and embark on a pilgrimage. He will walk to see Queenie in her hospice home. In his mind, logical or not, he's connected the two: walking and healing. He'll do the walking, but will it work?

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a character-driven, journey-focused read. From start to finish, readers are given a unique opportunity to walk with Harold Fry, to really get inside his head and understand him inside and out. It's a bit of a mystery as well. Since readers learn things about Harold chapter by chapter by chapter. The book is very much about Harold making sense of Harold: that is Harold coming to know himself better, of making peace if you will with the past and present.

I liked the book very much for the chance to get to know Harold and even his wife. (At first, his wife thinks he's CRAZY. Crazy for thinking up the idea, crazier still for acting on it. It just does not make any sense at all to her. WHY WALK OVER 500 MILES TO SEE A FORMER COWORKER YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN TWO DECADES?!

It was a very pleasant read. Harold meets people every single day of his walk, and the book is a book of conversations.

It is set in England.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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In 1998 the biotech company Genentech launched Herceptin for the treatment of certain types of breast cancer. Herceptin was an example of a ‘therapeutic antibody’ and was the first of its type for cancer treatment. Antibodies are proteins in our immune system that can target abnormal cells (or bacteria, toxins, viruses, etc.) in the body, and on arriving at the target can set in motion a whole set of biological events that in principle can remove or degrade to a non-dangerous state the abnormal cells.

Frequently, antibodies that we should produce as a natural response to cancer cells that may develop in an organ or tissue are somehow either inhibited from forming, or where they do form are poorly effective at destroying the cancer. To combat this ineffectiveness, specific antibodies against targets on the cancer cell can be made in the laboratory and then reintroduced into the human body, causing the cancer cell to ‘self-destruct’, or become sensitized to natural immune processes that aid the cancer cell killing.

In commenting on the efficacy of such antibodies in the treatment of cancer, delivered to an international antibody conference in San Diego in December 2012, Professor Dane Wittrup (MIT) reminded the audience how limited the response rate (~10%) of current antibody therapies has been. While there may be different views on the reasons for this, we can be reasonably certain that it is due, in part, to some or all of the following: the development of tumor resistance after repeated therapy, the presence of side effects serious enough to warrant interruption or even cessation of treatment, or limited antibody efficacy in the real tumor environment. Despite the investment of billions of dollars in antibody research it is clear that the human immune system still retains many secrets, the decoding of which has been, and continues to be, a long and complex process.

Current antibody therapies target specific ‘circuits’ in cancer cells that are important for the growth of the cancer, either shutting down or blocking key points in specific cellular circuitry, thereby reducing the cancer cell viability. Unfortunately, a cancer is a population of cells and as the inhibitory antibodies move into attack mode, biological changes within the cancer cells over time can activate alternative survival circuits that allow the cancer to evade the antibody effects, effectively becoming ‘resistant’. (For example, some breast cancers are known to become resistant over time to repeated treatment with Herceptin.) To counteract this effect, therapeutic modalities have been developed where two antibodies targeting different sites (circuits) within the cells, or an antibody coupled with a highly toxic drug or toxin molecule, are being adopted. While more effective than the single antibody approach, there is still a heavy hitting part of the immune system, the so-called Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte, or CTL (‘T’ for thymus-derived) mediated response, that often stands idle while the antibody arm of the immune system goes about its work. Why might that be?

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, research groups working at research laboratories in Marseille and a pharmaceutical company in Princeton described two new proteins associated with cells of the immune system that appeared to regulate their activity, allowing them to discriminate between normal tissues and abnormal tissues such as cancer cells. These new proteins were named ‘immune checkpoint receptors’ and are now known to be instrumental in deciding whether or not CTLs become active. When CTLs receive the correct activation signal, they are primed to engage an abnormal target with a view to destroying it in what is part of the ‘adaptive immune response’. Within the cells of the immune system, these checkpoint receptors are part of a complex activating and damping signaling system involving a receptor and a second molecule (or ‘ligand’) that interacts with the receptor in a sort of pas de deux. When the two find each other, as in normal tissues, a CTL attack is prevented (if this did not happen, an autoimmune response could be initiated). So, if the same ligand signal is somehow offered by a tumor cell masquerading as a normal cell, the ‘call to attack’ signals will be overridden and a CTL assault will not occur. In many tumors, just such biochemical changes are known to occur that fool the immune system into ‘thinking’ that the tumor consists of normal human cells thus avoiding attack by CTLs.

As with many aspects of biological systems, the adaptive immune system is a balancing act between allowing effective immune responses to alien agents, such as bacteria, viruses, toxic molecules, and the like, and at the same time avoiding mounting similar responses to our own tissues, organs, and cells that could lead to ‘autoimmunity’. Immunologists use the term ‘tolerance’ to describe this protection that self-tissues and organs experience as the immune system goes about its work. Lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis are two examples of autoimmune responses where the normal regulatory controls have been interrupted and immune antibodies or cells have attacked normal, healthy tissues with often debilitating effects. It is currently thought that checkpoint receptors and their partner ligands play an important role in maintaining this tolerance state in normal healthy persons, preventing unwanted autoimmune responses.

But what if antibodies could be targeted to these checkpoint receptors, blocking the ability of the tumor cell to interact with the receptors on CTLs, and hijacking their deceptive “I am normal” signal? (see Figure 1). This would mean, of course, that in theory, any cell, normal or abnormal, could be a target for CTL killing since both types of cell would have their “I am normal” signal blocked. Dangerous? Possibly, if not controlled. Desirable? If a tumor is so aggressive (e.g. melanoma, pancreatic cancer, etc.) that some autoimmune side effects could be tolerated or clinically managed in order to rid the body of the cancer, perhaps the therapeutic modality would be justified.

Well, we can do better than ‘in theory’. In a recent study of patients with advanced melanoma, one of the most aggressive tumors known and refractory to most therapeutic regimes, two different antibodies against each of the two most characterized immune checkpoint receptors showed spectacular results. In summary, the Phase I/II clinical trial results showed that 40% of patients treated with the combined antibody therapy experienced tumor shrinkage, and 65% of patients experienced shrinkage or stable disease. While these results truly are impressive we cannot yet declare that the war against cancer is approaching resolution, despite the claims of some enthusiasts.

As I noted above, immune checkpoint receptors are important in avoiding immune responses to our own tissues and organs. If their regulatory role is undermined by antibody blockade then autoimmune effects could be anticipated. In fact, in all clinical trials so far conducted with antibodies against these targets, autoimmune responses have been seen, including colitis, dermatitis, hypophysitis, pneumonitis, and hepatitis. These are classes of side effects the clinical community is not accustomed to seeing during antibody therapy, and will require stringent observation during treatment while improved therapeutic regimes are developed that manage these autoimmune effects.

Despite the embryonic nature of this approach, we have truly entered a new age for antibody therapy. As with all checkpoints, two way traffic is ever present, and while in one direction there may be freedom, in the other may lie painful experiences that have to be managed. The key for the future success of this approach will be the development of immune strategies that allow the benefits of immune checkpoint inhibition in cancer treatment to be counterbalanced by clever therapy designs that avoid, or at least minimize, the associated disadvantages.

Header image: Breast cancer cell. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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I am pleased to review children's author and illustrator, Jill Dana Siegel's debut children's picture book Her Pink Hair. 

• Paperback: 16 pages
• Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc; large type edition edition (November 25, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616335688
• ISBN-13: 978-1616335687
• 
  

The word “cancer” is scary for anyone, especially what the outcome will be. Author and illustrator, Jill Dana captures the true essence of the old saying, “out of the mouth of babes” when she takes you into the thoughts of a young girl as her friend battles cancer. Ms. Dana’s unique approach to an emotional topic will certainly open up the difficult conversation of cancer with your young muses.

About the author: 

Jill is an author, illustrator, artist, teacher, and filmmaker.  She is a certified elementary educator with a Master of Education from FAU. She is an award-winning filmmaker with an MFA in film and television production from USC.  She also studied psychology and motion pictures at the University of Miami. 

The author will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Her Pink Hair to a children's charitable organization.

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When life throws you down a crooked track, hold close your family, latch onto new friends, throw up your hands and find something to smile about.

While 2014 was definitely a crooked track for us, I want to close it with a look to the good. Shortly after our diagnosis, I had a friend reach out to me amidst his own health crisis. My advice to him was, “Hear the negative, focus on the positive and know that God has both covered.”

Good advice? I think so – but much easier said than done. This world screams negative. We are bombarded with the bad. The nightly news covers everything wrong with our world first and longest before they throw in one human interest story just before saying good night. (If you missed Kylie on the news, you can watch it HERE)

While sifting through the ruins of this broken world, how do we see what is good? I have seen a lot of things in my 47 years. To borrow the movie title, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have driven a man out of the slum of Port ‘au Prince, Haiti and watched as he was given the keys to his new home. I have been fortunate enough to help put a roof on a hut in Swaziland for a family decimated by HIV. Beauty plucked from ugly, good snatched from bad. Both started with a choice to engage.

Despite my experiences, never in my life have I seen the good side of humanity than from the day Kylie was diagnosed with cancer. The flood of well-wishes, prayers, and support for our family has been as overwhelming as the diagnosis itself. When you hear the words, “Your child has cancer,” the temptation is to curl up in the fetal position, shut out the world and cry. When I was at my weakest, I found an abundance of arms to hold me.

Friends, family, our school and church rallied to our side.

The nurses, doctors, childlife specialists, and staff of the Aflac Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta became dear partners in this journey. We also found great care at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

Organizations came alongside to help navigate and let us know we aren’t alone: 1 Million for Anna, Make-A-Wish, Cure Childhood Cancer, The Truth 365, Rally Foundation, Melodic Caring Project, The Jesse Rees Foundation, Along Comes Hope, 3/32 Foundation, Blessed Beauty, Open Hands Overflowing Hearts, Kingdom Kids, Lily’s Run.

We have seen built a network of people who pray faithfully for Kylie. To be totally honest, I admit there are times when I cannot lift a word to heaven. Maybe a grunt, maybe an angry shake of the fist. Without a doubt, I know there are many people praying for my little girl when I can’t. That is incredibly humbling.

Then there is encouragement and love. Kylie gets cards and letters daily. At least a dozen young ladies have donated their hair in Kylie’s honor. People all across the country and literally around the world have been #SmileyForKylie. As of today, 87 countries have done it. Grown men have written it on their bald heads.

Between Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, we have received over 10,000 smiling selfies for Kylie. Unreal. We have gotten them from celebrities, athletes, and Kylie’s beloved Broadway performers. Idina Menzel made a video. Kristin Chenoweth made two pics and talked about her on a radio show. Laura Osnes posted a word of encouragement to her. She got a box of Broadway treats from Hunter Foster. She had pics from 9 out of 12 musicals nominated for Tony Awards, and the cast of her favorite show, Aladdin have reached out to her over and over again. Sometimes we can trace the web that led to the picture, but most of the time we have no idea how they happen – we have no line to these people. It’s just good. And it is out there – making a choice to engage with our little girl in a time when she so desperately needs it. A thank you will never be enough, but all I can offer.

Regardless of your view of the Bible, Philippians 4:8 gives us sage advice:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

I’ll not be able to change everyone’s mind. You can remain a cynic if you choose to. But the things I have experienced in 2014 prove to me that there is good in this world. I choose to think about such things – it is what has kept me going.

In 2015, we look forward to hearing the words: No Evidence of Disease and watching Kylie resume a normal life. That will be something worth throwing up our hands and smiling about.

 

Filed under: Learned Along the Way

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My wife sat at her laptop furiously compiling the lists for our four girls. She checked it once, then again while travelling to website after website scouring the internet for the best price and delivery. Items were added to baskets and carts checked out at such a frantic pace that I literally felt a warmth emanate from the credit card in my back pocket. Shopping at a fever pitch – Christmas delivered in two days or less. Not like most years, where she disappears for hours on end to find the perfect gift at the mall. She doesn’t have time for that this year because we got cancer for Christmas.

We didn’t ask for it. It wasn’t circled in the wishbook or written in red crayon. No one sat on Santa’s lap and begged for it. No, cancer just showed up unannounced and took our year away.

So rather than spending quality time with each of the girls to weigh their enormous wants against our limited budget as in years past, she spent Saturday morning hunting and pecking under great duress. Do they have the right size? Will it be delivered on time? Is that really something she will use or should we just give her cash?

At some point during the madness, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She paused to consider. Her eyes got red and her mouth failed her. She didn’t answer, but I knew. I knew what she wanted the second I asked the question and Amazon.com can’t deliver it, even though we are Prime members. It is the only thing either of us want.

 

We want our baby to stop hurting.

We want her to stop having to face treatments that make her sick and waste away.

We want her legs to work.

We want her to be able to go to school… to run, skip and play like every normal 12 year-old girl should.

We want her to stop coughing.

We want her hair to grow back so people don’t stare at her.

We want normal family time – not garbled, anxiety-laden, jumbled hodge-podge comings and goings where one is sick or two are missing for yet another appointment.

We want to relax and not worry.

We want to give cancer back.

 

I’ll take one of those please, Santa. Any size will do. No need to wrap it up because if you deliver it, the paper won’t last long. Oh, and you can ditch the receipt, I won’t be returning that gift.

I know many people are dealing with heartbreak and struggles. While Christmas is a season of love and giving, it also seems to magnify pain and loss. We don’t have the market cornered on hurt. I realize that.

It’s just that my wife loves Christmas so much. She loves everything about it, from finding the perfect, fattest tree to decorating every square inch of the house in some form of red and green. She loves the sound of the carols (save Feliz Navidad) and the smell of the baking, even though she is the one wearing an apron. She loves that, for the briefest of moments, the world focuses on the birth of our Savior. She loves taking a drive to see lights on houses and staying home with hot chocolate around a fire. She loves spending time with family, watching It’s a Wonderful Life, reading the nativity story, and candlelight Christmas Eve services. She loves the mad dash on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought… the joy and wonder on our children’s faces. She loves it all.

 

 

How do we do it this year?

Should we skip it?

Or should we cherish every moment together as the babe in the manger intended us to? Maybe, instead of focusing on what we’ve lost, we should hold on to the fragile remains of what we have – love, family, friends, and a newfound respect for the precious thing that is life. We should cling to our little girl, who, though frail, is fighting hard and encouraging others to do the same.

We aren’t alone. During the year, we’ve been welcomed into the country club no one wants to join – the childhood cancer community. While we are bound together by common tragedy, it is the warmest, most caring and wonderfully supportive group imaginable. It is the fraternity I wish I’d never pledged. Many of our new brothers and sisters are dealing with such incredible loss, and this time of year must certainly be crippling.

 

♦

 

When referring to the promised coming of the child in the manger, Isaiah said, “…and a little child shall lead them.”

What if we took a cue from our little child?

 

Although she is the one feeling the pain, nausea, and side effects of cancer, she is also the one most excited about Christmas. Even though she only had the strength to stand long enough to put a single ornament on the tree, she admires the finished product and loves to be in the den where she can see it. She is the one who insisted on taking decorations out of town with her while she has to be gone for treatment. She is the one snuggling her elves, dreaming about Christmas morning, and soaking up every minute of the nearness of family and Christ at this time of year. She holds a compress on an aching jaw with one hand and draws up surprises for those most dear with the other. In a year of typically rapid growth for a child her age, she weighs 75% of what she did last Christmas, yet she samples whatever treats her nervous stomach will allow. While we fret over diagnosis and treatment, she savors joy, plucks smiles from pain, and builds a resume of contentment that few on this earth have ever seen. Perhaps she has it right and we have it all wrong.

 

Instead of looking to health and prosperity for our happiness, what if, just for a moment, we set aside our problems – however overwhelming, and looked to the manger, toward a child – with gratitude for his coming and a longing for his return? What if we laughed in the face of the enemy, knowing that we are wonderfully cared for and uniquely loved? What if we hoped, even when victory was uncertain? What if we dreamed of a better tomorrow regardless of what it may hold?

What if we smiled more…

♦

This joyous Christmas, our family holds on to hope. Together, we look to the manger, to Jesus Christ our Lord for strength and healing. We dream of the day when there is a cure – for our child & every child. We pray that next year, not a single family will have to unwrap cancer for Christmas.

Filed under: From the Writer

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Receiving a cancer diagnosis is emotional and overwhelming for patients. While initially patients may appropriately focus on understanding their disease and what their treatment options are, supportive care should begin at diagnosis and is a vital part of care across the continuum of the cancer experience. Symptom management, as a part of supportive care, is aimed at preventing the side effects of the cancer and its treatment. Appropriately managing these side effects will help enable patients to maintain their quality of life through their cancer journey.

It is well-known that, unfortunately, many cancer treatments (mainly chemotherapy) will cause nausea and vomiting. Fortunately, decades of research have improved our understanding of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and have led to the development of very effective and safe drugs to prevent and manage these bothersome and potentially debilitating side effects. Research has also shown us that often combinations of two or three drugs taken together, sometimes over multiple days, offers the best CINV prevention with certain chemotherapies. With the appropriate use of these “antiemetic” drugs, CINV can now be prevented in the majority of patients. However, 20-30% of patients may still suffer from these side effects. Some of these patients are refractory in that the recommended antiemetic prophylactic treatments, for whatever reason, do not prevent the nausea and/or vomiting. Other patients, unfortunately, are incorrectly managed and are not given the appropriate preventative treatments. This is indefensible and not representative of an optimal patient-centered approach to cancer management. Physicians should be approaching symptom management in the same manner as they approach cancer therapeutics, utilizing the best and most appropriate treatments available.

With the goal of making prevention of CINV simpler and more convenient, the first antiemetic combination product has recently been developed, combining two drugs in a single pill that only needs to be taken right before chemotherapy is administered along with a single dose of dexamethasone. This new product (called NEPA or Akynzeo®) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (and is under review in Europe) after years of development. The combination not only comprises two drugs from two classes, an NK₁ receptor antagonist (RA) and a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist, representing the current standard-of-care. The NK₁ RA (netupitant) and the 5-HT₃ RA (palonosetron), however, are long-acting, and palonosetron is recommended by many guidelines committees as the preferred 5-HT₃ RA.

Three of the pivotal studies conducted to establish the efficacy and safety of NEPA were recently published in Annals of Oncology. These selected articles convincingly show efficacy with the NEPA combination, superior prevention of CINV compared with that of oral palonosetron, and maintenance of efficacy when given over multiple cycles of chemotherapy known to result in nausea and vomiting.

NEPA appears to be a promising new agent with the potential to address some of the barriers interfering with physicians’ administration of recommended antiemetics. This is accomplished by conveniently packaging effective and appropriate antiemetic prophylaxis in a single, oral dose that is taken only once per chemotherapy cycle, along with a single dose of dexamethasone.

Hopefully this will help, because preventing the symptoms has to be as important as treating the disease.

Heading image: Cancer cells by Dr. Cecil Fox (Photographer) for the National Cancer Institute. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The post It’s not just about treating the cancer appeared first on OUPblog.

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I saw someone’s Facebook status today:

 

And I was immediately struck with anger.

At first, I wasn’t sure quite why. I get what they meant. It seems like Ebola’s everywhere! It’s constantly on the news, all over the internet, and everyone’s talking about it. It makes sense to be sick of hearing about it.  We’re bound to get sick of hearing about anything that much!

But still, I couldn’t shake the discomfort that rung in my head over that status. Ebola seems far away, after all, it’s only been diagnosed four times in the US. It’s easy to tuck it away in your mind as something distant that doesn’t affect you and forget why it’s a big deal.

It’s even become a hot topic for jokes on social media:

 

Because so many see this very real disease as a far away concept, we find safety in our distance and it’s easy to make light of it.

But guys….

 

4,877 deaths. 9,935 sufferers. That’s not funny. That’s not something to ask to “omg shut up.”

The idea of disease never really hit home for me until my little sister was diagnosed with cancer. Yes, Ebola and cancer are two very different things. But I know what it’s like to watch someone I love very dearly suffer. I know what it’s like to hold my sister’s hand while she cries because she can’t escape the pain or the fear that comes with her disease. I know what it’s like to cry myself to sleep begging God to take her illness away. And I can’t help but imagine a sister somewhere in Africa in a situation very similar to my own, watching her loved one suffer, hearing her cries, and begging for it to all be over- but without the blessings of medicine and technology that my sister has access to.

We are quick to throw on our pink gear for breast cancer awareness and dump ice on our head for ALS because that kind of awareness is fun and easy. I’m not trying to diminish those causes- they are great causes that deserve promotion. But I mean to make note of the fact that when another very real disease with very real consequences is brought to light and gains awareness, people groan that it’s in the news again and make jokes about it on the internet. Because Ebola doesn’t have the fun and cute promotional package, we complain and make light of it and its need for awareness and a solution.

People are suffering and dying from Ebola. Just because that suffering seems far away, doesn’t make it any less significant.

 

This is a guest post from my oldest daughter, Meredith. I begged her to let me post it. 

Filed under: Don't Blog Angry

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I got to be party to pure, absolute joy this weekend. I have seen such displays on television after a big win in sports or gameshows. This time, it was my little girl who celebrated. After so many losses in the past six months, it was a much needed win.

As a parent, one of the worst things about cancer is being totally helpless. We are forced to sit and watch as one thing after another is taken away from our little girl. Ballet, plays, school, vacations, little things and big things are plucked away as she lays in bed.

Wonderful organizations are out there to give back to these kids. Groups such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation come beside them to give them something to look forward to during their treatment. A very introspective child, Kylie debated long and hard over her wish, finally deciding she wanted to see Aladdin on Broadway.

A few weeks ago, Kylie was asked to be the honored child at Make-a-Wish Georgia’s annual fund-raising Wish Gala. The chairperson of the event took her on a shopping spree for a gown. This day of shopping was unlike any that my girls have been on – especially Kylie. As a fourth child, hand-me-downs are the rule of thumb. If it isn’t obscenely high or dragging the ground, it fits.

Not this time. She was treated like a princess. After a six month hiatus, I saw her old friend, “excitement” start to creep back into her life.

The big night came. We all got dressed up for the Gala.

 

She knew she was going to sing with her sister. She knew I was going to speak. She thought of herself as the entertainment and the face of wish-children for the evening. What she didn’t know was that Make-a-Wish had planned a big surprise for her. They had a video from her favorite Broadway performers who granted her wish to go to see Aladdin. Here is her reaction:

 

 

Priceless.  Pure Joy.

After so many months of seeing her disappointed, I can’t look at that video without tears.

You might be wondering if I embarrassed myself and my family in front of the trendier set. I believe the answer is no. With a stern admonition from the start, I spent the evening minding everything I did and said carefully. I paused three seconds before any word escaped my lips. I didn’t spill or break anything. My online tux-buying escapade was made unnecessary by a friend exactly my size who owns a tuxedo. I did not step on anyone’s dress or trip on my way to the stage. I didn’t try to fit in by discussing the beach chalet I own in Vermont.

It was a lovely evening. Kylie was the star…. And she deserves it.

 

Filed under: Dad stuff

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