The move, which the F.D.A. announced on Wednesday, represents the first time the agency has invoked authority under a 2007 law that empowered it to order changes in a drug’s prescribing information. Previously, the F.D.A. could only negotiate with a drug’s manufacturer to change the label.

Sales of the drugs, Aranesp and Procrit, have already plummeted in the last year because of studies suggesting that their use to treat the anemia caused by chemotherapy could actually make cancer worse or shorten lives. Procrit is manufactured by Amgen but sold under license by Johnson & Johnson.

Read more from NY Times.

Post from: Blisstree

Amgen Is To Reword Label of Anemia Drugs

Here’s the YouTube video forwarded by Paul McGee (thanks again Paul!).

God bless the generous hearts for the donation and most especially, God bless Hope Lodge!

All cancer patients need all the help they can get.

Post from: Blisstree

Hope Lodge Received $4 Million Gift

Sometimes, I believe that one’s mental health is overlooked even though it too play a critical part how a patient manages to live with the disease or how survival is willed.

May is Mental Health Month and here at the Health and Wellness Channel, we focus on mental health.

Just one example why mental health is important in cancer patients:

Breast cancer patients who have a prior history of mood and anxiety disorders are at a much higher risk of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder following their diagnosis, new research suggests.

A study of 74 breast cancer patients at the Ohio State University Medical Center found that 16 percent of them (12 women) suffered from PTSD 18 months after diagnosis.

Co-author of the said study, Barbara Andersen said:

“What is unique about breast cancer patients with PTSD is that they have already had this double hit of both anxiety and mood disorders even before they got the diagnosis.

So when they are in a new situation that is very anxiety provoking – cancer diagnosis and treatment – it is not surprising that they are at risk for developing PTSD.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by the NIMH-NIH:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.

People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled.

Suffice to say that there is a lot more to the expressions “he went a crazy since his wife was diagnosed and died of cancer” or “she wasn’t the same anymore since she was diagnosed with cancer” or something to that effect.

Yes, we all get a little “crazy” or “depressed” sometimes in the face of adverse situations, the more that one’s mental health shouldn’t be ignored.

As suggested in the above study, Barbara Andersen further said:

“I think depression is the mental health condition that needs the most attention as far as treating breast cancer patients, even more so than PTSD.

That’s the direction our research is going, and we are working to develop an intervention to treat cancer patients with depression.”

Life is never easy: with or without cancer. Thus, mental health shouldn’t be ignored by healthcare professionals, the patients and their families(and friends).

Read more from Ohio State press release.

Post from: Blisstree

PTSD, Cancer Patients, Mental Health Month and Channel Theme Day

A service of the American Cancer Society (ACS) - Hope Lodge – offers free temporary housing to cancer patients that have to travel away from home to get cancer treatments, and is located in various locations throughout the United States.

Last night, the Hope Lodge NYC (the newest one) was featured on the local news. Watch it on YouTube.

Well, this is really a great help to all cancer patients. A little help goes a long for everyone and a free accommodation is really a big help.

Thanks again to Paul McGee of ACS for the heads up. I am pretty sure that you – my readers – will find this truly helpful.

Click here, to find out more about Hope Lodge.

Post from: Blisstree

About Hope Lodge

Starving healthy cells helps to differentiate them from tumor cells, a trick that could make cancer treatments more effective.

The new finding may pave the way for higher and more frequent chemo doses that better shrink tumors without harming normal cells.

Any thoughts on the matter? I’d like to hear them.

Find more details from Scientific American.

Post from: Blisstree

Fasting Before Chemotherapy, Beneficial to Cancer Patients

Together with the other medical disciplines, Dietitians help in providing quality care and comprehensive medical nutrition therapy, including:

• Prevention and treatment of malnutrition
• Counseling on diet and cancer prevention
• Counseling on dietary supplements
• Provision of tube-feeding recommendations
• Food safety guidance for patients with decreased immunity

The month-long observance of nutrition is geared towards Moffitt patients and employees.

Spot Moffitt dietitians wearing pink on March 10, Registered Dietitian Day. Registered dietitians have degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health or related fields, and most have a master’s degree. They must complete supervised training and pass a Commission on Dietetic Registration exam.

“When you need food and nutrition information based on fact or need to know how a healthy diet improves health and fights disease, rely on qualified professionals in the field,” says Kathy Allen, M.A., R.D., LD/N and manager of Nutritional Therapy at Moffitt. “They are able to separate facts from fads and translate nutrition science into information you can use.”

Patients can find information on healthy eating and foods that can help fight cancer on March 14 and 28 in the Moffitt Clinic Building atrium. There will be games and giveaways.

Source: Moffitt Cancer Center PR

[hat tip: Patricia Kim of Moffitt]

Post from: Blisstree

March 2008: Moffitt Dietitians Celebrate National Nutrition Month

Pretty much like YouTube, ACS has launched its own, cancer specific, video and picture sharing site called SharingHope.TV.

SharingHope.tv allows users to create an account and upload video, audio, photos and artwork in order to tell their stories of cancer in ways that work best for them. Visitors to the site can view the content, share what they like with others, or find hope and inspiration for their own fight against cancer.

Cancer survivors and their loved ones are already avid users of online community Web sites, and with SharingHope.tv, the American Cancer Society hopes to engage new and existing users of online media. “Many people share their stories of cancer on Web sites like You Tube, Flickr, and personal blogs.

Now they have a chance to come together in a single online community, with an organization and an audience that really cares about cancer,” said David Neff, American Cancer Society High Plains Division director of web and interactive strategy.

Hey do check it out! Please go to www.sharinghope.tv or you can read the full press release.

Wow. Isn’t that something?!

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SharingHope.TV: Like YouTube From ACS

Six cancer patients got makeovers from the metro’s popular beauty salons and tips on how to look beautiful even in the worst of times.

Rosalia Cruz, 50, of Baliwag, Bulacan, received “oohs and aahs” from the audience of 100 people made up of cancer patients, their families and doctors, as Emmie Mole of Maria Carla Beauty Salon carefully worked on Cruz’s hair and makeup.

A few minutes later, she looked beautiful — inside and out.

The makeover was just one of the events organized to commemorate the 19th anniversary of St. Luke’s Medical Center-Cancer Institute on Jan. 18.

May this set as an example to other cancer treatment centers around the world. Women can attest to beauty regimens making them feel a lot better. Besides, everybody deserves a beauty treat every now and then.

Read the full story at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Why should one skip those just because you are undergoing treatments? I guess if you yourself cannot do it, you should be treated to it by your family or caregiver.

Post from: Blisstree

Dear Cancer Patients, You Can Look Good Even in Worst of Times

Because of that, cancer patients are a higher risk of potential drug interactions that could cause them unnecessary harm.

According to a new study led by Rachel Riechelmann, M.D., of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, recently published in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute:

Nearly a third of patients were exposed to at least one potential drug interaction.

The researchers identified 276 drug combinations with the potential to interact.

About nine percent of the interactions considered of major severity–risk of death–and 77 percent of moderate severity–risk of serious health problems.

About eight percent of the patients received duplicate medications.

The authors suggest that cancer patients be routinely screened for potential drug interactions.

Read the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

Cancer Patients are Prone to Drug Interactions

According to their new study to be published in the February 1, 2007 issue of the journal Cancer (now available online):

…9 of 10 cancer patients with thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) who were experiencing a heart attack and who did not receive aspirin died, whereas only one patient died in a group of 17 similar cancer patients who received aspirin.

They also found aspirin helps cancer patients with normal platelet count survive heart attacks, just as it does for people without cancer.

It looks like the cancer patients develop blood clots during their treatment and are at a much higher risk of dying from heart disease if not treated properly while there are no guidelines that currently exist for treatment of heart attacks in patients with cancer.

As noted by the study’s senior investigator and author, Jean-Bernard Durand, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cardiology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center:

They found that heart attack patients with low platelets who did not receive aspirin had a seven-day survival rate of 6 percent, compared with 90 percent survival in those who received aspirin.

…that there were no severe bleeding complications in patients who used aspirin. Conversely, patients with low platelet counts who formed a blood clot and were not exposed to aspirin died.

Find more details from the full report at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Post from: Blisstree

Aspirin Can Save Cancer Patients from Heart Attacks