As more children are surviving childhood cancers, some are finding themselves fighting the battle again later on, in adulthood. Such is the case with many women who were treated for Hodgkin’s disease when they were children if they were treated with radiation. And, the higher the radiation, the higher the risk – up to 40 times that of women who didn’t have Hodgkin’s disease, say researchers.
Until about 20 years ago, Hodgkin’s disease in children was treated very aggressively with high doses of radiation and little else, but the survival rate has increased significantly. Over the past two decades, with improvements …read more

Cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, are a growing market of medications as patients struggle to keep their cholesterol levels under control if diet and lifestyle changes don’t work on their own. Some of these drugs are Lipitor, Zocor, Parvachol, Lescol, Mevacor and Crestor. People with lymphoma are no different. According to statistics, about 20% of people with lymphoma are also taking some sort of statin.
There was a concern that the statins could affect the most common type of treatment for lyphoma, rituximab (Rituxan), which can be used alone or in combination with another chemotherapy drug. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found no …read more

According to a press release issued by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Older Age Doesn’t Affect Survival after Bone Marrow Transplant, if you’re over 65 years old and you have acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), you could do just as well as younger patients who receive the transplant.
In a new study, researchers looked at 551 patients who had transplants for MDS and 565 for AML. They found that age had no statistically significant impact on transplant-related mortality, relapse, leukemia-free survival or overall survival.
There was a difference in approaches, however. Traditionally, to prepare for such …read more

Cancer isn’t supposed to happen. And it’s really not supposed to happen to young people. And even more, it’s not supposed to happen to athletic, fit young people. But it does. Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone at any me and 28-year-old Robert Muller, father of two and an elite hockey goaltender for Germany. Robert played in the world championship earlier this year.

His brain tumor was first found in 2006 and he underwent surgery and had both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But, the type of cancer Robert has, glioblastoma multiforme – the same type that Senator Edward …read more

B also has several types of cancer in its list. Who knew there were so many different types of cancer?
B is for:
B-cell lymphoma
Basal cell carcinoma
Bellini duct carcinoma
Bladder cancer
Brain tumor
Breast cancer
Burkitt lymphoma
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Tags: cancer blog, burkitt lympohma, brain tumor, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, basal cell cancer

A blog about cancer does, sadly, have to include some sad news from time to time – and this is one of those times.
In December 2007, journalist, teacher, technical writer and website designer, Emru Townsend was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia. His only chance was getting bone marrow and the chance of finding a matching donor were very slim. Emru was of Caribbean descent and that ethnic group is sorely under-represented in the bone marrow registries of North America.
Against all odds, a match was found and in early September 2008, Emru received a stem cell …read more

Forgive me if I sound cynical at the end of this post, but as you read it, you’ll very likely guess why.
According to a study published in the most recent issue of the journal, Cancer, if you are in the United States and have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whether you receive appropriate treatment and survive has a lot to do with your socioeconomic standing, regardless of ethnic background.
The lack of money affects everything from first seeing the doctor to treatment. People in lower socioeconomic brackets have less money to pay out of pocket, less ability to lose work …read more

Patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) who have been treated with rituximab but whose lymphoma still progresses, may have hope with another treatment called Treanda (bendamustine hydrochloride). Indolent lymphoma, or lymphoma that resists treatment, is difficult to treat and is not currently curable. Treanda, while not a cure, may help slow down its progress.
The United States FDA had already approved use of Treanda for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is the most common form of leukemia in the United States.
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Tags: cancer blog, lymphoma, non hodgkin’s lymphoma, treanda, bendamustine

Amgen has recently been told by the FDA to reword the labeling of its flagship anemia drugs – Aranesp and Procrit – to further restrict their use in treating cancer patients.
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 …read more

This report has been causing a stir earlier this week. The good in the evil tobacco? So reports are saying. Okay before we all get too excited…the tobacco plants used are genetically engineered.
To make the vaccine, researchers took a sample of a patient’s tumors, which in this trial were made up of B cells (white blood cells that help the body battle disease and infection). They then extracted the gene from the cells that coded for the antigen they needed (to help the immune system recognize the tumors as threats). The key, researchers say, was to make enough of the …read more