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 in technology and increase in knowledge, the amount of radiation needed and used has almost halved if not replaced completely by chemotherapy in some children.

As well, the total body surface that was exposed to radiation – what used to be the pretty well the entire upper torso – has been made a lot smaller. Hopefully, these changes will help reduce the number of women at risk for breast cancer as this generation of children reach adulthood.

You can read more about the study and its findings at the University of Florida website.

~~~~

Image: iStock.com

Tags: cancer blog, hodgins lymphoma, breast cancer, radiation for hodgkins lymphoma

Post from: Blisstree

Girls treated years ago for Hodgkin’s disease have high risk for breast cancer later on

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 reason to believe that statins would decrease the effectiveness of rituximab and, in some cases, they may have helped the treatment somewhat.

According to a press release issued by the Mayo Clinic:

Statins did not impinge treatment effectiveness for either group of patients. For patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, statin use did not influence outcomes. Those with follicular lymphoma who took statins fared better than patients who didn’t. At two years, 80 percent of those taking statins had no progression or re-treatment for their cancer versus 69 percent of those not taking statins. Dr. Nowakowski said these are early results and further validation in additional cohorts of patients is needed. This positive effect was seen regardless of the treatment approach for the lymphoma. Treatments included observation only, rituximab alone or rituximab in combination with chemotherapy medications.

This should be encouraging news for many people.

~~~

Tags: cancer blog, rituximab, rituxan, statins and lymphoma, lymphoma, statin use, lipitor, zocar, crestor

Post from: Blisstree

Statins usually ok if you’re being treated for lymphoma

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 a transplant, patients are given very high intense doses of chemotherapy to "kill" their own blood cell supply. In the older patients, less intense chemo is used because the stronger chemo was too hard on them.

~~~

Tags: cancer blog, chemotherapy, blood stem cell transplant, acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome

Post from: Blisstree

Don’t let age bar you from having a blood stem cell transplant

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 Kennedy was diagnosed with – is very aggressive and has no cure. And, sure enough, Robert’s brain cancer returned in early November.

He continues to play hockey, much to the amazement and admiration of his many fans. His story is much like the much-loved Finnish hockey player, Saku Koivu, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September 2001. Saku is the captain of the storied Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. After undergoing rigorous chemotherapy, Saku stunned the hockey world by playing April 8, 2002, just in time for the season’s play offs. Saku remains cancer-free at this point and is a major source of inspiration for many.

While Robert’s cancer is different and his prognosis is worse, these two men have done a lot to help raise awareness and hope among those who are living with cancer.

My hat off to both of them and all the wonderful medical and health professionals that helped and continue to help them.

~~~~

Tags: german hockey goalie robert muller, robert muller photo, Montreal canadiens captain saku koivu, photo saku koivu, senator edward kennedy, ted kennedy, glioblastoma multiforma, brain tumor, brain cancer, non-hodgkins lymphoma

Post from: Blisstree

German goalie keeps playing despite incurable brain tumor

B is for:

B-cell lymphoma

Basal cell carcinoma

Bellini duct carcinoma

Bladder cancer

Brain tumor

Breast cancer

Burkitt lymphoma

~~~

Tags: cancer blog, burkitt lympohma, brain tumor, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, basal cell cancer

Post from: Blisstree

B is for…

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 transplant and things looked up at first. Unfortunately, the leukemia was too strong and he lost his fight on November 11, at around 10 pm.

Emru was a popular figure in the writing community. Many members of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) are mourning his death as he had been an active member of PWAC before he left a few years ago. He also touched many people in the other parts of his life, not to mention his family and friends. Emru left behind his parents, his sister, and his wife Vicky and son Max.

Emru made it his mission to promote the need for getting people listed on the bone marrow registry. You can read about Emru at HealEmru.com. You can also read about his journey through his blog.

God speed Emru.

~~~~~

Tags: cancer blog, emru townsend, emru, leukemia, bone marrow registry, bone marrow transplant, stem cell transplant

Post from: Blisstree

Some sad news in the writer’s community in Canada – Emru Townsend

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 time if they have a job, less likely to have insurance, and therefore less likely to be able to pay for treatments and follow-up visits.

But honestly, is any of this a surprise? And is it reserved to those with NHL? No, I doubt that it is. Lower socioeconomic = poorer healthcare in most cases, so news like this isn’t really news, is it?

~~~~

Tags: cancer blog, non hodgkins lymphoma, NHL, lymphoma

Post from: Blisstree

Your income level affects survival of lymphoma

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.

~~~~

Tags: cancer blog, lymphoma, non hodgkin’s lymphoma, treanda, bendamustine

Post from: Blisstree

FDA approves Treanda (bendamustine hydrochloride) for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

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

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 protein quickly to prompt an immune response.

In this case, the scientists achieved this by inserting the gene into a plant microbe known a tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Plants are infected with TMV simply by scratching their leaves and depositing the virus into the tears. Researchers discovered that the virus spreads throughout tobacco plants within a week, in the process cranking out a surfeit of the coveted proteins. The scientists ground the leaves and separated out the antigen, which they then injected into volunteers.

Initial humans trial are safe, according to the PNAS report:

In the first human trial of its kind, a vaccine grown in genetically engineered tobacco plants has proved to be safe, paving the way to one day use it to help combat a potentially fatal form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that the experimental vaccine triggered the immune systems of 11 of 16 volunteers (with so-called follicular B-cell lymphoma) to attack their tumors without any apparent dangerous side effects.

Well…this might just work. If biotech can do its job right? I don’t see this as something impossible. But yeah it is too early to tell if this will really work successfully. We’ll see.

Post from: Blisstree

Tobacco Plant-Derived Cancer Vaccine, In the works.