The Death of Cancer Cells?

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

My wife had a checkup this week. No one seemed to be looking for tumors, no one suggested CAT or PET or bone scans, no one felt for lumps...they took some blood and told her they’d get back to her...

She got the call and the doctor said that she was vitamin D deficient and they were prescribing some MEGA vitamin D pills. NOT to combat bone loss, not against depression, not for any of the reasons that seemed to ME to be logical. The vitamin D pills were for MUSCLE PAIN.

We went out to do a bit of shopping and picked up the prescription and when we got home, she took the pill (with a few slices of a medium, traditional crust, mushroom and black olive (plus “go light with the pepperoni”), and extra cheese pizza). After watching MASH and the first half of CHESS, she stood up, walked into the dining room and said, “Could a pill work after taking it two hours ago – because my legs don’t hurt anymore.”

I blinked in surprise and said, “I...well...I don’t THINK so.”

Since that day, her body pain is gone. She started taking capsaicin several weeks ago and that helped with pain as well.

This got us started on a nighttime conversation. By the time we were ready for bed, she said, “No one seems to be worried about me getting cancer again.”

“I know. It’s weird,” said I.

“What if...” she paused. Then she continued in a softer voice, “What if it’s gone? What if I don’t have to worry about a recurrence anymore? No one else seems worried. So, maybe I don’t have to worry.”

I didn’t know what to say. Her cancer doctor had prescribed the most aggressive regimen he knew. She had a double mastectomy. What more could she have done? Maybe the horror was over. Maybe FOREVER.

What if?

The concept is STUNNING and I’m pretty sure I’m not done thinking about it…or writing about it!

Image: http://picturetour.saladacres.net/resources/_wsb_491x587_DeadCancercellHighRes.jpg

"I HATE, I HATE, I HATE Cancer!"

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…


Watch this video clip and replace the words “peter pan” with “CANCER”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUHulYXfgG0

While I especially loathe breast cancer, I have come to hate ALL cancers equally in my relatively young life (as compared to the Empire State Building or the Pyramids at Giza).

My wife, of course is a one-and-a-half-year breast cancer survivor. My friend is a one year testicular cancer survivor. The only thing on this Earth that could defeat my brother-in-law’s indomitable spirit was NOT hemophilia, NOT arthritis, NOT AIDS…but liver cancer. My wife's mother died of lung cancer. Now the newest loathsomeness is my life is to discover that a young person for whom I am nominally responsible is living temporarily with a seventeen-year-young woman who discovered in January that she had ovarian cancer and who started chemotherapy last week.

The young person for whom I am nominally responsible, has a relative in Scandinavia who had to explain what the American English word “chemotherapy” meant. Enlightened, she eventually ended up in my office sharing her sadness, confusion and story. When she reached the page where she had the relative explain what our word meant, it didn’t exactly translate well. In essence, I found out that one word in Scandanavia for “chemotherapy” is förgiftningceller (at least, that's how I heard it) which means, significantly, “poisoning the cells”. I plan to take that up in another post.

OK – it’s a day later. I needed to take a deep breath, that’s for sure. My sentences were twisty and long.

It’s because cancer makes me hyperactive. I also realize that I FORGOT several other cancers: my dad had prostate cancer that was treated and also caused a family split; my brother, sister and sister-in-law had skin cancers in various places that were all painfully treated.

What is it with cancer?

It strikes young and old alike. Male and female. Knows nothing about race or nationality or ethnic group. There are ribbons of “26 acknowledged cancer awareness colors” (http://www.choosehope.com/category/by-cancer-color-cancer-type). It seems that everyone knows someone who has had, will have or has died of cancer.

So why hasn’t this banner of 26 colors united the Human race? Certainly nothing is more personal and nothing else is so suitably HATEABLE. If I were to say, “I hate, I hate, I hate CANCER!” Few people would quip, “Oh, you can’t hate cancer!”

On second thought, that may earn a quipper a punch in the nose – in any culture.

Image: http://i2.listal.com/image/1184510/500full.jpg

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! 7: Enzyme Discovery May Lead To New TEST and Treatment!

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

Every month, I’ll be highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130206131122.htm

This discovery comes from just down the road from where we live!

According to the University of Minnesota researchers, they have discovered an enzyme that is likely responsible for the majority of breast cancers.

I thought I’d talked about enzymes before, but it appears that I HAVEN’T!

Enzymes are gigantic molecules made in the human body. They are, by what atoms are in them and how the molecule is shaped, able to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. They catalyze (or cause) reactions in the body that make everything from digesting food to replicating DNA happen. They are used outside the human body to make everything from sour dough bread to blue cheese.

Enzymes are both powerful and everywhere!

This earth-shaking discovery about breast cancer came about while the UofM researchers were working on AIDS! While poking around HIV, they discovered that there are certain enzymes that give cells a way to fight off the virus. The “name” of this enzyme was incredibly creative (as are most things researchers discover and name (BTW – I’ve been a science teacher for decades and consider myself a science geek. I know researchers and have nothing but respect for them. But in naming stuff…whew! A little creativity would go a long way here!)) is APOBEC3.

While breaking the gene for APOBEC3 down and identifying how it works, they came across a single gene called APOBEC3B. They found that this gene is ALWAYS overexpressed in breast cancer cells.

In genes, “expression” means “…the process by which information…is used in the synthesis [building] of…the macromolecular machinery for life.” In other words, the genetic expression tells a cell what to make and how much it should produce. A cell will produce lots of this enzyme – and while it protects some cells from HIV-1…it has the unexpected consequence of causing other cells to mutate, giving rise to breast cancer cells.

While EVERYONE all around is expressing cautious optimism, those that know are urging caution and patience. While they have indeed detected this gene, no one is certain what to do with it. Discussion ranges from being able to use APOBEC3B sensitive chemicals to devise a screening test to detect breast cancer earlier than ever before so that TREATMENT can begin immediately – to finding chemicals that might create a sort of “sunscreen” for cells that would block APOBEC3B from causing the mutations that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and breast lumps or metastasizing of cancer cells.

Obviously the research continues; less obviously, it may lead to both screening and treatment that will benefit the NEXT generation of potential breast cancer victims!

Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Protein_APOBEC3G_PDB_2JYW.png/250px-Protein_APOBEC3G_PDB_2JYW.png

A Fantastic Cancer Voyage Chapter 1 IV

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

One of my fondest memories as a kid is watching the movie FANTASTIC VOYAGE. In it, a group of scientists and their ultra-futuristic laser-packing “submarine” are reduced to cell size and injected into the blood vessels of a world diplomat in order to destroy a blood clot in his brain.

What would a FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Breast Cancer look like? I’m going to write a novel here, short chapter by short chapter and I’m going to include the latest research and I’m going to imagine the entire story here for your delectation. Likely it WON’T be once a month…

Dr. Olubunmi Nwagbara – Ohloo to her close friends, Dr. O to those who wouldn’t try her last name for fear of offending her – sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair at the foot of Kim Lin Anzan’s bed.

The woman was supposedly the incarnation of the Buddha; some said she was an avatar of Jesus; still others thought she was the last, best hope of stemming all-out war between the world’s two super powers, India and China.

Ohloo wasn’t sure what she thought, but Kim Lin Anzan had just asked her a question and was waiting for an answer. She sat straight, “In answer to your question…”

“Ah! I thought you had died sitting up!” the woman said. She lay back on the bed. Scanners, pressure patches, sensors and monitors registered every movement of the woman’s body and if Ohloo touched her tablet computer, she would be able to bring up Kim Lin Anzan’s entire profile as well as the latest projections of the time she had left on Earth.

That was the problem. Ohloo said, “Just thinking. We will need to work somewhat quickly. The latest projections…”

Kim Lin Anzan’s smile dropped from her face as she said, “...are truly meaningless, doctor. I could easily will myself to death.”

She closed her eyes and as Ohloo watched, some of her vital signs began to depress. Ohloo gasped and shot to her feet, but before any alarms could go off or other staff could rush into the hospital room, the vitals returned to what had been “stable” a moment before. When Kim Lin Anzan’s eyes opened, she smiled at Ohloo, who said, “Don’t do that again!”

“Why, Dr. Olubunmi Nwagbara?” her pronunciation was perfect. “Did you feel out of control for a moment?”

Ohloo stared down at the woman then finally nodded slowly.

Kim Lin Anzan smiled up at her, “Perfect! You finally believe that you aren’t in control of my cancer.”

“I never said I was!” Ohloo snapped, abruptly angry.

“No, but you felt like you were. I know you are one of the very best in your field, doctor. But I also know that I am more than just a bag of water supporting DNA and a variety of cells – some well and a number of them sick. I am a spiritual being and I do, in many ways control my own destiny. We will need to work together if you’re going to cure me.”

“I won’t be able to cure...”

Kim Lin Anzan lifted a thin hand, smiling tiredly, she said, “I understand what you’re offering me is hope, not a ‘cure’. But for all intents and purposes – and certainly in the eyes of the world’s powerful – you will be effecting a cure. I guarantee now that I will be willing to work with you, young lady.”

“Thank you…”

“But I’m going to extract something from you as well.”

“What do I have that you could want?"

Kim Lin Anzan smiled and with dark brown eyes boring into Ohloo’s soul, she said, “I’m going to want your heart.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Once I recover, I want you to spearhead an effort to bring breast cancer screening and treatment to the poorest of the poor in China and India.”

Ohloo snorted in a most unladylike way. “Their governments would never allow a nominally Christian, black female to work in their countries!”

Kim Lin Anzan raised both eyebrows, “They will if they want my cooperation.”

“What can you possibly do that they can’t?”

“I can win their people – and not a single one of the government officials with whom I deal is not a person. And not a single one of their three billion citizens is not a person – who if they united as one, under one philosophy, could not throw both of the current governments out on their ear.”

“They’d never allow you to do that!”

Kim Lin Anzan lay back and closed her eyes. “They already have, Ohloo. They already have.”

Image: http://medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Fantastic-Voyage-200x290.jpg