ENCORE #101! – Metastatic Breast Cancer: Liver 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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in December 0f 2011.

This is not a cancer you hear about frequently, though it is third worldwide after lung and stomach in the number of deaths each year. It is uncommon in the United States with three fourths of all cases diagnosed in Southeast Asia, Mozambique and South Africa.

It is one of the least common of the metastatic breast cancers with bone cancer being 70% of the metastases and brain cancer being 10%. The remaining 20% are distributed between liver, lung and non-specific systemic diseases.

Metastatic breast cancer-caused liver cancer can show up as a significant weight loss, jaundice (getting yellow skin – this condition is sometimes seen in newborns (our son was jaundiced at birth)), and elevated liver enzymes (Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of Alanine transaminase (ALT) [This enzyme causes certain reactions to happen in the body that provide for cell energy and brain signal transmission] and Aspartate transaminase (AST) [which helps in the formation of the amino acids used to make several different body proteins such as hemoglobin], into the bloodstream). Other symptoms of MBC are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fevers, nausea, sweats and vomiting. In some cases, there are no symptoms.

Tests that may be done to diagnose liver metastases include a CT (Computer Assisted Tomography) scan of the abdomen, liver function tests (to check for the elevated enzymes mentioned above), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) of the abdomen, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans or ultrasound of the liver

Pain from this kind of liver cancer responds to chemotherapy and analgesia. Doctors can also try radiation therapy to relieve pain and shrink the cancers.

How well you do depends on the location of the original cancer and how much it has spread to the liver. As recently as January of 2011, doctors have added a new treatment to the arsenal: Resection (removing parts of the liver affected by the cancer) of breast cancer liver metastases paid off in a survival benefit in patients with chemotherapy-responsive, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive primary tumors, according to data from a retrospective chart review.

“Although the cases were small in number, they are relevant in the context of changing views about cancer that metastasizes to the liver…I think there has been a [dramatic change in thinking] over the past 10 years or so, where it has been realized that this surgery can lead to long-term survival…I don't think that was recognized previously…I think there has been something of a nihilistic attitude toward breast cancer metastasis to other organs in the past…Generally incurable, most liver metastases from breast cancer are treated with chemotherapy or hormonal therapy,” said Daniel E. Abbott, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “I think this information is most valuable when people are willing to counsel patients and make the tougher decisions about who should and should not have surgery and then let patients make informed decisions.”

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #65: Breast Cancer is Like An Old Movie From My Youth – “A Thief In The Night”…

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: How breast cancer avoids immune system detection.

“The team broke the data down into different groups and identified seven clusters of breast cancer patients based on the immune evasion mechanisms that breast cancer uses to avoid detection. Some of the types even used a combination of ways to hide from the immune system.”

The idea of breast cancer cells hiding from the body’s immune system brought to mind a movie I saw in the mid-70s called “Thief In The Night”. In it, life was going on fine and dandy for the Christian Church when suddenly, all the Christians disappeared in an even called the Rapture of the Church. At that point, becoming a Christian (the disappearance of their Christian friends made some people realize that what they’d said was TRUE…) but at the cost of their lives (sort of like becoming a Christian in several Muslim countries now).

A Biblical figure called the Anti-Christ appeared – sort of out of nowhere, from whence the title of the movie comes, which was lifted from the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

The upshot of this is that breast cancer is NOT like other cancers. It’s sneaky.

It is a thief – I don’t think even the most devout atheist would argue that breast cancer is a thief that steals life, love, peace, and joy. At least at first.

Why were they sifting through the data? Because the majority of breast cancers have proven resistant to immunotherapy – “…also called biologic therapy…a type of cancer treatment that boosts the body's natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy may work by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells.” It creates a double problem – any cancers that travel from the original breast cancer site and lodge elsewhere causing metastatic cancers – are also untreatable with the newer immunotherapies.

The end result for this team of researchers: “Knowing more about breast cancer tumors and how they work will give oncologists more tools to treat patients, whether it is with yet-to-be developed immunotherapy drugs or the traditional combination of chemotherapy and radiation, researchers said. It may also help researchers design clinical trials for potential drugs…Cancer treatment isn't as personalized as it should be…We've been trying to understand what's really going on with these tumors and how they operate. That way doctors can ultimately better treat their patients.”

If researchers can design new “security systems” in the body to protect it from both breast cancer and for blocking breast cancer cells from invading other parts of the body, then we can better prevent this “life-thief” from stealing more from us.

Resources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181218115202.htm

Image: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070795/mediaviewer/rm2694724864

ENCORE #100! – Metastatic Breast Cancer: Lung 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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in December of 2011 – only a few months after my wife was originally diagnosed.

Some twenty-two years ago, my wife’s mother passed away from lung cancer.

A child of her times, she smoked often and heavily for a number of years while raising four children, then quit – long before I met her.

Diagnose with lung cancer in 1994, she took chemotherapy, went into remission and finally succumbed to the disease in (I think – and my wife will correct me!) 1997.

Her disease was DIFFERENT than the type of lung cancer that can flare up after a woman (or rarely a man) is treated initially for breast cancer. Lung cancer after breast cancer is most often caused by BREAST CANCER cells that have invaded other organs and therefore are called metastatic breast cancer. The word “metastatic” was used in the 1570s and comes from the Greek metastasis which means "transference, removal, change.” The roots are meta which means "over, across" plus the word histanai which means "to place, cause to stand.” The medical use for "shift of disease from one part of the body to another" dates from 1660s in English.

“Metastatic cancer to the lungs is the spread of cancer from another region of the body to the lungs. The place where cancer begins is called the primary cancer. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it would be called breast cancer with metastasis (spread) to the lungs. In this case, breast cancer would be considered the ‘primary’ cancer.”

Symptoms that would lead doctors to believe that the breast cancer had metastasized to the lungs are similar to those of “regular” lung cancer and would be warning signs that a person would need to see their doctor as soon as possible. They include: a cough that persists over time, or does not go away with treatment; coughing up blood, difficulty breathing (due to decreased airflow by a tumor obstructing the large airways or spread through the lungs); wheezing (caused by the interference of airflow through an airway obstructed by a tumor); pain in the chest, back, shoulder, or arm (when a lung tumor presses on nerves around the lungs); repeated lung infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis; hoarseness; and lastly, lung cancer CAN have no apparent symptoms and only appear  when a chest x-ray is done for another reason.

As well, “general symptoms” of lung cancer can sometimes present with vague concerns such as fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite. Even depression can be a symptom of lung cancer – as well as many other conditions.

Treatment for cancer metastatic to the lungs is usually determined by the primary cancer, or origin of the cancer. Systemic therapy (chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, hormonal therapy), local therapy – which might include surgery or radiation therapy), or a combination of these treatments. The choice of treatment generally depends on the size, location, and number of metastatic tumors; the patient’s age and general health; and the types of treatment the patient has had in the past.

References: http://lungcancer.about.com/od/symptomsoflungcance1/a/symptomslungca.htm, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/metastatic

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #1: Marijuana In Minnesota

From the first moment I discovered my dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it seemed like I was alone in this ugly place. Even ones who had loved ones suffering in this way; even though people TALKED about the disease, it felt for me like they did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to this blog…

Every month, I’ll be highlighting Alzheimer’s 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: Marijuana in Minnesota!

Odd this…referencing the article below, published in July of 2017, over a year ago, has this to say: “The currently available examined evidence is weak and limited. It would be premature to say that the cannabis and related compounds have any effect on dementia symptoms or progression. Robust study designs with larger samples are needed to clarify the utility of Cannabis in AD.”

So why the rush (no pun intended)? Why the stampede to give cannabis to Alzheimer patients when this review of two (2) studies specifically targeted Alzheimer’s and “were predominantly used for the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). Two studies on THC reported no change in NPS and no severe side effects. The other three studies reported variable and inconsistent improvements in NPS.”

Oh! I missed this from the Alpha News article: “State officials say there is some evidence the use of medical marijuana may improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s by improving their mood, sleep and behavior.”

That sounds like a ringing endorsement, a reason to rush to dope seniors who have Alzheimer’s.

Surely there must be a more solid foundation, a larger study that exhibited startling or even clear results that cannabis resulted in improvement of moods, sleep, and behavior. How MUCH of an improvement?  What were the parameters of the study that caused this bill to be passed?

Oh! I missed this definitive research in the StarTribune: “The Minnesota Department of Health announced Monday that it was adding the degenerative neurological disorder to the program, despite limited evidence on the effectiveness of treatment with cannabis.”

Honestly? I don’t understand this – patients who have been diagnosed with “hepatitis C, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, opioid use disorders, panic disorder, psoriasis and traumatic brain injury” will get no relief from MaryJane.

Irritatingly, the state I live in seems to be the target of some exciting business growth opportunities: “Nic Easley, a national cannabis consultant and CEO of Denver-based 3C Consulting, said that based on market growth, the industry in Minnesota soon could prove lucrative for two to three players.”

Hmmm…I’m not convinced this is a good thing. But what do I know? I’m just a bofwhig and a Christian and not a terribly important demographic. While I understand it may alleviate some of the conditions of Dad’s Alzheimer’s, “Some studies have found that cannabis disrupts the tau proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s and inhibit brain function. But they were only in animal models, said Petersen, who directs the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and serves as a science adviser to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

In a coda that didn’t make it to the headlines, Peterson added, “‘We have cured Alzheimer’s disease time and time again’ — in lab and animal models, he said. ‘But that hasn’t translated to humans yet.’”

Resources: http://alphanewsmn.com/republicans-applaud-addition-of-alzheimers-to-medical-marijuana-list/, https://www.alzheimersanddementia.com/article/S1552-5260(17)30907-X/fulltext, http://www.startribune.com/alzheimer-s-added-to-minnesota-s-medical-marijuana-list/501803661/, https://mjbizdaily.com/what-are-the-medical-marijuana-business-hurdles-in-minnesota/

Image: https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/fileadmin/_processed_/e/1/csm_shutterstock_142671010_4683b6bf13.jpg

ENCORE #99! – Metastatic Breast Cancer: Bone 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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in December 2011.

What IS bone cancer and why did do people get it?

The cancer, while it can certainly occur by itself, is what is called metastatic breast cancer. It happens when cancer cells from the breast escape into the blood stream or the lymph system and invade MORE new flesh.

While bone cancer is the most common – 70% of metastatic breast cancers are of this ilk – the other 30% is made up of brain cancer (10%) and lymph, lung and liver cancer. Let me emphasize here that these cancers are NOT the peculiar type of cancer cells that initiate these diseases in people who have never had breast cancer. These cancers are BREAST CANCER cells that have invaded other organs and therefore are called metastatic breast cancer. The word “metastatic” was used in the 1570s and comes from the Greek metastasis which means "transference, removal, change.” The roots are meta which means "over, across" plus the word histanai which means "to place, cause to stand.” The medical use for "shift of disease from one part of the body to another" dates from 1660s in English.

Bone cancer caused by the invasion of breast cancer cells into the bones can first show up as back, bone, or joint pain lasting more than two to three weeks that seems to be getting worse; numbness or weakness in a particular part of the body; a change in bowel or bladder activity, such as problems with incontinence or not being able to urinate or have a bowel movement. This may be a sign that the nerves in your backbone are getting pinched by the cancer.

As well, blood tests can reveal a buildup of calcium or tumor markers (special proteins in the blood) like CEA (carcino-embryonic antigen), CA (cancer antigen) 15-3 or CA 27-29 that suggest the cancer might be in the bones. Calcium build up might also show up in a routine bone scan. These tests are NOT usual and are typically ordered only if the symptoms appear.

Metastatic bone disease (MBD) caused by invading breast cancer often behaves in a “mixed osteolytic (destroys bone cells) and osteoblastic (causes abnormal growth of bone cells) manner”. Bone destroying or bone growing MBD occurs because the different cancer cells give off chemicals that interfere with the naturally occurring cells in the bone and cause bone destruction, new bone formation, or both. MBD weakens the affected bones, people with the disease are prone to fractures. Broken bones caused by MBD are termed "pathological fractures."

The most common treatment options for MBD include radiation and medications to control pain and prevent further spread of the disease, and surgery to stabilize bone that is weak or broken. By killing the cancer cells, radiation relieves pain, stops the tumor from growing and can prevent the bone from breaking. Radiation can also be used to control the cancer after surgery to fix a broken bone.

MBD is a systemic (body-wide) problem and radiation therapy may be use just to lessen symptoms and pain in more advanced cases, or to completely destroy disease in the affected bone.

Different cancers respond differently to radiation. Several types of radiation therapy are available. Local field radiation is the most common type of radiation used to treat MBD in which radiation is directed at the metastatic tumor and the immediate adjacent tissue. Entire bone segments or multiple bones can be targeted by local field radiation, depending upon how many areas are affected by the disease. This usually results in complete pain relief in 50% to 60% of cases and partial relief in more than 80% of cases. How well MBD responds to radiation depends on many things, including cancer type (for example, breast cancer typically responds very well to radiation, while kidney cancer does not), and where the tumor is located.

Pain usually begins to subside in the first 1 to 2 weeks, but maximum relief may take several months. Therefore, pain medication is prescribed throughout the radiation treatment course.

For our “cancer friend”, the treatment has been effective and with the pain greatly reduced, we are planning to actually meet for the very first time for dinner over the holiday season!

FEBRUARY 2014 UPDATE: Yesterday, this friend got a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH!!!

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…Alzheimer’s #20: What I Learned – “Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behavior”

Dad’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s stayed hidden from everyone until I took over the medical administration of my parents in 2015. Once I found out, there was a deafening silence from most of the people I know even though virtually all of them would add, “My _____ had Alzheimer’s…” But there was little help, little beyond people sadly shaking heads. Or horror stories. Lots of those. Even the ones who knew about the disease seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Alzheimer’s Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this part of my blog…

OK, so it's Saturday. Sorry. Thanksgiving got in the way!

The presentation at the care facility my dad lives in was facilitated by a normal person. He didn’t have any “brilliant answers”; he’d had no “moments of revelation”.

In fact, I could have probably done a better presentation than he did! He was just a normal guy trying to figure out whether or not he wanted to continue his studies in college to get a PhD in his field. In fact, his field of research wasn’t even in the kind of dementia everyone in the room had to deal with in loved ones: dad, wife, husband, residents they were in charge of…we were many and varied. His research had more to do with TBI and dementia than with this inexplicable onset of a disease that few can clearly define and that despite having poured two BILLION dollars into Alzheimer’s research in 2018 ALONE, no one can stem or even turn its whitewashing tide.

At any rate, the discussion was best, but from his presentation I gleaned the following three points:

1) They do not live in this reality, it’s our choice to join them in theirs.

Ouch. I’ve been trying to convince Dad to live in my reality; mostly because I live in the real world. My world is the place where, were he to get the apartment he so craves and talks about, he wouldn’t last a day. At the bare minimum, he would get hopelessly lost the moment I was gone. At least, that’s what I want to think…maybe he’d be just fine.

That’s my biggest problem with living in this reality and visiting him in his. When I’m in his world, I wonder if maybe we put him into memory care too soon. I DO know he’s been in the facility longer than anyone else (even longer than most of the employees!) He’s still alive and toddling about, oblivious to…well, most everything…

By the same token, so MUCH of my energy has gone into fighting that losing battle. I’m not sure I can pretend my mother is still alive when he asks, and it will feel like I’m stringing him along if I tell him, “No problem, Dad. We’ll tour some places soon.” Which I’ve actually been doing for the past couple of years.

2) Assessment.
When he has “odd” behaviors (might be an oxymoron these days. ALL of his behaviors are odd…) look around to see WHO he was with, WHERE he was, WHAT was happening, HOW was he feeling (physically and emotionally). Change the subject, move away from the area, or ask the person to leave. Plan for the future (don’t go to that place, ask that person not to return, don’t do whatever the trigger was). I’ve noticed his worst days are after “big” events – going to doctor or dentist, going out to eat with me, etc.

3) If he’s repeating a request or question, give him a reassuring answer.
This is a weird one for me. What if he asks where his sister, brother-in-law, parents, or wife are? Do I tell him they’re out of town, or just tell him I’m sorry, but they passed away? That’s what I HAVE been doing. But is that right? Don’t know.

If anyone who reads this has insight, I’d be happy to share it in the blog (with your permission, of course!) Here’s a link to a list of 722 articles that came up when I typed in “behaviors”.

I’ll be skimming it soon: https://www.alz.org/search?searchtext=behaviors

Resource: https://www.alz.org/

Image:  http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/06/25/6360242025150255191939281878_Alzheimer-disease-patients.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…Alzheimer’s #19: “Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behavior”

Dad’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s stayed hidden from everyone until I took over the medical administration of my parents in 2015. Once I found out, there was a deafening silence from most of the people I know even though virtually all of them would add, “My _____ had Alzheimer’s…” But there was little help, little beyond people sadly shaking heads. Or horror stories. Lots of those. Even the ones who knew about the disease seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Alzheimer’s Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this part of my blog…

On Tuesday, I’m going to a presentation at the senior residence that has the memory care unit my dad lives in…

See, I blocked my dad from calling me for the past week after he got mad at me, shouted at me, then hung up on me last Monday. I “know” it’s a horrible thing to do, but I can’t deal with his paranoia and refusals and just general “meanness”. And I TELL myself, “This isn’t Dad! It’s the Alzheimer’s talking…”

But I don’t believe myself.

The presentation is being done by the Alzheimer’s Association, titled “Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behavior”. Man, do I need to hear this. I hope it will help. But I’ll report on Wednesday once I process it.

For now, have a good week!

Resource: https://www.alz.org/

Image:  http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/06/25/6360242025150255191939281878_Alzheimer-disease-patients.jpg

ENCORE #98! – The Normality of a Breast Cancer Life…

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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in April 2017.

So the past 23 days, we’ve had our son, daughter-in-law, and our two grandchildren staying with us on vacation from South Korea where he serves in the US Army.

It brought to mind that despite the fact that cancer was the focus of every thought for some time, other matters – in this case, our family – fill our every waking moment.

To reduce it to its barest bones, cancer might be characterized as death; family as life.

When life is written large – playgrounds; meals out; work thrown in because it has to be there; Mystery Caves and Malls of America and Como Park Zoos and Welcome Home parties and former high schools and other places barely remembered because there were so many – and full of life; it masks death so effectively that it’s easy to forget about it. To ignore it. To act as if it didn’t exist.

Or to fly in the face of death, sneer, then shout whilst shaking your fist, “Despite you, we will LIVE!”

That’s what this time has been like for me.

Thank you, God for the joy these hours and days have immersed us in!

Resource: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/living-as-a-breast-cancer-survivor.html

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #64: Vitamin D and Stopping Breast 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…

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: https://www.healio.com/internal-medicine/oncology/news/online/%7B23bbe444-a832-4197-8839-f398cc01ced4%7D/higher-levels-of-vitamin-d-may-lower-breast-cancer-risk

“While more early detection and improvements in treatment have reduced the mortality rate, there has been no reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in the past 20 years.”

Ouch. That’s both surprising and humbling.

After all those Relays For Life, and Susan B. Komen Race For The Cures…this?

To me as a science-based person, this says that while we are moving ahead in treatment, we are NO CLOSER TO KNOWING WHAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER TODAY IN 2018 THAN WE WERE TO KNOWING WHAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER IN 1998.

Really?

*sigh*

OK – onward then.

In a study, “Vitamin D, DNA methylation, and breast cancer”, published in the July 2018 issue of BioMed Central (https://breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13058-018-0994-y), researchers established that Vitamin D may protect menopausal women from breast cancer.

The mechanism, while is sounds complex and esoteric, is actually pretty simple.

While most of the title is understandable, ‘the heck is “DNA methylation”????

Meth…a word that our society has come to loathe and fear…is the root of a process called methylation. Simply put, it means that in a complicate molecule, a simple atom gets kicked out and a “methyl group” gets added.

We are uncomfortably familiar with “methamphetamines” because of the plague on our nation. The process apparently (https://sunrisehouse.com/meth-addiction-treatment/making/) is simple and has created leagues of “armchair chemists” who have no more idea what they are doing than the ancient alchemists did in their attempts to turn lead into gold by dumping chemicals on the gray metal found in most car batteries.

Ironically, one process of making meth involves using the LITHIUM found in “long-life” batteries. At any rate, most people know what DNA is – if not, it’s the molecule found in every one of your cells, and is a sort of code that makes you, you and me, me.

In the methylation of DNA, the molecule gets abnormally high amounts of the methyl group (a carbon atom with four hydrogen “riders”) that knock off a hydrogen on the DNA molecule and latches itself on. (Technically this is known as “hypermethylation”). The methyl group silences the creation of certain genes (a bit of code designed to make something) that “can be inherited by daughter cells following cell division. Alterations of DNA methylation have been recognized as an important component of cancer development.”

What ends up happening is a “hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes and hypomethylation of oncogenes.” Plain English: way more methyl groups attached themselves to the genes than normal, turning off its tumor-killer force. The same thing also sucked the methyl groups away from normal cell growing genes, making THEM stop growing normally.

“Silencing of DNA repair genes through methylation of CpG islands in their promoters appears to be especially important in progression to cancer (see methylation of DNA repair genes in cancer).”

In the study noted above, researchers have discovered that: “With roughly an 80% reduction in the incidence of breast cancer [in women who had a higher amount of vitamin D in their blood than those who had a lower amount], getting a vitamin D blood level [raised] becomes the first priority for cancer prevention…Nutrition and lifestyle factors are certainly important for overall health, but they can’t replace the value of vitamin D level. The safety of this level has been demonstrated within this study as well as others.”

One side note: I was in a vitamin D study that was looking at the prevention of diabetes. I did NOT become diabetic during the study, though I was borderline. HOWEVER – I also developed a kidney stone and was immediately taken off of the mega-doses of D I was taking…

Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_methylation#In_cancer, https://breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13058-018-0994-y,

Image: https://healthylivinghowto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Vitamin-D.-Cancer-Treatment-Prevention-healthylivinghowto.com_.png

ENCORE #97! – Breast Cancer: Liberia

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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in January of 2017.

The vast majority of deaths from malignancies occur in sub-Saharan Africa primarily as a result of lack of public awareness of cancer and how it is diagnosed and treated in the setting of a severe lack of resources (physical and personnel) to actually diagnose tumors. To correct this massive health disparity, a plan of action is required across the continent of Africa to bring diagnostic medicine into the modern era and connect patients with the care they desperately need. - See more at: http://www.liberianobserver.com/health/%E2%80%98breast-cancer-curable%E2%80%99

Why should this matter to you? Why should the matter to me?

I COULD wallow in guilt. That would be both easy and satisfying! Instead, I’ve decided I’m going to take a character I’ve created in a science fiction short story, and send him on a few adventures. Most likely, he’ll be travelling with a hard-thinking woman who will become his perfect match. They’ve already started out rebuilding the educational infrastructure of Liberia in the future middle of this century. I’m thinking the two of them need to make a trip to Liberia. Separately – where they’ll meet and butt heads.

The driving issue will be breast cancer education, diagnosis, and treatment in these three West African countries that hold a special place in my heart. From the sale of the stories, I’ll donate the money to breast cancer research in those places…

Liberia suffered through a horrendous time of civil war, starting three years after I left. The First Liberian Civil War lasted seven years, followed by two years of semi-peace, and then the Second Liberian Civil which lasted for four more years until the women of the country told both sides, “Enough is enough. Be done.”

I can only imagine more than public marches and protests were brought to bear on the men of the country to quit their war. As a result, a woman was elected president and in recent history met with Michelle Obama.

As for progress against breast cancer – well, that’s slow. Most of the country’s infrastructure had been smashed. Even when I was there, the JFK Medical Center had become run down. Apparently it was used by both rebel forces and by international medical personnel during the wars. Of its original four institutions only three remain.

As well, breast cancer detection and treatment face two main hurdles – the first is awareness. When we visited, I think it’s safe to say that medical care in the three countries was roughly equivalent to what we could get in the US in the late 1950s. That include cancer awareness. In the 1950s, cigarette companies touted the fact that “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette” (http://360jokes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/more-doctors-smoke-camels.jpg) Breast cancer was spoken of in hushed voices – if it was talked about at all – because it involved, you know…BREASTS. Despite Howard Hughes, or perhaps because of him, breasts had become dirty and you certainly didn’t talk about them in public!

The attitude toward breasts in Liberia today is similar. But an equally huge issue is treatment of cancers that people DO have. I have documented in this blog the cost it took to rid my wife of cancer. I’ve continued to write because despite the fact that she is five-years-cancer-free, there are countless things she has to deal with as a result. Even here, the divorce/break up rate among women diagnosed with breast cancer has never been studied – though one study found that there was no correlation (https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/91/1/54/2549274/Marital-Stability-After-Breast-Cancer), it involved a group that may have typically been stable anyway. Clearly more research is needed so that more effective supports might be put in place. I cannot imagine that Liberian men whose wives, fiancés, or girlfriends are diagnosed with breast cancer can find much community support!

At any rate, this is an area that needs study and support for the men and women involved.

Lastly, the kinds of treatment we have available here is most likely unavailable to your average Liberian woman…

Breakthrough, anyone?

Resource: http://cancer.iaea.org/newsstory.asp?id=184, http://tlcafrica.com/press_release_liberian_cancer_society_re-activation.htm,  http://www.capitoltimesonline.com/index.php/news/item/1647-breast-cancer-on-the-rise-liberian-women-urged-to-get-screening

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT #44…and final GGTA…Breast Cancer…Not the End of the Blog, Just…

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…

I started this blog in March of 2011 – seven and a half years ago. During that time, this blog grew from just talking about “my feelings” to looking at breast cancer research and breast cancer around the world. I investigated the drugs that my wife had to take, as well as talked about the aftermath of eventual breast reconstruction.

Breast cancer actually spread until it had infiltrated every aspect of our lives – the lifestyle mimicking metastasized cancer, I guess.

But as I expanded into different subjects and my feelings about them, I started to gain some wisdom. I started to realize that encouragement was important; I stopped writing my fictional re-imaging of Isaac Asimov’s novel, FANTASTIC VOYAGE (which wasn’t, in fact written by him, but by someone named “Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby…Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it…” (Wikipedia) He did, the book appeared several months before the movie was released and has been associated with his name ever since.

As my wife would say, “Squirrel!” (Referencing the Disney movie, “Up” and the intelligent dog, Dug…This ALSO qualifies as a “Squirrel!” event…)

At any rate, it’s not that my wife’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment is in any way “over”, it’s just that other things have grabbed my attention now – as in my father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2014 (which we didn’t discover until a year later when I gained control of my parent’s medical matters. That’s a story in and of itself but not the subject of this blog.) I started to look at Alzheimer’s the way I’d looked at breast cancer and now my emotional energy is focused there.

NOT that I don’t care about breast cancer any more. I’ll be getting more involved with the “working” side of the school district’s Relay For Life event in May 2019; and we continue to live together with her breast cancer – it’s just become so much a part of our life that it’s not exactly an…event anymore.

The upshot of this is that I won’t be doing this feature except as an occasional bit. It will be going the way of “Feelings, nothing more than feelings…”, the aforementioned FANTASTIC BREAST CANCER VOYAGE, “Reconstruction”, “Somewhere Along The Way”, “Translating the Doctors”, and “Breast Cancer Wisdom”.

So, if breast cancer was your concern, by all means continue to follow for the “Breast Cancer NOW!” which I use to highlight current research and the “Encouragement” entries – the two satisfy the science geek in me and the need for encouragement for ANYONE who walks alongside someone who is dealing with a life-threatening condition. But I’m not going to be venting much anymore. At least not about breast cancer…

If you’re interested, the new order of posts, ending with this one, will be:

Encore (I’ll continue to repost the most viewed posts from this blog!)

Breast Cancer Research RIGHT NOW!

Encore

Guy’s Gotta Talk About – Alzheimer’s

Encore

Alzheimer’s Research RIGHT NOW!

Encore

Encouragement (In Suffering, Pain, and Witnessing Both…)

Thanks for your time!

Image: http://wrex.images.worldnow.com/images/23784252_SA.jpg

ENCORE #96! – Breast Cancer: Cameroon

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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in 2016.

In the 1980s, I traveled with an organization to West Africa. I spent three months in Cameroon, so I still follow news about the country. Recently it seemed a natural extension of my reading about Breast Cancer to check the stats regarding the disease in that country.

I found this: “Overall survival rates of breast cancer are 30% at 5 years and 13.2% at 10 years among Cameroonian patients and are lower compared with 90% and 82% respectively at 5 years and 10 years in some developed countries.”

OMG! This is truly horrifying. Where we – justifiably – celebrate the survival of American breast cancer victims, the mortality rate of the women in Cameroon is THREE TIMES ours.

What’s being done? How can we help?

The vast majority of deaths from malignancies occur in sub-Saharan Africa primarily as a result of lack of public awareness of cancer and how it is diagnosed and treated in the setting of a severe lack of resources (physical and personnel) to actually diagnose tumors. To correct this massive health disparity, a plan of action is required across the continent of Africa to bring diagnostic medicine into the modern era and connect patients with the care they desperately need.” (Emphasis mine)

Why should this matter to you? Why should the matter to me?

I COULD wallow in guilt. That would be both easy and satisfying! Instead, I’ve decided I’m going to take a character I’ve created in a science fiction short story, and send him on a few adventures. Most likely, he’ll be travelling with a hard-thinking woman who will become his perfect match. They’ve already started out rebuilding the educational infrastructure of Liberia in the future middle of this century. I’m thinking the two of them need to make a trip to Cameroon. Separately – where they’ll meet and butt heads.

The driving issue will be breast cancer education, diagnosis, and treatment in these three West African countries that hold a special place in my heart. From the sale of the stories, I’ll donate the money to breast cancer research in those places…

As for current work going on there, there does seem to be movement and as you’d expect, it’s in the area of EDUCATION AND AWARENESS. “A recent review using the most recent data available for the entire continent showed that breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in 2008. There were an estimated 92,600 cases…breast cancer recently overtook cervical cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Niger, Namibia, Congo, Kenya, and Somalia. This change was attributed to increases in the prevalence of breast cancer risk factors associated with urbanization and economic development, such as earlier menarche, later childbearing, having fewer children, obesity, and increased awareness and detection.”

As well, “Worldwide, breast cancer mostly occurs after the age of 50 years. The situation is different in our context where it occurs at a relatively younger age, 46 years. The majority of these cases in our setting are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease because of difficulties in access to health care among other factors, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis through screening. According to the WHO, breast cancer is responsible for 25% of cancer deaths in the world with the majority of these deaths occurring in the developing countries. Although incidence of breast cancer is lowest in African countries, survival rates are also lowest. The majority of breast cancer deaths, 69%, occur in developing countries.”

A ray of hope? Run for a Cure, Africa has this as its mission: “To Win the fight against breast cancer in Africa by erasing societal stigmas; providing affordable breast cancer screenings, and creating more access to quality breast care. Their vision is to “…turn the current 90% breast cancer mortality rate in Africa into the 99% survival rate.”

So…the fight goes on in places most of us have never heard of. Hallelujah!

Resource: http://file.scirp.org/pdf/ABCR_2015033017061944.pdf, http://allafrica.com/stories/201607181336.html, http://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJOG_2016110715230808.pdf, http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=9921334c92e792139971fa508&id=22224a0179&e=7c62834bc7

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

Encouragement (In Suffering, Pain, and Witnessing Both…) #4: Thoughts On "Brief" Encouragement…

The older I get, the more suffering and pain I’ve experienced; and the more of both I stand witness to. From my wife’s (and many, many of our friends and coworkers) battle against breast cancer; to my dad’s (and the parents of many of our friends and coworkers) process as he fades away as this complex disease breaks the connections between more and more memories, I have become not only frustrated with suffering, pain, and having to watch both, I have been witness to the suffering and pain among the students I serve as a school counselor. I have become angry and sometimes paralyzed. This is my attempt to lift myself from the occasional stifling grief that darkens my days…

Except for Bible passages (which, in my mind, have proven staying power as they’re several thousand years old), I’ve found that I’m not a huge fan of “inspirational quotes”.

When I started researching for this post and typed in “breast cancer inspiration”, the first thing that came up was “20 Inspirational Quotes…” the second was “104 best…”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making a judgement here. Inspirational quotes are good for some people. I’m speaking for myself when I say I don’t think inspiration can have a lasting effect on a person struggling with the repercussions of breast cancer.

Consider the following inspirational quote/poster:

https://www.chamberlain.edu/images/default-source/images-for-blog/quote-41.jpg?sfvrsn=0

While in no way trying to minimize Eleanor Roosevelt’s pain, “aplastic anemia…given steroids…[which] activated a dormant case of tuberculosis in her bone marrow, and she died of resulting cardiac failure…” is not breast cancer. I am certain she suffered enough to apply the quote.

But. She did not suffer a radical double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and reconstructive surgery. Someone thought the quote inspiring because of her gender – and of COURSE it’s inspiring! I just don’t believe it carries the weight it would if it was placed in a larger context of a breast cancer story.

Another exception I grant is when the quote comes from a longer work. If you don’t know, the British Christian apologist, CS Lewis married a woman late in life who died from metastatic carcinoma involving the bones in 1960. Lewis kept copious journals and a year after her death, published them under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. A GRIEF OBSERVED details his devastating grief after her death and his subsequent struggles with his faith. In this case, the quote is rooted in a  much, much longer work and personal struggle. I will grant that as a legitimate quote. Cries of “hypocrite!” notwithstanding, as we deal with breast cancer, as victims, survivors, caretakers, or simple bystanders – in different ways. “Trite” sayings to “encourage” are, I think a dodge for people who don’t know what else to say and so opt to say and send things that, while they come from a good heart, don’t mean much to the person suffering from breast cancer.

I write another blog called POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAYS…I’d have to say that this is one of those rather than the regular GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…

Image: http://www.quoteambition.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/encourage-quotes-destiny.jpg

ENCORE # 95! – Breast Cancer: Nigeria

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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in November of 2016.

Most people don’t know that for most of 1984, I was in the West African countries of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Liberia.

I got to thinking this morning when I noticed that some of my blog entries have taken a new direction, that I can pretty much talk about whatever I want to talk about.

So, it got me to wondering: what are the breast cancer facts, figures, and treatment in these three developing countries and what does it have to do with me – or you? Two of them have recent histories rife with coup d’etat, civil war, and mass exodus. One of them has had the same president for 34 years.

What have they accomplished for women’s health in relation to breast cancer – and why would it matter to us in the US?

Nigeria: Well…here was study conducted in 1992. That’s almost a quarter century old… (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1393468). There DOES seem to be a current drive to help the women in Nigeria and that is what you’ll find below.

“BACKGROUND: In most resource-constrained settings like Nigeria, breast self-examination self-breast examination (BSE) is culturally acceptable, religious friendly and attracts no cost. Women's knowledge and beliefs about breast cancer and its management may contribute significantly to medical help-seeking behaviours. This study aimed to assess knowledge and beliefs of BSE among market women.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 603 market women in Ibadan, Nigeria (Ibadan is a major city with a heavy Western influence. This is not necessarily representative of MOST women in Nigeria). Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistical methods.

RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 34.6±9.3 years with 40% of the women aged between 30-39years. The proportion of married women was 339 (68.5%) with 425 (70.8%) respondents reporting that they do not know how to perform BSE. However, 372 (61.7%) women strongly agreed that BSE is a method of screening for breast cancer. Highest proportion 219 (36.3%) reported that the best time for a woman to perform BSE was 'anytime'. Most of the respondents believed breast cancer is a dangerous disease that kills fast and requires a lot of money for treatment. (Emphasis mine)

CONCLUSION: More efforts are needed in creating awareness and advocacy campaigns in the grassroots in order to detect early breast cancer and enhance prevention strategies that would reduce the burden of breast cancer in Nigeria. - See more at: http://www.cancerindex.org/Nigeria#sthash.vxdUxdCI.dpuf”

The conclusion: “The vast majority of deaths from malignancies occur in sub-Saharan Africa primarily as a result of lack of public awareness of cancer and how it is diagnosed and treated in the setting of a severe lack of resources (physical and personnel) to actually diagnose tumors. To correct this massive health disparity, a plan of action is required across the continent of Africa to bring diagnostic medicine into the modern era and connect patients with the care they desperately need.” http://www.cancerindex.org/Nigeria#sthash.vxdUxdCI.dpuf

Why should this matter to you? Why should the matter to me?

I COULD wallow in guilt. That would be both easy and satisfying! Instead, I’ve decided I’m going to take a character I’ve created in a science fiction short story, and send him on a few adventures. Most likely, he’ll be travelling with a hard-thinking woman who will become his perfect match. They’ve already started out rebuilding the educational infrastructure of Liberia in the future middle of this century. I’m thinking the two of them need to make a trip to Nigeria. Separately – where they’ll meet and butt heads.

The driving issue will be breast cancer education, diagnosis, and treatment in these three West African countries that hold a special place in my heart. From the sale of the stories, I’ll donate the money to breast cancer research in those places…

UPDATE: The story I wrote shifted to Liberia and at this time, I have been unable to sell it…

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…Alzheimer’s #18 – “In 1960, about a half-million teens took a test. Now it could predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Dad’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s stayed hidden from everyone until I took over the medical administration of my parents in 2015. Once I found out, there was a deafening silence from most of the people I know even though virtually all of them would add, “My _____ had Alzheimer’s…” But there was little help, little beyond people sadly shaking heads. Or horror stories. Lots of those. Even the ones who knew about the disease seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Alzheimer’s Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this part of my blog…

Start today’s blog by following the link and reading this article…https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/in-1960-about-half-a-million-teens-took-a-test-now-it-could-predict-whether-they-get-alzheimers/2018/09/20/fcbabebe-b864-11e8-a7b5-adaaa5b2a57f_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e218caa362c9

Read it. Fascinating…

The gist of it is that the largest test ever given to adolescents was done in 1960, when most of the 500,000 teens were 15 years old.

The data sat around then for sixty years and no one did much with it until researchers thought they’d look into how the test correlated to the students, who were now entering their seventies, to Medicare and Medicaid claims.

They also followed up with them as many were celebrating 50 years since their high school graduations, so they were able to gather data much more easily by targeting their questionnaires at the class reunion venues.

The study found that about a quarter of them had died since taking the test. They also found numbers correlating to kidney disease and heart disease. But these newly savvy seniors wanted to know something that was WAY more important than kidney and heart health. They wanted to know if the data correlated the possibility of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

And there WAS a correlation.

Note:

CORRELATION does not mean PREDICTION!

Just because you were a dufus at fifteen, did NOT mean that you were automatically destined to be an Alzheimer’s victim.

However, there was a correlation between language use and a few other indicators in that men and women who had become Alzheimer’s victims had gotten lower scores than their peers. Researchers then took the stance that if there IS a correlation, maybe we could use those types of scores to begin a bit of early intervention!

What does this have to do with us in 2018? Perhaps we could continue the research using another kind of test given to a large number of teenagers? There would have to be a massive overhaul of the test. One of the questions asked you to identify the type of FISHING LURE that was illustrated. We can’t possibly give the same test today that they gave in 1960.

However, it’s still possible that we could do this today, perhaps with the ACT.

In the state I live in, the ACT is given as a matter of course for all juniors (sixteen-going-on-seventeen-year-olds). The same kind of statistical analysis might be applied to it as well.

In fact, since it’s inception in 1959, some sixty MILLION ACT tests have been administered (1959 = 75,460; 2017 = 2,030,000; average = approx. 1,010,000 over 58 years). The ACT is now given in fifteen other countries (one acting as the testing site for ten other countries) and all fifty US states, the District of Columbia and the fourteen US territories.

That data would be interesting to work with. Even MORE data than a measly half-million American teenagers…

Image:  http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/06/25/6360242025150255191939281878_Alzheimer-disease-patients.jpg

ENCORE #94! – Computer Targeting 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…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in June of 2016…

Targeting breast cancer cells seems to be a major new thrust in the fight against breast cancer. I talked about it a couple of months ago here as well as some years ago: http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2012/09/breast-cancer-research-right-now-2.html and here: http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2016/04/breast-cancer-research-right-now.html

But how do you get from the IDEA of targeting cancer cells to trying drugs to do it? Apparently, you can do computer models.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am NOT a fan of computer models. The model is only as good as the person who inputs the raw data and the person who writes the program. Computer models are notorious for spitting out inaccurate predictions and drawing false conclusions – not the machine’s fault, of course. Like I said, programmers and data entry folks. Also, the assumptions of the researcher can find their way into the model as well; but that’s happened since forever, so it’s not a new factor.

Here we have the following: “Researchers have built a model to investigate the metastasis of cancer by examining the metabolism of breast epithelial cells and look at the role of signaling. This research may contribute to the development of cell specific anti-cancer interventions.”

In English, then: researchers are looking at how the cells that typically erupt into breast cancer cells use the nutrients they get from the body and the waste materials they give off. With that kind of a trail, scientists can design drugs to follow the trail and destroy the cancer cells.

Sounds simple enough – sort of like the old story of Hansel and Gretel: going out into the forest, the smart little girl leaves an easily followed trail that her and her brother can follow back home.

In this case, the cancer cell leaves a trail that well-designed cancer drugs can follow. Then they can destroy the cancer cell. The way it’s done now, is that drugs like Taxotere (which interferes with cell division), Adriamycin (which inserts itself into the cancer cell’s DNA so the cells can’t make new cancer cells), and Cytoxan (which sneaks in as a harmless drug, then is converted by the cancer cell into a toxin) – but they aren’t perfectly targeted. They kill hair cells and T-cells that protect the body from infections.

The researchers, programmers, and data entry people are working to reduce the amount of damage current cancer drugs do while still maintaining the attack on cells.

So, while I won’t CHEER this new model on, I will certainly watch to see what kinds of effective results it produces!

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg