The Pink Crusader is performing double duty from far away places, but continues to send big hugs, warm greetings, and best regards...along with all the latest updates. We will temporarily be off schedule during upcoming weeks and will return to our post ASAP! Until then, have a most excellent life, check back often and please read on...
“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
-Robert Louis Stevenson
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SURVIVOR UPDATE
Angie Elliott (per Colin Elliott)
March 31, 2008
All,
I wanted to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for our friend Cathy. Unfortunately, we found out yesterday that Cathy had lost her three year battle on Saturday around 6:45pm with her husband Dan at her side.
Angie is having quite a hard time with Cathy's passing, as they seemed to compliment each other so well. She will certainly be missed. Our prayers go out to her and her family and friends.
On our front, Angie was able to drive on Saturday to an acupuncture appointment. The medicines are still causing her to make some adjustments, but she does seem to be causing less problems than before. We see the doctor on Wednesday, so hopefully we'll have enough information to make a post later this week.
Our love,
Colin
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Molly Bobrow
Get-well wishes to Molly following recent foot surgery to remove a small melanoma. Hope Molly is "back on her feet" and singing up a storm in no time!
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FYI
From Rosemary Barr:
Item #1
Got this from ACS and thought some of you might be interested and fit the criteria. If any of you, do it be sure to let us know so that we will get the magazine when it comes out. It might be for the October issue!
A writer from Ladies' Home Journal is seeking survivors and their closestfriends, and second, she is asking that these people not have appeared in other national media previously. The request is below:
I'm looking for cancer survivors and their best friends who provided extraordinary support throughout their diagnosis and treatment. We'll be featuring pairs of women, so each survivor would need to identify one friend (ideally not a relative) who helped her.
I'll be working on this throughout the next week and would need to set up 15-minute pre-interviews with them. They cannot have been previously featured in other national media outlets, namely magazines or TV. A range of ages, ethnicity, etc is welcome.
Please send me any leads you might have as well as their contact information. Also, I am going to be out of the office on Monday, so if you send any names before Tuesday, please send it to jennifer.walker@cancer.org .
Thanks so much for your help We really appreciate it.
Melinda Henderson
Communications Manager
American Cancer Society
High Plains Division, Gulf Coast Region
6301 Richmond Avenue, Houston, Texas 77057
Office) 713.706.5675
Cell) 832.434.7997
Item #2
THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER PREMIERES ON PBS APRIL 16, 2008
Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker Linda Garmon Takes on the Question "How Far Have We Come in the War on Cancer?" News Journalist and Cancer Survivor Linda Ellerbee
Hosts Post-Broadcast Panel Discussion
What is the truth about cancer? Is it the same deadly killer it was 30 years ago - or are we making progress? Find out through the poignant stories of patients battling the disease. Written, produced, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Linda Garmon, The Truth About Cancer premieres nationally on PBS Wednesday, April 16, at 9:00pm ET (check local listings). Comprised of a 90-minute documentary followed by a 30-minute panel discussion, the two-hour broadcast event takes a deep look inside the cancer field gauging how far we have come in this decades-old war and asking, "Why does anyone still die of cancer?"
Part science, part personal catharsis, part character-driven storytelling, The Truth About Cancer is narrated by Garmon, who tells the moving story of her husband's battle with cancer. Over the course of the film, Garmon returns to the same Boston-area hospitals at which her husband was treated, and exposes startling truths about survival rates of metastisized cancers, and the limited success of drugs and clinical trials. Interwoven throughout are the stories of three additional cancer patients, and their families and doctors, as they navigate the deeply personal decisions surrounding the disease. The documentary also follows several medical professionals working to promote screening, research the latest developments in cancer treatment, and help patients and their families live with a cancer diagnosis.
"This film makes it clear that it's very much a part of American culture to believe that if you fight hard enough, you can beat cancer. But when it comes to having metastatic cancer, your survival depends on the biology of your cancer cells, and whether they are susceptible to state-of-the-art treatment," says Garmon. "In sharing my husband's story and the stories of other patients, I hope to shed light on this important truth."
The Truth About Cancer is the third installment of PBS's Take One Step—a campaign offering primetime programming and outreach tools to help people take the first step towards better health. Following the 90-minute documentary is a 30-minute panel discussion entitled Take One Step: A Conversation About Cancer with Linda Ellerbee. News journalist and breast cancer survivor Linda Ellerbee moderates the dialogue featuring a panel of doctors, all of whom are cancer survivors themselves. Having sat on both sides of a cancer diagnosis, the panel shares their unique perspectives, offering both personal and professional observations on how to handle a cancer diagnosis, what to say to loved ones, how to advocate for yourself, and how to best live your life, with cancer. Panelists include U.S. News and World Report health editor Dr. Bernadine Healy; breast cancer surgeon and Breast Cancer Research stamp mastermind Dr. Ernie Bodai; neurologist and leading palliative care expert Dr. Richard Payne; and counseling psychologist Dr. Paul Brenner.
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From Rosemary Herron:
This is just a friendly reminder of our April 8th SOS Gail Larson Event. If any of our SOS sisters can help provide bottled water, can beverages and/or cookies please let me know. I also need help with set-up since our dear Marsha is still recovering from knee surgery . Please feel free to invite any other cancer survivors you think would enjoy our speaker. It has been some time since we have had a speaker, so am hoping for a good turnout.
Gail will have some complimentary copies of one of her books to give away and there will be DOOR PRIZES! It should be a very enjoyable and worthwhile evening. I look forward to seeing you!
Blessings, Rosemary
281-242-0351
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From Denise Hazen:
Hi Girls!
As some of you know, I have written a book called The Girlfriends' Guide to Breast Cancer. It is a short book written for friends who have a girlfriend with breast cancer. In the book I include suggestions for helping the girlfriend as she travels this journey.
If you have any ideas that you think would be helpful to include in the book, please let me know. I am meeting with a publisher and am hoping to have this in print soon!
Some ideas are:
1. ways your girlfriends supported you
2. gifts that were thoughtful
3. helpful hints for patients (was there a favorite lotion that helped with chapped skin, how did you handle the mouth sores etc.)
.....anything that made your journey more tolerable!
Thanks for your help! God bless! Stay strong and healthy!
xoxo - denise hazendenise@yahoo.com
PS feel free to forward to anyone else!
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From Cheryl Donlin:
Fewer Breast Patients May Need Chemo
Many Breast Cancer Patients Can Skip Chemo or Take Gentler Versions, Studies Suggest
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Medical Writer
SAN ANTONIO Dec 14, 2007 (AP)
The Associated Press
Thousands of breast cancer patients each year could be spared chemotherapy or get gentler versions of it without harming their odds of beating the disease, new research suggests.
One study found that certain women did better were less likely to die or have a relapse if given a less harsh drug than Adriamycin, a mainstay of treatment for decades.
Another study found that a gene test can help predict whether some women need chemo at all even among those whose cancer has spread to their lymph nodes, which typically brings full treatment now.
The findings are sure to speed the growing trend away from chemo for many breast cancer patients and targeting it to a smaller group of women who truly need it, doctors said Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, where the studies were reported.
"We are backing off on chemotherapy and using chemotherapy more selectively" in certain women, said Dr. Eric Winer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
The gene test in particular "will start changing practice nearly immediately," said Dr. Peter Ravdin of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "The results are compelling that this test ... helps select patients who will most benefit from chemotherapy."
Breast cancer is the most common major cancer in American women. More than 178,000 new cases are expected this year. Most are helped to grow by estrogen, and hormone-blocking medicines like tamoxifen are used to treat those.
Chemo usually is added if the disease has spread to lymph nodes a situation faced by about 45,000 U.S. women each year. Doctors know that chemo won't help most of these women, but they have had no good way to tell who can safely skip its cost and misery.
Here's where Oncotype DX, a test that measures the activity of 21 genes and gives a score to predict a woman's risk of recurrence, comes in. Doctors have used it for several years to guide treatment for certain women with early breast cancers, especially those that not spread.
The new study, led by Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University in Chicago, looked at whether it accurately predicted chemo's benefit in 367 women whose hormone-driven cancer had spread to lymph nodes.
A decade after these women were treated, those who had low scores on the gene test were found to have had no benefit from chemo. Conversely, chemo did a lot of good for those with high scores.
Because 40 percent of the women scored low, it means that as many as 18,000 women each year might safely skip chemo.
The National Cancer Institute and the test's maker, Genomic Health of Redwood City, Calif., sponsored the study. Albain, Winer and Ravdin have consulted or been paid speakers for the company in the past.
Dr. Kelly Marcom, a Duke University cancer expert with no ties to the company, said the test would give valuable information to guide treatment for more patients in the future. He has used it on about 50 women in the last year.
"I've had it cut both ways" ruling chemo in and out, Marcom said.
The test is expensive $3,400 though many insurers are paying for it because it can avoid even more costly chemo.
Albain plans to discuss using it with Andrea DeRosier, a 49-year-old health care administrator from suburban Chicago whose cancer has spread to a single lymph node.
When a surgeon said she likely would need chemo, "I remember thinking, 'Oh, that's terrible,'" DeRosier said. "I want whatever protocol is going to keep me alive," but not futile treatment, she said.
Chemo's side effects are getting greater attention. One drug commonly used for early breast cancer doxorubicin, sold as Adriamycin and generic brands is known to cut the risk of having a recurrence or dying, but raises the risk of heart problems and even leukemia.
Dr. Stephen Jones of Baylor-Sammons Cancer Center tested using Taxotere, a drug not linked to heart problems, in its place in more than 1,000 women with early breast cancer. After seven years, 87 percent of those given Taxotere survived, compared with 82 percent of those given Adriamycin. In addition, those given Taxotere were less likely to have had a recurrence.
The study was sponsored by Taxotere's maker, Sanofi-Aventis SA, a French company with U.S. offices in Bridgewater, N.J. Jones consults for the company.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine in October showed that another drug, Taxol, does not work for the most common form of breast cancer.
These new studies should lead to less use of chemo, but there has been "intense" pushback from doctors, who fear giving up on a treatment that might help some patients, said Barbara Brenner, head of the advocacy group Breast Cancer Action.
"It's very hard to turn a ship like this," she said. "Adding things never takes much, but removing things takes a mountain of data from the medical community."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3997482
http://www.abcnews.com/
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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From Victoria Silva:
Feminine Living
OUR NEXT MEDITATION IS APRIL 19TH AT 7:00
RSVP at http://www.feminineliving.com/ / or 713.849.3535
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From Jane Weiner
Hope Stone, Inc.
For Adults
Come, dance, point your toes, roll on the floor (or a ball) or get those abs in order! All adult classes are still going on. Please check out the website for continuing classes and our new updated summer schedule. http://www.hopestoneinc.org/ .
For Children
Summer classes are going to happen. There will be a 6 week session starting June 2nd. Cost is $110.00 for all 6 weeks or $18.00 for a drop in session.
Monday: 1:30 - 2:30pm Modern Dance (7-12 yrs)
Tuesday: 11:15 - 12:00noon Creative Movement I (2-3 yrs)
12:15 - 1:00pm Creative Movement II (3-5 yrs)
1:15 - 2:00pm Creative Movement III (6-7yrs)
3:30 - 4:25 Yoga (6 - 8 yrs)
Wed: 3:30 - 4:25 Yoga (7 - 12 yrs)
4:30 - 5:30pm Yoga (Teens)
Thurs: 11:30 - 12:30pm Capoeira (6 - 8 yrs)
12:30 - 1:30 Capoeira ( 8 - 13 yrs)
Keep checking the website as other classes might be added. www.hopestoneinc.org
Hope Center will actually be closing! But only for one weekend! We will close on Thursday April 24th from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm to get some stuff moved! Then...We will close the doors all day Saturday and Sunday, the 26th & 27th to do some much needed upgrading and remodeling!
Sincerely, Jane Weiner
http://www.hopestoneinc.org/ /
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From Donna Fong:
Taken from M. D. Anderson CancerWise Newsletter, April 2008
Guidelines Created to Help Prevent Cancer
http://www.cancerwise.org/April_2008 /
By Dawn Dorsey
Health experts are recommending new ways to help prevent cancer based on scientific evidence that choices about diet, physical activity and weight play a major part in a person's chances of developing the disease.
The report contains new health guidelines based on the analysis of more than 7,000 scientific studies by 21 international experts over more than five years. The document was released by the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) at its annual meeting in November and has been used since then as a guide in M. D. Anderson's Cancer Prevention Center.
“This is the most comprehensive research to date about cancer prevention and nutrition,” says registered dietitian Sally Scroggs, manager of health education in the Cancer Prevention Center.
The recommendations focus on three main guidelines:
Choose healthy foods:
Eat mostly plant foods
Limit red meat and avoid processed meats
Be physically active every day for at least 30 minutes
Maintain a healthy weight throughout life
Re-examine your plate
A way to translate the dietary recommendations to daily life is to make sure at least two-thirds of your plate consists of plant foods, Scroggs says.
Plant foods include:
Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
Legumes (beans)
Whole grains
Fruits and non-starchy vegetables (carrots, broccoli) help protect against cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, ovary, endometrium and lung.
Red meat should be treated like more of a small side dish, Scroggs says. According to the AICR report, people should closely limit red meat (beef, pork and lamb) to 18 ounces or less each week. Alternatives include fish and poultry.
“We talk to our patients about their red meat consumption,” Scroggs says. “And we tell them there is new, more-substantiated evidence that limiting red meat helps prevent several types of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.”
Scroggs is quick to point out to patients, however, that the guidelines do not prohibit meat. Meat can be a valuable source of essential nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
“It all boils down to portion size, which is something Americans need to be more conscious of in their diets,” Scroggs says. “A piece of meat, say 3 ounces or so (the size of a deck of cards), is OK several times a week.”
However, the report cautions people to avoid all processed meats, including hot dogs, lunch meats and ham.
What’s so bad about meat?
Scroggs says researchers used to think the saturated fat in meat increased the chance of cancer, but current research points to a number of other reasons. Studies have shown, for instance, that red meat consumption increases the production of carcinogens in the colon. Cooking at high temperatures also produces additional carcinogens.
Processed meats, which are preserved by salting, smoking, curing or treating with chemicals, have been found to increase cancer risk. Researchers are studying exactly what causes this to happen.
The same cancer-causing factors in red meat may be responsible, or it may have to do with the chemicals that are used for processing. Researchers do know that carcinogens, specifically N-nitroso compounds, are produced when meat is processed.
Be active daily
Physical activity is particularly valuable in preventing breast, endometrial and colorectal cancers.
The researchers recommend people try activities they enjoy.
They also suggest:
Exercising moderately every day for 30 minutes
Limiting sedentary activities (watching television)
As fitness improves, aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate activity or 30 minutes of vigorous activity every day.
Watch your weight
The single most important way to avoid cancer is to maintain a healthy weight throughout life.
The most common method of measuring body fat is calculating your body mass index. (BMI can be calculated through the National Institutes of Health Web site.)
The report also looks at body fat distribution (measured by waist circumference and waist to hip ratio) and patterns of weight gain. There is evidence that abdominal fat, in particular, is linked to colorectal, pancreatic, postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancers.
“Of course, these components all work together,” Scroggs says. “Eating a healthy diet and getting the recommended amount of physical activity will help you maintain a good weight. Also, following this regimen will help fight against other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.”
M. D. Anderson resources: Cancer Prevention Center
Other resources: American Institute of Cancer Research
The material and content contained in CancerWise is for general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Users of CancerWise should not rely exclusively on information provided in CancerWise for their own health needs. All specific medical questions should be presented to your own health care provider.
©2008 The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
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From the American Cancer Society:
The American Cancer Society has launched a new Web community to help
connect cancer survivors, their friends and family members.
www.SharingHope.tv , which allows users to upload video, audio, photos and
artwork to tell their stories of cancer, is innovative for a non-profit
organization: it relies almost completely on people outside of the
organization to create its content. Built on the Ruby on Rails framework,
it enables OpenID technology.
The American Cancer Society has launched a new Web community to help
connect cancer survivors, their friends and family members. SharingHope.tv
allows users to upload video, audio, photos and artwork to tell their
stories of cancer. Innovative for a non-profit organization, the new site
relies almost completely on people outside of the organization to create
its content and it enables OpenID technology. SharingHope.tv is built on
the Ruby on Rails web application framework.
AT A GLANCE
SharingHope.tv allows users to
* upload videos, photos, music or artwork
* add free background music from independent artists
* view content, make comments, and share it with others
* embed videos on their own blogs or MySpace and Facebook pages
* store twice as much video content as YouTube
* log in with an existing OpenID
* create an OpenID using ACS Passport
Click on the link below to watch Sharinghope.tv - Who we are:
http://www.sharinghope.tv/video/1684623
Jennifer S. Walker
Regional Director of Communications
American Cancer Society
High Plains Division, Gulf Coast Region
6301 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77057
(713) 706-5692 - office
(281) 782-4646 - cell
www.cancer.org
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From National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC)
Call to Action Newsletter, April 2008
http://www.breastcancercaucus.org/ is YOUR Resource in this Election Year
While the Republican nominee for President is settled, the Democratic competition is not. The remaining primary contests are crucial and the general election is fast approaching. This gives breast cancer advocates the opportunity to continue pressing candidates on the issues of importance to our mission, like access to quality health care for all, federal funding for breast cancer research, and what each candidate would do as president to eradicate breast cancer once and for all.
This year alone more than 250,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will die from this disease. Women have a one in eight lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. We still do not know what causes breast cancer, how to prevent it, or how to treat it effectively. Let the candidates know we need to change this – and they need to help.
To learn where the candidates stand, visit www.BreastCancerCaucus.org – and take the pledge to vote to eradicate breast cancer.
© 2007 National Breast Cancer Coalition
http://www.stopbreastcancer.org/
NBCC neither sponsors nor endorses any candidate or his or her positions.
National Breast Cancer Coalition/Fund
1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 1300
Washington, DC 20036
USA
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From Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization:
Y-Me Peer-to-Peer Newsletter, April 2008
Free information: Y-ME tear-off pads
Looking for a way to tell others about the support offered by the Y-ME Hotline? Tear-off pads provide the chance to pass out the toll-free number to anyone who may need it. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Visit http://main.y-me.org/site/PageServer?pagename=OrderYMEPublications to complete the order form.
Y-ME Peer to Peer is a monthly e-mail newsletter from Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization where, in order to ensure no one faces breast cancer alone, we emphasize information, empowerment and peer-to-peer support.
© 2008 Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. All rights reserved.
http://www.y-me.org/publications/generalpubs.php
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From Cure Today, online:
Spring, 2008
Rising number of staph infections leads hospitals and patients to put their guard up.
By Katy Human
Constance Roche lay in a double room after her mastectomy, a drain in her left breast to clear fluid buildup. Diagnosed with breast cancer, Roche went through surgery in December 2006 and expected to begin chemotherapy as soon as she healed. Nurses offered her a private room, but Roche didn’t think she needed it. It was just one night, after all.
That evening, they wheeled another woman into the room—a patient who was fighting a serious infection following breast reconstruction surgery. Roche, herself a nurse, says she was well aware of the risk of infection.
“I tried to be extremely careful, but I was still groggy from the anesthetic,” she says. Two weeks later, Roche, now 59, was in isolation at the hospital for five days, fighting the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that invaded her surgical site. Genetic testing linked the infection to her roommate.
MRSA (“mersa”) refers to a type of staph bacteria that has grown resistant to several first-line antibiotics—methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin.
Cancer patients have a higher-than-average risk of MRSA infection for several reasons. The invasive catheters and other devices used to deliver drugs or drain surgical sites offer a point of entry for bacteria. Hospitals and other health care settings foster drug-resistant strains of staph, and cancer treatment—or the cancer itself—often leaves patients with weak immune systems that can’t mount strong defenses.
“We’re all seeing this in our cancer patients, and we all have started treating it pretty aggressively,” says Roy Chemaly, MD, director of infection control at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “We see it especially in our patients with no immune systems. They get pneumonia, bacteremia (bloodstream infections). They’re just very vulnerable.”
Growing Concern
Usually, MRSA infections are fairly minor skin infections that do not require antibiotic treatment. A skin MRSA infection may look like a pimple or boil; it can be red, swollen, and painful, and may drain or seep fluid. “Invasive” MRSA occurs when drug-resistant staph bacteria find a point of entry into the body and infect the lungs, heart, or bloodstream. Some of these infections are deadly.
MRSA is probably spread most often by skin contact—from the hands of a health care worker, for example. But it can also be picked up from shared items, such as a razor, or from contaminated surfaces and medical devices.
The proportion of staph infections that are resistant to methicillin and other antibiotics has been rising steadily in health care settings for several decades. Researchers estimate about 10 percent of staph bacteria in hospitals were methicillin-resistant in the 1980s. By the 1990s, resistant strains accounted for up to 40 percent of infections, and by 2003, 64 percent of staph infections in intensive care units were resistant to methicillin.
“These days, more people in hospitals are very sick, and because of all the antibiotics used, there is intense selective pressure, which is the perfect breeding ground for resistant strains of bacteria,” says Ken Gershman, MD, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The medical and public health world particularly began to take note when MRSA infections began popping up more often in the general community. “There appears to be more MRSA everywhere,” Dr. Gershman says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started to track MRSA more carefully, and worked with a group of state health departments and academic physicians involved in the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance (ABCs) network to identify all diagnosed cases of invasive disease in a sample population. The ABC network encompasses 10 sites around the country (nine were involved in the MRSA work), and is part of the CDC’s Emerging Infections Program. Dr. Gershman is responsible for the network’s work in the Denver area.
In October 2007, the researchers published stunning figures in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Extrapolating their findings from nine regions, the authors estimated MRSA causes more than 94,000 life-threatening infections every year, and nearly 19,000 deaths in the United States. For the first time, researchers had an actual number of how many people in the United States were getting MRSA. The rate of infection found was 31.8 instances per 100,000 people.
“If their projection is accurate, these deaths would exceed the total number of deaths attributable to human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS in the United States in 2005,” wrote Elizabeth Bancroft, with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in an accompanying editorial.
A flurry of news articles ensued, with many calling for a national MRSA surveillance system. Advocates urged patients and families to put pressure on health care providers to wash hands and wear gloves appropriately, and to go public with cases that might have been acquired because of lack of good
hygiene.
In January, MRSA was still the second top word search on the CDC website when the Archives of Surgery reported more infection news, this time about the risk of surgical site infection following mastectomy. The researchers found that despite the use of preventive antibiotics before surgery, breast cancer patients receiving reconstruction with implants were twice as likely to get an infection as patients whose reconstruction used their own abdominal tissue (12.4 percent compared with 6.2 percent, respectively). The additional hospital costs per patient totaled a minimum $4,091.
While factors such as introducing a foreign object into the body likely contribute to the increased risk, authors of the study say the next task is to determine other causes and how to prevent them.
New Drugs, New Policies
Roche, who is also a public health nurse with the Winona County Health Department in Minnesota, was aware of MRSA’s rise in hospital and community settings. She had public health colleagues who dealt with MRSA patients. “I knew how serious MRSA could be,” Roche says.
The pain from Roche’s infection lasted about two days—a vancomycin drip started clearing the infection quickly, which isn’t always the case, says Dr. Chemaly. Some MRSA infections, he says, are no longer responding to vancomycin, the preferred drug for methicillin-resistant staph.
“Fortunately, we do have some other choices,” Dr. Chemaly says. M.D. Anderson and other hospitals are using the synthetic antibiotic Zyvox (linezolid) for MRSA pneumonia in cancer patients, and Cubicin (daptomycin) for blood infections, he says. For persistent deep tissue infections that don’t respond to vancomycin, Tygacil (tigecycline) is very effective, Dr. Chemaly says.
Many patients find MRSA infections terribly stressful, not only because of the risk of death, but also because infection treatment may delay planned treatment for cancer. “The main thing is to get rid of the infection as soon as possible,” Dr. Chemaly says. “An infection can kill a patient faster than most cancers.”
In January, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first rapid blood test, called the BD GeneOhm StaphSR Assay, to identify blood-borne MRSA infections—the test delivers results in two hours instead of two days—critical for quick treatment decisions. The FDA approved another test last April called Xpert MRSA, a molecular test that uses polymerase chain reaction technology to generate results from a swab in a little over an hour.
Even before the JAMA study came out last year, Dr. Gershman says epidemiologists and infection control practitioners knew MRSA had become an increasing problem in health care settings and more attention was needed for infection control.
At the end of 2006, for example, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement launched its two-year 5 Million Lives Campaign to prevent five million cases of medical harm in U.S. hospitals. The campaign puts a major emphasis on preventing MRSA with basic infection control practices. At the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Pittsburgh, a MRSA prevention program was so successful that the VA expanded it in 2007 to all VA medical centers.
“In the past year or two, there’s been a lot of emphasis at the national level,” Dr. Gershman says. “If hospitals implement effectively some of these measures, it should be evident fairly soon in lower numbers [of MRSA].”
In February, California’s Department of Public Health announced mandatory reporting of MRSA by health care providers to identify high-risk groups and develop prevention programs. At M.D. Anderson in Texas, Dr. Chemaly says, meticulous surveillance has highlighted high-risk areas and patients, and infection specialists are responding with new policies and procedures. “Surgical services [at M.D. Anderson] was seeing higher rates than other areas, so now they’re taking a nose swipe before surgery,” Dr. Chemaly says. If a patient is colonized with MRSA bacteria, he says, they’re treated before surgery with an appropriate antibiotic.
For both inpatient and outpatient services, patients who are known to be colonized or infected with MRSA are isolated, he says, treated by providers wearing gloves and masks, and placed in rooms that are cleaned carefully before another patient enters. In intensive care, antimicrobial tubing has also helped cut down infection rates in patients who require invasive devices. “We are seeing lower rates now than the CDC reports as an average,” Dr. Chemaly says.
Hospitals in England banned long sleeves, ties, and jewelry for doctors last fall, concerned about the rise in hospital-borne infections. Dr. Chemaly says that’s not yet on the table at M.D. Anderson, and the British medical journal Lancet criticized the new policies there, saying they were not based on solid science. Hospitals would do better to practice the basics, such as disinfecting often-used surfaces, Lancet’s editors argued.
As for Roche, she’s doing very well now. Her surgery and subsequent battle with MRSA ended in December 2006, she tolerated several months of chemotherapy well, and has thrived with the support of friends and family. She does wash her hands a little more aggressively now, she admits. “I thought I was pretty conscientious about washing my hands before,” Roche says. “Now, I scrub them even longer.”
http://www.curetoday.com/currentissue/departments/findinghope/index.html
Just launched! You can still find us online at http://www.curetoday.com/ , but take a look at all we have to offer at http://www.curemediagroup.com/
Disclaimer:
Information presented on the CURE website is not intended as a substitute for the personalized advice given by your health care provider. The information is provided solely as a resource for you to become an informed participant in understanding treatment options for management of cancer and blood disorders. Although CURE strives to present only current and accurate information on the website‚ you should not consider it as professional advice‚ which can only be given to you by your health care provider. The views expressed and opinions expressed on the pages of the CURE website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor or publisher. Although great care has been taken in compiling and checking the information given in this publication to ensure accuracy‚ the authors‚ CURE Media Group‚ LP, and its servants or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for the continued currency of the information or for any errors‚ omissions or inaccuracies on this site‚ whether arising from negligence or otherwise howsoever or for any consequences arising therefrom.
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From Emma Jacobs:
Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation
The Unbeatable movement has begun! Next Fall, Unbeatable – A New Musical, which chronicles one woman’s struggle with breast cancer, will have its world premiere production at Houston’s acclaimed Stages Repertory Theatre and the anticipation is remarkable. More importantly, the comprehensive network of support that this new musical has already generated is awe-inspiring: M.D Anderson, The Pink Ribbons Project and The Susan G. Komen Foundation have joined dozens of individual donors to pledge significant support to develop this amazing project. Now is your moment to join our Unbeatable movement and bring this inspirational musical to Houston.
In a time when there are so many worthy causes drawing our attention, I encourage you to consider Unbeatable as a unique way to support the arts and provide a message of great hope to those taken ill with an insidious cancer. Thanks to your support we are well on our way to our goal of bringing Unbeatable to Houston!
Sincerely,
Emma Jacobs
Fundraising chair, Unbeatable
Stages Repertory Theatre
Checks made payable to the Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation, 206 Terrace Drive, Houston, Texas 77007.
Portions of your donation to the Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation (a 501c3 organization) may qualify for tax deductions under the laws of the State of Texas.
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DAILY REMINDER #1:
"Fund Free Mammograms" Go to The Breast Cancer Site at http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/tpc/EEB_0115_BCSm and help fund free mammograms for the homeless, working-poor, and un-insured women. It costs nothing to you, except one daily click on the pink "Fund Free Mammograms" button. You can even request automatic reminders via e-mail. Please make your free click now, and thanks for your continuing support! The Breast Cancer Site, One Union Square, 600 University Street, Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 1-888-811-5271
DAILY REMINDER #2:
Help eliminate Breast Cancer with a daily click at http://breastcancer.care2.com/ebc-about.html You'll be one of the first people to participate in the largest virtual mountain climb in the world! With every click, (or "step") you generate a donation to eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer--for free. Sponsors pay for your click and fund The Breast Cancer Fund's programs focusing on environmental links to breast cancer. It only takes a second! The Breast Cancer Fund is the leading national organization focused on identifying – and advocating for the elimination of – the environmental and preventable causes of the disease. For more details on the organization’s work, visit http://www.breastcancerfund.org/ /
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UPCOMING EVENTS: Mark Your Calendars and Save the Dates!
RELAY FOR LIFE - FORT BEND COUNTY
April 4 & 5th at George Park in Richmond
For additional info contact Sharon Jamison, RN
M. D. Anderson Radiation Oncology
1603 Main Street
Richmond, TX
713-563-9103
M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
Fatigue Awareness Week - April 7 -10, 2008
Monday April 7th, 10am - 1pm - Clinic Open House
Mays Clinic, Sixth Floor
Tuesday, April 8th, - Cancer-related Fatigue Video Viewing
6:30 - 7:30pm
Cancer Prevention Building, Eight Floor, Rooms 1 & 2
RSVP: 713-792-2808 or e-mail bsmp@mdanderson.org
For more information, call the Patient Education Office at 713-794-5379
or e-mail www.mdanderson.org/departments/patedu
SOS SURVIVOR MEETING
Held the second Tuesday of each month for those living in Fort Bend County. Survivors Offering Support (SOS), a peer Breast Cancer support group will meet on Tuesday, April 8, from 7-9p at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in New Territory. Guest speaker is Gail Larson, 7yr. BRCA survivor, RN, and author. Gail's soon to be released book ,"Finding God in Your Story", is her 7th book on surviving cancer. You can visit her website http://www.gaillarson.com/ / / to learn more about her. Invitation is open to all cancer survivors. Call 281-242-0351 for more info. Directions: http://sosporchlight.blogspot.com/ / /
ROSEBUDS II SUPPORT GROUP
April 10, 5:45 - 7:30 pm
Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting for those who have had or are at high risk for recurrence and/or metastasis, 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet. Future Meetings: April 24
RELAY FOR LIFE of SUGAR LAND
April 11-12th at Oyster Creek Park.
Call 713 706 5644 for further information.
HOPE STONE
Teen Yoga Classes
Saturdays 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
Hope Center
1210 west clay #26
April 12, 19, 26, May 3
713.526.1907
AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER
Houston - April 12 - 13, 2008
Congratulations on deciding to register for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer! By registering online now, you will have immediate access to all of the tools of your 'My Avon Walk Center' and can begin fundraising towards your goal today. https://secure2.convio.net/avon/site/TRR/Walk2008/Houston/1021196898? pg=ptype&fr_id=1420&JServSessionIdr004=x9jrwe2701.app26b or For more information, please call us at (713) 968-9250. Email: volunteer.houston@avonwalk.org
KNOCKOUT ROSES
A support group for women diagnosed under 40.
2nd Monday of each month, at 5:45 pm, April 14, 2008.
The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet.
Contact Amy Rigsby, Technical Director of The Rose, 713-660-6675
ROSEBUDS SUPPORT MEETING
April 15, 5:45 - 7:30 pm
Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting
Open to all Breast Cancer Patients/Survivors
1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month
The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet Future Meetings: May 6 & 20
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Relay for Life, 2008
April 18, 2008 6:00 PM - April 19, 2008 6:00 AM
Location: Rice University Track Field, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005
Contact: Shelton Moore,Rosalyn, (713)706-5634 x296
Email: Rosalyn.SheltonMoore@cancer.org
No registration fee. Each person is asked to raise $100.00
Agenda: Survivor Ceremony, Luminaria Ceremony, Entertainment, Food and Games. For more information: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/coe?EID=62080
M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
The Anderson Network and Place...of wellness invite adult patients, caregivers and survivors to take a day trip to the Downtown Aquarium.
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - Bus departs from Rotary House
3:30 p.m. - Bus departs from Downtown Aquarium
4:00 p.m. - Bus arrives at Rotary House
Space is limited to 30 participants.
Please call 800-345-6324
or 713-745-9204 to
make a reservation.
-Wristband will be provided so that you may enjoy the aquarium property and exhibits.
- Food and drinks will not be provided. Please bring money for any items you wish to purchase.
- The trip is open to any M. D. Anderson patient, caregiver or survivor age 18 or older.
- Wheelchair accessible.
- If you are unable to attend after a reservation has been made, please contact Anderson Network office as soon as possible.
- Parking at M. D. Anderson is available in Garage 10 for $10 or the Sourth Extension (Brown) Lot for $6.
For more info, please click on the following link:
http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/andersonnet/display.cfm?id=3a4268cb-eb1e-4f99-bd1d681196222ef2&method=displayfull&pn=b0238868-2a67-438d-bfdb1349b8957cab
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Relay for Life, 2008
April 18, 2008 6:00 PM - April 19, 2008 6:00 AM
Location: Rice University Track Field, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005
Contact: Shelton Moore,Rosalyn, (713)706-5634 x296
Email: Rosalyn.SheltonMoore@cancer.org
No registration fee. Each person is asked to raise $100.00
Agenda: Survivor Ceremony, Luminaria Ceremony, Entertainment, Food and Games. For more information: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/coe?EID=62080
VICTORIA'S PLACE
Our next meditation is April 19th at 7:00 pm.
For information visit: http://www.feminineliving.com/
Or call 713.849.3535 to register.
NATIONAL BREAST CANCER COALITION (NBCC):
2008 Annual Advocacy Training Conference
Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel
999 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
April 26th - 29th 2008
Register now to attend NBCCF's 16th Annual Advocacy Training Conference. Join hundreds of national and international breast cancer activists in our fight to eradicate breast cancer.
NBCCF's yearly gathering helps participants hone their advocacy skills and learn about the latest in breast cancer science, research and policy. Hear directly about the controversies and issues from important leaders, scientists, and advocates. To learn more about this event and registration, visit: http://www.stopbreastcancer.org//index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=598&Itemid=1
SUSAN'S RALLY in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
The Susan Roberson Wade Memorial Car Rally
Save the Dates: Rally - April 27, 2008
Golf Tournament - October 27, 2008
For more information: http://www.susansrally.org/ / /
HOPE STONE, INC.
Save The Date for our Premiere Piece
PEACE PIECE ...May 1st, 2008
a dance, theater and music performed by
the Kid's Play Ensemble and YouthSound
7:00 pm
Kaplan Theater, JCC
tickets on sale now
http://www.hopestoneinc.org/ / /
713.526.1907 ext. 3
CURE MAGAZINE
Registration is open for the 2008 CURE Day of Caring Breast Cancer Forum on May 3 & 4in Denver. The Day of Caring weekend features breast cancer experts from around the country, as well as educational exhibits, and a Survivor’s Fashion Show.
Full agendas, hotel accommodations, and online registration are available now! We look forward to seeing you there! http://www.curetoday.com/forums/index.html
Y-ME NATIONAL BREAST CANCER ORGANIZATION
Houston Walk to Empower, Non-Competitive 3-mile Walk
Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2007
Check-In Begins: 7:30 a.m. Walk Begins: 9:00 a.m.
Sam Houston Park, Houston, Texas
During the past 15 years, Y-ME’s Mother’s Day Events have raised more than $26 million to help ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone. In 2006, $6 million was raised. Please join us this year -- you’ll be proud to know that your support will help Y-ME continue providing its essential programs and services to people and their loved ones touched by breast cancer.
For more details: http://houstonwalk.y-me.org/site/PageServer? pagename=MDE_HTX_homepage
THE ALICE THOMSEN LYMPHEDEMA AWARENESS GROUP of Houston Meetings are scheduled on the 3rd Tuesday of every other month at the American cancer Society Building, 6301 Richmond (between Hillcroft and Fountainview). Please join us on May 20, 2008 at 7 pm. Hope to see you then, Cynthia Gdula.
M.D. ANDERSON NETWORK 20th ANNUAL
LIVING FULLY WITH and BEYOND CANCER CONFERENCE
Save the Date!!!!!
This annual event for patients/survivors and caregivers celebrates its 20th anniversary with the theme, “Live, Reach, Celebrate,”
Keynote Speaker, Actor Gerald McRaney
September 4 - 6, 2008
Houston Marriott Westchase
2900 Briarpark Drive
Houston, Texas
Online Registration starts Monday, June 16, 2008
Details TBA or visit www.mdanderson.org/ andersonnetwork
PINK RIBBONS PROJECT
Tour de Pink 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tour de Pink is the annual fundraising bike ride sponsored by Pink Ribbons Project to raise funds for breast cancer education and awareness.
Details, TBA
"UNBEATABLE"
Stages Repertory Theatre
Coming September, 2008
The new musical Unbeatable is coming to town in September 2008 in a World Premiere production produced by Houston’s acclaimed Stages Repertory Theatre. This brilliant new musical follows the true story of a strong-willed woman and her life-changing confrontation with Breast Cancer. http://www.unbeatablemusical.com/ / Details TBA
To make a donation, contact Emma Jacobs at emma@jacobswoerner.com
SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE
Houston, Saturday October 4th, 2008
Save the Date! Details TBA
PINK RIBBONS PROJECT
2nd annual Pink Pairs luncheon
This year the pairs being honored will be Girlfriends - the survivor and her best supporting friend.
October 29th
River Oaks Country Club.
Details TBA
CURE MAGAZINE
Coming later this fall, the 5th Annual CURE Patient & Survivor Forum will take place November 1 & 2 in Dallas. CURE is proud to offer a Young Adult Track at this meeting in addition to CNE credit for nurses. For More information visit:
http://www.curetoday.com/forums/index.html
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"SHARING is CARING"
As always, The Pink Crusader welcomes your contributions, comments, stories, poems, events and photographs! Posts are updated each week. Please send your written contributions to thepinkcrusader1@aol.com
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“It is not down in any map; true places never are."
-Herman Melville
Until we meet again...stay strong, stay well and keep on dancing no matter how many interruptions!
Love, Josie
The Pink Crusader
thepinkcrusader1@aol.com
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