FDA Approves a New Drug for Prostate Cancer

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The German drug companies Bayer and it’s development partner, Algeta have just received approval from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a prostate cancer drug. Radium-223-dichloride (Xofigo) is an injection treatment for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease.

The drug chemically binds to minerals in bone directly delivering radiation to bone tumors and limiting damage to surrounding tissues.

The downside is the adverse reactions to radium-223, which occurred in greater than ten percent of patients in trials. The reactions include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and peripheral edema. There were also hematologic laboratory abnormalities in greater than ten percent of patients in trials, including anemia, lymphocytopenia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia.

According to the Reuters report, “Xofigo is the first alpha particle-emitting radioactive therapeutic agent approved by the FDA that has demonstrated improvement in overall survival and delay in time to first symptomatic skeletal event compared to placebo, as shown in the pivotal phase III ALSYMPCA trial,” the companies said.

Related articles

• Advanced Prostate Cancer Drug Xofigo Approved By FDA (medicaldaily.com)

 

The Origin of the Word, “Cancer”

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Throughout history, cancer has been recorded. Fossilized bone tumors show earliest evidence of cancer in human mummies in ancient Egypt. While the word “cancer” wasn’t used, the oldest description of cancer was discovered in Egypt, dating back to about 3000 B.C.E.. The description is in a copy of part of an ancient Egyptian textbook on trauma surgery. The textbook is called the Edwin Smith Papyrus. These papers describe eight cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast. The treatment was cauterization with what was called “The fire drill.” The writings about the disease: “There is no treatment.”

Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.E.), who is considered the “Father of Medicine”, is credited for the origin of the word “cancer.” He used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe all tumors. In Greek, carcinos and carcinoma refer to “crab”, a reference presumably applied to the disease for it’s claw-like spreading projections from the tumor, bringing to mind the shape of a crab.

The Roman physician, Celsus (28-50 B.C.E.), later translated the Greek term, carcinoma into cancer, the Latin word for crab.

Along came another Roman physician, Galen (130-200 A.D.), who used the word oncos (Greek for swelling) to describe tumors. The crab analogy of Hippocrates and Celsus is still used to describe malignant tumors. Galen’s term is now used as a part of the name for cancer specialists — oncologists.

Cancer causes: Theories throughout history  Source: American Cancer Society

From the earliest times, physicians have puzzled over the causes of cancer. Ancient Egyptians blamed cancers on the gods.

Hippocrates believed that the body had 4 humors (body fluids): blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. When the humors were balanced, a person was healthy. The belief was that too much or too little of any of the humors caused disease. An excess of black bile in various body sites was thought to cause cancer.

This theory of cancer was passed on by the Romans and was embraced by the influential doctor Galen’s medical teaching, which remained the unchallenged standard through the Middle Ages for over 1,300 years. During this period, the study of the body, including autopsies, was prohibited for religious reasons, which limited progress of medical knowledge.

 

“But I Hate Vegetables!”

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When’s the last time you ate a mango? What about jicama, leeks, or kale? Having a range of vegetables in your diet is one way to ensure you’re getting a variety of nutrients. Try new vegetables, or ones you haven’t tried in a while. Often, when we think we hate a certain type of food, then we find out it’s our lack of knowing how to prepare it. Have fun! Try some new foods. If you’re at a loss use Google for ideas of how to prepare them, or just try it on your own!

Jicama: Slice and peel it. Squeeze lemon or lime juice over it, and sprinkle chili powder on top. Or, use the slice of jicama as you would a tortilla chip and dip it into salsa or guacamole. When jicama is cold, it’s a refreshing summer treat. Keep the slices in a bag on ice at a picnic.

Kale: With a tiny bit of olive oil drizzled over it and a tiny bit of kosher salt sprinkled on top, you might find you can eat a big piece of kale each day.

Brussels sprouts: Steam, microwave, roast or cut them in half and put them in a frying pan. When I roast them, I cut them lengthwise and drizzle a bit of olive oil on the pan and then some over the vegetables. Sometimes I add balsamic vinegar—sometimes not. Other vegetables on my cookie sheet might include carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, mushrooms—whatever I have on hand. If I only have a few to cook, I cut brussels sprouts length wise and put a bit of olive oil, pepper, cayenne, or ginger, basil, on the skillet. I place the brussels sprouts flat-side down in a cast iron skillet and when they begin to brown on the flat side I turn them over and keep checking until they soften a bit  (not too much!) At this point, I sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on top.

Use meat as a condiment, instead of the major part of your meals.

Add beans to soup or casseroles such as a rice, bean and tomato foundation.

If you eat cereal, add some sliced fruit. Peaches, strawberries, apples, raisins, bananas are perfect additions!

Keep in mind plate size and proportions. (And, if you eat a pound of chocolate, you may gain a pound of chocolate.) —Just sayin’.

Walk. Hike. Run. Bicycle. Dance. Garden. Surf. Drop to the floor and do some crunches. Move. It doesn’t have to be vigorous or take all day. You don’t have to be the best one out there. This is for you.

Related Link: Nutrition and You

 

What Do Google PageRank, Viterbi Algorithm and Cancer Have in Common?

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Google PageRank algorithm. Viterbi Algorithm. Cancer. What can they possibly have in common?

Google PageRank was developed in 1996 by Larry Page, and Sergey Brin. PageRank predicts websites most likely to have pertinent information. It examines the destiny of links between websites. Thirty years earlier at Stanford University, Andrew Viterbi invented an algorithm that predicts the mostly likely path of digital wireless signals through a cellphone network.

Enter the twenty first century: Paul Newton of USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering collaborated with scientists at La Jolla-based Scripps Institute, one of 12 established by the National Cancer Institute. Several institutions took part in this study. The purpose was to understand behavior of cancer cells during metastasis (when cancer spreads from the primary tumor to other sites in the body.) The study specifically aimed to learn better ways of managing cancer. Andrew Viterbi was an advisor during this study.

The study was published in the journal of Cancer Research in March, 2013. It analyzed records of 3,827 deaths of untreated cancer patients between 1914 and 1943. One hundred sixty three were lung cancer patients. The years of these studies were before the use of radiation and chemotherapy for lung cancer. Sine the patients were untreated, their records showed the natural progression of cancer. According to American Lung Association, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.. About 160,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer. As of now—in general, once lung cancer becomes metastatic, few localized therapies are done. This study may change that. A follow-up study is looking to see if this is true for colon cancer as well.

The finding in the first study was that different areas in the body are “spreaders” or “sponges” of metastatic lung cancer cells. As their names suggest, some areas spread the cancer cells, and some areas receive the cancer cells, but don’t spread them as readily. So, some areas for metastasis are more dangerous than others. The study found that adrenal glands are “spreaders” and bones metastases are “sponges.”

When someone dies from metastatic lung cancer, they have metastases in multiple areas throughout their body. But, not everyone has the metastases in the same areas. The study is taking place in hopes of gaining an understanding of pathways cancer takes.

Viterbi said, “It’s very exciting to see mathematics being applied in all sorts of ways. For decades, it was mostly in physics or physical phenomena. Now it’s being used in software and even biology. It isn’t just this, it was much more effectively used in DNA sequence analysis where you’ve got lots and lots of bits.”

We can often get frustrated about the lack of progress on cancer research when we read findings that in moderation, eating dark chocolate and drinking red wine are good for our health—but further studies are needed. Of all the news I’ve read about studies being done, this “spreader/sponge” study is the most exciting to me. To think that it’s origin is from math and computer algorithms just amazes me.

Sources: Wikipedia; San Diego Union Tribune March 28, 2013; USC News.

Carbs and Protein Together Help the Healing Process

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Whether you’ve had an injury or surgery, your body needs to heal. You may need to stop exercising, or at least modify what you do for a while. The choices you make for food are important in the healing process. During your recovery or rehabilitation, while you’re unable to exercise, you can still avoid gaining weight and heal quickly.

It comes down to conscious decisions for healthy eating. It’s not just a matter of watching fat and caloric intake. Along with self-control, nutrients help your body heal. Obviously, the habit of healthy eating is better to have in place before the injury or surgery. When I was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, I laughed when I was told, “You’re extremely healthy—with cancer.” I felt it was the ultimate booby prize. I soon understood the blessing of having a high health baseline. I never missed a chemo treatment, and when I was midway through treatment I had a few people (including a doctor in the oncology clinic) question when I’d begin chemo. I wore a scarf, not a wig, so I found this question bizarre. A friend pointed out to me that I looked healthier than others they’d seen with cancer. Whatever the reasoning, I’m sold on having a high baseline of health.

Physical activity will decrease during the recovery period leading to decreased appetite. If some adjustment to eating doesn’t happen while in recovery you may gain weight. But by negating the right nutrients and caloric intake, your body can’t heal as quickly. Some people take the “opportunity” of having an injury or surgery to eat too few calories.   That’s a huge mistake. A healthy balance is necessary.

Eat from all the food groups. They work together. Consciously graze throughout the day rather than eating only three times, but larger amounts. This is important to keep your blood sugar levels consistent and metabolism active. Also, so that when you do eat, you’re not starving—thus gulping down any and everything, especially right before you head off to bed.

When you eat carbohydrates for energy, your body will use the protein you eat to repair your muscles. If you don’t eat enough carbs, your body will burn the protein you eat for energy, and not for healing muscles. This makes it harder on your body to heal. This isn’t to say load up on carbs, especially if you’re not active. Eat smaller portions of carbs and other foods high in nutrients.

After an injury or surgery, you need extra protein to help recovery. Prior to cancer, I was a near vegetarian, eating only fish and sometimes chicken. During chemo I craved roast beef and beef hot dogs. At the end of cancer treatment my oncologist told me it was very important for me to eat more protein than before cancer, and to keep eating meat.

Fats and antioxidants contain anti-inflammation properties. After an injury or surgery, the first visible response is inflammation. While it’s not a nutrient, I’ve used arnica montana 30x strength two weeks before, and one-two weeks after each surgery (seven). Swelling and bruising was almost nil in every surgery.

Vitamin C helps reduce inflammation and encourages the body to form collagen. Collagen is a needed protein for strength, flexibility and repair of tendons, ligaments and strengthens bones. Vitamin A helps with cell development, cell growth and the immune system.

 

Carbohydrates: whole grains, pasta, breads, fruits, veggies

Protein: lean meat, fish, beans, lentils, nuts, low-fat dairy

Fats: olive oil, canola oil, nuts, avocados

Antioxidants/Fruits high in vitamin C: kiwi fruit, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes

Metaphysical View of Death

The metaphysical view of death is known as transition.

We are eternal. The body moves on, but there is no finality of the soul.

Here is a ten minute video from Abraham Hicks (via Esther about Jerry’s transition in 2012.)

Health Coverage and Cancer

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I received a comment on Facebook requesting I address post-diagnosis health insurance coverage. I sat with it for bit, thinking I wasn’t qualified to take it on as a blog post. Then I thought again: Yes. What about health coverage for post-diagnosis of cancer?

Before I was diagnosed, COBRA health “coverage” would’ve cost me over $1,200. a month for “pre-existing” conditions and COBRA wouldn’t have covered anything those areas of my body e.g. I had scoliosis surgery as a teen; never had back issues. COBRA excluded all back and neck coverage. I also had a radio frequency ablation for a fast heartbeat. It’s an outpatient procedure. I left with three band aids. COBRA excluded heart coverage. To pay $1,200. a month and not have coverage for my back, neck or heart, for their health “coverage” was a joke.

We’ll all have to wait to see how the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) plays out in 2014. Something has to budge to improve our health care system in the U.S. The good news is that as of 2013 it’s illegal in U.S.A. to exclude coverage based on a pre-existing condition. The question remaining is what that coverage will cost. I spoke with someone at Medi-Cal, and they said there is nothing in writing as far as implementation of the AHCA, so no one knows how it will look. I’ve heard some doctors in favor, and others think it’s a bad move. All I know is that there are way too many people working for employers and are not covered by insurance. Health care is a human right. To live in America and lack health care is absurd.

For those who are in the cancer process without insurance, call your Social Security office, call Medicare, call American Cancer Society. Ask your doctors and nurses where you can find the hospital/clinic social worker, and if they know of organizations that can help you. If you think seeing a psychologist would help you through cancer and all it brings, ask if there are doctoral student interns, or try a support group. Even with insurance, cancer costs can skyrocket above $100,000. It’s not that doctors provide unnecessary treatment, either. It’s that no one knows what causes cancer, and are often working in the dark. Cancer is as individual as the people who have it.

Anyone with ideas for post-diagnosis folks, please leave a comment. 

Thanks!