Pancreatic cancer news stories from 2008
December 19, 2008
Study shows Kanzius' concept worksErie Times-News, Erie, Pennsylvania
Researchers have shown that they can target cancer cells with tiny pieces of gold and destroy the cells by using an external radio-frequency generator, developed by John Kanzius. "I was pretty excited when the targeting happened," said Steven Curley, M.D., principal investigator for the Kanzius Project at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "It proves that this has the potential to work, and that it makes sense for us to continue pushing." The device works by sending radio waves into the body, which heat nanoparticles — microscopic pieces of gold or carbon — hot enough to kill the cancer cells in which they are placed. The researcher team linked an antibody, cetuximab, to the nanoparticles. They used cetuximab because of its affinity for pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells. They hope to begin human trials by late 2010.
December 12, 2008
Event>> Lustgarten Bash Raises $1.5M
December 11, 2008
Event>> Magowitz tourney raises nearly $400,000
Dec. 9, 2008
Dartmouth entrepreneur targets cancerUnion Leader, Manchester, New Hampshire
Kreogene Inc., a startup company, will use seek antibody treatments for pancreatic cancer. according to the story: "Immune system bone marrow cells can produce billions of different antibodies that can 'see' and lock onto antigen targets of invaders to initiate a cascade of defenses." Kreogene will use a synthetic immune system to test candidate antibodies.
November 25, 2008
Cancer cases, deaths drop in both men and womenBoston.com
"Cases of cancer, as well as cancer deaths, fell for the first time among men and women in the United States, according to an annual report on 30 years of cancer trends. It was the first documented drop in both men and women, researchers said. ... Further research is needed for cancers whose incidence has increased, the report said, including leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma, kidney, testicular, brain, and female thyroid cancers. The authors also pointed to the need to investigate such highly lethal cancers as pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths."
Press release
>> Radiation Before Surgery Improves Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes, Study Shows
November 19, 2008
Pancreatic cancer registry launched6ABC-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dr. Charles Yeo helped start a pancreas tumor registry at Jefferson University Hospital to help identify genes that may increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. "There's no question that somewhere between 7- to 20-percent of pancreas cancers have a clear genetic familiar link and we don't fully understand that whole group," Dr. Yeo said. One of those genes is the BRCA2 gene, which is better known for increasing the risk of breast cancer. The registry hopes to identify other genes that put people at risk. The registry is looking for pancreatic cancer patients and their family members:
>> Jefferson Pancreas Cancer Tumor Registry (JPTR)
Purple Boom Lift To Raise Cancer Awareness
WOWT-TV, Omaha, Nebraska
Ken Tolton’s company, Duke Aerial Inc., rents aerial lifts and 25 of them are painted purple. Tolton’s wife, Linda, was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer in July and he's fighting back.
A portion of the rental fees for each purple lift go to the Linda Tolton Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation to support a cancer research at the school.
November 13, 2008
Questions live on: Husband taken by pancreatic cancerTelegram & Gazette, Worcester, Massachusetts
Thail J. "TJ" Inman's death from pancreatic cancer won't be in vain. His wife of 21 years, Deborah Makowski, has devoted herself to making people aware of this disease, and in turn, hopes that someday there will be a way to detect it early, effectively treat it and hopefully cure it.
"My husband was a healthy, 54-year-old man," Ms. Makowski said. "It just doesn’t seem fair to me. Here’s a man that wanted to live so badly and he was never sick, never drank. He never smoked. No history of any cancer in his family. His parents lived to their 80s … It was a shock to us." She's purchased newspaper advertising, including a front page post it note, to raise awareness and support for the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance as well as created a web site in honor of her husband www.tjinman.com.
Woman pushes for pancreatic cancer awareness, cureWorcester News Tonight, New England Cable News
November 11, 2008
Cablevision, Lustgarten Foundation Plan curePC VOD ChannelTV Week
Cablevision Systems and the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research have launched an interactive channel as part of their curePC campaign. The Lustgarten channel offers information about pancreatic cancer and the fight against the disease to iO TV digital cable customers in the New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey area. Viewers can access curePC’s PSAs, contact information and click on a "Request Information" button on the channel.
November 9, 2008
Bastrop man beat the odds with pancreatic cancerAustin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas
Mike Beeman was 56 when doctors in Austin diagnosed his pancreatic cancer, the deadliest of the common cancers. He considers himself lucky, because that was seven years ago. he was treated at M.D. Anderson in Houston. His tuomor was judged to be stage 2 of 4, making him eligible for a clinical trial that used chemotherapy and radiation before surgical removal of the tumor (now standard practice at Anderson). The pre surgical treatment shrniks the tumor and lessens the chance any cancer will be left behind. But he hasn't been declared cured. As the story notes:
"Being 'a poster child' makes him uncomfortable, he said, because his long-term survival is so uncommon. 'I'm a false hope,' said Beeman, now 63. 'I'm just a really super duper lucky guy.' "
November 6, 2008
Press release>> UC Davis researchers discover Achilles' heel in pancreatic cancer Starving cancer cells of arginine cuts proliferation in half in mice and cell culture tests
November 4, 2008
Event>> 'Sopranos' Star Vincent Pastore Produces and Stars in Sold-Out Off-Broadway Show
November 2, 2008
Event>> Pancreatic cancer awareness walk held at Crossgates
November 1, 2008
Celebrating Mel Graves: Fearless jazz bassist fuses hope into new work as he battles illnessSanta Rosa Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California
Solid feature on a longtime musician and teacher as he fights pancreatic cancer and looks ahead. "My goal is recording my latest piece, which will be my last piece," Graves said. "Then there’s a concert coming up. That gives me something to live for. Everything else after that is gravy."
>> SSU jazz great Mel Graves dies
October 30, 2008
Teacher's cancer sparks action by Klondike studentsJournal & Courier, Lafayette, Indiana
Middle schoolers host a mini-Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research and rally behind Lindy Heath, who is taking a leave from his 28th year of teaching as he battles the disease.
Press releases
>> Jefferson Department Of Surgery Announces New Pancreas Tumor Registry
>> Tumor protein predicts survival after pancreatic cancer surgery
October 28, 2008
Swayze’s Best Act: Being Able to Show UpThe New York TimesNew York, New York
Patrick Swayze, 56, less than a year removed from a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, is putting in 12-hour days as the lead in a television series. Mr. Swayze said: "I’m still fine to work, I haven’t changed — oh, I have changed, what am I saying? It’s a battle zone I go through. Chemo, no matter how you cut it, is hell on wheels." Last december he suffered indigestion, which led to gastrointestinal pain, which led to a biopsy and his diagnosis. According to the story, he underwent "traditional chemotherapy, augmented by an experimental drug called Vatalanib. Soon the news began to hold promise. It appeared that Mr. Swayze fell into a small percentage of patients in whom the disease is more controlled. Then his doctors sent word: he was going to be cleared to go to work." No further details on his treatment were provided in the story.
October 24, 2008
Son’s courage will benefit others in needTelegram & Gazette, Worcester, Massachusetts
Patrick Comer, 36, died in March of this year, following what family members and friends say was a courageous battle. His family is honoring his memory with the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation, which will fund an endowment at St. John’s High School for academically qualified students from the Nativity School in Worcester, a small, private Jesuit school for low-income boys in Grades 5 through 7 as well as support families battling cancer by assisting with medical bills, child care expenses and travel and lodging costs.
>> Patrick Comer Courage Foundation
>> Fundraiser info (pdf)
October 20, 2008
Pancreatic cancer survivor aims to encourage othersStar-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
Now, 70, it's been 13 years since Dee Pakulski faced pancreatic cancer, having surgery a week after her 57th birthday, with no other treatment. She gives back today as education and outreach coordinator for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in Fort Worth.
October 23, 2008
Cancer cure in a sponge? Burnham Institute tests synthetic version of substanceOrlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida
A sponge that lives in the ocean depths off Florida's coastline holds a compound that might fight pancreatic and colon cancers. From lab tests against cancer cells, "this compound is about as potent as the best drug that's currently used for pancreatic cancer," according to one of the researchers. But each sponge has just a small amount of the compound, so a synthetic version has been developed for further testing. Human trials, though, are a long way off.
October 10, 2008
< Event>> StepNOut for Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk/Run
October 9, 2008
October 8, 2008
Cancer Groups Look for Common Ground As Competition for Research Funds Heats UpThe Wall Street Journal, New York, New York
"The economic slump is energizing competition among more than 1,000 groups fighting to influence federal cancer-research spending — and raising concerns among some in Washington's cancer establishment about the competing demands of advocacy groups," says the first paragraph. Story quotes heavily from American Cancer Society: "We are worried that too many groups dilute funds," said Dan Smith, vice president of the American Cancer Society, which is pushing One Voice Against Cancer. Story notes in passing that there are 14 advocacy groups for pancreatic cancer.
October 6, 2008
Press releases>> Mickey Fine Pharmacy & Grill Goes the Distance with Hirshberg Foundation, LA Cancer Challenge
>> Cigarette Smoking May Increase Risk of Pancreatic Cancer Precursor Lesions in At-Risk Patients
October 3, 2008
Which pink products really help fight breast cancer?Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Interesting story examining the economics and psychology of cause-related marketing, keys on October as breast cancer awareness month with pink campaigns everywhere. Story concludes: "The safest way to make sure your money hits its target is to send it directly to the charity of your choice. If you feel like thinking pink, go for it — just don't skip the 'thinking' part."
Granara-Skerry Walk raises thousands for cancer research
Medford Transcript, Medford, Massachusetts
The second Granara-Skerry Walk to Benefit Pancreatic Cancer Research raised more than $71,000 with around 325 participants. Money was donated to Massachusetts General Hospital.
Events
>> White Cliffs to host 'Masquerade Ball' fund-raiser Northborough, Massachusetts
>> A Spooky Treat To Help Beat A Scary Disease, Garden City, New York
October 1, 2008
Study links pancreatic cancer to hepatitis BInternational Herald Tribune, Paris, France
People with pancreatic cancer are more likely than those without the disease to have been infected with the hepatitis B virus, a study has shown for the first time. The finding suggests that hepatitis B — already known to cause liver cancer in some patients — may also increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. But while the study showed an association, it did not prove cause and effect.
September 30, 2008
Cablevision launches pancreatic cancer awareness campaignNewsday, Melville, New York
To raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and help find a cure, Cablevision Systems Corp. announced that it would embark on a campaign about the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths and cover the $2 million in yearly administrative costs of the nation's largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research. The company said in that it plans to use its "unique arsenal of media and entertainment properties" — Newsday, News 12, Madison Square Garden and Clearview Cinemas among them — to roll out the "curePC" campaign of public service announcements in partnership with the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The foundation, formed in 1998, is named for Cablevision executive Marc Lustgarten, who died of the disease.
>> Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
>> www.curePC.com
September 29, 2008
The Dance Before the DiagnosisThe New York Times, New York, New York
Column by a doctor on how physicians can be reluctant to speak freely with patients about difficult diagnoses, like pancreatic cancer. "I am not alone in this dance of avoidance. But in trying to protect patients, doctors may be misjudging them and the consequences of not sharing our suspicions."
September 26, 2008
UNMC Researchers Earn $5M Grant For Pancreatic CancerKETV-7, Omaha, Nebraska
University of Nebraska Medical Center wins a $5 million federal SPORE grant that will help fund cutting-edge pancreatic cancer research. "The idea is within the five-year term of the grant, you actually have to take one of your discoveries and move it into the clinic," said Dr. Tony Hollingsworth, a pancreatic cancer researcher.
September 24, 2008
OSI warns of death from liver damage with cancer drugNewsday, Melville, Long Island
OSI Pharmaceuticals and its partner, California-based Genentech Inc., warned doctors that two patients had died of liver damage after taking the cancer drug Tarceva. The drug is used to treat lung and pancreatic cancer. Story didn't specify for which cancer these patients were being treated.
Press release
>> Scientists Deliver Toxic Genes To Effectively Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells using nanoparticles to successfully deliver a deadly diphtheria toxin gene in cell cultures
Sept. 18, 2008
Voices of Pancreatic CancerNew York Times Blog, New York, New York
"It is estimated that 5 percent of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive past five years. What is it like to be faced with such statistics? To survive? Here, in their own words, are the experiences of seven men and women, in photos and audio. ... You’ll meet Sandra Balkman Martin, 50, a retired teacher and eight-year survivor of the disease. And there’s Dr. Ron Davis, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, who recently discovered he has late-stage cancer. And there’s Carolynn Kiel, 66, of Laguna Woods, Calif., who lost her mother and sister to pancreatic cancer and who recently learned that she, too, has the disease." Opera star Marilyn Horne is also interviewed.
>> Armed With Knowledge, Driven to Fight, Times story about Dr. Ron Davis
>> Doctor knows what it’s like to be a patient, The Gainesville Sun, Sept. 29
September 15, 2008
Chemo, Radiation After Pancreatic Cancer Surgery Prolongs LifeThe JHU Gazette, Baltimore, Maryland
According to a Johns Hopkins study, pancreatic cancer patients receiving combined 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based chemotherapy and radiation after surgery experienced an improved median survival when compared with patients who did not (21.2 vs. 14.4 months). Two-year survival also improved (43.9 percent vs. 31.9 percent), as did five-year survival (20.1 percent vs. 15.4 percent). Results are published in the July 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
September 10, 2008
Neil Entwistle lawyer diagnosed with pancreatic cancerBoston Herald, Boston, Massachusetts
Elliot Weinstein, the defense attorney who represented Neil Entwistle in the murder of his wife and baby, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
September 7, 2008
Company cast-offs for a causeThe Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
What a great idea: After her husband, Steven, is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, long-time office furniture businesswoman Karen Lewis solves a few problems: wasteful practices of companies that discard good furniture during remodeling, the needs of non-profits for office furniture, and the need for money for pancreatic cancer research. She takes discarded corporate furniture, arranges for donations to non-profits or schools. Surplus items are sold, with proceeds donated to cancer research and other causes. Any unsold furniture is recycled and kept out landfills.
>> The Furniture Trust
September 6, 2008
Patrick Swayze Was 'Best Part' of Stand Up to CancerPeople
Patrick Swazye's surprise appearance at the "Stand Up To Cancer" fund-raising special impressed a nation of television viewers and a stage full of fellow celebrities.
>> Stars Raise More Than $100 Million at Friday Cancer Telethon
September 4, 2008
Gene domino effect behind brain, pancreatic tumorsThe Associated Press
First two paragraphs of this story summarize issues beautifully: "Scientists have mapped the cascade of genetic changes that turn normal cells in the brain and pancreas into two of the most lethal cancers. The result points to a new approach for fighting tumors and maybe even catching them sooner. Genes blamed for one person's brain tumor were different from the culprits for the next patient, making the puzzle of cancer genetics even more complicated.
"But Friday's research also found that clusters of seemingly disparate genes all work along the same pathways. So instead of today's hunt for drugs that target a single gene, the idea is to target entire pathways that most patients share. Think of delivering the mail to a single box at the end of the cul-de-sac instead of at every doorstep."
And more: "The bigger discovery involved cancer's genetic chaos. No tumors were identical. The typical pancreatic cancer contained 63 genetic alterations and the average brain tumor 60, [Johns] Hopkins researchers reported in Science.
"Fortunately, 'genes don't work alone,' said Hopkins's Dr. Kenneth Kinzler, who led the pancreatic work. Figure out which genes cluster in which pathways and 'a simpler picture emerges.'
"The Hopkins team identified 12 core pathways that were abnormal in most pancreatic tumors."
Cancer Researchers Should Widen Genetic Focus, Studies Suggest
Bloomberg News
Two studies published in Science magazine found 60 genes mutated in pancreas and brain cancer tumor cells. From that finding, researchers recommend that rather than seeking drugs targeting individual cancers, like Gleevec targeted against chronic myeloid leukemia, that instead "it may be more productive to screen for drugs that act against the core pathways that are disregulated in most cancers."
The story reported: "About 213,000 people will develop pancreatic cancer this year worldwide and, with few effective treatments, almost all of them will die of it, the scientists said. The prognosis is just as dim for patients with brain cancers known as glioblastoma multiforme, who usually survive about one year, they said."
>> What You Need to Know About Mapping the Cancer Genome, US News & World Report
September 2, 2008
NFL will honor Gene Upshaw at all 16 opening gamesThe Associated Press
The NFL honored the late Gene Upshaw with his initials and his uniform number stenciled on the field for all 16 games on opening weekend. In addition, all players this season will wear a patch all season with the initials "GU" and the number 63, his former uniform number to honor the Hall of Fame guard and longtime union leader, who died of pancreatic cancer in August just days after being diagnosed.
>> Late NFLPA chief Gene Upshaw memorialized as friend, foe
August 16, 2008
Cancer survivor raises 'the bar' for himselfThe Coloradoan, Fort Collins, Colorado
Pancreatic cancer survivor Tim Rickett received the Natural Athlete Strength Association's "Bench Presser of the Year" award. Rickett is active and optimistic after being diagnosed nearly six years ago. In fact, recent liver surgery led to a weight loss that put him in a lower weight class: " 'I noticed one of the records,' he said. 'I saw that that weight was achievable for me.'
Rickett successfully lifted 254 pounds, breaking the old record." Story isn't specific about his treatment other than saying multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy ... and lifting weights to keep fit.
August 11, 2008
A conversation with: Dr. Ronald M. DavisCrain's Detroit Business, Detroit, Michigan
Interview with president of the American Medical Association, who is battling pancreatic cancer, includes this question and answer that will be familiar to anyone navigating cancer care of any kind:
"Has your view of medicine changed since your diagnosis of pancreatic cancer?
I have a greater appreciation for team care. I've had wonderful care from physicians representing many specialties, and from oncology nurses, registered dieticians, genetics counselors, and many others. Some teams work well, and others do not. We must ensure that teams operate within a framework based on good communication, coordination and cooperation."
Rowing coach inspires team with own courage
The Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
Canadian rowing coach Bent Jensen received chemotherapy to help battle pancreatic cancer in his hotel room during the Bejing Olympics just so he could be with his rowers.
>> Men's lightweight four win Canada's 2nd bronze of day
August 6, 2008
Doctor aces cancer | It's been 12 years since his deadly diagnosisConcord Monitor, Concord, New Hampshire
Dr. Berger Carlson, himself a surgeon, knew firsthand how tough the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was when he got it 12 years ago. He had surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy (story isn't more specific than that), and now at 87 he's still playing tennis. "Let's make the most of it. I'm grateful as hell, but I'm not crowing and saying, 'Hey, look at me.' I'll keep taking it as long as it will come." The newspaper also profiled him seven years ago when he hit the five-year milestone. An amazing story.
Press release
>> New Gene Therapy Kills Pancreatic Cancer Cells, used melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin-24, known as mda-7/IL-24 in mice
August 4, 2008
Vitamin C May Be Useful to Treat Cancer After AllReuters
In a new study, researchers implanted three types of aggressive cancer cells into laboratory mice — ovarian, pancreatic and glioblastoma brain tumors — and then injected the mice with high concentrations of vitamin C. Mice that were given high-dosage injections of vitamin C experienced tumor growth only about half that of similar mice that were not given the injections, they said. Human trials would be the next step.
July 31, 2008
Curry spice flavors UAB fight against pancreatic cancerThe Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama
Update on research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on using curcumin, one of the ingredients in Indian curry power, to fight pancreatic cancer. Researchers at UAB previously identified curcumin as a possible inhibitor of a protein (JAB1) that blocks a tumor suppressor (SMAD4) that is missing in pancreatic cancer cells. To date experiments have been in mice with no human trials. Work has concentrated on developing a form of curcumin that would stay in the body and be deliverable as a drug. Current experimental drug is called PEG-curcumin, and shows promise both alone and in combination with gemcitabine in mice.
July 25, 2008
Randy Pausch, noted CMU prof, succumbs to cancerPittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor whose final lecture inspired millions, died in Virginia of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Pausch, 47, who turned the lecture into a book, said that no one would have been interested in his words of wisdom were he not a man in his 40s with a terminal illness, leaving behind a wife and three young children."
>> Professor Aimed 'Last Lecture' At His Children ... and Inspired Millions, remembrance by Jeffrey Zaslow, Wall Street Journal reporter who helped bring the lecture to the world.
>> Watch the video:
August 3, Washington Post
>> I Had the Same Disease. But I Was Lucky., excellent column by Michael Dallek of Politico, who had an islet-cell tumor and not adenocarcinoma, about the crying need for more research funding.
July 23, 2008
Press release>> Checking More Lymph Nodes Linked To Cancer Patient Survival, may lead to imporved outcomes for pancreatic cancer
Event
>> Race against pancreatic cancer honors former Macedonia man
July 8, 2008
Press release>> Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Appoints New York University Dafna Bar-Sagi, Ph.D. to Chair Scientific Advisory Board
July 2, 2008
Smokeless Tobacco Products Do Raise Cancer RiskHealthday
Smokeless tobacco products, which include products such as snuff and chew tobacco, increase the user's risk of cancer — just not as much as smoking does. An analysis of studies from around the world found that users of the products had an overall 80 percent increased risk of oral cancer, a 60 percent increased risk of esophageal cancer, and a similar increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer.
June 23, 2008
Press release>> Luv your hat! Hats off to Wellesley woman’s unique fundraising effort for pancreatic cancer research
June 18, 2008
Press release>> Lustgarten Foundation Announces 2009 Request for Proposals
June 15, 2008
It takes a villageThe Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
Alison Takacs of Acton was shocked when her 47-year-old husband, Jim, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on April 28. In researching the disease, she was further taken aback to discover the tremendous need for research funding, despite the disease's high mortality rate. While Takacs said she appreciates the offers of assistance from family and friends, her husband is still able to prepare meals while going through chemotherapy, and she continues to drive their daughters to activities in order to keep life as normal as possible. There is, however, one area in which she has welcomed help: fund-raising for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, she's collecting donations through the end of June.
June 14, 2008
AMA president speaks of pancreatic cancer struggleThe Associated Press
As a doctor, Ron Davis knew what it meant when he got a diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer earlier this year. "But if the five-year survival is 5 percent, that's not zero," said Davis, president of the American Medical Association. "So, never take away someone's hope." Davis told his listeners at an AMA meeting of pursuing the "noble cause" of raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, which afflicts 37,000 Americans a year, and kills 34,000. While it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the nation, "pancreatic cancer research accounts for less than 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute's research funding," he said.
Hall of Famer Ryan more than a coach
Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia
Headlining the inductees into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who has made 22 NCAA tournament appearances. The 31-year Cavalier coach, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2000, credits cancer with making the Hall of Fame honor even more special.
June 9, 2008
Press release>> Potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer identified
June 7, 2008
Patrick Swayze’s New TV Series Will Proceed Despite His CancerThe New York Times, New York, New York
Patrick Swayze, who only a few months ago was found to have a life-threatening case of pancreatic cancer, has recovered enough that his planned drama series for the A&E network will go into production this summer, with him in the starring role.
June 2, 2008
3-Drug Combo Improves Advanced Pancreatic Cancer OutcomesUS News & World Report
A combination therapy of gemcitabine, capecitabine and bevacizumab improves outcomes in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, according to a multi-center study led by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. The study of 50 patients found that this combination treatment was well-tolerated by patients, was able to prevent tumors from progressing for almost six months, and improved median survival to 9.8 months.
Press release
>> New treatment combination safe for pancreatic cancer patients, examined the safety of combining gemcitabine with bevacizumab and radiotherapy in patients with operable pancreatic cancer
May 31, 2008
Lilly drug doubles pancreatic cancer survival: studyReuters
Chemotherapy drug Gemzar, or gemcitabine, more than doubled the overall survival for early stage pancreatic cancer patients five years after surgery to remove their tumors, according to results from a long-term study. Gemzar is the standard treatment for patients whose pancreatic cancer is too advanced for surgery. Researchers at the Charite University Medical School in Berlin studied the drug in patients with early stage pancreatic cancer who had received surgery, concluding it should be the standard of care for those patients as well.
Press release
>> Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Can Benefit From Avastin Plus Tarceva
May 30, 2008
Cancer center receives $50,000 donationPress-Citizen, Iowa City, Iowa
The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center received a $50,000 donation to be used for pancreatic cancer research from Susan L. Bader Foundation of Hope, founded by Amy and LPGA golfer Beth Bader after their mother was diagnosed with the disease in October 2003.
>> Susan L. Bader Foundation of Hope
May 27, 2008
Gum Disease Might Boost Cancer RiskHealthDay
A new study finds that gum disease could raise the risk for cancer. "Men with history of periodontal disease had a 14 percent higher risk of cancer than those who did not have periodontal disease, and the increase persisted among never smokers," said one researcher. The exact link, if any, between gum disease and cancer remains unclear. While the overall risk was 14 percent, the risk for specific cancers was typically higher. Compared to men with healthy gums, men with a history of gum disease had a 36 percent increased risk of lung cancer, a 49 percent hike in risk of kidney cancer, a 54 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer, and a 30 percent increased risk of white blood cell cancers.
May 22, 2008
Hopkinton runners create new race around townMetroWest Daily News, Framingham, Massachusetts
Running club in Hopkinton, home of the starting line for the Boston Marathon, created a 26 mile relay around town to raise money for pancreatic cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
May 21, 2008
Beer Drinking May Speed Pancreatic Cancer OnsetHealthDay
Heavy smoking and drinking, especially beer, may hasten the onset of pancreatic cancer, according to a study based on patients listed in The Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry, a multi-center, international patient registry. Beer appears to exert a stronger influence than hard liquor or wine in lowering the age of onset of pancreatic cancer, said researcher Dr. Michelle A. Anderson, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Michigan. Heavy smokers (such as those who have smoked more than a pack a day for 40 years, or more than two packs for 20 years) presented with pancreatic cancer an average of seven years before nonsmokers. Heavy drinkers, defined as having more than three daily drinks, presented with pancreatic cancer 10 years younger than those who did not drink.
May 20, 2008
Triathlons fuel this 68-year-old medical ironmanThe Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida
Tony Handler, 69, has competed in 214 triathlons, despite a devastating health history that includes 5 kinds of cancer, starting with pancreatic more than 20 years ago.
Press release
>> Phase I/II Studies of IMC-A12 in Pancreatic Cancer Open for Patient Enrollment
May 11, 2008
A mother’s love given backSunday Telegram, Worcester, Massachusetts
Mother's Day story about people caring for their moms includes story of Kelly S. Hill and mother Lorry L. Maynard. Ms. Maynard, 72, has been recuperating at her daughter's home from pancreatic cancer surgery in December. "I feel like it’s her life in my hands," her daughter says in the story.
May 7, 2008
Fight Against Cancer: Patient vs. ProcessABC News
Story on the effort of Jackie Loughman, of Indianapolis, to get GenVec to supply TNFerade for her mother, Connie, who has pancreatic cancer but doesn't qualify for a clinical trial using TNFerade because of her participation in an earlier trial of another drug. One patient in the trial had a complete response to TNFerade and that leads the Loughman family to believe that this is Connie's shot at beating pancreatic cancer. GenVec says it is blocked from providing the drug under "compassionate use" outside of the trial and before FDA approval because of the risk that doing so could delay the drug's ultimate approval and jeopardize the treatment for many more. A heartbreaking dilemma.
May 3, 2008
Cancer survivor will go the distance for new community poolGreat Falls Tribune, Great Falls, Montana
Two years ago Richie Hamel ran and wlked 22 milkes to raise money for a new community pool. a year ago she was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She's redoing the trek to raise the final money needed to complete the project. "Statistically, I'm not supposed to be here now," she said. "I'd really like to get that damn pool finished so I can do that ... I'd really like to do that."
May 1, 2008
Student's project honors grandfatherPittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For her senior project, Chelsea Rush, 17, organized a fundraiser and raised $6,000 for pancreatic cancer research and wrote a paper in honor of her grandfather Clarence Rush, who died of the disease in 2006.
Father’s cancer forces siblings to mature faster
The Register-Mail, Galesburg, Illinois
Ashley, Jordan and Dylan Butler raised $5,000 for Chicago’s Purple Stride in honor of their father, Todd, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around Thanksgiving.
Press release
>> AmpliMed Corporation Announces Start of Randomized Phase 2 Trial of Amplimexon in Pancreatic Cancer
April 29, 2008
Scientific research with an asteriskThe Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
Opinion piece making the case for cooperation between academic researchers and drug companies because of the "monumental" challenge of figuring out the cause ofa medical problem and then correcting that without causing new problems. It includes this telling statment: "In the last 10 years, for example, there have been more then 7,000 academic papers published on pancreatic cancer, but not a single breakthrough treatment."
April 25, 2008
ASA: Laparoscopic Surgery Gets Good Grades for PancreatectomyMedPage Today
For patients with cancer confined to the pancreatic body or tail, laparoscopic left pancreatectomy leads to less morbidity, lower complication rates, and shorter hospitalization. Study based on eight centers' combined experience with the laparoscopic procedure from 2002 through 2006.
Grief Blogging: Talking with the blogger behind A Widow for One Year
The Star-Ledger, Newark, New Jersey
Interview with Sandra Duffy, who lost her husband to pancreatic cancer in the fall of 2007.
At age 39, she was a widow with two small children and no idea how she was going to cope.
So, she decided to blog about it.
>> A Widow for One Year
April 24, 2008
Asuragen to Become First Shop to Sell miRNA Dx as Pancreatic Cancer Test to Debut in MayRNAi News
Asuragen will begin marketing a microRNA diagnostic assay designed to differentiate pancreatitis from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, making the company the first to commercialize a test based on the small, non-coding RNAs. “The definitive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can be quite challenging, particularly in patients displaying chronic pancreatitis,” Gregory Tsongalis, director of molecular pathology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and an Asuragen collaborator, said in a statement. “This microRNA test could become a valuable asset in patient management and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.”
April 23, 2008
Local man's loss highlighted on series Miami Ink'Today's Sunbeam, Salem, New Jersey
James Smith's story was featured on "Miami Ink." He had a tattoo of a lotus done to memorialize his wife, Katie, who died at 32 of pancreatic cancer. She was pregnant at the time and died just 2 months after diagnosis.
April 21, 2008
Chemo Common Even for Incurable CancerThe Ledger, Lakeland, Florida
Story on Sharon Leonard, 58, with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, embarking on a course of chemotherapy. Story suggests that cancer patients want to avoid chemotherapy. Not in this case. " 'With the kind of cancer I have and the survival rate, I was actually kind of looking forward to having some options,' Leonard said."
>> Cancer, Chemo Scary Words That Confront Many
>> High Cost of Treatment Is Secondary to Patients
>> Sharon B. Leonard, 58, August 9, 2008
Press release
>> Report on 750 New Medicines in Development for Cancer Released in Baton Rouge, Cancer medicines being developed include 113 for lung cancer, 90 for breast cancer, 65 for colorectal cancer, 88 for prostate cancer, and 49 for pancreatic cancer. Full report (pdf) includes details on who is developing, which Phase research is in, and phone number for company.
April 16, 2008
Press release>> The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research Launches New Public Service Announcement Featuring 'Last Lecturer' Dr. Randy Pausch
April 15, 2008
Press release>> 2 new therapies show promise for cancer patients, Gemcitabine plus Abraxane in a phase I trial
April 14, 2008
A cancer leaves few to lobby: Pancreatic form so deadly, CMU prof is unusual in seeking a curePittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Comprehensive story starts out strong:
"When Randy Pausch testified to Congress a month ago about the need for more pancreatic cancer research money, the most unusual part of his appearance was the fact that he was there at all.
"Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest major malignancy on the face of the planet, killing 95 percent of its victims within five years.
"That means there are rarely survivors available to lobby on behalf of curing the disease, let alone a patient like Dr. Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer professor who last week released a book on his life story and was the focus of a major ABC TV special."
Story then goes into detail on why it's so lethal. Aside from being too often detected late, "pancreas tumors hijack the body's own defenses to prolong and spread the cancer.
" 'Pancreatic cancer is probably one of the most deadly cancers because it's resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, it spreads very quickly and the amount of actual cancer necessary to kill a person is very low,' " according to Dr. David Whitcomb, a cancer research director at UPMC's Hillman Cancer Center.
Story continues with information from researchers about avenues they are pursuing.
A troubling dose of reality on TV
The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California
Review of "The Truth About Cancer," a PBS documentary that includes a pancreatic cancer patient. "Jamie Kleiman, 38, has pancreatic cancer that has spread to other organs. She has a difficult time convincing her father that there’s no doctor anywhere who holds the secret of her cure. 'I don't think there's anyone hiding the secret magic bean,' she says. But her father holds the very American attitude that you can control your destiny, and if you fight hard enough, you can beat cancer. That's what Lance Armstrong did, after all.
"But Kleiman has discovered the cruel difference between Armstrong's successful testicular cancer treatment and her own pancreatic cancer, unresponsive to chemotherapy. 'He had the most sensitive cancer to chemotherapy,' she says. 'It had nothing to do with the fact that he was an athlete.' "
April 11, 2008
Woman runs Marathon in honor of husbandThe Country Gazette, Franklin, Massachusetts
Dale Fingar, 47, is running the Boston Marathon in honor of her husband, Greg, 52, a 3-year survivor of pancreatic cancer. He's had surgeries to remove his pancreas, spleen, gall bladder and, most recently, part of his liver "I was lucky," Greg said. He explained how, as part of a routine physical, his primary care physician noted that he had high platelets. In other words, he said, his blood was thicker than normal. He was referred to a hematologist, and it was through that doctor’s investigations that a "spot" was noticed on Greg’s pancreas.
April 8, 2008
Keeping Priorities Straight, Even at the EndThe New York Times, New York, New York
Terrific story on Dr. Randy Pausch, how his book "The Last Lecture" came together and what's truly important as he faces his diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer. "Dr. Pausch says he is trying to use his unexpected celebrity to draw attention to the lack of financing for pancreatic cancer research. Testifying before Congress on behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org), he showed a picture of his family. 'This is my widow,' he said pointing to his wife, Jai. 'That’s not a grammatical construction you get to use every day, but there aren’t many diseases where you know it will be fatal.' "
>> The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life, ABC News, April 9, includes links to video
Keansburg woman cured of pancreatic cancer
Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey
Story about Donna Worth, 61, who 5 years ago went to the doctor complaining of pain and jaundice. It turned out to be pancreatic cancer, and was successfully treated with Whipple surgery, with no followup chemotherapy. The story reports: "She is, as her doctors say, cured."
April 6, 2008
The Lessons I'm Leaving BehindParade Magazine
Excerpt from the book that grew from the "last lecture" given by Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, who is dying of pancreatic cancer. Great, powerful, poignant advice.
Review
>> 'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch/Jeffrey Zaslow
April 4, 2008
Pansies help alliance win cancer fightTelegram & Gazette, Worcester, Massachusetts
The Pancreatic Cancer Alliance has enlisted the support of local garden centers, flower shops and community organizations for its third annual Pansies for Progress campaign to fund pancreatic cancer research at UMass Medical School in Worcester, Mass.
>> Pancreatic Cancer Alliance Pansies for Progress, 2008 locations
April 2, 2008
Living out a dream: Degree conferred on man suffering from cancerThe TribuneGreeley, Colorado
Lovely feature story on John Brandenberger, 46, from Stow, Mass., who was awareded a degree with honors from Aims Community College on March 5, just days before he died from pancreatic cancer. The degree was expoedited a bit, but, in the words of a friend: "It's the last thing I want to do if it kills me."
Hearst Foundations award $600,000 in Washington state
Post-IntelligencerSeattle, Washington
Half of the total amount, or $300,000, went to Virginia Mason Medical Center to establish the Hearst Endowed Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
Untimely death inspires pancreatic cancer activist
The Cary News, Cary, North Carolina
Stoy on how Carol Birney got involved in fighting pancreatic cancer after her husband Thomas Birney died from the cancer seven years ago, only six weeks after being diagnosed.
Press release
>> The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Debuts a New Public Service Announcement Featuring Carnegie Mellon Professor Dr. Randy Pausch>
>> View the spot
April 1, 2008
Pancreatic cancer: 'Whipple Procedure,' other treatment advances improve outcomesDallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Part of a package of stories on cancer survivors. Tom Jester, now 68, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer more than 6-1/2 years. Because arteries were wrapped around the tumor, surgery was delayed until after chemotherapy and radiation were used to shrink it.
Mr. Jester's surgeon offers some theories in the story: "Dr. Thomas Shires knows when he sees what he calls 'painless jaundice' that his patient has a better-than-average chance of survival.
"The chairman of the surgery department at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas says that when someone's eyes turn yellow but they have no significant discomfort, it often means a tumor on the pancreas has closed off the bile duct and he can perform the Whipple Procedure. In his operating room, the surgery survival rate is 99 percent; half of his patients live five years.
"The majority don't experience such a telling symptom. That's part of the reason pancreatic cancer proves so deadly. 'We have crummy early detection,' says Dr. Shires."
March 31, 2008
Tiny beads, big impactHerald Times Reporter, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Story about a patient with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer that had spread to the liver (along with separate case of colon cancer) participating in a trial with TheraSphere radioactive beads to attack the metastases to his liver. The tumors in the pancreas and colon were attacked with surgery, but the spots on the liver were too numerous and chemo made him too sick. "This therapy consists of very tiny glass beads that are delivered into the liver through a catheter in the blood vessels going to the liver," said Dr. William Rilling, interventional radiologist. "They're radioactive glass beads. We calculate a target dose. It's a way to give a very high dose of radiation to the liver in a single outpatient treatment. This is much different than standard external beam radiation, which takes multiple trips to the hospital — sometimes up to six weeks of therapy." Another advantage of the therapy is that tiny glass beads target the tumor, destroying or shrinking it, without affecting surrounding healthy liver tissue, he said.
Sparks beats the odds Cancer survivor about to celebrate 90th birthday
The Marion Star, Marion, Ohio
Nice lead on the story: "Clyde Sparks has beat the odds nearly three times over for anyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer." The 90-year-old man was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 13 years ago, had the Whipple surgery and a difficult recover. The story reports: "Following a six-week stay in the hospital, Sparks was dismissed. The doctors told the family they could give him radiation which would probably give them a year. That was more than 12 years ago." In the words of his daughter: "He's a walking miracle."
March 27, 2008
For the brave, drug trials offer hopeThe Record, Hackensack, New Jersey
Excellent story on drug trials "marketing in hope" for cancer has a personal touch. The writer writer's husband, 57, who has pancreatic cancer is doing OK using standard treatments, so hasn't opted for a trial yet. Story leads with Carolyn Chasalow, 73, who began a trial of the GTX regimen a year an a half ago. From the story: "Her doctor at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Stephen Schreibman, says she's had one of the best responses so far in a Phase II study of the drug combination called GTX. Its investigators are so optimistic about its power they hope it will become accepted as standard. Other doctors, however, have found more modest results for GTX and say it has harsh side effects in some patients."
Press release
>> Lustgarten Foundation Announces $1.25 Million Commitment to Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Development Project
March 26, 2008
Smoking carries a deadly legacyThe Oregonian, Portland, Oregon
Story about the lingering dangers of smoking starts with Kathy Conn, who came from a family of smokers and smoked until she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2002 when she was 48. With radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, she beat back the pancreatic cancer only to be diagnosed with lung cancer as her pancreatic cancer treatment ended.
March 18, 2008
One Gene Closer to Understanding Pancreatic CancerThe New York Times, New York, New York
Fascinating Q&A with Dr. Terri Brentnall, 51, of the University of Washington, who has identified a gene that may be one cause of an inherited form of pancreatic cancer. Her key finding: "That we’d found a gene directly related to familial pancreatic cancer. ... That a mutated Palladin gene had predisposed at least one family to inherited pancreatic cancer and that abnormally high levels of the Palladin protein are found in noninherited or 'sporadic' pancreatic cancers."
'Where There's Hope...'
Pilot Tribune, Storm Lake, Iowa
Students of high school art teacher Anita Coon are coming together to rally in support of her recovery from pancreatic cancer. Coon has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the oncology department at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center every other week. Coon will undergo three more sessions of treatments and then will head to MD Anderson Clinic in Houston, Texas, where she will meet with doctors who specialize in pancreatic cancer.
March 13, 2008
Congress hears testimony of professorPittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, battling pancreatic cancer, testified before Congress, urging more funding for pancreatic cancer research. In his appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, Dr. Pausch said that pancreatic cancer gets a paltry share of research funding, and it needs to attract more young researchers using newer techniques. Of the $4.8 billion Congress has appropriated for the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Pausch — famed for his "last lecture" — told the committee, less than 2 percent is being spent on pancreatic cancer research.
>> April 8 Release for 'Last Lecture' Book Co-Written by 'WSJ' Columnist
Cell-surface protein controls aggressiveness of cancer
The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, Baltimore, Maryland
A team of researchers has uncovered an important factor in the severity of pancreatic cancer.
It is thought that loss of the E-Cadherin protein allows cancer cells to be more mobile, thus allowing them to escape the primary tumors and metastasize or spread to other parts of the body.
Insights found stemming from this research will provide new avenues for pancreatic cancer treatments.
March 11, 2008
Doctors Evaluate Toad Venom as Potential Cancer CureABC News
Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, iso test whether todd venom, a traditional Chinese medicine, can fight some of the deadliest cancers, including pancreatic. "There is research showing it induces apoptosis, which is spontaneous cell death, and there is research showing there is a decrease in the proliferation of cancer cells," Cohen said.
Press release
>> The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and 225 Advocates Urge Congress to Support a New Plan for Federal Funding of Pancreatic Cancer Research
March 7, 2008
One pancreatic cancer survivor tells how he did it: Ignore all the horror talesDaily News, New York
Story leads with 5-year survivor Allan Pilson, 65, and says he focused on one thing as he was pumped full of chemotherapy: "I tried not to think about the statistics." Story then goes on to recount the statistics and the challenges in improving survival. Unfortunately, it does not provide much info on the treatment Mr. Piston had. This is it: "Today, after surgery, five months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation, Piston's only reminder of his ordeal is the enzyme pills he swallows to help his digestion." His advice: "Do not allow your imagination to run away with you," he said. "Listen to your doctor, take the treatment and be positive."
March 5, 2008
Patrick Swayze Treated for Pancreatic CancerThe Associated Press
Patrick Swayze, 55, is being treated for pancreatic cancer but is doing well enough to continue working, his representative said. His spokesman said earlier reports that the star of Dirty Dancing had a matter of weeks to live were exaggerated.
Related blog postings
>> An Actor’s Diagnosis May Bring Attention to a Neglected Cancer
>> Cancer Funding: Does It Add Up?, March 6
Hopeless no longer
The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ
Comprehensive story on state of pancreatic care, covering the challenges of treating the disease, some promising research initiatives and explaining the current predicatment of low federal funding in comparison to other cancers. Also interviews two patients being treated with the GTX (gemcitabine, docetaxel and capecitabine) regimen. "Like most oncologists, I felt that treating pancreatic cancer was an exercise in futility," says one oncologist in the story. "My heart wasn't in it. Now I tell my patients that I cannot cure them but I can prolong their survival and make them feel better."
Fluorouracil vs Gemcitabine Chemotherapy Before and After Fluorouracil-Based Chemoradiation Following Resection of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
The Journal of the American Medical Association,
Report on a study done to see whether the addition of gemcitabine to adjuvant fluorouracil chemoradiation (chemotherapy plus radiation) improves survival for patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: The addition of gemcitabine to adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemoradiation was associated with a survival benefit for patients with resected pancreatic cancer, although this improvement was not statistically significant.
February 29, 2008
AMA president diagnosed with pancreatic cancerThe Associated Press
Officials at the American Medical Association say the group's president has pancreatic cancer. Dr. Ronald Davis, 51, will continue to serve as president of the nation's largest doctors group, but his activities will be limited while he begins treatment.
February 25, 2008
The Web gives boomer caregivers a boostThe Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
When Steven Dworkin's father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2005, he and his two siblings began to share in his care. But Dworkin was in Massachusetts, his parents lived in Florida, and his brother and sister were in Connecticut. That experience led to the development of Caregiver Helper (caregiverhelper.com), a secure online community resource that houses information about medications being taken, emergency contacts, doctor's appointments, and even the patient's favorite activities.
February 18, 2008
Insurance a prime weapon against cancerThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia
Cancer patients with private insurance are much more likely to be diagnosed early, giving them a greater chance of long-term survival, a study by the American Cancer Society shows. Conversely, uninsured Americans and those with Medicaid are much more likely to have advanced forms of the most common cancers by the time they seek treatment. The correlation was especially noticeable in colon, breast and prostate cancer, which frequently can be diagnosed early by routine screening, and in diseases such as lung and bladder cancer, which are often caught when patients seek treatment for early symptoms. Disparities in diagnosis by insurance status were less pronounced in pancreatic and ovarian cancer, which are rarely diagnosed in anyone until the later stages.
February 16, 2008
Booming voice again fills cavernous DomeThe News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington
Wrestling announcer and actor Ed Aliverti, 75, is back after treatment for pancreatic cancer: "Aliverti felt sick in September 2006 after performing Broadway-style musicals on a cruise ship. ...
" 'We caught it by accident, we caught it early,' said Aliverti. 'I had intensive treatment for a year and the wonderful people at Virginia Mason say I’m cancer-free.' "
February 14, 2008
Lawmaker upbeat over cancer fightThe Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana
State Sen. David Ford says his chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer appears to be working. "Each day, I feel a little stronger," the 58-year-old Republican told Senate colleagues by telephone.
February 6, 2008
Preview: Young and the Restless' "Dynamite" TwistTV Guide
Webmaster's note —This kind of stuff infuriates me, pancreatic cancer as random plot point:
"The Young and the Restless will bring back the marvelous Signy Coleman as blind heroine Hope Adams. But, after just a week, the character — a major fan favorite from the '90s — is going to die on screen from pancreatic cancer.
" 'It's welcome back, now get the hell out of here!' says Coleman."
It'll air Feb. 11
February 4, 2008
Press release>> SciClone Pharma Begins Mid-stage Trial Of Cancer Drug RP101; Gets Orphan Drug Status, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind phase 2 clinical trial at 55 sites in United States, Europe, South America, with either gemcitabine plus RP101 or gemcitabine alone
January 29, 2008
Press releases>> Pancreatic cancer: The smaller the tumor, the better your chances, study shows
>> pSivida Pancreatic Cancer Study Results Released, Phase IIa showed BrachySil, in combination with standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine), was well tolerated and data showed disease control in 82% of patients and an overall median survival of 309 days. Small sample.
>> 'Sopranos' Star Vincent Pastore Wins 50 Big Ones for Lustgarten Foundation on NBC's 'The Celebrity Apprentice'
January 27, 2008
Common ground: Grief and fear touch families hit by pancreatic cancer in Oroville areaThe Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California
Comprehensive story on people and families hit with pancreatic cancer near Oroville, Calif. State and county health officials will be investigating an unusual concentration of pancreatic cancer diagnoses and deaths — 23 people in 2004-05, more than twice what would be expected, trying to determine if there's an environmental cause. PCP, benzene, copper, chromium and arsenic are some of the chemicals connected to a Superfund site in the area.
>> Biographies of pancreatic cancer victims
January 25, 2008
Diabetes might predict pancreatic cancerPost-Bulletin, Rochester, Minnesota
"Researchers at Mayo Clinic say late-onset diabetes might, in some cases, predict pancreatic cancer.
"Dr. Suresh Chari and his research team are seeking a cost-effective screening tool using a blood test.
"Of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 40 percent had also been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes — some up to two years before their cancer diagnosis. ...
" 'We are now quite convinced that in most patients with pancreatic cancer the diabetes is caused by the cancer and not the other way around,' Chari said in an announcement of the findings."
January 24, 2008
Press release>> Adjuvant Radiation Might Improve Survival In Patients With Localized Pancreatic Cancer
January 23, 2008
Cancer-ridden prof lobbies Congress for pancreatic research fundsPittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"His touching story made him a worldwide Internet sensation and today Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch visits Capitol Hill, hoping to inspire Congress to invest an unprecedented $170 million in pancreatic cancer research.
"Pausch, 47, is living with advanced pancreatic cancer and expects it to kill him in months. The father of three young children is meeting several lawmakers today with representatives of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network."
Press releases
>> Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Launches Unprecedented Initiative to Secure Federal and Private Funding for Pancreatic Cancer Research: Raise the Cure
>> Mayo Clinic Study Finds Further Association Between Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer
January 22, 2008
< Press releases>> Exelixis and Bristol-Myers Squibb to Co-Develop XL139, an Inhibitor of the Hedgehog Pathway
>> Orphan Drug Status Granted for Marshall Edwards' Investigational Anti-Cancer Drug Triphendiol (NV-196)
January 19, 2008
Cancer diagnosis? Get second ... third ... fourth opinionGrand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Arresting story on a second opinion clinic at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, opens with a woman's treatment for pancreatic cancer being abruptly halted when doctors realized she instead had a form of pancreatitis.
January 15, 2008
Marilyn Horne on her cancer treatmentThe Associated Press
Terrific story. For the first time opera legend Marilyn Horne, 74, talks about the treatments she received for the pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed in December 2005. First, she underwent radiation and chemotherapy at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for nine months, shrinking the tumor enough for it to be removed. She then enrolled in a clinical trial at Johns Hopkins of a cancer vaccine, receiving injections every two months for a half year, and now getting additional doses twice a year.
"Essentially, the vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize those pancreas cancer cells as being foreign and attack them specifically," says Dr. Daniel Laheru, a Johns Hopkins oncologist leading the study. "Her most important treatment was the surgery, but we hope the vaccine is additional insurance against recurrence."
And she's incredibly busy, the story reports: "She travels between homes in New York and California, teaching at Carnegie Hall and various colleges and running a summer school and festival in Santa Barbara, Calif."
Her approach to her life after a cancer diagnosis: "I don't think it's 'I want to live' — it's 'I'm going to live!' "
January 13, 2008
Walking for a cureThe Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
Kathleen Granara-Skerry, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago, has fought back with surgery and a year of chemo and radiation treatments. She's also fought back through walkathons, recently raising $100,000 for pancreatic cancer research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The 2008 Granara-Skerry Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research, will take place on Sept. 27 in Medford, Mass. Email Granara-SkerryWalk@comcast.net for details.
January 11, 2008
Clinical Trials Offer Patients HopeNBC17, Raleigh, North Carolina
Story, with video, on what clinical trials offer. Features pancreatic cancer patient Rich Csarny, who, after surgery and almost two years of radiation and chemotherapy, has enrolled in two clinical trials at Duke University Medical Center new drugs can mean renewed hope. "I wanted more and I considered that my life was not finished. I was not going to give in to this, and I saw that there was hope in trials being offered and that there was success," Csarny said. "I also saw that cancer was being treated more and more as if it was a chronic disease and not a death sentence."
January 10, 2008
Press release>> Jefferson scientists find protein helps pancreatic cancer cells evade immune system and spread
January 9, 2008
Study Gives Hope For Pancreatic Cancer PatientsCBS4Denver, Denver, Colorado
New treatment being studied in Colorado enabled one patient with inoperable pancreatic cancer to later have surgery to remove the tumor. In addition to radiation and chemotherapy, according to the story, the treatment involves delivering "an investigational gene-based drug that kills cancer cells ... directly into the tumor through a tube down [the patient's] throat." Story includes video.
January 8, 2008
Spike in cancers probed: Possible environmental factors sought in Oroville-area casesThe Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California
California health officials are looking for a possible environmental cause in a cancer spike near Oroville. State cancer data show 23 cases of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and 2005, twice the number that would be expected for the neighborhood in question. "The decision to probe further in the Oroville area focuses attention on a now-shuttered wood preservation treatment plant, and whether contamination from the site may have caused long-term health problems for area residents." A state official says in the story that a cause may never be found and that the spike could be a statistical aberration.
January 7, 2008
Bluffton woman’s legacy provides comfort and warmth for childrenThe Bluffton News-Banner, Bluffton, Indiana
Long-time quilter Carol Vore died of pancreatic cancer at age 68 in early December, and was diagnosed just in August. She felt a sense of urgency to get as many quilts as possible made while she still could sew. She read on the Internet about Project Linus, a nonprofit group that provides handmade blankets and quilts to seriously ill, grieving or traumatized infants and children. Vore decided to devote the rest of her days to making quilts for Project Linus, completing 16 with 8 more needing finishing touches.
Cancer drug wins financing
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cellectar Inc. raised $13 million to start a clinical trial for its lead cancer product, known as CLR 1404, which uses fat-like molecules to deliver radioisotopes that can either destroy malignant cells or enable imaging equipment to locate them. The story says the molecules can quickly move through normal cells but concentrate in cancer cells. Cellectar plans to submit CLR 1404 to the Food and Drug Administration to get investigational drug status, with hopes of entering Phase 1 clinical trials this summer for two cancers - a type of lung cancer and pancreatic cancer.
ORLive Presents: Whipple Procedure for Pancreatic Cancer
Press release
From the operating room at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore watch H. Richard Alexander, M.D., a surgical oncologist and a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, perform a Whipple procedure on a patient with pancreatic cancer. Press release has a good description of what the surgery involves.
>> Whipple Procedure for Pancreatic Cancer, archived video of operation
Press release
>> Morphotek Announces Initiation of MORAb-009 Phase II Study in First Line Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer, will compare MORAb-009 plus gemcitabine with a placebo plus gemcitabine
January 3, 2008
Press release>> GenVec Announces Protocol Changes for PACT Study After Discussions with FDA, changes how TNFerade trial will be evaluated
January 1, 2008
Family celebrates a father's gift of lifeSeattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, Washington
Nice column about a 59-year-old retired firefighter with pancreatic cancer, seeing a holiday they said he wouldn't live to see. In October he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver. Doctors told him the cancer was incurable and inoperable. But he's undergone chemo, liver function has improved and he's feeling better.