![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
The mission of this website is to help ensure the rights of the residents, Marines/Naval personnel, dependent family members and civilians who resided in military base housing aboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that were exposed to long term chemical release of volatile organic compounds into the drinking water of their homes from 1957 until 1987.
“As you may already know, breast cancer is rare in men and even rarer in men under 60.Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all diagnosed breast cancers. In July of 2007, I underwent genetic testing for the hereditary breast cancer mutations
CA 1 and 2.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
“As you may already know, breast cancer is rare in men and even rarer in men under 60.Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all diagnosed breast cancers. In July of 2007, I underwent genetic testing for the hereditary breast cancer mutations
CA 1 and 2.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:normal
- Music:Backstreet Boys
After posting a story detailing Thompson's assertion that he was canceling his appearance, GamePolitics rather unexpectedly found itself in the middle of a day-long flurry of e-mails between Screw Attack personnel and Thompson. Event organizers were clearly seeking to assuage Thompson's concerns and salvage the debate. By late Tuesday afternoon, it appeared that Thompson, who is apparently under contract and being paid $2,000 for his appearance, was softening his position after receiving assurances from Screw Attack Program Director Craig Skistimas.
As recently as this morning, however, Thompson demanded that a post by a Screw Attack user be removed. While it was not taken down, the author, who was also behind the parody video that Thompson found offensive, e-mailed the disbarred attorney a lengthy apology; that seemed to satisfy Thompson.
Next, Thompson e-mailed Skistimas a proposed text to be used as his introduction at the debate. The 12-sentence intro mentioned his 2008 lifetime disbarment very briefly, referring to it as and blaming the loss of his law license on lawyers for Take-Two, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto games.asked Skistimas whether the introduction would actually be used at SGC09. Skistimas told us, I have yet to review his intro but Jack and I will work together to find an intro that fits both his needs and the time format of the debate at SGC.
A conference call between Thompson and the Screw Attack team planned for noon today was canceled when the parties decided in late morning that the debate was back on and Thompson was satisified.
Skistimas also said that the site would release a video tomorrow to reinforce the fact that Thompson will appear at SGC09.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
As recently as this morning, however, Thompson demanded that a post by a Screw Attack user be removed. While it was not taken down, the author, who was also behind the parody video that Thompson found offensive, e-mailed the disbarred attorney a lengthy apology; that seemed to satisfy Thompson.
Next, Thompson e-mailed Skistimas a proposed text to be used as his introduction at the debate. The 12-sentence intro mentioned his 2008 lifetime disbarment very briefly, referring to it as and blaming the loss of his law license on lawyers for Take-Two, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto games.asked Skistimas whether the introduction would actually be used at SGC09. Skistimas told us, I have yet to review his intro but Jack and I will work together to find an intro that fits both his needs and the time format of the debate at SGC.
A conference call between Thompson and the Screw Attack team planned for noon today was canceled when the parties decided in late morning that the debate was back on and Thompson was satisified.
Skistimas also said that the site would release a video tomorrow to reinforce the fact that Thompson will appear at SGC09.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:smile
- Music:Ricky Marti
I may "PO" some of you off out there that like this show but I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing commercials actual new stories about this show, this couple all the other crap that goes along with it! I mean, I really don't quite understand what it is that makes people want to watch this scenario. Is it that it makes you feel better about your life? Is it just an escape but you don't take it seriously? Do they seem hugely insincere to you? I have my one daily soap opera for escape but it seems like this Jon Kate thingis like watching a train wreck but with a family. I want to pull my hair out every time something comes on about that show that is often. I should be bald by now!I have not watched any of this show, not even from day one when things were good so.... Yup, I know the money. I wonder, what would I do for enough money to clear up my probs. I don't think I would sell my soul but if presented, I just don't know what I would do.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:smile
- Music:Sum 41
Robert: living through kidney cancer
I live in Yuba City, California, which is a small town about an hour north of Sacramento in the north part of the state, which I refer to as Gods country. I am now 53 years old, I have been married for almost 30 years, and I have two beautiful daughters, both of whom are in college in the east. So I am very poor, paying college tuition. My story begins, I think this is my third year in November. I had two previous instances in which cancer I thought affected me, but in the end didnt. About ten years ago I was told I had tumor on my neck and when I had an operation, they discovered it wasnt a malignancy but something else. Then about five years ago as a result of my routine physical examination, my doctor called me up and said I think you have lymphoma. And after spending two or three days before a biopsy and being told it wasnt lymphoma but was another disease called sacroid I had two instances in which I had been told that I had cancer, and didnt.
The symptoms
So three years ago when I went in for my routine physical examination, I had been very tired. Im an avid golfer and I play a lot of golf, and I do exercise, and I had been noticeably a little more fatigued, and also, my back had been bothering me. And those of us who have back pain know that sometimes you have pain down your leg, and I had pains down my leg but in addition Id had some numbness in my toe. And I just assumed that it was part of my back problem. So really its a result of numbness in my toe, I decided it was time to see my physician for another routine physical examination. I had missed the previous year, but I went and visited him. I have a great doctor that I know personally, so I went through my whole battery of different kinds of things, and everything appeared to be normal. I told him about my tiredness and about my toe and we laughed because he assumed also that it was my back that was perhaps giving me problems with the tow. Anyway, you know I spent my day at routine physical examinations and went home. And the very next day, in the afternoon, at five oclock, which I knew when he called was obviously some problem. My physician called and said, Robert, I think you should come back in, we need to do some more blood work. And I said, s the matter? And he said, Why dont you come over right now?
Well, when your physician tells you to come over at 5:15 on a Friday afternoon, you obviously think, you know, whats wrong. So I go back and the first thing he does is sit me down and they take so many vials of blood out of my arm that I was beginning to wonder, and basically he said to me, he said, Robert, your hormonal levels are a little bit off. He said you had absolutely no testostricin and he says, Is everything okay at home? And I said, Well, yes, everything is okay as far as I understand it. But he said, you had absolutely none.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
I live in Yuba City, California, which is a small town about an hour north of Sacramento in the north part of the state, which I refer to as Gods country. I am now 53 years old, I have been married for almost 30 years, and I have two beautiful daughters, both of whom are in college in the east. So I am very poor, paying college tuition. My story begins, I think this is my third year in November. I had two previous instances in which cancer I thought affected me, but in the end didnt. About ten years ago I was told I had tumor on my neck and when I had an operation, they discovered it wasnt a malignancy but something else. Then about five years ago as a result of my routine physical examination, my doctor called me up and said I think you have lymphoma. And after spending two or three days before a biopsy and being told it wasnt lymphoma but was another disease called sacroid I had two instances in which I had been told that I had cancer, and didnt.
The symptoms
So three years ago when I went in for my routine physical examination, I had been very tired. Im an avid golfer and I play a lot of golf, and I do exercise, and I had been noticeably a little more fatigued, and also, my back had been bothering me. And those of us who have back pain know that sometimes you have pain down your leg, and I had pains down my leg but in addition Id had some numbness in my toe. And I just assumed that it was part of my back problem. So really its a result of numbness in my toe, I decided it was time to see my physician for another routine physical examination. I had missed the previous year, but I went and visited him. I have a great doctor that I know personally, so I went through my whole battery of different kinds of things, and everything appeared to be normal. I told him about my tiredness and about my toe and we laughed because he assumed also that it was my back that was perhaps giving me problems with the tow. Anyway, you know I spent my day at routine physical examinations and went home. And the very next day, in the afternoon, at five oclock, which I knew when he called was obviously some problem. My physician called and said, Robert, I think you should come back in, we need to do some more blood work. And I said, s the matter? And he said, Why dont you come over right now?
Well, when your physician tells you to come over at 5:15 on a Friday afternoon, you obviously think, you know, whats wrong. So I go back and the first thing he does is sit me down and they take so many vials of blood out of my arm that I was beginning to wonder, and basically he said to me, he said, Robert, your hormonal levels are a little bit off. He said you had absolutely no testostricin and he says, Is everything okay at home? And I said, Well, yes, everything is okay as far as I understand it. But he said, you had absolutely none.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:lol
- Music:Robbie Williams
As my own diagnosis was early breast cancer, (defined as breast cancer that is confined to the breast, with or without axillary lymph node involvement, and which is easily removable by surgery), I am interested to hear of the latest report from the 11th St Gallen conference and cant help wishing it had been around four and half years ago, when I had to make my own treatment decisions.
A radically different approach to choosing the best treatment options for early breast cancer has been proposed by an international panel of experts in a report from the 11th St Gallen conference. The report is published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology, and represents the consensus on early breast cancer treatment that emerged from the conference of more than 4,800 participants from 101 countries, which took place in March 2009.
The authors expect the consensus report to change clinical practice. While it continues to recognise that early breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and that patients should receive personalised care targeted at their particular type of disease, the report proposes a different way of assessing the disease, its risk and the appropriate treatment.
The authors write: In distilling patient and tumour features to reach patient treatment decisions, the panel has adopted a fundamentally different approach from that used in previous consensus reports. Clinical decisions in systemic adjuvant therapy of early breast cancer must address three distinct questions: (i) what justifies the use of endocrine therapy, (ii) what justifies the use of anti-HER2 therapy, and (iii) what justifies the use of chemotherapy. Because these decisions are based on quite separate criteria, the previous attempt to produce a single-risk categorization and a separate therapy recommendation are no longer considered appropriate. The authors then give a new algorithm for clinicians to use when deciding on the best treatment approach for each patient.
The report emphasises the importance of identifying which type of breast cancer a patient has and which treatment, or combination of treatments, are most likely to be successful.
The authors believe that the patient should be at the centre of all treatment decisions. We recognize the importance of quality of life, supportive care and patient preference in the treatment decision-making process, said one of the co-authors Professor Alan Coates (Clinical Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee, International Breast Cancer Study Group).
Similar posts: cancer organizations
A radically different approach to choosing the best treatment options for early breast cancer has been proposed by an international panel of experts in a report from the 11th St Gallen conference. The report is published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology, and represents the consensus on early breast cancer treatment that emerged from the conference of more than 4,800 participants from 101 countries, which took place in March 2009.
The authors expect the consensus report to change clinical practice. While it continues to recognise that early breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and that patients should receive personalised care targeted at their particular type of disease, the report proposes a different way of assessing the disease, its risk and the appropriate treatment.
The authors write: In distilling patient and tumour features to reach patient treatment decisions, the panel has adopted a fundamentally different approach from that used in previous consensus reports. Clinical decisions in systemic adjuvant therapy of early breast cancer must address three distinct questions: (i) what justifies the use of endocrine therapy, (ii) what justifies the use of anti-HER2 therapy, and (iii) what justifies the use of chemotherapy. Because these decisions are based on quite separate criteria, the previous attempt to produce a single-risk categorization and a separate therapy recommendation are no longer considered appropriate. The authors then give a new algorithm for clinicians to use when deciding on the best treatment approach for each patient.
The report emphasises the importance of identifying which type of breast cancer a patient has and which treatment, or combination of treatments, are most likely to be successful.
The authors believe that the patient should be at the centre of all treatment decisions. We recognize the importance of quality of life, supportive care and patient preference in the treatment decision-making process, said one of the co-authors Professor Alan Coates (Clinical Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee, International Breast Cancer Study Group).
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:bad
- Music:Black Eyed Peas
My mandate is to keep searching for whatever information is out there about kidney cancer. It is through seaching websites, asking others, and attending seminars that we learn what works and what doesn't. You just can't always assume that your physician knows everything there is about your type of cancer.
A dear friend passed along some information to me yesterday with regards to the upcoming Nevada National Patient Survivor Conference on June 20th. I would encourage patients, survivors, caregivers and families to attend. The day long seminar will include a luncheon offering support discussion for patients/caregivers, there's lectures on the types of treatments for RCC and dietary updates. Follow this link and then scroll down the page to "Calendar of Events", go to Nevada National Patient Survivor Conference and then DETAILS. Apparently there is no link to take you directly to the page
http://www.kidneycancerassociation.org/
The Kidney Cancer Association offers various seminars throughout the US. No doubt there's one in your area so I'll pass along another link showing the entire list. Scroll down to "Calendar of Events" to see the entire list
http://www.kidneycancerassociation.org/
Just as today's song "The River" by Garth Brooks relates to all of us that we can choose to sit on the shoreline and do nothing about our adversities, or we can choose to chance the rapids and dance in the tides.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
A dear friend passed along some information to me yesterday with regards to the upcoming Nevada National Patient Survivor Conference on June 20th. I would encourage patients, survivors, caregivers and families to attend. The day long seminar will include a luncheon offering support discussion for patients/caregivers, there's lectures on the types of treatments for RCC and dietary updates. Follow this link and then scroll down the page to "Calendar of Events", go to Nevada National Patient Survivor Conference and then DETAILS. Apparently there is no link to take you directly to the page
http://www.kidneycancerassociation.org/
The Kidney Cancer Association offers various seminars throughout the US. No doubt there's one in your area so I'll pass along another link showing the entire list. Scroll down to "Calendar of Events" to see the entire list
http://www.kidneycancerassociation.org/
Just as today's song "The River" by Garth Brooks relates to all of us that we can choose to sit on the shoreline and do nothing about our adversities, or we can choose to chance the rapids and dance in the tides.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:Good
- Music:Timbaland
Thanks for visiting this blog. Here you can find information about Cancer Symptoms, Brain Tumors Cancer, Cancer Tumor Of The Spine, Skin Tumors, Lung Tumors, Cancer Tumor Markers, Info Large Cancer Tumors, Kidney Tumors, Lung Cancer, Cancer Pictures, Skin Cancer, Colon Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Bone Cancer, Fatty Tumors, Fibroid Tumors, Brain Tumors, Ovarian Tumors, Fatty Tumors Humans, Lung Tumor, Carcinoid Tumor, Pituitary Tumor.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:Very good
- Music:Linkin Park
May 19, 2009
Honorable Don McMorris
Minister of Health
Government of Saskatchewan
Room 302, Legislative Building
2405 Legislative Drive
Regina, SK
S4S 0B3
Dear Minister McMorris:
It has been an interesting time since we first wrote to you November 2008, and since we provided our
recommendations for gynecological oncology care for the women of Saskatchewan earlier in the spring of 2008.
We have learned so much more about how the medical profession operates, how medical care is delivered in
Saskatchewan, about guidelines, standards and recommendations by governing bodies and other jurisdictions.
And thank you to the good help of Sophie Ferre of your office, we have initiated relationships with some of the core executives responsible for decision making regarding gynecological oncology in our province. And we will continue to do this of course.
Also since our beginning with your office our group has more than doubled and support for our work is coming from many different directions, and we are able to provide support for more patients and their families.
This is all very positive and provides us with hope and motivation to continue.
Also hopeful is the fact not one single person, professional, executive, representative we have met with is against our recommendations. In fact, quite the reverse is true. We have been told that our recommendations are essential to improved survival outcomes for a very lethal cancer, that our recommendations are credible, that other groups concerned about gynecologic cancers has similar recommendations.
While other jurisdictions in Canada may not have written recommendations such as ours, all jurisdictions in Canada except Saskatchewan provide the care we are looking for from gynecologic
oncology units including intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP).
The reasons for not doing this yet vary and have included the gaps between bureaucracies prevent it in various ways (jurisdictions, funding), the government needs to agree to funding, awareness needs to be improved.
We fully expected that on May 14th the meeting between the Saskatchewan gynecologic oncologists and the various bureaucracies would lead to some positive announcements for the women in our province.
Rather, we hear that there has been an agreement to continue to discuss Gynecologic Oncology units only until June 30th. No agreement ensuring we would not be losing our two specialists in Regina. No announcement about working groups that involve patient input.
We understand that the Regina gynecologic oncologists have not changed their plans to close their office September 1st. And we want to know what is happening with new patients.
Throughout, we have been very patient but now we feel it is urgent that we meet with you, as we requested back in November.
Please, Minister McMorris, it is time for us to present our case to you and find out what the barriers are to keeping our specialists in Saskatchewan.
Thank you for your consideration. We feel this is an urgent matter and would appreciate hearing back from
you very soon.
Sincerely,
Darlene Gray
A Director Of
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Treatment in Saskatchewan
OCATS
6438 7th Avenue N, Regina, SK, S4T 6X7, Ph 306-775-1848, Fx 306-775-1853, darlenegray@sasktel.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
Honorable Don McMorris
Minister of Health
Government of Saskatchewan
Room 302, Legislative Building
2405 Legislative Drive
Regina, SK
S4S 0B3
Dear Minister McMorris:
It has been an interesting time since we first wrote to you November 2008, and since we provided our
recommendations for gynecological oncology care for the women of Saskatchewan earlier in the spring of 2008.
We have learned so much more about how the medical profession operates, how medical care is delivered in
Saskatchewan, about guidelines, standards and recommendations by governing bodies and other jurisdictions.
And thank you to the good help of Sophie Ferre of your office, we have initiated relationships with some of the core executives responsible for decision making regarding gynecological oncology in our province. And we will continue to do this of course.
Also since our beginning with your office our group has more than doubled and support for our work is coming from many different directions, and we are able to provide support for more patients and their families.
This is all very positive and provides us with hope and motivation to continue.
Also hopeful is the fact not one single person, professional, executive, representative we have met with is against our recommendations. In fact, quite the reverse is true. We have been told that our recommendations are essential to improved survival outcomes for a very lethal cancer, that our recommendations are credible, that other groups concerned about gynecologic cancers has similar recommendations.
While other jurisdictions in Canada may not have written recommendations such as ours, all jurisdictions in Canada except Saskatchewan provide the care we are looking for from gynecologic
oncology units including intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP).
The reasons for not doing this yet vary and have included the gaps between bureaucracies prevent it in various ways (jurisdictions, funding), the government needs to agree to funding, awareness needs to be improved.
We fully expected that on May 14th the meeting between the Saskatchewan gynecologic oncologists and the various bureaucracies would lead to some positive announcements for the women in our province.
Rather, we hear that there has been an agreement to continue to discuss Gynecologic Oncology units only until June 30th. No agreement ensuring we would not be losing our two specialists in Regina. No announcement about working groups that involve patient input.
We understand that the Regina gynecologic oncologists have not changed their plans to close their office September 1st. And we want to know what is happening with new patients.
Throughout, we have been very patient but now we feel it is urgent that we meet with you, as we requested back in November.
Please, Minister McMorris, it is time for us to present our case to you and find out what the barriers are to keeping our specialists in Saskatchewan.
Thank you for your consideration. We feel this is an urgent matter and would appreciate hearing back from
you very soon.
Sincerely,
Darlene Gray
A Director Of
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Treatment in Saskatchewan
OCATS
6438 7th Avenue N, Regina, SK, S4T 6X7, Ph 306-775-1848, Fx 306-775-1853, darlenegray@sasktel.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:bad
- Music:Roxette
via Science Daily The 57-year-old lawyer in New York had handily completed the New York Times' Saturday crossword puzzle the hardest of the week for years. But one Saturday morning, suddenly he couldn't retrieve the words to fill in the squares.
In Chicago, an 83-year-old woman began parroting the same phrases over and over. When her doctor asked her how she was, she replied, "I am fine. I am fine. I am fine."
The symptoms of the New York lawyer and the Chicago woman could have been mistaken for early dementia. But an MRI brain scan and biopsy revealed something surprising. It looked like their brains had been eaten away. A brain biopsy and a spinal tap confirmed the diagnosis of a swiftly moving and often fatal viral brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) that attacks the brain's white matter. Both had lymphoma and had been taking the popular cancer drug rituximab (brand name Rituxan) before they developed the brain infection.
The two patients are part of a new study from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine RADAR project, led by Charles Bennett, M.D., that links rituximab to PML. Rituximab is the most important and widely used cancer drug for lymphoma. It is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and is widely used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and autoimmune anemias.
Bennett reports on 57 cases from 1997 to 2008 in which patients with anemia, rheumatoid arthritis or lymphoma developed the fatal brain disease after taking rituximab. They died an average of two months after being diagnosed. The study was published in the May 14 issue of the journal Blood.
"Rituximab is one of the most prominent drugs in a new class called monoclonal antibodies. It's now the third monoclonal antibody that is associated with PML," said Bennett, the A.C. Buehler Professor in Economics and Aging at Northwestern's Feinberg School and a hematologist and oncologist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
One of the other two drugs, Raptiva, was taken off the market in April of this year because of the PML risk. The other drug, Tysabri, was removed from the market for 1 years because of similar concerns.
Bennett said the brain infection is often overlooked and undiagnosed because it is so subtle at first. "People may think it's early Alzheimer's disease or depression," he said. "Many of these patients have cancer and when they die, people assume it's the cancer that killed them."
It is not yet known how rituximab is connected to the brain virus and who may be at risk. Bennett notes that the best information on the frequency of PML is among patients with lupus with an estimated rate of 1 in 4,000 patients developing PML.
Monoclonal antibodies target one particular protein found on the surface of cells. In lymphoma, rituximab targets a protein called CD20 on the outside of B-cell lymphomas. The antibody binds to the protein, leading to the destruction of the cancerous cell.
"In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, it turned out to be a home run," Bennett said of the drug. "It's been a magic bullet."
But concerns about the drug's association with PML first surfaced in 2006 when two patients with lupus developed the illness after taking rituximab and other immunosuppressive treatments. In 2008, Bennett said, the manufacturers of the drug, Genentech and Biogen Idec, sent letters to doctors alerting them that a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who had been taking rituximab also died from the brain infection. The companies asked whether physicians had detected this illness among cancer patients who were taking the drug.
Bennett said it was known that a small number of patients with lymphoma get the infection regardless of the drug. "But it was atypical for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients to get it," he said. "It was especially unusual for patients with autoimmune anemia-like illnesses who have not received a large number of other drugs."
Then Steve Rosen, M.D., director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, noticed that the 83-year-old woman was repeating the same phrases over and over. After a brain biopsy identified the infection, Rosen alerted Bennett.
"I told him a serious abnormality was uncovered and the RADAR program needs to pursue it in the manner that he has investigated all other severe adverse drug problems," Rosen said.
Bennett's RADAR project (Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports) is an international consortium of physicians that collaborate to identify adverse reactions to medications and devices.
Bennett met with Genentech executives, offering to help them gather what thus far had been elusive information on the drug's connection to the brain infection. Doctors had been reticent to report PML in their patients who had been taking rituximab.
"It's a lot of work to produce these reports," Bennett explained about doctors' reticence.
To offset this concern, Bennett called 12 major cancer centers around the country, asked doctors to share their information and offered to produce the reports for them. He discovered an additional 22 cases beyond what had previously been reported.
The study results illustrate a need for caution in prescribing rituximab, Bennett said.
"The drug has tremendous usefulness in lymphoma, but as its use expands to diseases that are not cancer, we might have to reconsider the risk benefit," Bennett said. "Some cancer patients take this drug chronically for non-fatal chronic leukemia where the risk-benefit calculations differ from lymphoma."
The next step, Bennett said, is to determine the risk factors for the disease in people who take rituximab.
"We need to learn more about this, " he said. "People have to think about the pros and cons in settings where it is being used for nonmalignant diseases. People have been lulled into a false sense of security that this drug is harmless and that it only does good things. No drug is perfect."
If people on rituximab develop any strange neurological symptoms such as forgetfulness, disorientation or mood changes, their doctors should be alerted, Bennett said.
Northwestern University (2009, May 19). Popular Cancer Drug Linked To Often Fatal Brain Virus. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090518161158.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
In Chicago, an 83-year-old woman began parroting the same phrases over and over. When her doctor asked her how she was, she replied, "I am fine. I am fine. I am fine."
The symptoms of the New York lawyer and the Chicago woman could have been mistaken for early dementia. But an MRI brain scan and biopsy revealed something surprising. It looked like their brains had been eaten away. A brain biopsy and a spinal tap confirmed the diagnosis of a swiftly moving and often fatal viral brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) that attacks the brain's white matter. Both had lymphoma and had been taking the popular cancer drug rituximab (brand name Rituxan) before they developed the brain infection.
The two patients are part of a new study from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine RADAR project, led by Charles Bennett, M.D., that links rituximab to PML. Rituximab is the most important and widely used cancer drug for lymphoma. It is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and is widely used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and autoimmune anemias.
Bennett reports on 57 cases from 1997 to 2008 in which patients with anemia, rheumatoid arthritis or lymphoma developed the fatal brain disease after taking rituximab. They died an average of two months after being diagnosed. The study was published in the May 14 issue of the journal Blood.
"Rituximab is one of the most prominent drugs in a new class called monoclonal antibodies. It's now the third monoclonal antibody that is associated with PML," said Bennett, the A.C. Buehler Professor in Economics and Aging at Northwestern's Feinberg School and a hematologist and oncologist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
One of the other two drugs, Raptiva, was taken off the market in April of this year because of the PML risk. The other drug, Tysabri, was removed from the market for 1 years because of similar concerns.
Bennett said the brain infection is often overlooked and undiagnosed because it is so subtle at first. "People may think it's early Alzheimer's disease or depression," he said. "Many of these patients have cancer and when they die, people assume it's the cancer that killed them."
It is not yet known how rituximab is connected to the brain virus and who may be at risk. Bennett notes that the best information on the frequency of PML is among patients with lupus with an estimated rate of 1 in 4,000 patients developing PML.
Monoclonal antibodies target one particular protein found on the surface of cells. In lymphoma, rituximab targets a protein called CD20 on the outside of B-cell lymphomas. The antibody binds to the protein, leading to the destruction of the cancerous cell.
"In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, it turned out to be a home run," Bennett said of the drug. "It's been a magic bullet."
But concerns about the drug's association with PML first surfaced in 2006 when two patients with lupus developed the illness after taking rituximab and other immunosuppressive treatments. In 2008, Bennett said, the manufacturers of the drug, Genentech and Biogen Idec, sent letters to doctors alerting them that a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who had been taking rituximab also died from the brain infection. The companies asked whether physicians had detected this illness among cancer patients who were taking the drug.
Bennett said it was known that a small number of patients with lymphoma get the infection regardless of the drug. "But it was atypical for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients to get it," he said. "It was especially unusual for patients with autoimmune anemia-like illnesses who have not received a large number of other drugs."
Then Steve Rosen, M.D., director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, noticed that the 83-year-old woman was repeating the same phrases over and over. After a brain biopsy identified the infection, Rosen alerted Bennett.
"I told him a serious abnormality was uncovered and the RADAR program needs to pursue it in the manner that he has investigated all other severe adverse drug problems," Rosen said.
Bennett's RADAR project (Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports) is an international consortium of physicians that collaborate to identify adverse reactions to medications and devices.
Bennett met with Genentech executives, offering to help them gather what thus far had been elusive information on the drug's connection to the brain infection. Doctors had been reticent to report PML in their patients who had been taking rituximab.
"It's a lot of work to produce these reports," Bennett explained about doctors' reticence.
To offset this concern, Bennett called 12 major cancer centers around the country, asked doctors to share their information and offered to produce the reports for them. He discovered an additional 22 cases beyond what had previously been reported.
The study results illustrate a need for caution in prescribing rituximab, Bennett said.
"The drug has tremendous usefulness in lymphoma, but as its use expands to diseases that are not cancer, we might have to reconsider the risk benefit," Bennett said. "Some cancer patients take this drug chronically for non-fatal chronic leukemia where the risk-benefit calculations differ from lymphoma."
The next step, Bennett said, is to determine the risk factors for the disease in people who take rituximab.
"We need to learn more about this, " he said. "People have to think about the pros and cons in settings where it is being used for nonmalignant diseases. People have been lulled into a false sense of security that this drug is harmless and that it only does good things. No drug is perfect."
If people on rituximab develop any strange neurological symptoms such as forgetfulness, disorientation or mood changes, their doctors should be alerted, Bennett said.
Northwestern University (2009, May 19). Popular Cancer Drug Linked To Often Fatal Brain Virus. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090518161158.
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Similar posts: cancer organizations
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Boxer Reintroduces Legislation to Better Diagnose Ovarian Cancer, Press Release, Office of Senator Barbara Boxer, April 1, 2009.
HR 1816: Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1816
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 31, 2009
Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Mr. HALL of Texas, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. WOLF, Ms. KILROY, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SESTAK, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MCMAHON, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. FARR, and Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF RESEARCH CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKERS.
Subpart 1 of part C of the Public Health Service Act is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘SEC. 417G. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF RESEARCH CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKERS.
‘(a) In General- The Director of the Institute, in consultation with the directors of other relevant institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program, shall enter into cooperative agreements with, or make grants to, public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate centers to conduct research on biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer, including fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal cancer. Each center shall be known as an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Center of Excellence, and shall focus on translational research of ovarian cancer biomarkers.
‘(b) Research Funded- Federal payments made under a cooperative agreement or grant under subsection (a) may be used for research on any of the following:
‘(1) The development and characterization of new biomarkers, and the refinement of existing biomarkers, for ovarian cancer.
‘(2) The clinical and laboratory validation of such biomarkers, including technical development, standardization of assay methods, sample preparation, reagents, reproducibility, portability, and other refinements.
‘(3) The development and implementation of clinical and epidemiological research on the utilization of biomarkers for the early detection and screening of ovarian cancer.
‘(4) The development and implementation of repositories for new tissue, urine, serum, and other biological specimens (such as ascites and pleural fluids).
‘(5) Genetics, proteomics, and pathways of ovarian cancer as they relate to the discovery and development of biomarkers.
‘(c) First Agreement or Grant- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Director of the Institute shall enter into the first cooperative agreement or make the first grant under this section.
‘(d) Availability of Banked Specimens- The Director of the Institute shall make available for research conducted under this section banked serum and tissue specimens from clinical research regarding ovarian cancer that was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.
‘(e) Report- Not later than the end of fiscal year 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director of the Institute shall submit a report to the Congress on the cooperative agreements entered into and the grants made under this section.
‘(f) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2020. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is available for such purpose..
SEC. 3. OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER CLINICAL TRIAL COMMITTEE.
Subpart 1 of part C of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘SEC. 417H. OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER CLINICAL TRIAL COMMITTEE.
‘(a) Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Committee Established- The Director of the Institute shall establish an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Clinical Trial Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘Committee) to assist the Director to design and implement one or more national clinical trials, in accordance with this section, to determine the utility of using biomarkers validated pursuant to the research conducted under section 417E for risk stratification for, and early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
‘(b) Membership-
‘(1) NUMBER- The Committee shall consist of 11 voting members and such number of nonvoting members as the Director of the Institute determines appropriate.
‘(2) APPOINTMENT- The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Director of the Institute, in consultation with appropriate national medical societies, research societies, and patient advocate organizations, as follows:
‘(A) VOTING MEMBERS- The voting members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Director of the Institute as follows:
‘(i) Two patient advocates.
‘(ii) Two national experts in statistical analysis, clinical trial design, and patient recruitment.
‘(iii) Two representatives from the Gynecologic Oncology Group.
‘(iv) One representative from the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program.
‘(v) Four ovarian cancer researchers.
‘(B) NONVOTING MEMBERS- The nonvoting members of the Committee shall include such individuals as the Director of the Institute determines to be appropriate.
‘(3) PAY- Members of the Committee shall serve without pay and those members who are full time officers or employees of the United States shall receive no additional pay by reason of their service on the Committee, except that members of the Committee shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
‘(c) Chairperson- The voting members of the Committee appointed under subsection (b)(2) shall select a chairperson from among such members.
‘(d) Meetings- The Committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the request of the Director of the Institute, but at least four times each year.
‘(e) Clinical Trial Specifications- In designing and implementing the clinical trials under this section, the Director of the Institute shall provide for the following:
‘(1) PARTICIPATION IN TRIAL- To the greatest extent possible, all academic centers, community cancer centers, and individual physician investigators (as defined in subsection (f)) shall have the opportunity to participate in the trials under this section and to enroll women at risk for ovarian cancer in the trials.
‘(2) COSTS FOR ENROLLMENTS- Subject to the availability of appropriations, all the costs to the centers and offices described in paragraph (1) for enrolling women in the trials under this section shall be reimbursed by the Institute.
‘(3) NATIONAL DATA CENTER- A national data center shall be established in and supported by the Institute to conduct statistical analyses of the data derived from the trials under this section and to store such analyses and data.
‘(4) GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL COMMUNITY- Data and statistical analyses of the clinical trials under this section shall be used to establish clinical guidelines to provide the medical community with information regarding the use of biomarkers validated pursuant to the research conducted under section 417E for risk stratification for, and early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
‘(f) Individual Physician Investigator Defined- For purposes of subsection (e)(1), the term ‘individual physician investigator means a physician
‘(1) who is a faculty member at an academic institution or who is in a private medical practice; and
‘(2) who provides health care services to women at risk for ovarian cancer.
‘(g) Report- Not later than the end of fiscal year 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director of the Institute shall submit a report to the Congress on the activities conducted under this section.
‘(h) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2020. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is available for such purpose..
Similar posts: cancer organizations
HR 1816: Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1816
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 31, 2009
Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Mr. HALL of Texas, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. WOLF, Ms. KILROY, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SESTAK, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MCMAHON, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. FARR, and Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF RESEARCH CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKERS.
Subpart 1 of part C of the Public Health Service Act is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘SEC. 417G. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF RESEARCH CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKERS.
‘(a) In General- The Director of the Institute, in consultation with the directors of other relevant institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program, shall enter into cooperative agreements with, or make grants to, public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate centers to conduct research on biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer, including fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal cancer. Each center shall be known as an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Center of Excellence, and shall focus on translational research of ovarian cancer biomarkers.
‘(b) Research Funded- Federal payments made under a cooperative agreement or grant under subsection (a) may be used for research on any of the following:
‘(1) The development and characterization of new biomarkers, and the refinement of existing biomarkers, for ovarian cancer.
‘(2) The clinical and laboratory validation of such biomarkers, including technical development, standardization of assay methods, sample preparation, reagents, reproducibility, portability, and other refinements.
‘(3) The development and implementation of clinical and epidemiological research on the utilization of biomarkers for the early detection and screening of ovarian cancer.
‘(4) The development and implementation of repositories for new tissue, urine, serum, and other biological specimens (such as ascites and pleural fluids).
‘(5) Genetics, proteomics, and pathways of ovarian cancer as they relate to the discovery and development of biomarkers.
‘(c) First Agreement or Grant- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Director of the Institute shall enter into the first cooperative agreement or make the first grant under this section.
‘(d) Availability of Banked Specimens- The Director of the Institute shall make available for research conducted under this section banked serum and tissue specimens from clinical research regarding ovarian cancer that was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.
‘(e) Report- Not later than the end of fiscal year 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director of the Institute shall submit a report to the Congress on the cooperative agreements entered into and the grants made under this section.
‘(f) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2020. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is available for such purpose..
SEC. 3. OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER CLINICAL TRIAL COMMITTEE.
Subpart 1 of part C of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘SEC. 417H. OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER CLINICAL TRIAL COMMITTEE.
‘(a) Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Committee Established- The Director of the Institute shall establish an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Clinical Trial Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘Committee) to assist the Director to design and implement one or more national clinical trials, in accordance with this section, to determine the utility of using biomarkers validated pursuant to the research conducted under section 417E for risk stratification for, and early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
‘(b) Membership-
‘(1) NUMBER- The Committee shall consist of 11 voting members and such number of nonvoting members as the Director of the Institute determines appropriate.
‘(2) APPOINTMENT- The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Director of the Institute, in consultation with appropriate national medical societies, research societies, and patient advocate organizations, as follows:
‘(A) VOTING MEMBERS- The voting members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Director of the Institute as follows:
‘(i) Two patient advocates.
‘(ii) Two national experts in statistical analysis, clinical trial design, and patient recruitment.
‘(iii) Two representatives from the Gynecologic Oncology Group.
‘(iv) One representative from the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program.
‘(v) Four ovarian cancer researchers.
‘(B) NONVOTING MEMBERS- The nonvoting members of the Committee shall include such individuals as the Director of the Institute determines to be appropriate.
‘(3) PAY- Members of the Committee shall serve without pay and those members who are full time officers or employees of the United States shall receive no additional pay by reason of their service on the Committee, except that members of the Committee shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
‘(c) Chairperson- The voting members of the Committee appointed under subsection (b)(2) shall select a chairperson from among such members.
‘(d) Meetings- The Committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the request of the Director of the Institute, but at least four times each year.
‘(e) Clinical Trial Specifications- In designing and implementing the clinical trials under this section, the Director of the Institute shall provide for the following:
‘(1) PARTICIPATION IN TRIAL- To the greatest extent possible, all academic centers, community cancer centers, and individual physician investigators (as defined in subsection (f)) shall have the opportunity to participate in the trials under this section and to enroll women at risk for ovarian cancer in the trials.
‘(2) COSTS FOR ENROLLMENTS- Subject to the availability of appropriations, all the costs to the centers and offices described in paragraph (1) for enrolling women in the trials under this section shall be reimbursed by the Institute.
‘(3) NATIONAL DATA CENTER- A national data center shall be established in and supported by the Institute to conduct statistical analyses of the data derived from the trials under this section and to store such analyses and data.
‘(4) GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL COMMUNITY- Data and statistical analyses of the clinical trials under this section shall be used to establish clinical guidelines to provide the medical community with information regarding the use of biomarkers validated pursuant to the research conducted under section 417E for risk stratification for, and early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
‘(f) Individual Physician Investigator Defined- For purposes of subsection (e)(1), the term ‘individual physician investigator means a physician
‘(1) who is a faculty member at an academic institution or who is in a private medical practice; and
‘(2) who provides health care services to women at risk for ovarian cancer.
‘(g) Report- Not later than the end of fiscal year 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director of the Institute shall submit a report to the Congress on the activities conducted under this section.
‘(h) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2020. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is available for such purpose..
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:Good
- Music:Roxette
By RYAN DUNLEAVY
STAFF WRITER
NEWARK After issuing five walks in two innings, Paul Bush was mostly smiles.
After getting hit square on the foot by a line drive and limping from the pitching mound to the dugout, Bush knew better than to say he was in lots of pain.
These are the obstacles the 29-year-old right-hander faced during spring training but even one of the rudest imaginable introductions to the Atlantic League was not enough to make him wonder if he should have stuck with his plan to retire instead of joining the Somerset
Patriots.
Not after what he endured last season.
It felt like I had knives in the back of my elbow, Bush said.
In his return from Tommy John surgery, Bush performed well but the pain became too much.
I think I came back too early because it was still hurting, he said. I was considering retiring because I didnt think I could deal with it anymore. I was going to go back to school and finish my accounting degree.
There is little doubt that Bush would have been the ace of his company softball team considering manager Sparky Lyles high praise after an outing last week.
s been a long time since Ive seen a pitcher get hitters out that easy, Lyle said after watching three innings of one-hit scoreless relief last Friday against the Long Island Ducks. You better have hit his first pitch because it was over after that. Everything he
threw was nasty.
The former Atlanta Braves farmhand climbed his way up the minor-league ladder on the strength of a slider and a change-up. Only once during a seven-year career did he post an ERA higher than 3.63 he had three times more strikeouts than walks almost every year.
But the 24th-round draft choice never made it out of Triple-A, which is where he blew out his elbow in 2007.
He returned to the mound 366 days after undergoing surgery and, true to form, was highly effective in 27 innings split between rookie ball and Double-A.
I was a low-round draft pick and I did more than most people thought I was supposed to, Bush said explaining why he was content with retiring. The thing with the Braves is they changed general managers (in June 2006). When Dayton Moore was there, I was progressing. They
told me what I had to work on and I was rewarded if I was successful. After the change it almost felt like I was starting from scratch.
That feeling of being left behind was reinforced by the injury and the Titusville, Fla. native still might not have fully tested his repaired elbow if not for the youngster in his hometown looking to break into professional baseball.
The two began throwing together in January, and when Bush felt no pain on his end he began to rethink his decision.
His resume commanded several offers from independent league teams, but he chose the Patriots after reading about the accomplishments of Lyle and pitching coach Brett Jodie, two former major-league pitchers.
When I saw his numbers I thought, This is a cant-miss-type guy, Jodie said. You dont see a guy who is the total package available unless hes coming off surgery.
Bush, who has asked to be moved into the starting rotation when a spot opens, looked more like a fragile package in his two spring-training appearances.
The control problems were expected from a Tommy John recovered, but the real sign of relief came after X-rays showed only a mild foot bruise. Neither issue appears to be lingering.
ve never pitched well during spring training, but that was the best my arm has felt in a long time, he said. I just had to trust the fact that they had fixed my elbow. I wanted to keep playing. I would like to get back to where I was, but its a long road. My goal right
now is get my velocity back and take it one step at a time.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
STAFF WRITER
NEWARK After issuing five walks in two innings, Paul Bush was mostly smiles.
After getting hit square on the foot by a line drive and limping from the pitching mound to the dugout, Bush knew better than to say he was in lots of pain.
These are the obstacles the 29-year-old right-hander faced during spring training but even one of the rudest imaginable introductions to the Atlantic League was not enough to make him wonder if he should have stuck with his plan to retire instead of joining the Somerset
Patriots.
Not after what he endured last season.
It felt like I had knives in the back of my elbow, Bush said.
In his return from Tommy John surgery, Bush performed well but the pain became too much.
I think I came back too early because it was still hurting, he said. I was considering retiring because I didnt think I could deal with it anymore. I was going to go back to school and finish my accounting degree.
There is little doubt that Bush would have been the ace of his company softball team considering manager Sparky Lyles high praise after an outing last week.
s been a long time since Ive seen a pitcher get hitters out that easy, Lyle said after watching three innings of one-hit scoreless relief last Friday against the Long Island Ducks. You better have hit his first pitch because it was over after that. Everything he
threw was nasty.
The former Atlanta Braves farmhand climbed his way up the minor-league ladder on the strength of a slider and a change-up. Only once during a seven-year career did he post an ERA higher than 3.63 he had three times more strikeouts than walks almost every year.
But the 24th-round draft choice never made it out of Triple-A, which is where he blew out his elbow in 2007.
He returned to the mound 366 days after undergoing surgery and, true to form, was highly effective in 27 innings split between rookie ball and Double-A.
I was a low-round draft pick and I did more than most people thought I was supposed to, Bush said explaining why he was content with retiring. The thing with the Braves is they changed general managers (in June 2006). When Dayton Moore was there, I was progressing. They
told me what I had to work on and I was rewarded if I was successful. After the change it almost felt like I was starting from scratch.
That feeling of being left behind was reinforced by the injury and the Titusville, Fla. native still might not have fully tested his repaired elbow if not for the youngster in his hometown looking to break into professional baseball.
The two began throwing together in January, and when Bush felt no pain on his end he began to rethink his decision.
His resume commanded several offers from independent league teams, but he chose the Patriots after reading about the accomplishments of Lyle and pitching coach Brett Jodie, two former major-league pitchers.
When I saw his numbers I thought, This is a cant-miss-type guy, Jodie said. You dont see a guy who is the total package available unless hes coming off surgery.
Bush, who has asked to be moved into the starting rotation when a spot opens, looked more like a fragile package in his two spring-training appearances.
The control problems were expected from a Tommy John recovered, but the real sign of relief came after X-rays showed only a mild foot bruise. Neither issue appears to be lingering.
ve never pitched well during spring training, but that was the best my arm has felt in a long time, he said. I just had to trust the fact that they had fixed my elbow. I wanted to keep playing. I would like to get back to where I was, but its a long road. My goal right
now is get my velocity back and take it one step at a time.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
- Mood:bad
- Music:Enrique Iglesias
Breen Office. Regardless of the impetus, though, its hard to debate the fact that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers brought in more Americans worried about next weeks paycheck than did stories of gangster wars and political sleaze.
Now, consider Chicago Lyric Opera. Theyre heading into next season in remarkly good fiscal shape. Why? Its partly because theyve been holding costs down for years, and theyve gotten pretty good at it. But a good part of the reason is their repertoire. Their audiences have come to expect frankly conservative programming. The Lyrics focus on favorites has earned them some catcalls from critics, but their director thinks the companys current stability while others are teetering has vindicated his approach.
Other opera companies and orchestras are paying attention.
I, for one, am not about to criticize them for it. Hollywoods experience suggests to me that, in tough times, audiences need and crave the comfortable and familiar. It takes courageous administrators to recognize this, and put their ambitious plans for new music and splashy productions on hold. Those uneasy listeners they thus put in their seats will forget their problems, at least for a couple of hours. Those listeners, and their friends, will help pull the orchestras through these dark times. The orchestras will survive, so they can again take risks and forge ahead in the (we hope!) more affluent future.
It wasnt just lighter subject matter that filled the cinemas of the last 1930s. It helped a lot that producers and theatre owners slashed their costs and brought the price of a ticket down to between a quarter and a half dollar (depending on how deluxe an experience you wanted). As it turns out, thats about $3.75 to $7.50 in 2009 dollars. Hmmm.
A music lover wholl drop $130 for a pair of orchestra-level seats in good times might be a little more hesitant when hes not sure hell have a paycheck in 6 months. For someone in that position, even the top row balcony seats may look unaffordable at half that price.
Although not every orchestra is losing listeners Englands Philharmonia Orchestra, for example, says their ticket sales are holding up well, thank you many of them are indeed seeing their attendance fall for this very reason.
In public radio, weve found that listeners whove been with us for years will often pledge upwards of $20 a month, a dollar a day, or even $1000 a year. They know us, and they know the value of our programs. But others who are just discovering us are, quite understandably, usually interested in making smaller donations. So we try to accomodate them. We offer a range of membership levels for listeners of different means and interest.
It seems to me that orchestras have to go beyond just balancing the books on business as usual. Maybe they can learn a little from our experience, and that of the Depression-era movie theatres. In addition to offering appealing concerts, they may have to further widen their range of ticket prices, fighting box office losses by offering some concerts at the regular price, a few at a premium with premium extras and here it comes at least some concerts at prices that folks with very limited means can afford.
Kudos to The Cleveland Orchestra for their plans to offer reduced ticket prices for first-time concertgoers and younger people next season. Thats the kind of flexibility that will help keep people in the habit of hearing music live, even if their finances have tightened.
Can we go still further?
Again, remember that Im not an expert here, so perhaps Im being naive. If youre familiar with the issues, feel free to put me in my place with the comments section below. But I think that, in these difficult times, orchestras need to find ways to lower the barriers as much as possible. I have a couple of suggestions.
First, why not fill space thats currently unused? In Europe many musical organizations offer standing room in the back of the hall for around $5 to $15 per head (or pair of feet), usually on a first come first served basis, no printed program provided.
Ive stood in Severance Hall, and no doubt will again, but standing room seems less often offered here in the States than in Europe. Is this an area for growth? I suppose its not very practical for a family with kids, but couldnt cheap standing room tickets say, five bucks keep a financially stressed music lover coming to concerts until his or her situation improves, or introduce a penurious student to the pleasures of real live music?
Secondly, what about the scale of the concerts themselves? Not every great work requires a full orchestra. We neednt go as far as Ernest Fleischmann suggested over 20 years ago in his proposal to convert the orchestra into a community of musicians, but a little more flexibility in orchestra structure and programming could open the doors for a wider audience.
Im suggesting that some orchestras might consider converting one or more season concerts into chamber orchestra concerts, perhaps even playing them at less traditional locations.
I dont mean to tread on any musicians toes with this notion. From what I understand please correct me if Im wrong union rules make this sort of compromise tough, and for good reasons, so it may take some stretching all round. But theres a sizable repertoire of substantial, rewarding chamber orchestra works from the 18th to the 21st centuries. By its very nature, the form is less resource-hungry: a smaller corps of players, a smaller space, and smaller crews all add up to more affordable ticket prices. This could bring in music lovers who otherwise might seldom or never see a live concert because of the cost.
Dont misunderstand me. Im not suggesting that I have some kind of prescription for struggling orchestras. As I said above, Im no insider. But whether these ideas are usable ones or not, I think orchestras should be looking at ways to make concerts more affordable for music lovers whose resources are strained.
One way or another, our musical organizations will work through these difficulties. They have to. We need them, to keep live music available for the next generation and the one after that.
Similar posts: cancer organizations
Now, consider Chicago Lyric Opera. Theyre heading into next season in remarkly good fiscal shape. Why? Its partly because theyve been holding costs down for years, and theyve gotten pretty good at it. But a good part of the reason is their repertoire. Their audiences have come to expect frankly conservative programming. The Lyrics focus on favorites has earned them some catcalls from critics, but their director thinks the companys current stability while others are teetering has vindicated his approach.
Other opera companies and orchestras are paying attention.
I, for one, am not about to criticize them for it. Hollywoods experience suggests to me that, in tough times, audiences need and crave the comfortable and familiar. It takes courageous administrators to recognize this, and put their ambitious plans for new music and splashy productions on hold. Those uneasy listeners they thus put in their seats will forget their problems, at least for a couple of hours. Those listeners, and their friends, will help pull the orchestras through these dark times. The orchestras will survive, so they can again take risks and forge ahead in the (we hope!) more affluent future.
It wasnt just lighter subject matter that filled the cinemas of the last 1930s. It helped a lot that producers and theatre owners slashed their costs and brought the price of a ticket down to between a quarter and a half dollar (depending on how deluxe an experience you wanted). As it turns out, thats about $3.75 to $7.50 in 2009 dollars. Hmmm.
A music lover wholl drop $130 for a pair of orchestra-level seats in good times might be a little more hesitant when hes not sure hell have a paycheck in 6 months. For someone in that position, even the top row balcony seats may look unaffordable at half that price.
Although not every orchestra is losing listeners Englands Philharmonia Orchestra, for example, says their ticket sales are holding up well, thank you many of them are indeed seeing their attendance fall for this very reason.
In public radio, weve found that listeners whove been with us for years will often pledge upwards of $20 a month, a dollar a day, or even $1000 a year. They know us, and they know the value of our programs. But others who are just discovering us are, quite understandably, usually interested in making smaller donations. So we try to accomodate them. We offer a range of membership levels for listeners of different means and interest.
It seems to me that orchestras have to go beyond just balancing the books on business as usual. Maybe they can learn a little from our experience, and that of the Depression-era movie theatres. In addition to offering appealing concerts, they may have to further widen their range of ticket prices, fighting box office losses by offering some concerts at the regular price, a few at a premium with premium extras and here it comes at least some concerts at prices that folks with very limited means can afford.
Kudos to The Cleveland Orchestra for their plans to offer reduced ticket prices for first-time concertgoers and younger people next season. Thats the kind of flexibility that will help keep people in the habit of hearing music live, even if their finances have tightened.
Can we go still further?
Again, remember that Im not an expert here, so perhaps Im being naive. If youre familiar with the issues, feel free to put me in my place with the comments section below. But I think that, in these difficult times, orchestras need to find ways to lower the barriers as much as possible. I have a couple of suggestions.
First, why not fill space thats currently unused? In Europe many musical organizations offer standing room in the back of the hall for around $5 to $15 per head (or pair of feet), usually on a first come first served basis, no printed program provided.
Ive stood in Severance Hall, and no doubt will again, but standing room seems less often offered here in the States than in Europe. Is this an area for growth? I suppose its not very practical for a family with kids, but couldnt cheap standing room tickets say, five bucks keep a financially stressed music lover coming to concerts until his or her situation improves, or introduce a penurious student to the pleasures of real live music?
Secondly, what about the scale of the concerts themselves? Not every great work requires a full orchestra. We neednt go as far as Ernest Fleischmann suggested over 20 years ago in his proposal to convert the orchestra into a community of musicians, but a little more flexibility in orchestra structure and programming could open the doors for a wider audience.
Im suggesting that some orchestras might consider converting one or more season concerts into chamber orchestra concerts, perhaps even playing them at less traditional locations.
I dont mean to tread on any musicians toes with this notion. From what I understand please correct me if Im wrong union rules make this sort of compromise tough, and for good reasons, so it may take some stretching all round. But theres a sizable repertoire of substantial, rewarding chamber orchestra works from the 18th to the 21st centuries. By its very nature, the form is less resource-hungry: a smaller corps of players, a smaller space, and smaller crews all add up to more affordable ticket prices. This could bring in music lovers who otherwise might seldom or never see a live concert because of the cost.
Dont misunderstand me. Im not suggesting that I have some kind of prescription for struggling orchestras. As I said above, Im no insider. But whether these ideas are usable ones or not, I think orchestras should be looking at ways to make concerts more affordable for music lovers whose resources are strained.
One way or another, our musical organizations will work through these difficulties. They have to. We need them, to keep live music available for the next generation and the one after that.
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According to new figures released today, experts at Cancer Research UK predict that lung cancer rates will drop by nearly a fifth over the next 20 years.
The number of smokers has continued to drop due to the tobacco-advertising ban and the public place smoke free legislation. 90 percent of lung cancer cases are caused from smoking, and as the rate of smoking decreases, so will the incidence of lung cancer.
Professor Max Parkin, co-author of the report, said: "These predictions are based on what we know to date about the current figures and trends for lung cancer. We can see that lung cancer rates should continue to drop but the number of cases will increase.
"This increase will mostly be in women which reflects the peak rates of smoking among women back in the 1970s. Lung cancer is unique in that we can track the reduction in cases with a reduction in the number of people exposed to cigarette smoke. As fewer people smoke we should see a lower rate of the disease."
Although lung cancer rates will continue to fall, from around 50 people per 100,000 to around 40 by 2024, the overall number of people diagnosed with the disease looks set to increase.
People living longer, combined with the delay between smoking and the onset of lung cancer means cases in the UK are expected to rise from around 38,500 to more than 41,600 by 2024.
Because more men than women have smoked, more men have been diagnosed with lung cancer since records began. By 2024 women's lung cancer rate will drop, but the number of women diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK each year is expected to increase from around 15,500 today to more than 18,000 by 2024.
Men's lung cancer rates were highest in the early 1970s with more than 150 men in every 100,000 diagnosed with lung cancer. This reflected the peak in smoking rates in the 1940s and 50s. Even though the male lung cancer rate is set to drop by more than a quarter between now and 2024 the number of cases diagnosed in the future will remain similar to those diagnosed today, around 22,000.
Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "These figures highlight just how effective tobacco control measures can be and how important it is for work to continue in this area. We know that smoking causes nine in ten cases of lung cancer but that one in five people still smoke, so it's vital we all work to protect future generations from this scourge.
"We want to see tobacco products put out of sight and out of mind in the upcoming tobacco control legislation. We would like a commitment from the government to introduce a comprehensive and well funded tobacco control strategy, one that stops young people from beginning an addiction that kills half of all long term smokers, and fully supports smokers to quit.
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The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink is intended for informational purposes only. It is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. News and information provided on this site should not be used for diagnosing or treating any health problem or disease. The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, please consult your healthcare provider.
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BOSTON - A US immigration judge here has given President Barack Obama’s Kenyan aunt, who was ordered deported six years ago, another 10 months to prepare an argument against her deportation.
“Praise God,” Zeituni Onyango was quoted as saying as she stepped out of a closed hearing April 1 using a cane and wearing a rust-colored wig to disguise hersel. She was reacting to a decision by Judge Leonard Shapiro, who twice previously ordered her to be sent back to Kenya, to schedule a full hearing on her asylum request for Feb. 4, 2010.
Filipinos who are illegally in the United States are keenly following the story to determine how it would end up. But some local immigration lawyers said her bid for asylum is stronger now that her nephew is the president of the United States. She faces danger if she returns to Kenya, they said.
The case of Onyango, who guided Obama around Kenya on a visit 20 years ago, has inflamed activists against illegal immigration and has put her the president in a difficult position despite his insistence that he will play no role in her case, the Washington Post said.
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“Praise God,” Zeituni Onyango was quoted as saying as she stepped out of a closed hearing April 1 using a cane and wearing a rust-colored wig to disguise hersel. She was reacting to a decision by Judge Leonard Shapiro, who twice previously ordered her to be sent back to Kenya, to schedule a full hearing on her asylum request for Feb. 4, 2010.
Filipinos who are illegally in the United States are keenly following the story to determine how it would end up. But some local immigration lawyers said her bid for asylum is stronger now that her nephew is the president of the United States. She faces danger if she returns to Kenya, they said.
The case of Onyango, who guided Obama around Kenya on a visit 20 years ago, has inflamed activists against illegal immigration and has put her the president in a difficult position despite his insistence that he will play no role in her case, the Washington Post said.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. A new, simpler programming language for wireless sensor networks is designed for easy use by geologists who might use them to monitor volcanoes and biologists who rely on them to understand birds' nesting behaviors, for example. Researchers at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University have written the language with the novice programmer in mind.
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You seem to be know the game pretty well though. I am not suffering from cancer or even ill, and I have a hard time dealing with thesemanufacturers and insurance companieseveryday. But I do know ins ands outs of mostof the copay assistance programs. Also if anyof your subscribers have any questions regarding their insurance requiring them to use mail order they can usually get a one-time overrideat a local pharmacy ;so they can go ahead and start their therapy.
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The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink is intended for informational purposes only. It is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. News and information provided on this site should not be used for diagnosing or treating any health problem or disease. The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, please consult your healthcare provider.
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WASHINGTON — When U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz steps to the lectern at the Capitol on Monday to push for greater awareness of the risk of breast cancer in younger women, shell be speaking from experience.
Wasserman Schultz, 42, a mother of three from Broward County, Fla., said Saturday that she successfully battled breast cancer for the past year — and is going public with her story in hopes of alerting young women to its prevalence. Shell introduce legislation Monday that calls for a national media and education campaign targeted to women between 15 and 39.
I wanted to be able to not just stand up and say m a breast cancer survivor, ... I wanted to find a gap and try to fill it, said Wasserman Schultz, who underwent seven major surgeries, including a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery while balancing motherhood, Congress and her roles as a chief fundraiser for House Democrats and popular political surrogate, first for Hillary Clinton and then, Barack Obama.
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Wasserman Schultz, 42, a mother of three from Broward County, Fla., said Saturday that she successfully battled breast cancer for the past year — and is going public with her story in hopes of alerting young women to its prevalence. Shell introduce legislation Monday that calls for a national media and education campaign targeted to women between 15 and 39.
I wanted to be able to not just stand up and say m a breast cancer survivor, ... I wanted to find a gap and try to fill it, said Wasserman Schultz, who underwent seven major surgeries, including a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery while balancing motherhood, Congress and her roles as a chief fundraiser for House Democrats and popular political surrogate, first for Hillary Clinton and then, Barack Obama.
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