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This entry is a follow up to tonight's Health Alert Medical Breakthroughs story, about a new tool that can help doctors figure out if chemo is helping breast cancer patients - within days.
If you missed the story, here it is. The additional information is below. I hope it's helpful. It sounds like this device could save a lot of cancer patients the wear and tear of chemo, if indeed it isn't working.
Tracking Breast Cancer Treatment
TORONTO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Many breast cancer patients endure harsh rounds of chemotherapy only to find out their bodies don't respond. Doctors can use scans and physical exams to determine if a particular chemo is working, but that can take months. A new tool can tell women if their treatment is working within days.
Joanne Nevison was calm after learning she had breast cancer. Then, she talked to her surgeon.
"That's when reality hit home, and she told me my whole breast is pretty much cancer," Nevison says.
She started chemotherapy. But Greg Czarnota, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncologist at Odette Cancer Centre with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, says it can take months to know if a particular type of chemo is effective.
 "Potentially, up to 70 percent of the people receiving this type of chemotherapy may not be deriving a benefit," Dr. Czarnota says.
Now, he's studying a device that uses light-scattering technology to track treatment.
"Rather than giving someone six months of ineffective chemotherapy and then you run out of time because the disease has progressed, you may be able to very quickly switch it to a type of chemotherapy that works," Dr. Czarnota says.
The laser scans the breast to determine metabolic activity in the tissue. Instead of months, the laser can reveal if chemo is working within days.
"To be able to have this technology and use it to customize someone's chemotherapy could mean, to be honest, [the difference] between life and death," Dr. Czarnota says.
 After just seven days of treatment, it's clear Nevison's chemo is working.
"I think it's the way of the future," Dr. Czarnota says.
After her first round of chemo, Nevison had a mastectomy. She's now getting a second round to keep her cancer in check.
"Thank God for all this research and technology that they have," she says.
Nevison is thankful she was in the study and hopes more women will soon benefit from the research.
The technology is already approved in Canada to diagnose cancer, but it is still under study as a way to track how well treatment is working. Dr. Czarnota says the Canadian-based company that developed the device expects to have centers in the United States involved with the next phase of the tracking study.
New Information: This technology is called SoftScan. It's an optical breast imaging system that uses light-scattering technology to track whether or not chemotherapy is working. It uses a laser to measure metabolic activity in the breast and can tell whether or not the tumor is growing. Dr. Czarnota says, "If you have an area in the tumor that's growing rapidly, it probably has a high concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin because it's growing, and that's one of the things we can detect." The potential of the technology is that it can tell doctors and women within days of starting treatment whether or not they're getting the appropriate chemotherapy. Dr. Czarnota says, "Rather than giving someone six months of ineffective chemotherapy and then you run out of time because the disease has progressed, you may be able to very quickly switch it to a type of chemotherapy that works."
IT'S STILL EARLY: Dr. Czarnota is still in the initial testing phase of the SoftScan technology. The study will enroll between 10 and 20 patients in Canada and then as the research progresses, a larger study will likely include multiple centers throughout North America. The technology is currently used as a new tool in the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, but its use in tracking treatment is new. Dr. Czarnota says, "We believe that is new and innovative and an even more powerful use of this type of technology."
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If you haven't had the chance to check out www.iamthecure.org yet, please be sure to do so. I wanted to share one more piece of information from them that still shocks me. Think about the size of a half dollar coin. Think of how big that is. That's the average size of a breast lump found by accident. We're talking if you don't get mammograms, if you don't do self exams, if one day you just happen to find a lump, you can expect it to be that size. Scary stuff - and a powerful reminder to be aware of the changes in your body. Take care of yourself!
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Have you checked out this website, www.iamthecure.org ? It's part of the Susan G. Komen Foundation's breast cancer campaign, and there is a lot of great information on that website.
Some of the most basic yet important information from the website for you to know:
Be Aware.
1. The greatest risk factors for breast cancer are being female and growing older.
2. Breast cancer knows no boundaries be it age, gender, socio-economic status or
geographic location.
3. Breast cancer affects more than just the patient — friends and family need support too.
Take Action.
4. The key to survival is early detection.
5. Three simple steps for early detection are regular mammograms, clinical breast exams and
breast self-exams.
6. It is important to make healthy lifestyle choices.
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A message to all men tonight: breast cancer isn't just a woman's disease. Doctors will diagnose about 2,000 new cases of breast cancer in men in the coming year. Keep in mind it is 100 times more common in women, but still, if a man notices anything unusual, he needs to have it checked out. One of the biggest problems doctors see in male patients is that they delay going to the doctor and are often diagnosed with larger cancers at more advanced stages.
While our buddycheck23 segments tend to focus on women, please pass this message along to a man you care about.
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In Australia, all you have to do is look up, to be reminded that it's breast cancer awareness month. Quantaslink has painted a plane pink to raise awareness in the Outback. And that's not all. For every passenger that flies in October, the airline is donating one dollar to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
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Here's another reason to take a walk, and a deep breath at work. Work-related stress could put women at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
A new study out of Sweeden shows women in more demanding jobs are thirty-percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who feel they're on top of their work.
The study began in 1990 and followed 36,000 women - between the ages of 30 and 50. By 2004, 767 of the women, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Other factors, like alcohol consumption, number of children, weight and age, were also taken into account in the study.
Researchers found no link between stress and cancer, among women in part-time work.
The reason why stress is a risk factor is unclear, but studies suggest it may raise levels of the hormone estrogen, which can heighten the risk of cancer. Another theory -- stress changes a woman's behavior, making them adopt unhealthy habits, like smoking and not exercising.
The study's lead researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine -- says stress could also potentially weaken the immune system.
The findings appear in this month's medical journal "Epidemiology."
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You'll probably want to do more than drink milk to reduce your risk of breast cancer, but milk could actually help.
According to scientists at the Anzac Research Institute in Australia, a strong skeleton is less likely to be penetrated by cancer cells, and drinking milk may be one of the best defenses against spreading the disease.
Researchers found that those with a calcium deficiency had an increased chance of breast cancer targeting bone. According to experts, about 70 percent of patients who develop advanced breast cancer will have secondary tumors in the bone.
More on the findings in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research Journal. And more on what you can do to reduce your breast cancer risk, a little later on in the month.
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Here at FOX23 News, we really do want to help you stay one step ahead of breast cancer. We bring you Buddycheck 23 - our monthly reminder to do a breast self exam and to have a buddy do the same. We've recently partnered with Saratoga Hospital, to make our reports even better and more useful to you.
During the month of October, I am using my blog to bring you even more valuable information about breast cancer. This blog will be updated each weekday in October and I must say, it is not simply my doing. At some point in the month, I will be going on maternity leave, so our fantastic Buddycheck 23 producer, Beth Milograno, will help post the information as well. I hope you enjoy it, find it useful and check back often for updates. Feel free to leave a comment too - wouldn't it be great if we could get women in the Capital Region sharing their stories?
Now, for today's piece of information. You've probably heard the statistic: one in eight women will battle breast cancer in her lifetime. I wanted to start the month by putting an optimistic spin on that. From the American Cancer Society: The death rate from breast cancer continues to drop steadily by about two percent a year. The chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society says that while many women live in fear of breast cancer, this report shows a woman today has a lower chance of dying from breast cancer than she's had in decades.
Don't forget - get a yearly mammogram, once you turn 40. Do a self breast exam on a monthly basis. And please, see your doctor if you notice anything unusual.
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It was impossible to drive through the village of Coxsackie without getting choked up today. There are signs on lawns and in front of businesses, all with tributes to slain NYS Trooper David Brinkerhoff. American flags dot lawns and telephone poles, and flags at half-staff blow in the wind.
Everyone here feels the loss. They stand outside, looking toward the long line of people at Brady's Funeral Home, not because they're gawking, but because their greiving. They're struggling to understand why this young life was cut short. They care about the wife and baby daughter left behind.
David Brinkerhoff was our trooper. I have lived in Coxsackie for almost four years; my husband was born and raised here. It's a small community where just about everyone has some sort of connection. I did not know Trooper Brinkerhoff, although I wish I did. His name came up in conversation from time to time, when neighbors talked about who was expected to build homes on the plots of land behind our property. He would have been a good neighbor. Everyone who knew him talks about the smile on his face, the kindness in his heart. His bravery. Our loss.
The news of Trooper Brinkerhoff's death spread quickly, just as you'd expect in a close-knit town. And just as quickly came plans to help. A pancake breakfast at the fire department...t-shirts sold by friends. That's Coxsackie. There are so many times when families have needed help, and the residents rallied.
Long after this week, Coxsackie will not forget about the man who kept the village safe. The man who risked his life for us every day. The man who in the end made the ultimate sacrifice.
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Aha! I got your attention. Secrets are a funny thing. When your secret is good news, you want to tell the whole world. When it's gossip, you want to tell at least one person. But when it's something you're embarassed about, you will go to great lengths to make sure no one finds out.
I had the pleasure of doing some work this week with the Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County. I emceed a Partners in Literacy luncheon, honoring two people who have made a huge committment to adult literacy in Rensselaer County, CapCom President Paula Stopera and HVCC President Drew Matonak. In my speech, I told the story of Jacques Demers. He was an NHL coach for 15 years. He won the Stanley Cup. He was illiterate, and no one knew.
Demers knew he wouldn't have stood a chance in the NHL if team owners knew his secret. And what he did to protect it was elaborate. He would tell his staff his English wasn't very good, and they would write letters and sign things for him. An assistant would fill out the lineup cards for every game. He memorized what certain phrases like "thank you" looked like, so he could sign autographs. At a restaurant, he would look at the menu, then order whatever his dining companion was having. And many times, he's use the line, "I forgot my glasses," when they were really tucked inside his jacket.
Demers wife was in on his secret and with her encouragement, he got help .He is now able to read and write, although he admits, not very well.
You'd think his story is a unique one. Maybe it is, because of his success. But at the luncheon, I met to a local man who had a low level of literacy, until just a few years ago. As he told me his story, I couldn't help but to think of Jacques Demers. Both men went to such great lengths to protect their secrets. This local man said he primarily worked with his hands, so his every day life didn't involve a lot of writing. But he worked for an attorney, doing investigations and he was quick to go out and take measurements, for example, while his partner wrote up reports.
This local man sought help, because of his wife. She went out one day and left a note on the table, asking him to meet with the Literacy Volunteers. He says it's one of the best decisions he's made. It took a lot of hard work, but you should see the look on his face when he talks about his accomplishments now and how much he loves reading. He is so proud that he can go to a doctor's office and fill out all of the forms himself. Forms we all know are difficult to read.
You might not think about it very often, but adult illiteracy is a huge problem in our country. One in five American adults has a low level of literacy. There are fewer jobs available today than ever before for people with low skills. Taking a wider view of the problem, people who lack basic literacy skills are more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Their health care expenses are about six times higher than those of adults with average levels of literacy. The children of low-literate parents tend to get poor nutrition at home and tend to do poorly in school.
You'd be amazed at how much literacy programs can change lives. They get rid of the social iscolation that low-literate adults feel, keeping that secret. They help adults gain the skills they need to get and keep jobs. The programs help adults make inroads, in their fight against welfare dependence. Prisoners who enroll in literacy programs are less likely to return to prison.
This really is society's problem. Ask yourself how you can make a difference. There are a number of branches of Literacy Volunteers of America in the Capital Region. If you have time, why not volunteer? What can be more rewarding than giving someone the tools they need to live a better life?
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I have almost survived my first winter as a parent. I am not complaining when I say it has been riddled with colds and ear infections and even a stomach bug. But for that reason, you can imagine tonight's Health Alert, about medical myths, was of particular interest to me. I wanted to answer one more question: how many do children get each year? The good news is, I found the answer online. The bad news is, the number can be as high as 12. This is according to www.kidsource.com.
The experts go on to explain colds are so common in children because of their lack of resistance to infection. The average child will suffer six to ten colds per year. The average adult suffers two to four. The best treatments are rest and lots of fluids, along with gargling with salt water and using a pain reliever, if necessary. If you are a parent who has dealt with your fair share of germs this winter, hang in there. The cold season typically ends in March or April.
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There is practically nothing more uncertain in life than your future, when you're diagnosed with cancer. The physical pain, the wide range of emotions, the fear. They are all things that would make you want to fight the battle in private. But one woman in the Capital Region was kind enough to allow us to follow her every step of the way, as she fights breast cancer.
You only have to meet Kathleen Ryan once, to feel like you've known her for years. She is incredibly outgoing. She is radiant. She is intelligent. And she is human. She will be the first person to admit she is battling breast cancer right now, most likely because she neglected to get a yearly mammogram. For about eight years in a row.
The tumor in her right breast was almost two inches when she was diagnosed. Two inches, and she couldn't feel it. She had no idea it was there, and actually didn't return the hospital's call when they suspected something was wrong.
We're with Kathleen as she waits in the days leading up to surgery, through her double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, through chemotherapy.
What you'll see on Thursday and Friday on FOX23 News is that Kathleen Ryan is brave. So brave that she makes fighting breast cancer look easy. But it is not. I think she would give anything for a clean bill of health when her treatments are through.
She's brave enough to share her story, so that other women will see the importance of doing monthly breast self-exams and getting a yearly mammogram (once you reach age 40).
I hope you find her stories to be inspiring. She's inspired me and showed me what it means to be strong. Be sure to tune in, Thursday and Friday for my special assignment report "One Woman's Journey," on FOX23 News at 5 and 10.
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Joseph Calli has the kind of smile that makes you smile back at him. He is a spunky little 5 year old boy, eager to tell you how hard he's working in school, and just as eager to show you how his pet llamas spit.
Joseph is a consumer at the Center for Disability Services in Albany. He was born earlier than anyone had expected and faces many challenges. I first met Joseph last year, when my collegues and I were preparing for the annual Center for Disability Services Telethon and then saw him again just a few days ago. He was working with a therapist on walking, without crossing his feet. Something many of us take for granted...but hard work for Joseph. He has come so far in the past year alone, and we couldn't have been happier to learn Joseph will be integrated into the school near his home next year. Wow!
I don't want to take any credit away from Joseph. He's at the point that he's at, because of all he's done to help himself, and the dedication his family has had to helping him.
But his life story thus far would not be the same without the Center for Disability Services. They call it a center, but it's really more of an extensive network serving more than 15,000 people in the Capital Region. It provides services, programs, education and treatment for people of all ages and at all stages of life.
We're really lucky to have it and we all need to support it. On Sunday, January 28, FOX23 will be hosting this year's Center for Disabilities Telethon at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road from noon to 7 pm. I can guarantee you will laugh and cry. And I can guarantee you will also learn a lot about determination and the human spirit.
There are more details on the Center's website http://www.cfdsny.org and you'll hear a lot about it in the coming day on FOX23 News. We hope you'll join us, either in person or by tuning in and making a pledge.
Our goal is about $1.7 million dollars this year. With your help, I know we can do it!
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For many of us, working in the news business isn't a job, it's a way of life. For one of our photographers, shooting video is only part of his passion. Mike Wickham has big dreams of being a filmmaker, and those dreams are already starting to come true.
Back in October, Mike and a few friends entered a nation-wide contest called the National Film Challenge. On a Friday night, he and his team (mostly Siena grads) got their instructions by e-mail. They had to make a four- to eight-minute film, using a specific genre (mockumentary), a specific character (Bobbie Soxer), a specific line of dialogue ("If it doesn't work, give it a shake), and a specific prop (oil).
"Decision 2006" was born.
Did I mention this had to be written, shot and edited over the course of a weekend, in the mail on Monday?
There were initially 225 teams taking part. 186 submitted entries. 15 are finalists. Mike and his team, known as Team Midas, are among the 15. Scratch that, I am proud to say Mike and his team, known as Team Midas, are among the 15.
The winning team receives $1,000 and is asked to travel to Filmapalooza in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March to be presented with an award. There is also a People's Choice category, where the public votes online for a winner.
The films are really neat. If you get a chance, check them out: www.filmchallenge.org
I'll keep you posted!
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Don't let the new year sneak up on you. Start thinking about your resolution now. And consider challenging yourself to make a conscious effort to be healthier in the new year. If you say, "I don't make resolutions because I break resolutions," I've got an idea for you.
Add superfoods to your diet. Vow to eat at least one or two every day.
Superfoods are 14 foods that consistently promote good overall health. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, tend to be low-calorie and have antioxidants, which can help you fight disease.
And the superfoods are...
- Beans
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Tea
- Nuts
- Oranges
- Pumpkin
- Salmon
- Soy
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Turkey
- Whole grains and oats
- Yogurt
There's got to be something on that list that you like. So eat, in moderation, and have a happy new year!
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