The
American Society of Clinical Oncology endorsed testing for a
genetic marker in patients with advanced colon cancer to help guide in
the use of the targeted therapies cetuximab (Erbitux®) and
panitumumab (Vectibix®). The professional oncologist organization released
its
Provisional Clinical Opinion
concluding that if a patient has a mutated for of the KRAS
gene, they should not be put on these targeted therapies because recent
clinical trials show that they are only effective in patients with the normal
form of the KRAS gene.
ASCO estimates KRAS tesyting copuld save the US healthcare system up to $604
Million annually in the cost of Erbitux alone.
Peanut Butter Recall
A salmonella scare has led to a huge
peanut butter recall and caused Kellogg Corp to pull it's popular Austin and
Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich crackers off store shelves "as a
precautionary move." Kellogg said while it had no customer complaints it
gets some of its peanut butter paste supply from the Peanut Corporation of
America (PCA), the subject of a large-scale recall announced on Tuesday,
January the 13th. PCA and the FDA announced the recall "after an open
container of King Nut brand peanut butter in a long-term care facility in
Minnesota was found to contain a strain of salmonella." Read more about
the outbreak
here .
Healthier Eating While In Treatment
Because it can be hard to get enough nutrition while
undergoing treatment, we're always on the lookout for good cookbooks to help
patients and their families. Karen Jung's Healthier Eating
and Living with Cancer
caught our attention because
it tackles many of the issues cancer patients deal with - changes in the
way foods taste and smell, how to improve protein content and calorie count to
keep up the weight when needed. Jung wrote the book after cooking for her
husband when he was in treatment. She tells cancerpage in an email: "Some
recipes have been identified as contributing to alleviating constipation from
many prescribed medications during cancer treatments. Other recipes are
lower in fat and more suitable for those experiencing weight gain from
prescribed medications and reduced physical activity levels."
Here's an
example
BANANA BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIES
(SERVES 2)
Blueberries are high in antioxidants. The combination
of two fruits and orange juice makes these smoothies healthy and nutritious.
This was Jeff’s favourite smoothie
recipe. He really enjoyed his smoothies at breakfast or as an afternoon snack
after cancer treatments.
1 small banana, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup frozen blueberries (antioxidant)
1 cup orange juice with calcium (antioxidant)
2 tablespoons strawberry yogurt, if desired, for a richer taste (antioxidant)
1. Place banana and blueberries in a blender.
2. Pour orange juice into blender.
3. Cover and blend until smooth.
Other examples are at the publisher's web site
above, including recipes for beef stew and hungarian goulash.
Laughing
Through It , sort of
Cancer on Five Dollars A Day* chemo not
included
is a book by comedian and cancer survivor Robert Schimmel. An
oncology nurse reviewing the book on Amazon.com says it is a spot-on very
funny account that speaks to the frustrations she has heard from many of her
patients over the years. It won't be right for everyone. It's for
those with, as she puts it, a "dry", "twisted" or "offbeat" sense of
humor (you all know who you are). " Schimmel, who was
diagnosed with stage III non- Hodgkins lymphoma in 2000, also
has a comedy special airing on the cable channel
SHOWTIME.
Read an excerpt here
. (Click on
excerpt)
Certifying Exercise Trainers for
Survivors
The evidence is
clear - cancer survivors benefit from exercise during and after cancer
treatment. Finding an exercise program that is right for them can be a
challenge, especially since the cancer and it's treatments can make you feel
lousy and change physical capabilities. With the special challenges facing
cancer survivors in mind, the American Society of Sports Medicine and the
American Cancer Society are offering a cancer specialty certification for
exercise trainers. Coleen Doyle, the American Cancer Society's Director of
Nutrition and Physical Activity tells Cancerpage it's important to establish
national standards. There are balance, range of motion, and other issues
relevant to the survivor community that trainers must be familiar with. The new
certification will make sure they are. People undergoing therapy or resuming
life after cancer will be able to find certified trainers through the American
College of Sports Medicine web site by entering their zip code. It's
likely to take a few months for the people to get trained and the certifications
to spread however.
Who's on the Other End of the
Phone?
California is looking into Kaiser
Permanente's call centers following a nurse's complaint that non-licensed
staffers were, in effect, doling out medical advice to callers. The
question may boil down to - should non-licensed medical professionals
ever talk to patients calling into a call center with a
problem? The issue involves the scripts call-center
staffers use in handling calls. In an article in the Sacramento
Bee published
Sunday, a Kaiser telephone advice nurse says an elderly caller with a
serious lung disease was told to wait a day for an appointment because the
clerk used the cold/flu/sinus script. Other instances were also
detailed. Read the whole article and the interesting comments
that follow it
here.
![[cancerpage is a service of Alere]](../../images/aleretopbanner500x75.jpg)
![[close window]](/images/buttons/close.gif){kind=small}