An international study described in the Oct. 17 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that universal tumor testing in all newly diagnosed colorectal patients produced a “modest increase” in finding people with Lynch syndrome.

One in every 35 people with colorectal cancer has Lynch syndrome – an inherited genetic mutation which greatly increases the person’s chance of developing colorectal cancer more than once, plus other cancers (stomach, pancreas, urinary system, brain or skin cancers). Women with Lynch syndrome also face a 40-60 percent chance of developing endometrial (uterine) cancer in their lifetime and an increased risk for ovarian cancer.

Until genetic tests of tumors became available in recent years, Lynch syndrome could only be  diagnosed based on a family history of cancers. But even with genetic testing, Lynch syndrome is still significantly under-diagnosed.

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By Curt Pesman and Mary Miller

In an unusual move, sanofi pharmaceutical company has instituted a 50 percent discount, effective immediately, on its latest cancer drug Zaltrap.  The reason for the sharp price drop, company officials said, was “market resistance” to the initial price.

Zaltrap was approved in August by the FDA for second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

One possible result of the price cut is that the new drug may become more widely available. However, due to complex pricing and regulation issues, it’s not yet known how the actual cost to patients will change over the next several months. Fight Colorectal Cancer is gathering more information today on this issue from oncologists and company officials. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Curt Pesmen on Nov. 2, 2012

 Fight Colorectal Cancer warmly welcomes Curt Pesmen, founding editor of LIVESTRONG Quarterly magazine and author of The Colon Cancer Survivors’ Guide (Tatra Press), who also has written for Esquire, SELF and The New York Times. A long-time admirer of Kate Murphy, he has generously offered to help fill her shoes by sending in Research & Treatment News blogs.

At first, it may not make total sense to hear news—released Oct. 30 in an American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) journal—that colorectal cancer survivors tend to have less-positive outlooks and poorer quality of life reports than do breast cancer, melanoma, or other cancer survivors.

 But those are the findings fanning out among oncologists, researchers, and patients, in the wake of the recent report (funded by the National Cancer Institute) that studied more than 1,800 cancer survivors and more than 24,000 people who had never received a cancer diagnosis. The extensive study also found that:

•          Melanoma, breast and prostate cancer survivors reported quality of life similar to adults without cancer.

•          Cervical, blood, colorectal, and short-survival cancer survivors reported worse health compared to adults without cancer.

•          The researchers estimated 3.3 million American cancer survivors have “poor” physical health and that 1.4 million survivors have below-average mental health-related quality of life.

(You can find highlights of the study here.)

 The study author reflected on the study’s findings, particularly concerning colorectal cancer survivors. Read the rest of this entry »

Disaster preparedness

Knowing that thousands of our neighbors are still struggling (and will be, for days or weeks) with power loss, flood cleanup, lost wages, inability to get from one place to another, there is one pro-active response we can take: Check our own crisis plans—especially if you live with or care for people who have cancer.

 The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology have a free wallet card for patients, in English or Spanish. It has space for critical information in case the patient must be seen by a doctor unfamiliar with their care, as well as a 1-800-4-CANCER number to get disaster advice.

 There are other key steps you can take to be prepared for any emergency. Read the rest of this entry »