Colorectal cancer patients getting oxaliplatin quickly learn to avoid cold. Drinks with ice, chilly air, even opening the freezer can produce sudden, sharp pain, burning, or an unpleasant pins and needle feeling in their throat and hands.
A small study has found that venlafaxine (Effexor) can completely eliminate acute neurotoxicity from oxaliplatin in about 1 out of 3 people. More than half of patients who took it had more than 50 percent relief from symptoms. Read the rest of this entry »
Jon Chung PhD
The 2011 Fight Colorectal Cancer-AACR Fellowship, in memory of Lisa Dubow, has been awarded to Jon H. Chung, PhD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
His proposed research is Hedgehog Pathway Targeted Therapeutics for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.
With the award, Dr. Chung will study alternatives to the traditional Hedgehog signaling pathway in colon cancer cells. He will explore crosstalk within the cell between the Hedgehog and Wnt pathways and screen for drugs that block both pathways at the same time, potentially stopping cancer development. Read the rest of this entry »
Can your annual visit to your gynecologist save your life?
Every year more than 70,000 women are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Many of those women see a gynecologist for an annual check-up. In fact, the gynecologist may be their primary health care provider with a unique opportunity to help women decide on colorectal cancer screening.
A new Committee Opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that while colonoscopy is the preferred method for screening, women should also hear about other options. The Committee Opinion stresses:
Women should be screened using the method that they are most comfortable with and most likely to complete.
Fight Colorectal Cancer Advocates at the 2010 OVAC Training (not pictured - Regan Weaver)
Each year, the members of OVAC bring advocates to DC to participate in a lobby day focused on appropriations for federally-funded cancer programs.
Last year, several Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates came to DC to participate in the 2010 OVAC lobby day. Read about what they accomplished.
Please consider participating in the 2011 OVAC lobby day. In the current fiscal environment, every voice in support of federal funding for cancer programs makes a difference!
The 2011 OVAC lobby day is May 23-24. The registration web site is now open at https://www.seeuthere.com/ACS/OVACLobbyDay2011. The registration deadline is April 22, 2011.
If you have any questions about registration, please contact Rebekah Kuschmider at info@ovaconline.org.
Guest blogger: Idelle Davidson
In researching and co-authoring Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus, Idelle Davidson interviewed countless survivors who reported often debilitating cognitive issues following treatment for cancer. She wanted to know if there were any legal protections available to them in the workplace, or at home if they could no longer work. She spoke with Joanna Morales, an attorney and the director of the Cancer Legal Resource Center. Both Idelle and Joanna graciously agreed to let Fight Colorectal Cancer re-post the interview.
Q and A With Joanna Morales
ID) What is the legal standard to qualify for a disability?
JM) To have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) definition of disability, you have to have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities, have a history of an impairment, or be regarded as having an impairment.
Major life activities have traditionally been things like walking, talking, eating, breathing and working. But when the ADA amendments passed in 2008, they specifically delineated some additional major life activities that made it easier for someone with cancer to actually use the ADA’s protections.
And those activities include sleeping, concentrating, thinking, communicating and operation of major bodily functions. Read the rest of this entry »
