Fabulous at 50: Send an e-card to friends turning 50

The American Cancer Society’s Fabulous at 50 web site will help you send an e-card to a friend reminding them that it is time to begin colorectal cancer screening. 

The site also has videos of colonoscopy, polypectomy, and ACS TV screening ads.  You can read profiles of celebrities turning 50 and play trivia games, as well as seeing the story of Steve Smith, whose colonoscopy saved his life.

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 19th, 2006
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Super Colon Tour Kicks Off in Pittsburgh on February 21st

The huge, inflatable Super Colon kicks off its 2006 National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month tour in Pittsburgh on February 21–22 at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The 8–foot high, 20–foot long human colon replica will be open to the public free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors to the exhibit are able to walk through the colon, seeing healthy tissue, changes due to non-cancerous diseases, pre-cancerous polyps, and colon and rectal cancer. 

The Super Colon is a project of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation designed to spread the message of prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer through screening and healthy lifestyle.

In 2006 the Super Colon will tour

• Pittsburgh PA — February 21st and 22nd — Carnegie Science Center
• Columbus OH — March 1st and 2nd — Community Room at North Market
• Baltimore MD — March 16th and 7th — Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
• Atlanta GA — April 7th and 8th —  Know Your Colon awareness event

The Super Colon Tour is designed to raise awareness of colorectal cancer as Preventable, Treatable, and Beatable.

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 19th, 2006
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 2 Comments »

Targeted Therapies in Colon Cancer: Lecture at Gilda’s Club in Seattle

As part of the Gilda’s Club Lecture Series, Dr. Samuel Whiting, a gastrointestinal oncologist from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, will discuss targeted colorectal cancer therapies.  The talk, free and open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, March 29th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Gilda’s Club, Seattle.

Dr. Whiting will talk about what targeted therapies are available, how they work, and who should receive them.  He’ll also discuss their risks and benefits ,what new therapies are on the horizon, and targeted therapies differ from standard chemotherapy. 

Reservations are required to attend.  Call 206–709–1400 to make a reservation. Light refreshments will be served at 6:45.

• Targeted Therapies in Colon Cancer:  The Nuts and Bolts
• Samuel Whiting, M.D. Ph.D.
• Wednesday, March 29, 2006
• 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
• Gilda’s Club
• Seattle WA
• RSVP: 206–709–1400

Gilda’s Club is located at 1400 Broadway in Seattle.  Directions to the Club.

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 19th, 2006
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No response to capecitabine and thalidomide for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer

Doctors found no objective responses to a combination of Xeloda™ (capecitabine) and thalidomide in a small study of patients whose tumors had progressed on standard chemotherapy.  About a third of patients (38%) achieved stable disease on the regimen, but no tumors got smaller.

In a phase II clinical trial, 34 patients received oral capecitabine twice daily along with oral thalidomide.  Median progression-free survival on the regimen was 2.6 months; median overall survival was 7.1 months.

Serious side effects (grade 3 or 4) included fatigue (15% of patients), blood clots in veins (12%), sleepiness (12%), and constipation (9%).  15% of patients had grade 2 hand-foot syndrome.

In a report in the February 2006 American Journal of Clinical Oncology, the research team concluded:

Though well-tolerated, the combination of capecitabine and thalidomide was not associated with objective tumor responses in a population of patients with previously treated metastatic CRC.

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 16th, 2006
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Calcium and vitamin D supplements no more effective than placebo in preventing colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women

After 7 years of follow-up, there was no difference in the incidence of colorectal cancer between women who received daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D and women who received a placebo according to a report in the February 16, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine..

As part of the Women’s Health Initiative, over 36,000 postmenopausal women randomly received a twice daily supplement of 500 mg of calcium plus 200 units of vitamin D3 or a placebo.  Neither the women or their doctors knew whether they were getting the supplements or the placebo.

Incidence of colorectal cancer did not differ significantly between the two groups. There were 168 cases of cancer in the supplement group and 154 among those taking placebo.  For those with cancer, tumor characteristics were similar.  Frequency of colorectal screening and abdominal symptoms were also the same.

The researchers did point out that seven years might be too soon to judge whether the supplements were effective given the long time period for the development of colorectal cancer.  They will continue to follow the women to see if there will be a difference over time.

The Women’s Health Initiative research team concluded:

Daily supplementation of calcium with vitamin D for seven years had no effect on the incidence of colorectal cancer among postmenopausal women. The long latency associated with the development of colorectal cancer, along with the seven-year duration of the trial, may have contributed to this null finding. Ongoing follow-up will assess the longer-term effect of this intervention.

In a companion study also reported in NEJM, the same women were assessed for hip fracture risk.  Although there was a small improvement in hip bone density after 7 years of supplements, there was no difference in hip, spine, or overall fractures.  In addition, there was an increased risk of kidney stones in those taking daily calcium plus vitamin D3.  for a subset of women over 60, there was a 20% reduction in risk of breaking a hip.

Another story on the study is available on MedPage Today.

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 15th, 2006
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 1 Comment »