In partnership with Fight Colorectal Cancer, California-based company Genomic Health has launched a free mobile app for their My Colon Cancer Coach program.

The Coach app allows patients and caregivers to walk through the My Colon Cancer Coach tool on their smartphones to access information about their personalized cancer treatment options. The app also includes note-taking and audio-recording functions, a list of questions to ask the doctor, a calendar, a glossary of terms and links to additional resources.

My Colon Cancer Coach is a unique, interactive website that helps patients better understand their diagnosis and treatment options. Based on answers that patients provide regarding their diagnosis, patients receive a guide which gives them information about treatment options specific to them. The goal of the Coach program is to empower patients with individualized information to facilitate more meaningful discussions between them and their doctors.

To access the free app, search “Cancer Coach” in the Android marketplace or iTunes store, or go to www.mycoloncancercoach.org.

CancerCare is offering a teleconference in collaboration with Fight Colorectal Cancer:

• Current Developments in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
• Wednesday, October 26, 2011
• 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Eastern time
• Register online

A panel of experts will cover topics including new treatments for colorectal cancer, clinical trials, personalized medicine, nutrition, controlling symptoms and pain, and communicating with your healthcare team.

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Need some help with keeping the house clean during cancer treatment?

Sometimes trying to clean the kitchen or vacuum the living room is just too darn much . . . especially during chemo or after surgery.  Things get cluttered and grimy, and you get exhausted and discouraged.

There are organizations that can help. Read the rest of this entry »

A small study has found ginger supplements reduce markers of inflammation in the colon tissue of 30 healthy volunteers..

• Does this mean eating more ginger or taking ginger supplements will reduce colon cancer risk?  We don’t know, and this study doesn’t ask or answer that question?
• Does ginger actually reduce inflammation in the colon? Or just cut back  some inflammatory markers that it might be temporarily present?  We don’t know.
• Will ginger have similar side effects as other agents that we know do reduce inflammation like aspirin? We don’t know. For the short time volunteers were taking ginger there didn’t seem to be any difference in side effects, but what may happen long-term . . . We Just Don’t Know!

There is a lot we don’t know. Yet, ginger is being touted by the media as preventing or fighting colon cancer. True, many headlines are hedging bets with words like “may” but the implication is still there.

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There was frost on the grass this morning when I let the little dog out.  A hard freeze is predicted for the next few nights, a sign that winter and its ice and snow isn’t far off.

Cold is a special problem for people who are getting Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin) for colon and rectal cancer.  Almost all patients on FOLFOX will experience acute neuropathy within a few hours of each oxaliplatin infusion.  This is acute, short-term, and ends within few days.

About a third will go on to a chronic peripheral neuropathy that begins as oxaliplatin doses accumulate.  Most patients will experience some tingling and numbness in their hands and feet.  A very few will have pain and difficulty walking.

Chronic neuropathy usually fades in the months after treatment ends, but may linger as long as a year or 18 months.  It remains a long-term problem for a small percentage of patients.

As cold weather approaches, you need to take care if you are on FOLFOX treatment or have peripheral neuropathy left over from previous treatment. Read the rest of this entry »