The antidepressant drug Duloxetine (Cymbalta®) was shown in a recent study to provide pain relief to people suffering from peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs such as oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®, used in the FOLFOX regimen for colorectal cancer) can damage “peripheral” nerve cells (those beyond the brain and spinal cord), causing pain, tingling, numbness especially in feet and/or hands. This side effect, called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), can worsen over time and last long after the chemotherapy has stopped. (More information on CIPN can be found here.)
Chris Adams, PhD shares his final day at ASCO. Thank YOU Chris!
After 4 days of meetings everyone is a little battle weary, probably more so after the great food and drinks at the ASCO Presidential Reception at Soldier Field the previous night.
This morning was the general colon cancer poster sessions. This is about 80 research projects lined up row after row. The nice thing about the posters is that you can actually talk one on one with the researcher. I spoke to some very interesting scientists including one at Georgetown Lombardi, an Australian medical oncologist, a medical oncologist from Japan and a medical oncologist from Ontario. The researcher from Canada presented some interesting statistics on the increase in the number of liver resections for patients with metastatic disease and the greater success of such treatments over the last 10 years. The work at Lombardi looked at the efficacy of a drug previously approved for kidney cancer that has never been tested in late stage colon cancer patients. Early results seemed promising enough to move into the next stage of the testing process.
My time at ASCO ended with a session covering my own situation, that of chemo and other therapy for early stage colorectal cancer. It is always strange reading research on your own situation. Unfortunately there is not much new to report. There is some ongoing work looking at reducing the amount of time patients need to be on chemo. Other than that, aspirin, vitamin D, exercise and eating well seem to be standard prescriptions.
My own doctor prescribed a dog, which was very upsetting to my wife and cat. I’m looking forward to getting home and taking my prescription dog for a long walk.
Thanks for the opportunity of attending ASCO this year – Chris Adams, PhD
Note: Chris is an economist at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission shares some notes and his personal insight of his experience at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Guest blogger: Christoper Adams PhD an economist at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission shares some notes and his personal insight of his experience on Day 3 of the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
It is my two year anniversary! Two years ago today I had my colon resection. My doctor said that next year I can have a small party. This year I decided to start my celebration by attending a session on liver resection for metastatic colon cancer. Note to self, don’t begin a day of celebration by attending a session on liver resection for metastatic colon cancer.
“Guest blogger: Christoper Adams” It is my second day at ASCO. I got up early, helped somewhat by the one-hour time difference. I found a friend at the breakfast who directed me to where we catch the buses for the conference center. More importantly she showed me how to find free coffee at the patient advocate lounge.
I was planning to attend an 8 am session on the costs of cancer care. I was a bit worried about finding a seat. Ironic as the room held an estimated 5,000 people (I estimated the number of seats while waiting for the session to start) and there were maybe 300 people in the session. It was a cavernous space and I thought the sound track of seagulls was cute until I realized it wasn’t a soundtrack.
Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD, FACP has been honored with the 2012 ASCO Humanitarian Award. The Award is given to an oncologist who goes beyond the call of duty to provide outstanding patient care both professionally and and as a volunteer.
Dr. Mitchell is a clinical professor in the department of Medical Oncology and a program leader of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. At the Kimmel Cancer Center she directs the KCC Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities. Read the rest of this entry »
The antidepressant drug Duloxetine (Cymbalta®) was shown in a recent study to provide pain relief to people suffering from peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.
