Tracking Chemotherapy

Scripture of the Day:

Matthew 4:23        

And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

I heard about this article on the TV news and wanted to look it up and read it. I think it is particularly interesting. I would have loved for my oncologist to track my chemo. I would have loved for my oncologist to see where it was going. I would have loved for her to say, "You don't have to do this any more. It's done the job!".  It amy not have happened to me, but maybe it'll help someone that has joined my on my journey and chemotherapy is yet to come. The article had several links in it that I would share here. But the following is the link to the article so that you may go there and read more for yourselves. 

Chemo Tracking

New particle can track chemo

Discovery could reveal how well – and how fast – treatment finds and kills cancer

By: Misti Crane

Published on January 14, 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tracking the path of chemotherapy drugs in real time and at a cellular level could revolutionize cancer care and help doctors sort out why two patients might respond differently to the same treatment.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have found a way to light up a common cancer drug so they can see where the chemo goes and how long it takes to get there.

Mingjun Zhang

They’ve devised an organic technique for creating this scientific guiding star and in doing so have opened up a new frontier in their field. Previous efforts have been limited by dyes that faded quickly and by toxic elements, particularly metals.

A study published this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology highlighted two novel accomplishments. First, the researchers created a luminescent molecule, called a peptide and made up of two amino acids. Then they hitched that light to the cancer medication so that it revealed the chemo’s arrival within cells.

“This is very important for personalized medicine. We really want to see what’s going on when we give chemo drugs and this work paves the way for the exciting endeavor,” said Mingjun Zhang, thebiomedical engineering professor who led the study.

Biomedical engineers strive to find techniques that behave naturally within the body and leave without doing harm. This research holds promise for doing just that because the peptide is one that should easily coexist with human cells and leave as harmlessly as it entered.

“You can combine your drug with this luminescent vehicle,” Zhang said of the tiny fluorescent particle devised in his lab. “Composed of natural amino acids, the nanoparticle is inherently biocompatible. Our biological machines can easily take care of it.”

This work was done in petri dishes in Zhang’s lab and work in animals is currently underway.

In the body or tissue of an animal or person, scientists would watch the fluorescent signal with an optical detection system, said Zhang, who is a member of Ohio State’s Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute.

Zhang and his colleagues sandwiched their peptide to a common chemotherapy drug so that its light was hidden until the two elements peeled apart upon entering the cells.

Zhang was particularly delighted to see that the blue peptide, which can be seen under ultraviolet light, maintained its luminescence for extended periods of time. Previous work to track drugs using organic dyes has been hampered by their tendency to fade with time.

“You can label it and you can attach it to a drug and see where the drug goes and when it is released,” Zhang said.

And it could be that the biomedical advance can give patients and their doctors information on how well and how quickly a medication is working for them.

“Maybe for some people a drug is taking effect in a few minutes and for somebody else it’s hours and for somebody else it never takes effect,” Zhang said.

The research team used doxorubicin, a widely used chemotherapy drug, for their lab work, but the discovery could apply to different types of treatments.

Better understanding of the complex interplay of cells and drugs is critical to development of treatments that are finely tuned for individual patients.

The Ohio State work builds on research that earned a trio of scientists the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their work on green fluorescent protein found in jelly fish led to the discovery that scientists could illuminate cellular-level activity that had previously been cloaked in mystery.

Zhang’s work was supported by the National Science Foundation.

His collaborators included graduate students Zhen Fan, Leming Sun and Yujian Huang and lab manager Yongzhong Wang.

Estrogen Positive Breast Cancer

Scripture of the Day:

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
Mark 16:5-7

I have estrogen positive breast cancer. So this article was of particular interest to me. I am over weight and I didn't know that fat is a primary source of estrogen. What makes losing weight difficult is the letrozole (cancer medicine). One of the side effects is weight gain. So this is a constant struggle for me. 

In the area of heavy metals, I think I'm ok. there. I am glad that I quit smoking almost 9 years ago, 4 years before I was diagnosed.

As far as the soy goes, I just avoid it as much as possible. When I went through menopause, again before the diagnosis, I used soy products to get me through the hot flashes and it worked. But now I just stay away from soy as much as possible. 

If you want to go to this article by Dr. Isaac Eliaz, you can follow the following link:

Do's and Don'ts oc Estrogen Positive Breast Cancer

He had other links attached to this article that may interest you.

Do’s and don’ts for estrogen-positive breast cancer

Dr. Isaac Eliazs

Breast cancer is not just one disease – it comes in many variations. One of the primary factors in determining the type of breast cancer is the sensitivity of the tumor cells to estrogen. If a breast tumor is hormone sensitive or estrogen receptor-positive, it means there are specific estrogen receptors on the tumor cells, and when estrogen binds with these receptors, it transfers a message to the cancer cells. Like a lock and key effect, the breast tumor cells are stimulated by estrogen to grow and reproduce. Therefore, one of the main goals of therapy or intervention with hormone-positive cancer is to reduce hormonal stimulation as much as possible.

Maintain healthy weight

Estrogen is made by the ovaries during the years before menopause, but it’s also made in fat cells where enzymes convert other hormones to estrogens. After menopause, fat is the primary source of estrogen production in the body. This means that weight is a critical factor in determining estrogen levels, for both pre and post-menopausal women. Dietary choices and activities that promote a healthy weight are essential to any estrogen-reducing program.

Optimize cholesterol

New research has shown that byproducts of cholesterol are able to bind to estrogen receptors and stimulate tumor growth. Elevated cholesterol levels are positively associated with breast cancer.

Minimize exposure to heavy metals

Heavy metals including copper, cobalt, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead have been found to stimulate estrogen receptors. Sources of arsenic include some brands of rice, seafood, well water; cadmium is high in cigarettes and can be found in some soils; mercury is mainly prevalent in larger fish and old dental amalgams; and lead contamination is a component of air pollution, paint and dyes, and ceramic glazes among other sources.

Essentially, heavy metal and toxin exposure is hard to completely avoid in our world, even with careful choices. Because of this, I advise my patients to use compounds that provide safe, gentle detoxification of heavy metals and other contaminants, on a daily or periodic basis.

Modified citrus pectin, (MCP) is derived from the pith of citrus fruit and has been shown in human studies to remove harmful heavy metals and reduce toxic body burden over time. MCP is able to cross the intestinal barrier and circulate in the bloodstream, where it binds to toxins and heavy metals and helps safely excrete them, without removing essential minerals. I also recommend ingredients such alpha lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine, garlic, cilantro and other herbs and nutrients which provide support for our body’s complex detoxification systems.

Chemicals and additives to avoid

Many chemicals used in agriculture, body care products, food packaging and plastic water bottles are estrogenic, called “xenoestrogens” or “estrogen mimics.” In addition to binding with estrogen receptors, these toxins are fat soluble, so they tend to accumulate in fat cells. We know that breast tissue has a high concentration of fat, particularly after menopause. Studies have shown that breast milk often contains dangerous levels of these chemicals. Reduce exposure by avoiding plastic food and beverage containers, canned foods, and body products with these common chemicals. For a list of chemicals to avoid, visit the Environmental Working Group site, 

http://www.ewg.org/research/dirty-dozen-list-endocrine-disruptors

Diet and estrogen levels

Determining the effects that specific foods have on breast cancer risk and protection is an active area of research with a number of controversies still unresolved. What we do know is this:

The bad

Regular alcohol use increases breast cancer risk. In an excellent literature review, twenty studies pointed to a positive connection between alcohol and breast cancer, though multiple effects on hormonal systems and genetic signaling.

Fatty red meat has been associated with increased breast cancer, especially meats cooked at high temperature.

A 2008 study of over 15,000 women found that high fat food choices were significantly associated with increased cancer risk. Among other negative effects, fat intake increases estrogen levels.

Sugar intake increases IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor) which is associated with increased estrogen.

A 2013 study found that intake of high-fat dairy, but not low-fat dairy, was related to a higher risk of mortality after breast cancer diagnosis.

The good

• Cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, etc. have a wealth of beneficial compounds, including diindolylmethane (DIM), a compound that promotes the healthy metabolism of estrogen. The botanical breast health supplement BreastDefend contains DIM, and has been shown in multiple studies to strategically support breast health.
• Flaxseed facilitates removal of estrogens and improves the ratio of good and bad estrogens (2:16 alpha hydroxyestrone/ AHE), and reduces breast density. These are metabolites of the parent estrogen; too much of the 16 AHE is highly stimulatory.
• A high fiber diet promotes the binding of estrogens in the colon, thus reducing estrogen exposure. Fiber also promotes healthy bacterial populations and enhances satiety, helping to keep weight in a healthy range.
• Green tea is a true star in terms of its anticancer properties, with many studies on its multiple anticancer mechanisms.

Phytoestrogens and soy: the debate

Phytoestrogens are compounds which have a mild estrogenic effect and are found in whole grains, nuts and seeds, and many other botanicals, fruits and vegetables. These foods are associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer as well as reduced cancer reoccurrence.

The controversy becomes heated in the debate over soy-containing foods. This issue is complex, with some studies showing that eating soy early in life can reduce breast cancer risk. On the other hand, consumption of concentrated soy extracts showed increased proliferation of breast cancer cells. Finally, other studies show a protective or neutral effect from whole soy foods.

My recommendation for soy is to eat whole soy foods in moderation – no more than several servings per week, preferably fermented soy foods such as miso or tempeh. Avoid soy protein isolates and supplements containing concentrated soy isoflavones.

Other dietary tips

Keep your vitamin D levels in the high normal range with some sun exposure and appropriate supplementation. Vitamin D beneficially influences a large number of genes involved in the regulation of cell growth and metabolism.

Use olive oil and foods high in Omega-3 fats including wild-caught Alaskan salmon and sardines, flax seeds and walnuts.

Diversify your diet to minimize reliance on animal protein sources. Any animal protein should be lean, organic and grass fed to avoid chemicals and hormonal additives. Avoid sugar and processed foods.

By understanding the ways that estrogen levels increase, and other ways in which these receptors can be stimulated, we can make wise choices and engage in activities that will minimize activation of estrogen receptors in breast cells. We can also boost overall vitality in the process – a win/win situation.

If you are making this journey as I am, may God bless you with His healing touch. I know He loves you.

Possible Cure?

Scripture of the Day:

…Fear not Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.

These are scriptures that helped the most as I read them or they were given to me by family and friends. They are all in the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.

Genesis 15:1

This article sounds so encouraging. It's been 5 years since I was diagnosed and once that happens this never goes away. It is a devastating disease and if we can find the cure and spare my mother, daughter, granddaughter and all my family and friends it would be wonderful. Yes, I am a survivor and will continue to be. But I would not wish this on my worst enemy. If you could consider forming a team for the Race For the Cure or just donating, you donation goes a long way for the discoveries like the one in this article. The link for the article is:

Scientists close to breast cancer cure

Scientists 'close to breast cancer cure' after British researchers find a way to stop tumours growing 

By TAMARA COHEN FOR THE DAILY MAIL 

UPDATED: 03:02 EST, 25 August 2009

Life-saving: British scientists have found a way to stop tumours growing

British scientists are close to a 'potential cure' for most breast cancer cases. They have developed a way to stop tumours growing and spreading, which could save millions of lives every year. Researchers say the new technique could be used to produce a drug to tackle the disease in as little as two years. Breast cancer kills 12,000 British women every year, more than a quarter of those diagnosed with it. 

Scientists have previously focused on how to prevent tumours from forming, but the new research has found key molecules called microRNAs which the cancer manipulates to spread around the body. 

Breast cancer cells 'switch off' these molecules, allowing the cancer to spread unchecked to other parts of the body. 

This spread is responsible for 90 per cent of deaths from breast cancer and the team which made the breakthrough is working on a drug to stop this fatal process. 

One of the scientists, Dr Justin Stebbing, senior lecturer and consultant medical oncologist at Imperial College, London, said: 'This is a potential cure for breast cancer. There are no drugs as yet but they should be available in a couple of years. 

'This is a step on the way to it. It helps us understand the way breast cancer cells grow and divide. If we understand this, we understand how to stop it.' 

The researchers from Imperial College and James Watson Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories in New York found the role of the female hormone oestrogen in the spread of cancer was key.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1208840/Scientists-close-breast-cancer-cure-British-researchers-way-stop-tumours-growing.html#ixzz43jIM2VUO
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Please see my prayer list page and add those people to your prayer list. God will know who they are. If you would like more information, there books available and a link to those and others on on the shop page.

If you are making this journey as I am, may God bless you with His healing touch. I know He loves you.

The Wrong Diagnosis

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Quote of the Day:

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.

 Author: Erma Bombeck

I believe that I was misdiagnosed two years before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was referred to an breast surgeon who wanted to do a biopsy. I was fine with that, but I asked to be made unconscious. She all but called me a baby and said I'd be fine. That day, I went in there and was told to lay on my side and be very still and then I was given a local. A LOCAL! Assuming it would work, I laid down on the table. For 1/2 hour, I laid there in excruciating pain while she dug around in my right breast. I didn't cry and I didn't yell. I was a "trooper". When it was done, I told David I was never letting someone brow-beat me into anything ever again! I was eventually told that they had gotten it all. 

Except two years later, I'm being referred again. This time the Navy decided not to send me to a civilian doctor but to do it themselves. What a God-send. Before they did the biopsy (and I got to be put under for it), they showed me the x-rays that I had brought from the civilian hospital. They showed me the her x-rays, before and after, and they showed me theirs. Theirs had the same 3 marks as the x-ray she took. The x-ray she took of what she took out of me had NO little dots in it!!! 

I am so blessed that I was still only a stage 1 for all of this. That 2 year failure could've been devastating for me. I told my OB-GYN about it and suggested that she used a different surgeon for these issues. That's all I felt like I could do. I have a friend that has the BRCA gene for breast cancer (but doesn't have breast cancer) and her oncologist sent her to this doctor. We compared notes, She asked if she would be ok, would she be getting breast cancer. This doctor told her if she was that worried about it she could just cut them off for her. She told her oncologist all of this and asked not to be sent there again. 

All of that being said, there are ways to be sure that you have the right diagnosis. The following article about these diagnosis. I can't emphasize enough. You don't have to tolerate rude doctors or be patronized by any of them. If you feel that you didn't get the right diagnosis, please, please, please, get a 2nd opinion. That would be true with any kind of disease. For those of us with cancer, it could be the difference between life and death. I never asked to the see the x-rays from before. I never asked that she explain them to me. Ask questions, if you don't like the answers find someone who will answer your questions. 

I couldn't find an author for this to give credit to. The following is the link so that you can go directly to this article.

Wrong Diagnosis: Breast Cancer 

A diagnosis of breast cancer is devastating; however, a wrong diagnosis can be more devastating. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis can occur; a patient with breast cancer will be told she does not have cancer, and a patient who does not have breast cancer can be told that she does have it. Obviously, either of these errors can cause significant harm to a patient. Fortunately, a diagnostic service is available that can reduce diagnostic errors: know error®. To obtain the facts regarding diagnostic errors, I consulted with Dr. David Brousseau, director of Radiology of Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health and Laura Beggrow, president of Strand Diagnostics/Know Error. The accompanying slide show explains how diagnostic errors can occur.

Robin Wulffson, M.D.

The know error system uses bar coding, forensic principles, and DNA matching to confirm that surgical biopsy samples being evaluated belong exclusively to the patient being diagnosed. (Forensic principles are the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence.) The know error system for breast biopsies is in use in medical practices across the nation. Since the test was launched in September 2012 nearly 13,000 breast cancer patients have been tested using the know error system. (The know error test was first launched in prostate cancer in 2010. From 2010- September 2013- over 106,000 prostate cancer patients have been tested)

The cost of medical services is of major importance to most Americans. The good news is that the know error system kits are provided to physicians practices at no charge to the patient nor practice. Ms. Beggrow told me that the patient’s insurance company is billed for the molecular diagnostic testing performed. Reimbursement varies and currently averages around $400 per patient. Strand Diagnostics makes testing available to all appropriate breast cancer patients regardless of their insurance, providing comprehensive assistance and support for all patients throughout the reimbursement process. The know error system is a DNA Specimen Provenance Assignment (DSPA) molecular diagnostic test billed to governmental and commercial insurance providers. Therefore, patients will only be responsible for the in-network deductible, co-insurance, and co-pay amounts applied by their carriers.

Ms. Beggrow told me that they are discovering diagnostic errors in 1.18% of the breast patients that they test. Whether or not the patient received a false positive diagnosis is a function of the diagnosis of the "complementary" tissue. That is, if a patient DOES have breast cancer and her tissue is switched with someone that ALSO has breast cancer, then by chance, neither patient will receive a false reading of cancer. (Although the grade and volume of cancer may have been different, neither would have received a false cancer diagnosis.) The bottom line is that know error can reduce that approximately 1% chance of error to zero.

I asked Dr. Brousseau how often diagnostic errors occurred and if they were increasing. He told me that Specimen Provenance Complications (SPCs) can occur as a result of human error during any step in the complex biopsy diagnostic testing cycle. Some examples of SPCs include mislabeling, specimen transposition, and foreign cell contamination. Approximately 3.5% of cases receiving a positive cancer diagnosis are subject to undetected SPCs, which could lead to a cancer diagnosis being assigned to the wrong patient. Conversely this could lead to a delay in women with breast cancer receiving their diagnosis, potentially delaying life-saving treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in the United States, meaning approximately 2,000 women per year could be incorrectly diagnosed with breast cancer. Since the issue continues to be undetected and under-reported that number will continue to increase. The error rate provided only includes healthy patients who are diagnosed with cancer; however, it does not include those who are told they do not have cancer but later on do in fact receive a positive biopsy result. These mistakes can set in motion the overtreatment of thousands of patients annually as well as delay the potentially life-saving treatments of women with cancer.

Dr. Brousseau noted that the attention to detail, particularly with respect to specimen labeling, varies widely among medical institutions. At his institution, the Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, specimens are processed and labeled immediately. He stressed that avoiding batch processing at the point of acquisition is important for patient safety. Nonetheless, many if not most, institutions now utilize third party services to process the specimens before they are reviewed for diagnosis. Since this part of the process is beyond their direct control, they feel very comfortable with the knowledge that the know error system helps them avoid any transposition issues which could potentially occur in subsequent processing. Fortunately, they have not discovered any mislabeling or transposition errors since we began using this system about nine months ago.

Dr. Brousseau told me that issues of cross-contamination are becoming of greater concern to the medical community as tissue specimens undergo more frequent gene testing to predict prognosis and gene testing is employed in decision-making about the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Although cross-contamination itself may not lead to a cancer diagnosis in the wrong patient, it could have a significant effect on a choice about the subsequent treatment. In summary, he said, “Patients that hear those dreaded words - you have breast cancer - and how many are actually getting the wrong diagnosis. Now, with the help of a DNA test, physicians around the Country are aiming to lower the rate at which these errors occur.”

At nearly every step of the 20-step biopsy diagnostic process there is room for mix-ups to hide, undetected. This can be caused by two errors: (1) the patient's sample is switched with another's and (2) the patients sample is contaminated with one or more patient's DNA tissue. Over 200,000 woman are diagnosed with breast cancer per year. This means that treatment recommendations (including removal of healthy breasts and prostates, chemotherapy, radiation) are being made for cancer-free patients and life-saving treatment is being delayed in some cases as well.

Now, when a patient comes into the physician’s office to have a surgical biopsy- where the physician takes a sample of the mass in the breast - they are also given a DNA test (know error system) via cheek swab. When the biopsy sample comes back to the lab and tests positive for cancer, it is then sent to the lab and the DNA from the cheek swab is matched with the DNA from the biopsy sample. From here, it can be determined if the biopsy sample is in fact that patients. This test is a simple, non-invasive way to reassure the patient their diagnosis is their own and, if they do have cancer, then they are receiving the accurate treatment.

Make sure that you go to my prayer list page on the right at the top and add those on this list to your prayer list. If you have someone you'd like me to add let me know. 

If you are taking this journey as I am, may God bless you with His healing touch. I know He loves you.

Special Needs Adoption

Quote of the Day:

We strongly believe that all children are unique, amazing and loveable!

Sara Deaterla

We help adoption agencies or families who wish to place a special needs baby or toddler and sometimes older children for adoption, find experienced and loving adoptive families. No matter what the special need, we can help you find the very best family.

Our support services are completely free to everyone in the adoption triad. We are a licensed custodial adoption agency and an special needs advocacy group. We provide a way for special needs babies and adoptive families who are willing, thrilled, and highly experienced to parent children with challenges to find each other. We will help connect you to families that are homestudy and adoption ready for a special needs baby or toddler and sometimes older children. Every month, we help several special needs babies and toddlers find their forever families! Our families want to adopt special needs children because they have seen the blessing that these children can be and they have the knowledge and experience to handle their unique needs.

Sara Deaterla is my sister. She started by adopting her own children with special needs with her husband Mike. She has two grown children of her own and 3 grandchildren if you count the one one the way. Their first adopted child is Savannah who is 8 now. Savannah was born in Viet Nam. They traveled to Viet Nam to get her. I have to say that Sara, doesn't let Savannah forget her roots. She takes to area Vietnamese events and Savannah dresses in Vietnamese garb. Savannah's special needs are not as severe as some can be. Mike wrote a book about this adoption and can be purchased on Amazon. Just follow the link:

Special Needs: Adoption Journey of an Older Couple This is a very informative book about overseas adoption.

Their second child is Christian who is now 7. Christian is an African American child from Cleveland, Ohio. Christian was born with a drug addition at only 2o6 weeks and only weighed 1.9 lbs.  He is as sharp as a tack even though he is legally blind.

Their third child is Marlee. Marlee is of Filipino decent. Marlee has what is known as Tuberous Sclerosis.  This is a rare multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. It usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavior problems, skin abnormalities, and kidney disease. Marlee has already had at least 7 brain surgeries to stop the seizures and she is only 5.

I have a friend that suffers from this disease, but fortunately, hers appears on her skin and she needs to only have it removed. I'm told the Marlee's mother had the same type as my friend.

Special Angel Adoption Agency is an arm of The Marlee Factor Foundation. This foundation was started as a non-profit program to assist those families that have special needs children. They provide gas cards to assist parents to be able to keep their child's doctor's appointments for example. This name came to be a few years ago when it was fully expected that Marlee was going to succumb to this disease. It was the "Marlee Factor" coined by the hospital chaplain that helped her to turn the corner and live. She is thriving. She was never supposed to walk. She climbs. She was never supposed to do a lot of things she's doing now. She's learning to sign to communicate.

Marlee Factor Foundation If you aren't interested in adoption, please consider donating to this foundation. Right now it is local only. But it is there intent to serve outside their community eventually.

Thank you for letting me share. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day.