Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research—FYI---March. 2010

      (Please note—all physicians listed are with the UHealth-UM Miller School of Medicine—

                              Source—Marketing Dept.)

 

Sylvester Cancer News:

 

NanoKnife—Sylvester/UMHC is the first provider in Florida and one of only a handful in the world to offer one of the newest weapons to fight cancer. What it does:

       ●     Interventional radiology experts use this minimally invasive treatment to destroy   

              soft tissue tumors (those that have spread to liver, lungs and kidneys).

       ●    Uses a targeted approach treating small, hard to reach tumors at cellular level.

       ●    Applies electrical energy directly into tumor.

       ●    Opens cell walls of tumor, cancer cells die, healthy tissue remains unharmed.  

 

 Govindarajan Narayanan, M.D., chief of vascular interventional radiology, performed the procedure, using the NanoKnife, on a liver cancer patient last month.

 

CyberKnife---Sylvester has the most advanced Accuray CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system on the market. What it does:      

        ●     Delivers highly concentrated doses of radiation with stunning precision.

        ●    Treats tumors non-invasively anywhere in the body.

        ●     Uses a radiation-beam projector, mounted on a robotic arm that can move

               completely around a patient.

        ●    Targets hard to reach cancer without surgery.

        ●    Gives options to patients who might have no other treatment choices.

The treatment cycle is completed in one to five days, compared to traditional radiation treatments which can take as much as 40 treatments.

 

Both of these exciting, cutting edge treatments are FDA approved.

 

Other Cancer News:

 

Breast cancer rates are declining, especially for women over 50. Researchers believe this might be linked to the declining use of hormone replacement therapy.

 

Breast cancer statistics differ racially despite similar mammogram rates. Genetic and lifestyle differences likely play a role.

 

A new study of more than 4,000 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer shows that taking aspirin appears to significantly increase survival and reduce recurrence.

 

The breast cancer drug tamoxifen—used for three decades to treat the disease –appears to affect cognitive abilities, including some types of memory. Very few take it today.

 

Patients with stage 1 small cell lung cancer can have a reasonable level of survival after surgery, without chemo and radiation.

 

Scientists have found a way to spot genetic “fingerprints” of individual cancers. This can help the doctors track the course of the disease and the response to treatment.

 

Individualized blood tests can monitor the tumor levels of cancer patients after therapy and help doctors tailor treatments and monitor recurrence.

 

There is a major advance toward the long-sought goal of a genetic test that can distinguish between aggressive prostate cancers that require urgent treatment and slow growing tumors that can safely be left alone.

 

A comparison study of open and laparoscopic surgery found few differences in the outcome between men with prostate cancer.

 

Many male cancer survivors’ quality of life is affected by testosterone deficiency after receiving chemo or radiation therapy. They have an impaired quality of life and reduced energy levels.

 

People who down two or more soft drinks, a week, may double their risk of developing deadly pancreatic cancer, compared to non-soda drinkers. Researchers speculate that the elevated blood sugar levels associated with soda drinking and the increased insulin levels prompt pancreatic cells to divide abnormally.

 

For patients with advanced kidney cancer there is a promising new treatment option. A multi-targeted “chemo-switch” shows anti tumor activity with manageable side effects in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma.

 

An international team of researchers has created a genome-scale map of 26 different cancers, revealing more than 100 genomic sites where DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated compared to normal tissues. The study found that most of these abnormalities are not unique to one form of cancer, but are shared across multiple cancers.

 

UHealth/Miller School News:

 

Pediatricians are calling for a sweeping redesign of foods, such as hotdogs and candy, to minimize a child’s chances of choking.

 

New research indicated that children who are cared for either part-time or full-time by grandparents have an increased risk of being overweight. The UM study provides home based counseling for the entire family.

 

**If you know a woman, with financial difficulties, undergoing chemo, please pass the word that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning—to find out more go to www.cleaningforareason.org  

 

   Naomi Prever—VP Education