Month: January 2014

MD Anderson Cancer Center and IBM’s Watson Pair Up to Fight Cancer

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

MesotheliomaHelp has followed IBM’s Watson from its first success in Jeopardy! in 2011 to its use in collaboration between IBM and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The supercomputer that is already helping doctors diagnose and treat cancer patients is now going to support MD Anderson’s Moon Shots program designed to eradicate cancer.

In an October 18, 2013 press release, IBM and MD Anderson announced MD Anderson Cancer Center will begin using the IBM Watson cognitive computing system for its mission to put an end to cancer. MD Anderson’s president Ronald DePinho, M.D. used President John F. Kennedy’s drive to put a man on the moon as inspiration to reduce the number of deaths from cancer, leading to the Moon Shots program.

While the Moon Shots program will focus on eight cancers including, breast, leukemia and lung cancer, the use of MD Anderson’s Oncology Expert Advisor, powered by IBM Watson, will initially be used to fight leukemia. However, the successes achieved through the use of the supercomputer will especially benefit mesothelioma patients and other patients with rare cancers. Watson can access digital information dispersed throughout the world in just a matter of seconds and “integrate the knowledge of MD Anderson’s clinicians and researchers.”

According to the press release, the Expert Advisor will provide the tools for the MD Anderson medical professionals “to observe and fine-tune treatment plans for patients, while helping them recognize adverse events that may occur throughout the care continuum.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, clinical trials are at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials serve to uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose and understand human disease. They provide mesothelioma researchers, and all cancer researchers, with critical information needed to allow them to move their findings from the lab to patients. One way that Watson will benefit cancer patients is by providing a ‘map’ of all clinical trials a patient is eligible for and then identifying the best fit for the given patient.

For many cancer patients, clinical trials may offer them the best available treatment as well as the opportunity to receive new, potentially more effective therapies against their disease.

The ultimate goal for the Cancer Center’s use of the Expert Advisor is “to advance the cancer center’s goal of treating patients with the most effective, safe and evidence-based standard of care available.”

In 2013, MD Anderson Cancer Center was named as the nation’s best hospital for cancer care by US News & World Report. This was the seventh straight year for the ranking, and the tenth time in the last 12 years for the honor. According to the hospital’s website, “MD Anderson’s Thoracic Center cares for more patients with mesothelioma than almost any other center in the United States.” In addition, mesothelioma patients at MD Anderson are treated by a specially trained support team of experts in their fields and mesothelioma. Anne S. Tsao, M.D., Director of the Mesothelioma Program is one of the leading authorities of mesothelioma in the US and is also one of the strongest advocates for taking a personalized treatment approach to mesothelioma.

3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. There is no known cure for the cancer, however, personalized care and treatment focused on each patient’s specific characteristics can improve the survival and quality of life.

Consider Donating to a Mesothelioma Support Organization in 2014

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

At this time of year, many people start pulling out receipts to see what kind of tax breaks they can get from their charitable donations in the previous year. There are thousands of organizations competing for donations, and deciding where to allocate your dollars is a very personal decision. This year, MesotheliomaHelp asks that you consider making a donation to a charity that is dedicated to finding a cure for mesothelioma and for improving the lives of mesothelioma victims.

Each year, 3,000 Americans and 2,500 Brits are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by past asbestos exposure. The cancer is highly aggressive and is resistant to many cancer treatments, leading researchers throughout the world to spend countless hours searching for a new, effective treatment. There is no known cure for the disease.

Cancer research is expensive and time-consuming, and for research related to a rare disease, such as mesothelioma, the costs can be even higher. Researchers rely on funding from public and private sources to run their clinical trials and to ensure continuous funding throughout the projects.

Mesothelioma Organizations in the US and the UK

The benefits that these organizations provide to patients, families, and caregivers are boundless. If you are looking for a resource for information pertaining to mesothelioma, these organizations are established and many have been recognized for their support and dedication to the field of research and medicine.

• Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. ADAO was founded in 2004 to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice, to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and to work towards a global asbestos ban. ADAO is an independent global organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases through education, advocacy and community.
• Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. The Meso Foundation is one of the leading foundations “dedicated to eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma.” A donation to the Meso Foundation will help fund grants and critical research, advocate in Washington, D.C. for greater federal funding, and educate patients, families and doctors on current treatment options. You can support The Meso Foundation through a donation established by MesotheliomaHelp blogger Jennifer Gelsick, and her family, in memory of her father, Don Smitley.
• CancerCare.org. CancerCare is the largest, long-standing national organization helping all people affected by any type and any stage of cancer. 87% of donations directly support its suite of services, which include telephone, online and in-person counseling and support groups, educational workshops and resources, as well as financial assistance. Donors can designate their gifts to support general operations or medication co-pay assistance. The 2013 Woodworkers Fighting Cancer build event donated over $12,000 to CancerCare.
• Mesothelioma UK. Mesothelioma UK is a national resource centre located in England dedicated to providing specialist Mesothelioma information, support and improved care and treatment for residents of the United Kingdom. All services are free of charge; they rely totally on donations to the Mesothelioma UK Charitable Trust for financial support. Mavis Nye, a British mesothelioma survivor, donates proceeds of her book, Meso Warrior, to Mesothelioma UK to help raise funds for mesothelioma research.
• Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund. MKMRF is an English organization founded by Chris Knighton after her husband, Mick, passed away from mesothelioma. The organization aims to raise awareness, fund crucial research projects, improve diagnosis, treatment and care for mesothelioma sufferers plus offer help in accessing information and support. Jan Egerton, a nearly 10-year mesothelioma survivor and an ambassador for MKMRF, donates proceeds of her novel, “The DreamWeaver’s Choice,” to MKMRF.
• Cancer Fund of America can be traced back to March 23, 1984, making it the oldest national cancer organization having its primary mission of providing products to the cancer victim and their family with no emphasis placed on research.

Every dollar makes a difference for mesothelioma research. To help the fight against mesothelioma, please consider donating today!

Sources:

• Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
  http://www.cvent.com/events/2012-annual-asbestos-awareness-conference/archived-e6277e3d443b4c059bed43fc0937b530.aspx
• Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
  http://www.curemeso.org/site/c.duIWJfNQKiL8G/b.8598593/k.D685/Homepage.htm
• Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund
  http://www.blf.org.uk/Page/MKMRF-Mick-Knighton-Mesothelioma-Research-Fund

Mesothelioma Warrior Faces Declining Health

• Joseph Belluck
• Faces of Mesothelioma

One of the saddest things about dying from cancer is the realisation that you can see your body deteriorate. At first, especially with mesothelioma, it’s that little breathlessness you never had before. That small incline at the bottom of the road was easy a few months back, now you find you need to stop to take a moment before setting off on to the flat.

In all the years I have been fighting mesothelioma, my one problem was pain, not breathlessness, until last year when I noticed I got breathless walking the dogs, always after walking up an incline.

Just this summer, with a stomach full of fluid I was still marching around. Always a fast walker, on the flat I was walking without a problem, but the stairs, on the other hand, became somewhat tiresome.

Suddenly, after having the drain fitted and taking on a chest infection my breathing plummeted – I can no longer walk five yards without being breathless. Stairs are my enemy, even walking to the kitchen and back takes all my strength. This is full on realisation that makes me worry, ‘Will I always be like this?’ ‘Can the chemo reverse this,’ and lastly, ‘Is my time nearly up?’

There are some solutions to elevate the problems of mobility, such as a wheelchair for going out, a chair lift for those stairs, but mentally this doesn’t remove the fears that our bodies are weakening to the effects of the cancer.

I know bowel cancer, stomach cancer and various others do bring pain, but many are towards the very end. With mesothelioma we seem to suffer from start to finish. I guess that is what makes this the worst cancer in the world to have. Unless some high powered minister or government official ever had to suffer or watch their family member go through this, they will never see or understand the complexity of what this disease does.

I hate the fact I can see the changes taking place, I can see the pain it brings in my husband’s face, each time I have to ask him to help me. I am losing another piece of my own independence, and I face the fact that I am getting worse.

We are all holding out for that one drug that will help, but since the development of pemetrexed, which works on only 40% of mesothelioma, nothing better has come on the market. That drug was found by accident, maybe the next one is around the corner. But unless a significant amount of people get a benefit from a new drug the trials are scrapped. What happens to the 60% it doesn’t work for?

As I now battle with the spread of my cancer to the abdomen as well as both lungs and back on my pericardium, I fear the worst. I have to believe the chemotherapy I am trying now will take me back to the health I so enjoyed in May and prior. Never again would I complain about that little bit of being out of puff, I would rather that than be in a wheelchair. Never before have I felt like an invalid, but now I need to review my life and begin a new way of normal.

To those facing this same decline we must stay focused on the fact we are still here and still able to share in the life and enjoyment of our loved ones, for it is them we keep pushing ourselves on for. I must put away my own worries about my decline so that my husband can feel he isn’t helpless anymore but helping me live as full a life as normal.

Mesothelioma Warriors Offer New Year’s Resolutions

• Nancy Meredith
• Family

As another year kicks off, many of us take the time to reflect back on last year and vow to make the New Year better than last. People say things like, “This year I’m really going to lose weight,” or “I’m going to find that job that I’ve always wanted.” For patients and their families battling mesothelioma, however, just making it through another day, or month, is all they hope to accomplish.

MesotheliomaHelp.org reached out to several long-term mesothelioma survivors and asked them what their resolutions are for 2014. Jan Egerton, Lou Williams and Mavis Nye all initially responded saying, “I want to be here for another year.” All three of them underwent another cycle of chemotherapy and 2013, and faced more than their share of bad days. But, with 2014 here, they are positive and upbeat and offered up resolutions to encourage others to stay positive and to keep fighting.

Jan Egerton has offered glimpses into the daily struggles she has encountered over the last year as she continues to battle mesothelioma. Jan is entering her tenth year of diagnosis, and as she fights breathlessness and exhaustion she vows to keep fighting and to be around for her husband for many more years.

Jan’s hope for 2014 is:

• To fight with everything I have to ensure that I will be celebrating New Year’s in 2014.
• For everyone in the mesothelioma community, whether you are a patient or a caregiver, to keep a positive attitude and to remember that for every bad day there will be a good one.

Mavis Nye has been fighting mesothelioma for four and one half years. She said previously, “I love getting up each day because it is a new start, a fresh start and I will see another day.” She said although she used to start every year promising to lose weight, this year is different.

In the New Year, Mavis Nye will work to:

• Raise even more awareness of mesothelioma, and to fight for more money for research.
• Carry on helping mesothelioma warriors to travel the pathway of this disease, but to give them strength as I show them I have survived longer than my oncologist predicted.

Lou Williams faces 2014 with the same positive attitude that has helped keep her battling both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. While focusing on her own health is critical, Lou also believes raising awareness of the dangers of asbestos is just as important.

For 2014, Lou will raise a toast:

• To me, all the other mesothelioma warriors around the world, and to those who we have lost along the way (including my dad) through this deadly asbestos cancer. I will continue to raise much needed asbestos awareness, advocacy, education and give support on a global scale. Asbestos is deadly, there is no safe asbestos!
• To me and my beautiful husband Keith, and to all the other carers and past carers, partners and loved ones who have been/are there with us for the long haul of living with mesothelioma – a journey that is a tough one with lots of highs and lows.
• To being here in 12 months time and to living well in the meantime – doing what we love – travelling, spending time with family and friends and fitting as much into our lives as we do now!

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2014 to everyone fighting mesothelioma!