Advocate for Mesothelioma Research During Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November is lung cancer awareness month, a great time to reflect and work on new ways to spread the message about mesothelioma prevention, lack of funding, and advocacy. Keep in mind that many people do not realize that mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer, so the general public may be surprised (just like I was) to learn this devastating fact.

Look for events in your community that you can participate in. Check with local hospitals and doctor’s offices about what they are doing to recognize this month. If they need some help, volunteer to assist them with existing programs, or even ask if you can implement one of your own! If time constraints are too tight this year, start working on something for 2015!

Holding a fundraiser during this month of awareness would tie the message together. It would get the word out about mesothelioma and how much help is needed to work towards better treatments and an eventual cure, as well as raise money for an excellent cause.

This month may also be a great time to put on your advocacy hat and petition your local, state, and national government about laws concerning asbestos and regulations concerning mesothelioma. Get as many people involved as you can and make your presence known; send letters, make phone calls. With this month being recognized, it should be brought to the forefront of the minds of those who can help to put new programs into action.

Remember that any bit of awareness that you can bring to lung cancer and mesothelioma victims, warriors, and their families will make a difference. Reach out and remember our end goal of eradicating this awful disease forever!

Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

On-Line Voting Is Open for the Mesothelioma Help Scholarship Contest

The judges have selected the top five essays in this year’s “Jan Egerton and Don Smitley Mesothelioma Scholarship,” and now the public can help select the order of the finalists. The public voting period runs through Nov.17.

College students from across the United States submitted essays about the history of asbestos, treatments for mesothelioma, and personal stories of mesothelioma patients. With 128 essays submitted, the judges spent countless hours reading and re-reading them.

The essays were judged by Jennifer Gelsick, whose father Don Smitley, one of the scholarship’s namesakes, lost his battle to mesothelioma last year, and Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a thoracic surgery nurse. Both of them write for “Faces of Mesothelioma,” offering differing insights into life with mesothelioma.

“Being a judge for the scholarship contest was an honor for me,” said Jennifer. “It was humbling to see how hard each contestant worked on their essay. I learned a lot about the history of mesothelioma and I enjoyed reading the personal stories that were shared.”

The top five finalists are:

Erienne Overli – University of Nevada, Reno
Fernando Salazar – University of New Mexico
Jennifer Schnalzer – Rockland Community College
Justin Hellier – Irvine Valley College
Samantha Robeson – University of Delaware

This year’s top five finalists will use social media to garner votes to help them win a share of the scholarship money. In addition to helping with the cost of education, the scholarship organizers hope to spread the word of the dangers of asbestos and to educate college students and their families about mesothelioma.

“I do think the contest helps to spread awareness of the toll mesothelioma takes on families,” said Lisa. “The contest assures that the next generation has a base of informed students to continue to bring awareness to the disease.”

The scholarship prizes are:

$5,000 – First Prize
$2,500 – Second Prize
$1,250 – Third Prize
$500 – Fourth Prize
$250 – Fifth Prize
$100 – Honorable Mention (there are five Honorable Mention awards)

The finalists and honorable mention winners will be notified of their prizes at the end of the public voting period.

“I hope that you all realize how important it is to educate others on the dangers of asbestos and how mesothelioma impacts the lives of so many,” said Jennifer, when asked what message she has for the contestants. “It is an extremely important message that needs to be spread. Thank you on behalf of my family and the entire mesothelioma community.”

Mesothelioma Help is one of the Web’s primary resources for information on malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The website provides in-depth coverage of the disease, as well as detailed information about the available diagnostic procedures and treatment options for mesothelioma sufferers.

See Mesothelioma Help to vote for your favorite essay.

Considering a Mesothelioma End-of-Life Discussion with the Family

With my Dad, we never had a discussion about “end of life things” directly. I knew from fleeting chats that his main concern was getting to Heaven when he passed, no matter when that would be. It was a conversation that was had from the time I was a little girl about living in a way that would please God and eventually lead to the promise of a heavenly home.

Once he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, I did learn a couple of things about what Dad did not want. He didn’t want a tube in his throat and he didn’t want to have to suffer. Thankfully, God blessed him by taking him quickly at home.

These kinds of conversations are ones that most people dread having. Some people, on the other hand, like to let their loved ones know their wishes; in a way, they may be trying to make it easier on their family in the long run.

Be sure to leave the door open for your loved one to talk about end of life wishes and hopes. Even though you may not be completely comfortable with it, let them guide the conversation; after all, it is about them. Let them know that you are paying attention to what they are saying and make a conscious effort to remember every word.

Even if you never have this discussion, you may find, as we did, that your loved one made little comments here and there that you can pull together, allowing you to create a wonderful memorial for them. If not, just take some time to think and recall your fondest memories, let them guide you and bring you peace.

Mesothelioma Nurse Takes Workshop Designed to Help Her Help Patients Heal Faster

I was recently working in the intensive care unit when I received a patient from the operating room. She was 65 years old and had her lung removed because of mesothelioma. She was a pleasant woman who was awake and able to converse with me. I was getting her settled, which can be time consuming, and I was able to explain my movements and my tasks to help alleviate some of her anxiety.

Soon her husband came in to stay with her, and I included him in my explanation of the plan for recovery, as well as explaining our policies. It is important to include the family and patient in the plan of care.

As our afternoon progressed, I found the patient and her husband fascinating. The patient, who I will call Rose, was unique and had something that I was drawn to. As our afternoon continued, I learned about her personal journey. She lived with her husband and had a supportive family. Unfortunately, her brother-in-law was battling cancer as well. This couple had been faced with their own cancer story and were also weighed down by other family member’s cancer as well.

Rose had received chemotherapy preoperatively, and as she says, it was rough. She had lost some of her hair, and she was petite, with not much excess weight. She continued to tell me about her life and her journey with mesothelioma. I still felt something was different about her. Then she told me she had taken a workshop prior to her surgery – Peggy Huddleston’s Prepare for Surgery Heal Faster.

Rose and her husband explained that someone contacted them after they requested this workshop. She explained to me this woman called them and spent approximately an hour on the phone call using mind body techniques. It is a five-step process to prepare for surgery (or chemotherapy or radiation). My shift ended and I said goodbye and wished them well.

As I drove home that evening I thought about her and realized I had to investigate more about Peggy Huddleston. Thank goodness for Google. I found her on the internet and called her. We had numerous conversations about her workshop and how I had met Rose. I got the book. I read it from start to end and sat back and thought about it.

My next step was to take the workshop. It was a two-day workshop to become trained on how to offer this workshop to patients. The course was on a Sunday, and I drove about 40 miles to see this woman at her house. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical and uneasy about this. I really was not sure what to expect.

One hour after meeting her I was hooked. I was fascinated by her thoughts, stories and ideas. We continued through the day and into the next with information offered on how to make a difference for this these patients. I felt like this was no accident and this is the basis of me being a nurse, I want to make a difference, especially for mesothelioma patients.

The two days flew by like no other conference/workshop I had ever been to, and I have attended my fair share. I was energized and excited about this new way to help people. So now I too can offer this workshop to help people with their medical treatments.

If you need something else try this. I have seen a lot during my career and this works. Besides making you feel well, there is research that shows this workshop reduces length of stay, and lessens the need for pain medicine. There are many testimonials about this program – and Rose was one of them saying it made a huge difference in her recovery and journey with mesothelioma.

If you are interested in reading and learning more about this, or if you have any question about any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].

Physicians Look for Clues About Why Women with Mesothelioma Live Longer

Mesothelioma is a long, hard battle for all who are involved with the diagnosis. Recent research may provide hope for women and men.

Earlier this year, the Annals of Thoracic Surgery reported women live longer with mesothelioma than men, even when they took into account factors like age at the time of diagnosis, the stage in which patients were diagnosed, and the treatment they received.

Researchers from Mount Sinai Health System and the Department of Population Health at North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital reviewed the records of more than 14,200 mesothelioma patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2009. Twenty-two percent were women. They looked at factors that can impact treatment outcomes:

Age
Year of diagnosis
Race
Disease stage
Cancer-directed surgery
Radiation therapy
Vital stats (such as marriage status, number of children)

Overall, women with mesothelioma were found to live longer—as much as 13 percent longer. It’s logical to wonder if female hormones play a positive role in disease survival and if they hold a clue for future treatment, or if androgens contribute to mesothelioma’s rapid spread, as they do with prostate cancer.

Hormone Therapy is Linked to Longer-Term Survival of Lung Cancer Among Women

Another interesting discovery came from the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, which reported in March, that estrogen therapy significantly lengthened survival among women with non-small-cell lung cancer. Those who had progesterone added to their treatment lived even longer.

Researchers from Detroit’s Karmanos Cancer Institute reviewed records of 485 women they identified from the Metropolitan Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Registry. They gathered more information through interviews and other research. The women studied were treated between late 2001 and 2005.

Women who were treated with hormone therapy for 11 or more years had much better survival rates than those without, according to a summary published by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer:

Women who received estrogen lived for 80 months (6.6 years) versus 35 months (2.9 years) for those who had no hormone treatment.
Women who had progesterone and estrogen treatment lived 87 months (7.25 years).

“What has emerged from this study and other published findings is a complex relationship between hormone use and lung cancer outcomes, with variation based on years of use,” Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH, the lead author of the Thoracic Oncology article told IASLC. “There is more to learn about survival differences between men and women; hormone use may contribute to those differences.”

As with any serious disease, Dr. Schwartz also noted that, “The largest impact on lung cancer outcomes will come from successful early detection and treatment.”

Current Findings on Hormone Therapy for Men

Men with prostate cancer are often treated with androgen-suppressing drugs, which lowers the hormones that contribute to the cancer. Estrogens can suppress androgen, but they are rarely used because of their side effects on men, including increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Can androgen suppression play a role in treating mesothelioma? The National Cancer Institute sponsored research by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston that combined androgen suppression (hormone) therapy with docetaxel chemotherapy for prostate cancer patients. These patients lived eight months longer than those who didn’t have chemotherapy. Men in a more advanced stage of the disease showed the most positive results, according to an NCI press release.

“The results of this study are practice-changing,” said lead investigator Christopher Sweeney, M.B.B.S. “Perhaps this kind of therapy will benefit other diseases that predominantly affect men.”

Sources:

Annals of Thoracic Surgery
http://secure.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/action/cookieAbsent
National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/features/when-a-friend-has-cancer
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
https://www.iaslc.org/articles/hormone-therapy-linked-better-survival-after-lung-cancer-diagnosis-women
Journal of Thoracic Oncology
http://journals.lww.com/jto/Pages/default.aspx?PAPNotFound=true

Month: November 2014