Sunscreen Savvy Labeling Stalls
Being safe in the sun is an important aspect of summertime health. This may be even more true for those of you who have undergone treatment for a blood or marrow cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma. Chemo and radiation therapy make your skin even more susceptible to damage from the sun, so using proper sun protection is necessary.
Last summer, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new guidelines for sunscreen labelling that would help consumers be more sun safe, but it will just have to wait.
New rules were supposed to go into effect this June that would force sunscreen companies to indicate whether or not their product was effective against UVB rays (the kind that cause more superficial skin damage), UVA rays (causing deeper and more serious skin damage) or both. The new rules would also require companies to change their labelling from "sweat- or water- proof" to "sweat- or water- resistant" and indicate how often to reapply the sunscreen product. In short, the guidelines would make it easier for us to know exactly how much protection we are getting from any bottle of sunscreen.
However, in response to a number of sunscreen manufacturer's complaints that they were unable to meet the June 2012 deadline, the FDA has decided to allow them 6 more months to get their product up to snuff. So, you will just have to take your sun safety into your own hands this summer.
Here are some tips:
Long Term Lenalidomide Improves Myeloma Outcomes
A new study that has come out today in The New England Journal of Medicine has shown positive results in the treatment of myeloma.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina set out to discover a way to prolong progression free survival in myeloma patients who have received an autologous stem cell transplant. Autologous stem cell transplant is a treatment option for many individuals with myeloma, and while it is an effective therapy, it is not curative. The disease will continue to progress over time.
The phase three clinical trial investigated the use of lenalidomide, an oral medication to help improve these outcomes. They discovered that lenalidomide following transplant increased the likelihood of surviving three years without disease progression to 59%. Very promising when compared to the placebo group in which only 35% could say the same.
Lenalidomide may be taken long term, for months or even years to help control myeloma. Taking it may increase the risk of developing a second cancer, but it is otherwise well tolerated.
Let's Hear it for the Nurses!
May is Oncology Nurses Month, and the second week is Nurses Week- three cheers for nurses!
Nurses are probably the most visible and accessible members of your healthcare team. They are able to provide you with information, support, resources, advice, physical and emotional care, as well as †he day-to-day nursing tasks of dressing changes and chemo administration.
A nurse is a nurse, right? Well, maybe. But there are a lot of different types of nurses!
Nurses are a critical part of your cancer care. This May, give one a hug and help him or her celebrate being a nurse!!
Highlights from April 2012
It's easy to miss the newest happenings on Lymphoma.About.com!
Here is what's new on the site for April 2012:
Antidepressant May be The Missing Link in AML Therapy
Some research being done at The Institute of Cancer Research in the UK may have found a missing piece to the acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) puzzle. An antidepressant called tranylcypromine (TCP).
The research has focused on all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) which has made acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL, a subtype of AML) a highly treatable cancer. ATRA, while extremely effective at treating this one subtype has not shown success in treating other types of AML.
ATRA works by forcing the leukemia cells to mature and die off naturally. Previous research has shown that the reason why other types of AML do not respond is because there is a molecular block, or a switch in the cancer cell's genetics which prevent it from being sensitive to the effects of ATRA. Scientists then began looking for the key to unlock the block, and now they may have found it.
The missing link may be TCP. The researchers found that TCP inhibits an enzyme which would switch the blocked genes on again, making them sensitive to the effects of ATRA.
This would provide a fairly low cost, effective therapy for AML with relatively few side effects.
Phase II clinical trials are now underway in Germany to test the new drug combination in AML patients.
Stay tuned!
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Now that the beautiful Spring weather is here, you might be eagerly looking forward to getting your flower beds cleaned up and ready for flowers and veggies! Gardening is a wonderful, relaxing activity, but is it right for you?
If you have just received treatment and are living with low white blood cell counts, you should probably hold off for now. A lowered immune system puts you at an increased risk of developing an infection from the bacteria and fungus in the soil. Even raking, mulching, and turning the soils over can cause harmful substances to be released into the air where you can breathe them in.
If it has been a while since you received treatment and your blood cell counts have recovered, it is probably okay to do a bit of digging. Be sure to wear gloves while gardening and to wash your hands thoroughly when you are done.
If you have a question about what activities are safe for your immune system, be sure to ask your healthcare team.
Too Soon to be Excited?
Cancer vaccines are the kind of things that folks like us dream about, but they may soon become a reality.
A number of research centres are working on cancer vaccines that target a molecule called MUC1, which is found on the cell surface of about 90% of cancers, according to a recent article in The Telegraph. The vaccine would help to kill cancer cells by causing the patient's own immune system to recognize the cancer and destroy it.
Cancer vaccines are different than how we traditionally think of vaccination. They are not used to prevent cancer from occurring, but they are given as a form of therapy after a person has been diagnosed.
One such MUC1 targeted vaccine, called ImMucin, has been developed by Vaxil Biotherapeutics and is currently undergoing very early trials. In one study of the vaccine, 10 myeloma patients received the therapy. Vaxil Biotherapeutics states that after 7 patients have completed the trial, all have shown greater immunity against the myeloma cells, and 3 have no detectable signs of cancer.
Researchers predict that if the product shows continued positive results, it could be available as soon as 6 years from now.
Is it too soon to get excited? Yes. Large research studies and trials are needed to confirm the safety and success of these vaccines. But it sure is hard not to.
An Interesting Perspective on Transplant Law
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I have been closely following the US Court of Appeals ruling regarding compensation for stem cell donors. This ruling allows peripheral blood stem cells donors to be exceptions to the National Organ Transplant Law which prohibits being paid for organ donation. The appeal comes after lobbyists and an organization called MoreMarrowDonors.org called for the change in hopes of attracting more people to join the National Marrow Registry and ultimately increase the number of lives saved by stem cell transplant by offering donors scholarships and housing allowances.
This week I have come across a fascinating perspective on this topic, and it comes from a seemingly unlikely source. Michael Boo, the chief strategy officer for the National Marrow Donor Program, has written an article in the US News that actually speaks against the appeal. Mr. Boo explains how the Organ Transplant Act was put in place to protect both donors and recipients. He indicates that potentials donors who are doing so because they really need the money or financial benefits may not be as candid with their health history during the screening process. Details left out or falsified may put transplant patients at risk.
In addition, Mr. Boo clarifies that the older stem cell extraction method using actual bone marrow retrieval from the donor's pelvis would still be covered under the Act and therefore, those donors would not be eligible for compensation. He indicates that some patients would have better outcomes with the more traditional retrieval method. If only peripheral blood stem cell donors receive compensation, there is concern that potential donors would sooner choose that method over the method that may be most beneficial to the patient.
Instead, Mr. Boo suggests that the funds be used to help pay for required pre-donation genetic testing, as well as to help uninsured people who need a transplant to pay for the procedure.
Where do you stand on this issue? Speak Up: Marrow for Money?
Get Up To Date:
FDA Takes Steps Against Cancer Drug Shortage
If your treatment has been affected by a cancer drug shortage, you are not alone.
Two common drugs used to treat blood and marrow cancers, methotrexate and liposomal doxorubicin, in dangerously low supply or not available at all over the past few months. As a result of these, and other such drug shortages, physicians state that many patients are receiving delayed or substandard cancer therapy. In some cases, recurrence of cancer and early death have been noted.
In response, the FDA has recently begun to allow the import of methotrexate and liposomal doxorubicin to help ease the strain of the shortages. But what about the future, and what can you do if a medication you need is in shortage?
Sunny Days Are Here Again
For those of you that live in the south, this news will old news. But, I was quite surprised after my husband and I took our kids to the zoo this past week and I noticed my cheeks were a bit red from the sun when I got home! It is still quite cool here, there aren't any leaves on the trees yet, but I know that Spring is in the air and the rays of the sun are getting stronger.
This week was a little reminder to myself that even though it doesn't feel hot out, the risk of sun exposure and skin damage is still there.