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Posts with tag Cleveland
Posted Jul 24th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Daily news, Radiation
Tomorrow I report for one of my six-month radiation follow-ups. My radiation oncologist will review how I've fared for the past two years since my left breast was zapped, day after day, week after week, in an aggressive attempt to keep cancer from returning to the same local area where it first reared its ugly head. How horrified I would be if I learned the machines used to treat my cancer were faulty, that they did not in fact do anything aggressive, that they were essentially ineffective.
Hundreds of brain cancer patients may be hearing this horrific news, now that malfunctioning machines have been ordered shut down following a manufacturer's warning.
Brainlab of Munich, Germany claims a small targeting error occurred with their machines but that it is unlikely to cause problems for patients. If I were one of these patients, I would still be worried. Targeting the tumor bed area is crucial in any cancer treatment. I don't like the sound of "targeting error," regardless of how minor it may be.
Continue reading Brain cancer patients treated with faulty radiation machines
Posted Jun 5th 2007 9:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Chemotherapy, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Daily news, Sports
Former Green Bay, New England, and Cleveland football player Joe Andruzzi has just completed the first of a 12-step series of chemotherapy treatments for Burkitt's lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Andruzzi, married and dad to four children, was released by the Browns on May 2 so he and his family could move to New Jersey. Then last week, Andruzzi began experiencing abdominal pain and other symptoms. He consulted with the Browns' medical staff, underwent a colonoscopy, learned an abnormality was found, and then headed to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where he was diagnosed with Burkitt's.
The cure rate for Burkitt's -- a rapidly growing, rare form of cancer that strikes only 100 people in the United States each year -- is about 80 percent if patients receive intensive therapy, according to the National Cancer Institute. The other patient survival factor is the stage of the disease. Andruzzi's stage has not been publicly reported.
Continue reading NFL football player Joe Andruzzi treated for lymphoma
Posted May 10th 2007 6:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Products, Services, Daily news, Thought for the Day
My husband came up with this idea he thought I should pursue. Why not contact the makers of bras, he suggested, and encourage them to sew some kind of pink ribbon or inspirational message inside these undergarments so women are reminded of the importance of breast health every time they get dressed? Because I don't have enough time right now, I told him, thinking maybe one day when my two little boys are all grown up and I have time for myself I will focus my energy on some worthwhile cause.
A few days after my husband shared his brainstorm with me, I read about a woman who has spearheaded a project very similar to the one he was dreaming of. Great minds think alike.
Think about this:
Continue reading Thought for the Day: Sending bras of hope
Posted Mar 23rd 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Chemotherapy, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Daily news, Sports
University of North Carolina football coach Butch Davis recently received a shocking cancer diagnosis after a routine dental visit turned up a suspicious growth in his mouth. Pathology reports identify the cancer as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Davis, 55, has had the growth removed from his gum and while he received his first chemotherapy treatment last week, he's been told there is no indication the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.
Chemotherapy for Davis began at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio -- Davis coached the National Football League's Cleveland Browns from 2001-2004 -- but will continue at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill.
Davis says he is doing well, that his general health has never been better. And while fighting off cancer, he will work hard at preparing for the 2007 season.
"My family, my health and coaching this football team are my top priorities,'' Davis said. "I would appreciate and expect the focus to remain on the North Carolina football team."
The team opens the season on September 1 against James Madison University.
Posted Feb 28th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Research, Daily news
Early trials show a breath test for lung cancer detection may surface in the not-too-distant future. And it could be simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, and effective too.
The tests needs a good amount of work still, but if we keep our fingers crossed and medical researchers stay hot on the trail of this test, it just might be possible to one day spot lung cancer by simply breathing into a device for a few minutes.
The lung cancer breath test measures chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath. There's a certain pattern of VOCs associated with lung cancer, and they show up as colored dots across a quarter-sized panel.
The theory behind this test is great. The test itself is not perfect yet, however.
It's promising, though, says The Cleveland Clinic's Peter Mazzone, MD, MPH and colleagues who describe the test in the
Online First edition of the journal
Thorax and reveal the test correctly identified in studies three out of four people with lung cancer and detected lung cancer almost as frequently.
Posted Jul 24th 2006 8:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers
It does not surprise me that the
Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center is among the best in the nation -- with internationally recognized physicians -- because I have always known this hospital to be the one stop where all medical difficulties and mysteries might be best managed -- in Ohio anyway. Growing up just an hour away from this facility, I thought maybe this was just the best Ohio hospital and that people headed here when other area hospitals could not deliver the best care. But now I know that the
Cleveland Clinic is a destination for people from many states and countries.
U.S. News & World Reports names the Cleveland Clinic
one of the nation's top three hospitals, the clinic's heart program is ranked number one, it boasts a highly successful Children's Hospital, and cancer patients travel from all over the world for leading-edge cancer care at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center. There is even a Cleveland Clinic location in Florida. This hospital -- that I once believed was nothing more than a local healing place -- has quite a reach. And quite a reputation.
