Nilotinib is an investigational drug that targets the same protein as Gleevec, but through a different mechanism. Nilotinib, according to results recently presented at the 2006 meeting of the American Society of Hematology, is effective and well tolerated in patients with chronic-phase myeloid leukemia (CML) who do not respond to or cannot tolerate Gleevec.

In the past the only curative treatment for CML was a stem cell transplant. Researchers are focused on finding curative therapies that do not involve so much of a mortality risk and are more easily tolerated. A study was conducted to further evaluate the treatment with nilotinib in patients with CML who have stopped responding to Gleevec. Results of the study indicate that nilotinib was effective.

Since 1988, Wendy Chioji has been a reporter and anchorwoman for WESH 2 News in Orlando, Florida. She has covered news ranging from the pope's visit to Cuba in 1998 to the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. She continuously covered last year's hurricanes, and she has an Emmy award under her belt for a special news report on heroin use.

Wendy is a top notch athlete. She has run five marathons and competed in several triathlons and half-ironman races. She has ridden in parts of several stages of the Tour de France, and traveled across the country with Lance Armstrong in 2003 -- covering 550 miles -- with the Tour of Hope event to raise awareness for cancer research. Wendy has also made a tour with stage II breast cancer. Since 2001, she has been surviving this disease.

Her diagnosis came at the same time as mine -- in November 2004, just after her husband, John Edwards, and John Kerry lost the presidential election. She received the same treatment as I did -- lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation -- and so I was especially interested in her breast cancer journey as it paralleled my own in many ways. But just after her diagnosis surfaced in the media, Elizabeth Edwards disappeared from the radar -- perhaps like we all do in some way while immersed in the maze of cancer. So I lost track of her. But now -- almost two years later -- Edwards is back from cancer, back in the headlines, and back with a new book, Saving Grace.

Edwards, 57, reveals on the pages of her book the intricacies of her cancer ordeal. She shares that she experienced every side effect possible throughout her treatment. She bruised, bled, developed sores in her mouth, experienced numbness in her hands and feet, lost her hair, felt nauseated, ached in her bones and joints, and suffered yellowed and damaged nails -- and then chemotherapy stopped and she went on to the burning, blistering effects of radiation. Still, she managed to survive. And she thanks those who helped her survive -- for their tenderness, encouragement, humor, tears, and love -- and she writes all about it in her memoir that reveals how she juggled life and marriage and kids and cancer and how she arrived in a new place. A happy place.

Marisa Acocella Marchetto is a self-proclaimed "shoe-crazy, lipstick-obsessed, wine-swilling, pasta-slurping, fashion-fanatic, single-forever, about-to-get-married big-city girl cartoonist with a fabulous life." Until she receives a breast cancer diagnosis and her world is turned upside down. But with grace and style and a bit of wild spunk, Marchetto takes on 11 months of treatment -- often attending chemotherapy appointments in rainbow pumps -- and she emerges victorious. This fun-loving Manhattan girl is no cancer victim -- she is a cancer vixen.

Cancer Vixen: A True Story is Marchetto's story -- a powerful comic-book memoir of one woman, a cartoonist for The New Yorker and Glamour, who at the age of 43 encounters the dreaded depths of breast cancer. A woman who cartoons her way through personal crisis. A woman who marries her prince charming. A woman who is now living happily ever after.

Evelyn H. Lauder, Founder and Chairman of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, says "Marisa's willingness to share her experiences in such an honest, personal way is an incredible inspiration -- whether you have experienced breast cancer or love someone who has endured its many challenges."

Cancer Vixen is a must read. And for a must-see teaser that will keep you wanting more, click here.

Health care coverage for working Americans is like a brittle tree in a hard wind -- and the larger limbs are beginning to snap. Between the years 2000 to 2005, 6.8 million more people became uninsured according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. Current data estimates 46.6 million people are without health insurance coverage. As employer-based health insurance continues to fade, government programs are taking up the slack -- up to a point. But given the lack of funding, there is only so much that can be offered.

In a statement issued by the Center for American Progress, "These problems did not just happen: they resulted from flawed economic and health policies which force Americans to work more for less. When it returns after Labor Day, this Congress should act to mitigate these problems by passing a straightforward minimum wage increase and extend health funding for programs like the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Moreover, policy makers should recognize the need for major change, such as providing affordable health care to all Americans and taking action to address growing income inequality."

Some are calling for a government-based universal health care system that guarantees health care coverage for all Americans. Others are suggesting a mix of private and public health care coverage. What ever the solution, there certainly needs to be one.

We can start with a shift in perspective and change in expectation. If you are working full-time for a company, presumably your efforts are helping that company make a profit. Health insurance coverage should not be viewed as a luxury benefit, nor should the largest burden of health insurance premiums be shouldered by the employee whose earnings just meet living expenses. Yet, this is happening every day in this country. The hard wind continues to batter the brittle tree.

Personally, I am not sold on a government-run, government-backed universal health plan simply because I have covered too many horror stories about rationed care in other industrialized countries. It seems a combination of programs might be the solution but the government and our elected officials certainly need to be held accountable for implementing programs that insure all Americans.

American Public Health Association Georges Benjamin is quoted by United Press International as saying, ""This is the worst news we've had all year. Our nation is not secure if we're not healthy."

After my breast cancer diagnosis, I received endless offers from friends and family who offered to help me. I was offered meals, babysitting, errands, escorts to appointments, and two faraway friends even told me they would hop on a plane in an instant to come stay with me. I accepted a tiny bit of help -- like a meal here and there and a morning of babysitting -- but I really did not want much assistance. Mostly because I am do-it-myself type of person and however unhealthy this can be -- especially in the midst of a health crisis -- I wanted my life to remain as normal as possible. And if that meant taking care of my kids, despite nausea and fatigue, I wanted to do it. I wanted to be the one in the driver's seat on my way to treatments and procedures. And I wanted to run my own errands. Part of me believed that accepting help meant I was really sick. And I couldn't admit that. Yet it was true. I was sick. I needed help.

And I need help now too -- while I am healthy and strong and able to do everything for myself. And maybe that's why I am able to ask for it -- because it doesn't require my confession that something in my life is not alright. And actually, asking for this type of help helps me express that I am really okay, that I am able to use my health to help others.

Roy Thayers has experienced death up close, as he was caregiver for his first wife as she battled cancer -- he knows what it is like to watch someone fight for their life -- and he was there when she lost her life to cancer.

Thayers, who at the age of 77 lives alone, was recently told by his doctors that he was at risk for a fatal heart attack and might lose his life if he didn't undergo heart surgery to unblock the heart valves immediately.

The problem of avoiding death and living longer became a matter of time and money. When the NHS put Thayers on a nine-month waiting list for heart surgery, he worried he might not have that long to wait -- considering the urgency with which the doctors had impressed upon him concerning the imminent threat of a fatal heart attack without surgery. He was told he could have the surgery immediately if he paid for it himself.

Cancer go away.

The news is not good today. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, and there seem to be so many of us now, it does not diminish the initial response when you find out someone else has cancer. The news is still a shock to the spirit, a moment where the breath catches and pauses out of rythmn, and the heart drops into another pool of sadness. As a cancer survivor, you know what is to come for the newly diagnosed, not just the physical, but the mental, the emotional and the spiritual effects for the cancer patient and those who love them.

Cancer. I hate this disease.

You have just learned you have cancer, and I am surviving cancer. With all my heart, I want you to survive cancer too. I walk back through my mind, retracing my footsteps from the day of my cancer diagnosis to this, remembering all the things I did that might have tipped the scales in favor of my living and not dying. I cannot say I know the one thing that it might have been, or the combination of things I might have done, so I want to remember it all. I want to share all of it with you. I want you to be able to tip the scales in favor of life and not death too.

Here is how I approached my diagnosis of cancer, these are the perspectives I held and the steps I took during my cancer treatments and healing. Maybe there is something in all of it that matters, that made a difference, that if you know too, will help you in your healing too.

From the Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute comes the results of a study ... No, wait. I'll start again. Baby boomers are aging. The largest percentage of cancer diagnosis occurs in the older population. When it comes to cancer, it is a true and unavoidable fact that the older one gets, the greater the risk for developing cancer.

One day, with continued advancements in prevention and research, that fact might change. But for now, that is where we are in the reality of cancer risks. The baby boomers, a generation born between 1946 and 1960, are reaching, in mass, people of a certain age. Old age. Don't say that to them. Baby boomers decided, upon reaching 40, that 40 was the new 30, and 50 was the new 40. But you can't fool mother nature, and like it or not, we are all getting older. The first baby boomers turn 60 this year.

Which brings me to the point of the isn't it obvious study from the Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute.

With the healthcare system in crisis now -- with public and private providers scrambling to figure out how to pay for all the cancer treatments needed for all the patients who have been diagnosed with cancer now -- what is the future of healthcare going to look like, say in ten more years, as significant numbers of baby boomers continue to age and more get sick from age-related life-threatening diseases -- specifically cancer?

When it comes to baby boomers, it is difficult to predict. Since coming of age in the 1960s, they have influenced the cultural landscape as no other generation. They are, as a whole, innovatively affluent, and have in subtle ways, already begun to change the healthcare system. An example is the marketing hospitals do to attract baby boomers as patients with amenities unimagined in previous decades. Some hospitals now serve wine with the hospital meal.

Baby boomers are the premiere paradigm shifters. If there is no change in the current system, we are in terrible trouble in the next ten years. It will be interesting to watch how the baby boomers decide to define and shape the approach to health issues that old age brings. 

Disclaimer: The Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute is an imaginary facility that does not conduct research because it doesn't exist in real life.

Two years ago, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Shortly after he began radiation and hormone treatment for his cancer, I got an interesting call from him. He was suddenly experiencing symptoms normally associated with menopause -- in particular -- he was having hot flashes. He knew I had been suffering through hot flashes as a result of chemo-induced menopause. It's an interesting, if not unusual, father-daughter bonding when they both can share the trials and tribulations of menopause. Our telephone calls became conversations of possible solutions and relief during the sleeping and waking hours of a personal summer not in sync with the seasonal temperature outside. In the middle of winter, I joked my hot flashes were saving me money on my home heating bill.

Yesterday, Vicki posted tropical vacations and hot flashes, in which she shared a few natural herbal remedies for women suffering from hot flashes associated with menopause. For many women breast cancer survivors, chemo-induced menopause is a real problem. Today, I will share some of the natural remedies for men suffering from hot flashes associated with prostate cancer treatment and male menopause. Yes, it's a real condition. Jed Diamond, author of Male Menopause, offers these herbals as possible relief from male menopausal hot flashes:

• Wild Yam for hormone building assistance.
• Black cohosh for a relaxant and normalizer.
• Damiana as a prostate tonic, antidepressant and nutrient for sluggish sexual organs.
• St. John's Wort and Oat for nerve tonics to help deal with any depression and other stress due to the changes.
• Saw Palmetto for a reproductive system nutrient.
  

Of course, if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you need to speak with your oncologist and primary care physician concerning the safety of combining herbs with any drug treatment you are currently prescribed. In addition, the Mayo Clinic did research that suggested antidepressants can alleviate the severity of hot flashes for men. My father has reported some relief from both herbs and antidepressants, but he still has a personal summer now and then.

The costs of medical care are skyrocketing. Governments are grappling with the rising costs in how to provide healthcare and cancer patients are struggling to get the care they need. Where is the unfolding national and global healthcare crisis headed and what will our healthcare look like in the future?

According to the World Bank, the healthcare gap between rich and poor countries remains steady and warns the trend is likely to continue without some type of fundamental change in how we care for people in less-prosperous countries. Jean-Louis Sarbib, vice president for the World Bank's division that produced the new report, is quoted as saying, "This inequity has tremendous consequences for the health of the world's poor." It is predicted that the world's population is expected to grow from 6 billion today to a projected 7.5 billion by 2020, with most of the growth expected to be in developing countries.

What is hanging so toxic in the air? According to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, benzene from cars and trucks that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Other toxins causing higher risks for cancer where air pollution is the worst are naphthalene and acetaldehyde -- also from vehicles.

Autoblog, one of our sister blogs, has launched AutoblogGreen, which will feature posts on living an eco-friendly lifestyle in all things auto-related in green car culture. They will be keeping a close ear to the ground and fingers to the keyboard to give readers an up-to-the-minute accounting on the auto industry's efforts to create transportation that is fuel-efficient and cleaner for the environment.

From our perspective here at The Cancer Blog, transportation going green means a giant step towards a cancer prevention environment. From air pollution to alternative fuels, check AutoblogGreen out! It's a very cool, forward-thinking blog.

Michael Tanner, director of health and welfare studies at Cato's Project on Social Security Choice, in Conquering Cancer with Private Medicine, is defending the "much-maligned U.S. free-market health care system" by pointing out that the very system everyone loves to hate may be one of the reasons for declining lung, colorectal, prostate and female breast cancer deaths in the United States.

Comparing it to rationed care, which is what universal health systems do, and the resulting denial of certain treatments and long wait times for treatment that result, private health care has no limits. The most advanced treatments are accessible to those who have private health insurance, leading to more saved lives. Tanner illustrates his position by comparing cancer survival rates in a private insurance system to the rationed and delayed universal health care system with the following statistics:

"Less than one out of five American men with prostate cancer will die from it, but 57 percent of British men and nearly half of French and German men will. Similar results can be found for other forms of cancer. For instance, just 30 percent of U.S. citizens diagnosed with colon cancer die from it, compared to 74 percent in Britain, 62 percent in New Zealand, 58 percent in France, 57 percent in Germany, 53 percent in Australia, and 36 percent in Canada."

Private health care is not without its flaws. Universal health care certainly has its flaws. There is an argument to be made in favor of each system, and against both health care systems. Until we can design a health care system that offers the best of both systems, we will save a life and, at the same time fail someone, who needed a better plan.