ImClone Systems Inc.'s drug Erbitux has failed to help pancreatic cancer patients live longer. It's also failed to grow ImClone's market -- not surprising since it's the company's only drug.

Imclone, partnering with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., wanted to see Erbitux -- already cleared for use with colon, head, and neck cancers -- extend the lives of patients with cancer marked by a spread to the pancreas.

No one is giving up just yet, and Imclone plans additional tests on Erbitux's use in pancreatic cancer. A study using a combination of Erbitux and Avastin and chemotherapy is up next.

"There are reasons to think Erbitux works in pancreatic cancer, but the current results are not as dramatic as we hoped," said Alex Denner, lead for an executive committee that manages ImClone. "We remain committed to evaluating Erbitux in pancreatic cancer."

If approved, Erbitux will compete with Tarceva, sold by Roche Holding AG, Genentech Inc., and OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. as a treatment for pancreatic and lung cancers.

About 37,170 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to occur in 2007 in the United States. And 33,370 people will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers, and there is no screening option that works at catching the disease in its early stages.

Only about 5 percent of patients with pancreatic cancer are still alive five years after being diagnosed.

Kidney transplants can save lives. They can also increase the risk of developing a variety of cancers, according to Australian researchers who report a risk 300 percent higher than in the general population.

Most cancers developed in kidney transplant patients have a known or suspected viral origin, suggesting the weakened immune systems in these patients limit protection against cancer.

"The immunosuppressive drugs transplant patients take lower their ability to fight off infections that can trigger malignancy", the lead researcher said. "We believe the increased incidence of infection leads to the infection that results in cancer." She also notes there is probably an even greater risk of cancer among heart and lung transplant patients because these patients receive more powerful immunosuppressive drugs.

Researchers gathered their findings by comparing the incidence of cancer in 29,000 patients with end-stage kidney disease who received kidney transplants. Data was collected beginning five years prior to transplantation, during dialysis, and after transplantation. Researchers then consulted an Australian registry to identify cancers occurring between the years of 1982-2003. They compared the statistics with the number of cancers seen among transplant patients.

These cancers included melanoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia and cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth, salivary gland, esophagus, stomach, colon, anus, liver, gallbladder, lung, connective and other soft tissue, vulva, cervix, penis, eye and thyroid. There was also an increase in nasal cavity and vaginal cancers.

This study has important implications for future immosuppression. Patients should give considerable thought to quality-of-life transplants -- such as face transplants and hand transplants -- and should carefully weigh the risks of weakened immunity. On a brighter note, this study might help prompt research on medication that can selectively target the part of the body responsible for rejecting a transplant. Because right now, medications affect the entire immune system -- and this is what makes patients more prone to developing cancer.

It's not surprising marathon runners face an increased risk of skin cancer due to long-term sun exposure. What's surprising is that so many are not taking measures to protect themselves from the sun's damaging rays.

A team of Austrian researchers, all of them dermatologists, became interested in studying long-distance runners when they realized they had collectively treated eight ultra-marathon runners with malignant skin cancer over a period of 10 years. All researchers are themselves enthusiastic runners, and two of them participate in marathons. The topic was near and dear to their hearts.

Research was conducted on white runners, so it is unclear if the findings -- listed below -- apply to black runners.

• Only 56 percent of runners in the study reported wearing sunscreen. Most were unaware of the increased risk to their skin -- and even the running researchers report it is good to be reminded to wear the right gear and regularly use sunscreen

• Many runners race with a lot of skin exposed. And sometimes training clothing covers different areas than racing clothing. Shoulders that are covered during training may be exposed during the long hours of a marathon. During triathlons, most wear a bathing suit for the duration of the event, leaving most skin susceptible to burning. Runners can lower their risk by training during morning and evening hours and wearing water-resistant sunscreen. They can wear clothing made of new fabrics that screen harmful ultraviolet rays.

• It's possible that endurance athletes may have suppressed immune systems caused by repeated tissue damage, leaving them more vulnerable to skin cancer.

While some marathon runners take pride in a bronzed skin -- proof they are running in the elements -- researchers hope runners will consider the risk they face. In some races, volunteers offer to quickly apple sunscreen on athletes who don't want to lose precious seconds as they race for the finish line. It's a start.

Chemotherapy can upset the digestive system. It can cause nausea and vomiting -- although I never did throw up during my own chemotherapy, thanks to medication for these side effects. Chemotherapy can diminish overall feelings of wellness and can cause sore gums and mouth sores and dry mouths. Clearly, chemotherapy can ruin an appetite.

But patients receiving chemotherapy need to eat. And they need to drink. They need to maintain nutrition and energy and strength during a physically taxing time. And so the challenge facing many entrenched in chemotherapy is how to eat when the act of chewing, swallowing, and digesting food is so completely unappetizing.

Barbara Curtis shares in a chapter of Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul a recipe that made a difference for her sister during her worst days of chemotherapy.

Her recipe -- for chemo popsicles -- includes essential ingredients. Fruit and tofu provide phytochemicals, protein, and liquids for depleted bodies. The cool popsicle soothes sore mouths and settles stomachs. And the ease of putting together this simple snack is nothing short of tempting.

My advice -- save this recipe. And savor it too.

Chemo Popsicles

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, one 8-ounce glass
Frozen mangoes, 1/4 package, or 1 cup frozen berries
1/4 square tofu, medium firmness
One banana
Add passionfruit juice or other fruit juices for flavor

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend to liquify. Add more juice if mixture is too thick -- it should be as thick as a smoothie. Pour blended mixture into Tupperware or plastic popsicle molds and freeze.

I heard a man interviewed on the news the other night who said the side effects of chemotherapy make him feel so poorly, so unlike he once felt. Recently, however, he discovered a remedy that makes him feel better, more like he did before chemotherapy took its toll on his well-being. His remedy -- reflexology.

Reflexology does not erase the side effects of chemotherapy, but it can provide relief for patients whose lives are altered by chemotherapy-induced nausea, pain, fatigue, and anxiety.

Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the application of pressure, stretch, and movement to the feet and hands in order to break up patterns of stress in corresponding parts of the body. There are many theories about how this practice actually works -- one is that applied pressure signals the nervous system to initiate changes in the brain which promotes inner balance. Still, all theories operate according to the belief that reflexology reduces stress and anxiety and lessens overall wear and tear on the body systems. And many medical professionals are incorporating this therapy into their cancer care programs.

Some doctors are not so quick to embrace this complementary therapy that has no real scientific backing. They believe reflexology is nothing more than a pseudoscience, offering the same benefits as massage.

The enthusiastic man I watched on the news is not concerned with popular opinion on the zone therapy he receives on his feet. It makes him feel better -- and that's all that concerns him.

The overall cure rate for the 20,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year is more than 75 percent. Sounds good -- especially when 50 years ago, most children diagnosed with cancer died. But considering that only one in three childhood cancer survivors remain healthy, perhaps this is not such good news.

Thirty years after diagnosis, about 40 percent of survivors have a serious health problem and one-third have multiple problems. Strokes, heart disease, and kidney failure are just a few of the major health concerns that plague many survivors who have entered adulthood.

Doctors have long known that cancer treatments can cause new cancers later in life. But the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study -- the largest ever childhood study of its kind -- shows there are other long-term health problems. Researchers studied 10,000 survivors -- past studies examined 200-300 survivors -- and found these survivors were eight times as likely as their siblings to develop severe and life-threatening conditions. They found survivors of bone tumors, nerve and brain cancer, and Hodgkin's disease faced the highest risk.

The source of these later-in-life health problems vary. Kidney failure may result from damage caused by chemotherapy or radiation or the infections children suffer when their immune systems are weakened. Drugs used to treat infections may also be to blame. Strokes may result from head and chest radiation.

Cancer treatment for people of all ages comes with a price. We buy time, we buy life in exchange for the unknown. But for children -- who stand to live longer than adults -- there is a greater unknown. Sadly, there is a dark side to surviving cancer.

I have made on-line visits to Wikipedia many times -- mostly for information on cancer. And what I've found are endless resources, thoroughly-covered topics, and material that is easy to read and easy to understand. Wikipedia, a free on-line encyclopedia -- where readers can participate in editing and changing content -- offers information on just about any topic you can imagine. And here are seven stops you might make in pursuit of cancer-related material.

Olympic rower Andrew Sudduth, who rowed on eight national and Olympics teams in the 1980s, won four medals at the World Rowing Championships, and was a five-time winner in singles sculling at the Head of the Charles regatta, has died of pancreatic cancer.

At Cisco Systems, he helped develop server technology.

"He was technically one of the most brilliant people I ever worked with," said Brian Shorey, a friend who was Sudduth's boss at Cisco Systems Inc., where he worked until recently. "His mind went a mile a minute and it was tough to keep up with him."

In 1988, Sudduth was the first to notify the world that a computer virus was sweeping the fledgling internet. He was 44.