Cancer Treatment Looks Promising

That's pretty awesome. There's been a lot in the news about possible Cancer treatment breakthroughs. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3407375/Protein-HANDBRAKE-halts-leukaemia-tracks-Eradicating-key-molecule-stops-spread-cancer-cells-pave-way-cure.html

They always sound promising. If they didn't there would not be a press release.

This sounds similar to the Keytruda treatment President Carter got. Far too often the media warps these "cures" into false hopes. The few times a report attempts to be a well balanced report the need for sensationalism to get noticed still lingers.

My mother in law was scheduled to have this a couple years ago, but unfortunately was physically unable. There is parallel to chemo in that your body has to be able to cope with the stress- as I understand it viruses are involved in the gene slicing to create the desired vectors, and to cause the body to replicate them in new T cells. Getting the right combination without having an excessive reaction by the patients' system to the alterations seems to be a key.

Yes indeed this seems to be a problem yet to be sorted....

Back in 1973, my aunt and uncle both had lung cancer and even though they were given chemo and radiation, they passed away. I was a kid back then and I remember things were so bad that my sisters and I weren't allowed to see either of them - we had to wait in the visitors room.

Fast forward to 2002, my better half was diagnosed with a very aggressive Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was Stage 4 and it was spreading throughout her body. Her oncologist told me that the first month would determine whether it would be okay. She was put on a cocktail of four chemicals (CHOP) and luckily the tumor liked it and gobbled it up. The other worry was that they couldn't kill it too fast or the dead cells would clog up her system. By the third chemo treatment, she had become very weak and deadly sick - I don't know how she kept going. After six treatments, she was given a clean bill of health, but since NHL has a high recurrence rate, they put her on a monoclonal antibody for two years. It's been 14 years since she was diagnosed and she's cancer-free!

I am intrigued by this "new" treatment. It took a very ingenious person(s) to come up with this treatment. 33 of 35 is a great response, but more studies are needed to prove the effectiveness. It's a wonderful start and gives new hope!

Let's all hope it works. Two of my co-workers lost their wives recently, and my son's father-in-law also was lost to cancer within the last year.

On the plus side, former NFL qb Jim Kelly appears to have beaten it.

So do we still have a "money gives you a better chance" situation with this disease?