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• Total Posts: 282
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Welcome to the Cancer Health Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people who have any type of cancer, their friends and family and others with questions about living with cancer. Check in frequently to read what others have to say, post your comments, and hopefully learn more about how you can reach your own health goals.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

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1

Living with Breast Cancer / Celebrity Cook Sandra Lee on Intentional Weight Gain After Breast Cancer

« on: May 05, 2020, 02:00:46 pm »

When Sandra Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in 2015, the stress of it caused her to lose weight. But the celebrity cook decided to gain back the weight, according to Today.com.

“I gained weight on purpose,” said the 53-year-old, who is in remission. “I actually worked at it with my doctor as I was borderline underweight.” She gained 10 pounds, including muscle she put on as result of exercise, and feels and looks great.

Lee was recently named one of People magazine’s “Most Beautiful” honorees. “Loving your body and yourself is super important,” she said. “Our bodies are a gift and our lives are a gift and they’re both to be cherished every single day.”

Read more...
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/celebrity-cook-sandra-lee-intentional-weight-gain-breast-cancer

2

Insurance, Financial Support and Paying for Care / Health Insurance Coverage Disruptions Affect Cancer Care and Survival

« on: May 05, 2020, 01:59:31 pm »

A new study finds disruptions in health insurance coverage are common in the United States and are associated with poorer cancer care and survival. The study appears in JNCI: The Journal of the National Cancer institute.

For years, experts have known that lack of health insurance coverage is associated with poor access and receipt of cancer care and survival in the United States. Meanwhile, disruptions in coverage are common among low-income populations and little is known how these disruptions can affect cancer care, from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment and survival.

Disruptions can be caused by gaps in coverage, or transitions between types of coverage (e.g., public and private) or between specific health insurance plans.

Read more...
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/health-insurance-coverage-disruptions-affect-cancer-care-survival

3

Off Topic Forum / MOVED: What People With Cancer Need to Know About the New Coronavirus

« on: March 25, 2020, 09:39:22 am »

This topic has been moved to Cancer and Coronavirus COVID-19.

https://forums.cancerhealth.com/index.php?topic=153.0

4

Cancer and Coronavirus COVID-19 / Re: What People With Cancer Need to Know About the New Coronavirus

« on: March 14, 2020, 05:59:14 pm »

The news is coming fast. To follow all Cancer Health's #coronavirus coverage watch here...

https://www.cancerhealth.com/tag/coronavirus

5

Living with Lung Cancer / Re: favorite uncle diagnosed with lung cancer

« on: December 10, 2019, 04:25:33 pm »

So sorry to hear about your uncle. Hopefully the heart attack helped discover the lung cancer early which increase his chances of beating it as often lung cancer isn't discovered until late in the process.

And yes, your uncle is likely to be referred to an oncologist once he is healthy enough to travel.

Here's a couple of places to start to get yourself up to speed on what he is going to go through.

Newly Diagnosed? Start Here
https://www.cancerhealth.com/basics/health-basics/newly-diagnosed-start-here

Lung Cancer 101
https://www.cancerhealth.com/basics/health-basics/lung-cancer

Best wishes to you and your uncle and please keep us updated on his progress.

6

Off Topic Forum / Prefer talking on Facebook?

« on: December 04, 2019, 02:14:36 pm »

Check out our new Facebook Group "The Future of Cancer Care"

A place where people affected by cancer can learn about new treatments and care options, including those related to quality of life issues.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/505073780335447/

7

Living with Skin Cancer / Re: are freckles/spots on your feet a sign of cancer?

« on: December 03, 2019, 02:12:53 pm »

I'm not a medical professional but I do have lots of freckles including on my feet. My dermatologist looks at all of them with the same intensity. It's never been mentioned as a hot spot for worry.

The biggest issue they always mention is to watch for something that changes in anyway. Gets bigger, redder, etc...
 

8

Cancer Research News & Studies / ASCO 2019: News From the World’s Biggest Cancer Conference

« on: June 07, 2019, 09:39:17 am »

Cancer Health was in Chicago for ASCO 2019, a big cancer doctor gathering held in June every year. Read all our coverage from Editor in Chief Bob Barnett and Science Editor Liz Highleyman here...

https://www.cancerhealth.com/tag/asco-2019

9

Living with Liver Cancer / Checkpoint Immunotherapies Show Promise for Liver Cancer

« on: June 07, 2019, 09:34:54 am »

This news came out of ASCO, a big cancer doctor gathering in Chicago held in June every year. Here's some of Cancer Health's coverage of the news.

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The PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) offered improved response rates for people with advanced liver cancer, although survival improvements did not meet statistical thresholds, according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting this week in Chicago. Another study showed that pairing Opdivo (nivolumab) with a different type of immunotherapy improved outcomes considerably.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of cancer that originates in the liver, is often detected late and is difficult to treat. Liver cancer generally does not respond well to traditional chemotherapy. Keytruda and Opdivo, as well as a handful of targeted therapies that interfere with cell growth and blood vessel development, have recently been approved to treat this cancer.

Keytruda and Opdivo are PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors that help the immune system fight cancer. PD-1, a checkpoint protein on T cells, helps regulate immune function. Some tumors can hijack PD-1 to turn off immune responses against them. Drugs that block the interaction between PD-1 and its binding partner, known as PD-L1, can release the brakes and restore T-cell activity. Yervoy is a different type of checkpoint inhibitor that blocks CTLA-4, which turns off immune responses by suppressing T-cell replication.

Read more...
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/checkpoint-immunotherapies-liver-cancer

10

Living with Colon Cancer / An experimental therapy shows promise for colon cancer

« on: June 07, 2019, 09:32:41 am »

This news came out of ASCO, a big cancer doctor gathering in Chicago held in June every year. Here's some of Cancer Health's coverage of the news.

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An experimental therapy designed to target mutated KRAS proteins showed good activity in a small Phase I study of people with lung cancer, colon cancer and other solid tumors, researchers reported this week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.

If these results are confirmed in larger trials, this could be good news for patients because KRAS mutations occur more frequently in lung tumors than other mutations—such as ALK, BRAF and EGFR—targeted by existing drugs. Likewise, only a small proportion of colorectal cancer is targetable by existing medications.

Researchers have identified several so-called driver mutations that contribute to the development of cancer. Mutations involving KRAS, a signaling protein that regulates cell multiplication, are the most common genetic variations in lung cancer. But to date, no medications have been able to successfully target these mutations.

“KRAS has been a target of active exploration in cancer research since it was identified as one of the first oncogenes more than 30 years ago, but it remained undruggable due to a lack of traditional small molecule binding pockets on the protein,” David Reese, MD, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen, said in a company press release. “AMG 510 seeks to crack the KRAS code by exploiting a previously hidden groove on the protein surface.”

Read more...
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/first-kras-targeted-therapy-shows-promise-lung-colon-cancer

11

Living with Lung Cancer / Keytruda shatters stats on lung cancer long-term survival

« on: June 07, 2019, 09:28:57 am »

This news came out of ASCO, a big cancer doctor gathering in Chicago held in June every year. Here's some of Cancer Health's coverage of the news.

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The checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) continues to be a safe and effective treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), leading to an improvement in overall survival at five years, according to long-term follow-up data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.

In the KEYNOTE-001 study, which began enrollment at the dawn of the immunotherapy era, nearly a quarter of people who had not previously been treated with chemotherapy and about 15% of treatment-experienced patients were still alive five years later, reported Edward Garon, MD, of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles. In contrast, people treated with chemotherapy historically had a five-year survival rate of around 5% before the arrival of immunotherapy.

“The uniformly negative outlook that has been associated with a diagnosis of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is certainly no longer appropriate,” Garon said. “The fact that we have patients on this trial that are still alive after seven years is quite remarkable. We also have evidence that most patients who are doing well after two years on pembrolizumab live for five years or more.”

Read more...
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/keytruda-5-year-survival

12

Insurance, Financial Support and Paying for Care / Here are some financial assistance resources

« on: May 16, 2018, 01:06:21 pm »

Cancer can take a toll on more than your day-to-day health—it can also drain your finances. The following organizations offer financial help when you need it most, because no one should have to decide between medical treatment and everyday needs.

https://www.cancerhealth.com/basics/health-basics/resources-cancer-financial-aid