Genetic testing: the tarot cards/palm readings of the 21st century

In the past, when people wanted to learn what might be in their future, they had their tea leaves, palms, crystal ball, tarot cards read. Now we can do one better and skip the hocus pocus by going straight to science with genetic testing. Give a few cells and get back a scientific yes or no of if you have that gene. The latest round of genetic testing publicly discussed is the longevity gene which joins dozens of others previously announced. If you have the longevity gene, you are predisposed to live to be 100... Well a 77% chance of that. You could still get hit by a bus tomorrow. Or if you chain smoke, you probably are lessening your odds as lifestyle factors still have an impact.

But also if you do not have the gene, it does not mean you won't live to be 100. You still could. The same could be said for any other genetic testing. If you have a specific gene, it does not mean that defines what will happen to you any more than what someone with a crystal ball said a generation ago. It simply means you are predisposed to that condition that was found to be determined by that gene. Our bodies have many more genes that could predispose us for the same or other conditions. Genetic testing still has a long way to go.

Once you find you have a specific gene, what do you do then? Just because you know you have a genetic predisposition for something, how do you use the knowledge to help you? Take the BRCA gene for example. Women with either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a higher predisposition to get breast and ovarian cancers. It doesn't mean they will get them, it means they are at higher risk of getting them. Many women who test positive for one of the two BRCA genes will choose to undergo prophylactic oopharectomies or mastectomies to remove the risk. They opt to have surgery just in case. This is for their piece of mind.

I'm not sure I want to know my future. I believe it will help give information to my kids and rest of the family by blood. I think I prefer taking each day as it comes. My grandmother lived a long life, so is longevity in my future? Maybe. But I've had cancer so does that tilt the scales the other way? Maybe I'll go get my palm read if I really ever want to know.

The Way Of The Future

My non-medical opinion of cancer treatment is that there are a lot of assumptions built in. If you have a tumor,they should take it out. If they think you need chemotherapy, they guess at the dose based on your body weight. If you need radiation, they try to hit only where the tumor was, this is a change from hitting the entire area of the body. They assume you will respond as well as everyone else who had the same treatment protocol but realize that not everyone does and they don't necessarily understand why. It is realized that many cancer patients are either under treated or over treated because the medical field simply don't understand enough about cancer. And often the treatment is almost as bad as the disease - it causes significant short term (hair loss, nausea, etc.) and some long term side effects.

Surgery excises the tumor and the clump of cells. They hope chemotherapy will zap any remaining cancer cells in your body - but my non medical brain asks if chemotherapy zaps all cancer cells, why are there so many kinds of chemo if they zap all cancer cells? I feel that this goes back to the all cancers are the same theory that was disproved generations ago. One treatment does not fit all. Radiation tries to zap the cancer cells in a certain area - where they think they are. But it also damages the healthy cells and causes all kinds of burning. Some systemic treatments like Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors work for some women and not for others and are trying to make your body less attractive to hormone receptor cancer cells.

But none of these treatments focus on what I call the key questions:

- Where did these cancer cells come from? Why did they start mutating in the first place?
- Why was this part of the body more attractive to the cancer cells than others?
- What is the underlying cause of all of this?

Recently I read an article about the importance of the type of cancer not just its location, I was intrigued to say the least. I have also heard many times of the trend to personalized medicine. But now the next step is beginning to expand on these areas and actually take concrete steps to make changes.

Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have launched a massive study to test cancer patients' tumors for hundreds of genetic aberrations. The goal is to obtain a better understanding of the underpinnings of cancer and how to tailor patient's treatments. They want to have 10,000 patients each year to include in their study.

There was another program at Mass General in 2009 where they had scanned the genes of 50-60 patients tumor tissue and have identified 160 genes and 15 mutations. Their goal is to help guide treatment or to pave the way for new clinical trials. They are moving toward a broad genetic analysis of all cancer patient's tumors.

There are two issues here. They weren't talking about genetic markers but more of the type of tumor characteristics - hormone receptors, Her2/nu status, etc. However as cancer cells have damaged DNA, their genetic sequencing grows in importance.

I think this is the way of the future and how we will look at cancer as we move forward in both a way to find their cause and to find a cure.

Wednesday when I have Chemo, they will also be taking blood for the genetic testing. The results for the genetic testing will come back as one of the following three;
Positive - A mutation that is associated with an increased risk for hereditary cancer was identified.
Negative - A mutation was not identified.
Uncertain - A genetic change was detected but it is not known if this change is linked to cancer risk.
I should have results in about 3 weeks.

Mammogram Controversy

More on the if we can't kill them, let's confuse them theory

So when should women start having mammograms. One theory is that annual mammograms lead to more false alarms and unnecessary biopsies. Then the opposing side says mammograms in younger women are essential as younger women are more likely to have their cancers found in early stage through mammograms than by self exam.

Hmmm.... so what is a smart woman to do? On one hand if you have mammograms you might have scares and unnecessary stress. On the other hand, your cancer is much more likely to be caught early thus allowing you to live a longer life. Me? I would opt for the longer life idea.

So if you are confused you are not alone. I think it is a giant conspiracy anyway. So if you have a nasty medical diagnosis, your doctors give all kinds of advice and expect you to make a rational decision while in the fog of 'OMG-I-have-cancer-and-gonna-die'. Confused patients are much more malleable and cooperative.... 'Um, I'm not sure. Doctor what should I do?" And then they make the decision for you.

Shave or Not

Two weeks ago I completed round 3 of chemo. It’s hard to believe I have made it this far. When I started chemo back in August, October seemed sooo far away and now here it is. Fall has always been my favorite season, especially Halloween!

When I sat and listened to the chemo nurse talk back in July to find out what to expect. She said, “Denise with the drugs you will be receiving you may lose your hair." I know she meant well and was only trying to prepare me, but the comment was unexpected and I felt unnecessary. I mean is there really anyone on the planet who doesn’t understand that chemo usually equals hair loss? I managed to answer as if it would be no big deal to lose my hair. Anyway, here I am post chemo session 3 and I still have some hair on my head!

Granted, it’s not much, but there’s still some there. If you saw the Leonardo D’Caprio movie Shutter Island, I look like the creepy crazy woman with thin hair standing in the flower garden at the beginning of the movie when he arrives on the island. If you saw the movie and have had chemo, you know exactly who I’m talking about. I think there’s a message in there somewhere that if you have thin hair you are scary looking and I don’t think I like that message very much, but that’s a topic for another time.

Most chemo patients shave their heads as soon as hair loss begins or even before. It makes them feel more in control they say. I have adjusted to having almost no hair amazingly well.

I even walk around the house now without wearing anything on my head. Randy just laughs and says, “Oh, I got used to that a long time ago.” I have let my kids decide when it all goes. One is ok with it anytime, the other wants me to keep it as long as I can. I have let the second one know that it will be gone sometime before the last treatment either way.

I guess the point of all this rambling is that you can and should do what you want about shaving your head. Shave it all off early or let it fall out slowly. You decide. It’s your hair, it’s your cancer journey and it’s your decision.

Halfway

I have survived half of Pinktober... Well since there are 31 days in October and this past weekend was halfway but that is a mere technicality. I have not bought a single pinked thing. The only pinked things I would consider buying are those made by individuals who are giving the money to cancer research or support. My husband on the other hand....well he goes overboard sometimes. I will not contribute to the marketing schemes of the corporate world who pink their products to increase their sales.

A Day At A Time.

With last treatment October 5th, Denise has reached the half way point in her chemotherapy. There was no singing and dancing to celebrate the metaphoric "light at the end of the tunnel." Instead, she approached it just like the week before, and the week before that: get up, get on with it and move forward.

That's what you do when you have cancer. Is there a choice, really?

Denise’s hope hasn't faded, but the facade of strength has begun to show cracks. Behind her ever-present smile that seems to buoy others more than herself is a flu-like fatigue that no amount of rest seems to ease. This hits her the first few days after chemo and lasts for 4-5 days. Then comes the "The Change of Life". Hot flashes have thrown Denise’s internal thermostat off kilter. And all of the other nasty side effects seem to come without warning. It's all new here..for all of us. Yet still, there's: get up, get on with it and move forward.

We've heard it before, "That which does not destroy us makes us stronger." Some might say it's a challenge put before cancer patients as they go through treatment. The pressure to be strong is very real.

I've come to realize that Denise carries a burden to be strong, because she must, but also because we want her to be. We expect cancer patients to battle cancer as brave fighters. These words -- and I've used them repeatedly in my blog, helping to fuel this expectation -- convey the image of a strong warrior. But Denise is not a warrior. Yes, she is strong -- in more ways than one -- but when it comes to cancer, she has no choice but to be strong. As she puts it, "you do what you have to do."
There are days when falling into self-pity and despair would be much easier than fighting. But in the three months since her diagnosis, I'm not sure I could count even one day when she retreated into self-pity. This is tough work...to stay upbeat as your body and mind tries to bring you down.

Soon, there will three treatments left, then two, then one....and Denise will move beyond all of this. Perhaps stronger, but relieved of the burden to constantly be strong.

The Charles Schulz Philosophy

(This is profound! I received this from a friend this morning. Scroll thru slowly and read carefully to receive and enjoy full effect!)


The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.







How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are not second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies.

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.





Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


Easier? The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the
most credentials, the most money or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most.



Stand up and make a difference in someones life today. I know I will.

Being A Good Copy Cat

In elementary school or when among siblings later in life, being a copycat is not a good thing and can earn you a lot of derision. But sometimes being a copycat is a good thing. When diagnosed with some nasty ailment, all we think we hear from the doctor is bad news - you will need this surgery, course of treatment, will have these side effects and should be fine in the end. We can't get past the words 'should be' and focus on the seemingly dismal survival rates. What we really want and need to hear are the good stories of the people who are still around to talk about it.

In this time of the Internet and patient education, one resource not to over look are the stories from others who are or have gone through what you have. There is nothing more positive than hearing that someone else made it through treatment and is still around many years later.

There are lots of people online in blogs, message boards, articles, and websites who are telling their stories and many more who are reading them. I don't think the majority of them started with any more intention than to keep friends and family informed which is what I did. Some of them go on to turn them into books or non profit or for profit organizations - that is not something I ever plan on doing because that would require organization and work and I've got plenty of other work thank you.

A big emotional positive when diagnosed with anything bad is to find someone with a good outcome to copy and be a copycat.

What Did We Do Wrong?

All of us lucky cancer people have one deep desire - to know how we got cancer in the first place. What caused it? What did we do right and what did we do wrong that put us staring down the barrel of the cancer cannon at the top of the really scary roller coaster hill? That is the only thing we want to know.... well maybe we want to know about the cure too but that's not quite as personal.

I mean I eat right and exercise, I like my fruit and veggies. But then we did play in the swamp behind the house, under the power lines, and god knows what kind of run off was there. We also ate ice cream, french fries, flew on airplanes, played outside in the sun without sun screen, rode in the back of pick up trucks, stayed up late, did things that seemed like a good idea at the time.

There are all sorts of theories on what is a carcinogen and what isn't. They really don't know why some people get cancer and why some don't. They have linked tobacco use to cancer but there are chain smokers who smoke 2 packs a day into their 90's and the people who don't smoke who die of lung cancer in their 30's. So apparently there are other factors coming into play here.

Do cell phones cause cancer? Well maybe, maybe not, the jury is still out on this one. I mean lots of people got cancer before there were cell phones. They say cancer may be a result of industrialization of the world in the 19th century. But people got cancer before that.

So we still don't know what we did wrong. We all just want to be able to tell other people not to do what we did.

Halfway Point

Well I finished treatment number 3 of 6 on Wednesday and feel about the same as after treatment two.... Face flushed, nothing tastes good, don't sleep well, hot one minute and cold the next (nothing new to those of you going through menopause), I can't tell when I am hungry or have to go to the bathroom, and I get physically tired pretty quickly. However, I can thank my lucky stars that I don't have the nausea, constipation or diarrhea that is normally associated with chemo. Thank you so much to my friends and family network, I think my positive attitude is a direct result of having such a great network around me.

Just Do It...Again.

The marketeers at Nike have decided that "Just Do It" isn't enough anymore. Now we have to "Just do it...then do it again." For Denise and her chemo treatments, it's again...and again...and again...for a total of 6 treatments over 5 1/2 months. Wednesday marked only treatment #3 of the potent chemo cocktail.

So far, she's tolerated the Chemo drugs better than expected. And believe it or not, she's still smiling...and maintaining a busy schedule between working and gladly welcoming a steady stream of her friends and family.

Because the chemo drugs have a cumulative effect, the toxins are building up in her body, which means she's almost certain to experience greater fatigue and face the onset of new side effects. During the first couple weeks of treatment we anxiously and nervously maintained a 24 hour side effect watch. No more. Some side effects are now more predictable: mouth sores, some nausea, fatigue. We remain thankful for every good day Denise has and for the strength to get through the difficult days.

After treatment #2, Denise faced the loss of her hair head on.. (pun intended). And for the past two weeks the remaining tiny splinters of hair that held on are thinning quickly. Though she's found comfort in a colorful variety of hats and scarves ("The Sandra" wig still sits in the box it came in), she may soon boldly leave the house some morning topless (on her head, that is). My point is this, the "journey" continues on a path of hairpin turns and steep hills, but we're still moving forward and the wheels haven't come off....yet!

Chemo Brain

I have turned dumb....pretty dumb.

Somebody explained it to me. It's called "chemo brain." Happy to know it's not just me. I knew there would be nausea, sickness, pain, etc. but I did not know I'd get dumb. Chemo brain is a general foggy, fuzzy brain that can't seem to think right. I do not retain information like before. Difficulty with organization. I often cannot think of a word I need to say so something random comes out instead. I forget a lot. I never get my kid's names straight. I have trouble remembering past experiences. I've had my issues before for I know I'm not the brightest bunch in the group (don't get me started on that Geography stuff) but this is really different and it is strange. We just laugh about it. Oh well, at least I've still got my health....Oh yeah, well at least I still have my good looks....Okay... that may be debatable--in fact I just had to ask my husband how to spell debatable. Yeah, I can't spell anymore either. Chemo brain at work. Oh well, I know I got something...I just can't make my brain think of what it is right now.:)

Beta Blockers And Breast Cancer

Women who take beta-blockers for high blood pressure and are diagnosed with breast cancer may have better outcomes than women who do not take beta-blockers, according to findings from two recent studies. Results from both studies were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Beta-blockers are a class of drugs used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure. Studies have indicated that beta-blockers may help control growth and spread of breast cancer, possibly due to their ability to control stress hormones. Two current studies have further investigated this association.

One study, conducted by researchers from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reviewed 1,413 patients with breast cancer who had been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy prior to surgery) between 1995 and 2007. Outcomes including complete response, relapse-free survival, and overall survival of those taking beta-blockers were compared with outcomes of those not taking beta-blockers.

Of the participants, 102 used beta-blockers. Rates of complete response among those using beta-blockers were not significantly different from complete response rates among non beta-blocker users. Beta-blockers use, however, was associated with significantly better relapse-free survival when the researchers accounted for age, race, disease stage and grade, receptor status, lymph node involvement, and other factors affecting disease outcome. Overall survival was not significantly improved among beta-blocker users. Patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer who took beta-blockers had improved relapse-free survival but, like other patients, not significantly improved overall survival.

Another study of beta-blockers and breast cancer survival was conducted by researchers from Ireland. Women diagnosed with Stage I to IV breast cancer between 2001 and 2006 were identified in a national cancer registry. Women who took beta-blockers in the year before they were diagnosed were matched and compared with women not taking beta-blockers. Two types of beta-blockers with different mechanisms were evaluated, propranolol and atenolol. The researchers assessed risk of tumor progression and spread and time to death from cancer.

Patients who used the beta-blocker propranolol had a significantly lower rate of death from breast cancer than their counterparts who didn’t used beta-blockers (9% versus 22%, respectively). Atenolol, however, was not associated with any improved outcomes.

These two studies suggest that beta-blockers could possibly improve outcomes among women with breast cancer, including those with difficult-to-treat triple-negative disease. However, it is far too early and beta blocker use should not be administered to women with breast cancer at this time until further research is done.

Digging Through The Layer Of Pink

I just got back from a weekend away and sat down to read the Sunday paper. The paper was fine. Even interesting. It has the latest news (as of last night) which is fine by me. I feel caught up and educated after being out of touch.

Silly me, after going through the paper, I decided to see what coupons and sales ads were available. That was a mistake. Everything was pinkified. I could bake, do laundry, eat cereal, bread, drink juice and I can't even remember all the rest for the cure. Oops! I can't say anything is 'for the cure' because it has been trademarked by the Komen marketing machine. But you get my point. It is pinkified. Life is pinkified.

I own a few of pink items - including a pink (official MLB gear) Twins hat. But sometimes I feel this pinkification goes a bit too far. I think it throws a layer of paint or ink on a not so fun ailment. But cancer is not about pink or paint or shopping with the politically correct color to send $1.00 of every $10 you spend to find a cure/more research or whatever. Cancer is about people who are living and coping with it. Cancer is not about pink.

Anyway, I will dig my way through a layer of pink this month and see what I can do for the cure at the grocery store.

It's That Time Of Year Again.

Are you ready for the barrage of pink? It is going to be everywhere for 31 days starting on Saturday. Do you remember when October was black and orange for Halloween? My favorite holiday by the way. Now we have pink everything.

I am not looking forward to it. A couple of weeks ago I paged through a couple of magazines, and all were full of pink stuff. There was a two page spread of items which are pinkified and their purchase will help support breast cancer. There were numerous ads for 'pinked' products. There were several articles with breast cancer stories. There was too much pink. I would have preferred articles on pumpkins, trick or treating, Halloween parties and decorations.

So anyway, I have braced myself. Perhaps I won't wear pink for the entire month. I want people to be aware and to help eradicate this terrible disease cancer is, but too many companies are using it to make a buck. Everything can be purchased in pink in October now. Randy is a good example as he buys pink hats like they are going out of style. What does it really do? It is basically a scam. It cons people into purchasing things that they believe are helping a cause when it is really a marketing ploy by many companies to sell more products.

You will notice it is very rare that they tell you how much of your purchase price goes to support breast cancer research or awareness or whatever. And that is the important question to ask. They may say 'this company will donate $25,000 from the purchase of this product during the month of October to breast cancer whatever'. But that means that a tiny percent of your purchase goes to the breast cancer part and when they hit $25,000 they will continue to sell the product but won't donate any more than that amount.

My son came home from school yesterday and announced he would like to sell the pink wristbands he wears, to his fellow classmates in school and donate 100% of the proceeds to breast cancer research. That is more of the spirit I like.

My little company also sells a multitude of "pink" items from calendars to staplers. This year I may feel differently when someone purchases one of those items and send 100% of the proceeds to cancer research as well. Maybe I'll post a few things with all proceeds going to a worthy cause.

What you want to ask before you purchase anything pink is what portion of my purchase will go to breast cancer whatever. And is there a maximum the company is going to donate. Without knowing those two, I would skip the pink product and buy what you normally do. And if the answer is 10% of the profit from the sale, that is nothing. A $10 item probably wholesales for $5 and of that probably $2 is profit so that means your 10% is $0.20. You are better off sending in $10 directly.

Yes there are some legitimate companies who donate a decent portion of their sales. And there are some good products which are worth their pinkification. But for 31 days you will need to sift through the pinkification and make your decisions on what you want to buy. Or just skip the pinkification and send a check to breast cancer research. What I really wish I could see is all the money spent on pink products was just sent in for cancer research.

Angry At Cancer?

There are supposedly five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. It is the process we go through when faced with a 'bad' thing - a death, a yucky medical diagnosis, or other trauma. I know I went through something like this.

Anyway, I recently experienced two events which made me think about this. The first one is I was with a few other cancer people and one of them said she was so angry about cancer and another agreed. I thought this was pretty shocking since I know both were diagnosed several years before me. Which means they have been angry for a long time.

Then a few days later I met a woman who said she had lots of friends who had had cancer and some of them were very angry about it which was upsetting to her. She was coping and doing okay and into the acceptance stage and all these others were just angry and it made it harder for her.

Anger is a nasty emotion. It creates negativity and stress - neither of which do much for quality of life. I decided I was going to take care of me - first and foremost. It took time to work through it and cope with the roller coaster it brings but I think I am doing okay.

Its all a matter of attitude, any other way of thinking is just stressful. It is my way of accepting what I am living with.

But people with anger are just making themselves miserable. They are not coping and accepting. They are still fighting and exhausting themselves. Anger is a waste of energy. No, cancer is not fun and it can be fatal. But it isn't always and we need to appreciate that we are still here.

Cleaning For A Reason

The following is an example of what can happen when others begin talking about cancer surgery and chemotherapy. It’s all about helping others. This was sent to me originally by a fiend of mine. It looks like a worthwhile cause and is listed along the side of our blog.

“If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning – once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It’s our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

“You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on your email list might. Please pass this information on to your family & friends.”

This service is for women only. They do explain why men are excluded. (It’s okay, guys; how many of us really do a lot of housework?) Regardless, undergoing chemotherapy is tough enough without having to do daily chores around the house. This could be a life saver for many women.

Check out the website. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

A Backwards Look

It has been 40 years since President Nixon declared a war on cancer. We still don't have a cure but we have a lot of progress. Maybe the president was being a bit unrealistic in his goals but it did start some substantial progress in cancer's treatment and survival rates. But looking back on 40 years of research shows some progress. Let me say that I never did like the term war but I'll use it here.

This morning I was bouncing around the internet looking for worthy blog topics and came across a some articles on the subject..... (Do you think I come up with this stuff by myself? I always have to search for ideas. Sometimes I find things to write about and then forget about them before I start writing but today I went straight from the article to my blog before my brain loses the content I want to write about and here I am.)

I have been reading about the centuries of diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It amazes me how early cancer was known to be a killer but also how badly it was mistreated and misdiagnosed.

By 1971 doctors thought they understood cancer. Since then, they have discovered how wrong they were. Cancer is now thought to be 200 different diseases that need to be treated differently. However there have been two significant break throughs:

- The most important is that of genetics based on the decoding of the human genome in 2001.
- The next is the understanding of the lifestyle changes that help reduce cancer rates - these are everything from eating right, quitting smoking, getting exercise.

Next in the war on cancer it is expected that personalized medicine will give us the answer. Also, the prevention of cancer should contribute greatly to solving the puzzle. If we can continue to make lifestyle changes that help prevent cancer in our aging population, more lives will be saved.

But after 40 years of progress we still have over half a million Americans dying of cancer each year. I see some progress here but I also think that overcoming 200 diseases is much more daunting than overcoming only the one disease the war was originally focused on.

Oh No! Not My Fish Oil.

Chances are, you’ve heard of the wonders of fish oil. Filled with rich omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil supplements are known to ward off Alzheimer’s, boost heart health, and prevent arthritis. But now Dutch researchers found fish oil has another, more sinister, power: It may stop chemotherapy drugs from working.

Randy and I have been taking fish oil for years because of the touted benefits of heart health and lower cholesterol claims, and now I'll have to stop temporarily. News of this new correlation between fish oil and chemotherapy broke just last week.

While investigating why a tumor becomes resistant to Cisplatin—a chemotherapy drug that is used to treat many cancers, including testicular, lung, and colorectal—the researchers discovered that a cancer patient’s own cells can start producing platinum-induced polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PIFAs, that protect cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy interferes with DNA and cell division in tumors to stop tumor growth. But it’s not yet clear how PIFAs block the chemo drugs from working. The PIFAs likely create an additional substance in the patient’s blood that effectively prevents the chemo drugs from attacking tumors.

Turns out, some fish oil supplements contain PIFAs as well. Many cancer patients take these products to reduce their risk of heart attack, help maintain muscle mass, and decrease inflammation. When mice with cancer took these supplements, however, the chemo became ineffective against cancerous cells, reports the study published this week in Cancer Cell. Scientists need to conduct further research to see if all fish oil products contain PIFAs and if these products have the same effect on humans.

Researchers warn that until future studies are done, cancer patients undergoing chemo shouldn’t take these supplements unless they consult with their doctor first. They may be able to get the same heart-protecting omega-3 benefits from the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Plus, they can still eat whole fish like salmon and tuna, since they contain substantially less PIFAs—if any PIFAs at all—than concentrated fish oil.

There’s no reason for someone who’s not on chemotherapy to discontinue his or her fish oil supplement regimen. And while, I don't use this specific chemotherapy drug, I'm going to stop using just in case. I'm going through this whole process so the drugs going into my body are actually working. Randy on the other hand will continue with his fish oil...

Red White And Blue Blood Cells

After each chemotherapy treatment, it’s important to understand the level of red and white blood cells in our bodies. With modern technology, a blood sample can be instantly analyzed and delivered to the oncologists in a matter of minutes. Such was the case last wednesdday weeks ago when I had my chemo treatment. I’m thankful to report that my red and white blood cells were all in the normal range.

Of course I was aware that my oncologist was going to monitor my blood cell count after each treatment. It’s why she scheduled an appointment each time I have chemo. I was also aware that the blood cell count could fluctuate, but I was not aware that the count could be obliterated in the blink of an eye. But, according to the internet, after the fact, that is always a possibility.

Why aren’t we told this? Do our oncologists think we only need to know what they think is reasonable? Why is it their choice? If I had been told this, I know I still would have chosen to receive the chemo treatments. But it doesn’t change the fact that we have a right to know.

Questions to ask our oncologists are: I know that you will be monitoring my red and white blood cell counts, but what are the chances that I could wake up one morning and have no white blood cells? If this happens, what do we do? Will I get every infection known to mankind? Will my kidneys fail? Could the count be so low that I might not even wake up? If the count can be corrected, how long will it take? Will I ever return to normal?

These are not the only questions. What are others? Please share.