Excerpt from Mind, Body and Soul by Nancy H. Dahm, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Reuters Health Information (an online information service), reported that a pencil-sized probe for cervical cancer may be available soon. The device was tested in 15,000 patients at London's Whittington Hospital. The device, called a polar probe, emits wavelengths of light and electrical impulses. The head of the probe detects the return signals and compares it with the computer to search for cancer or precancerous tissue. The reported sensitivity is 97.6 percent and a 91.1 percent detection rate of carcinoma of the cervix. There is now reason to be hopeful when there is metastasis to the bone. Often, patients with advanced lung, breast, and prostate cancer develop this secondary cancerous invasion to the bone.

A study reported in the New England Medical Journal in August, 1998, revealed promising prevention with the use of the drug Clodronate. There were 302 women with breast cancer who were involved in the study. Half were given the drug for two years along with standard treatment of chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and surgery. The other half were not given the drug, but received the same standard treatment. New tumors were detected in 42 women who did not receive the drug. Only 21 of the women who took the Clodronate had developed distant tumors.

There are other drugs on the market now which are similar - Pamidronate and Alendronate. Ask your oncologist if any of these drugs are appropriate for you.

New Cancer Drug Being Tested; Hope for colon cancer, head and neck cancer. The drug called IMC-C225, was developed by Dr. John Mendelsohn of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The drug was first tested in 1999 on a 30 year-old with metastic colon cancer. Cancer had spread to her liver and abdomen, and was not responding to chemotherapy treatment. The cancer was advancing and when it became clear that chemotherapy would not halt the multiple tumor growth, IMC-C225 was tried for the first time, in a human. Used in combination with a chemotherapeutic drug, Camptosar, her tumors shrank 80%. The remaining tumors were surgically removed. Today, she is considered cancer-free. No doubt, there will be many clinical trials in the coming year involving this remarkable drug, IMC-C225. One such clinical trial will involve head and neck cancer. And, there is always the possibility that scientists like Dr. John Mendelsohn will find new applications for treating many more forms of cancer.

A New Technological Advancement
The vast amount of research currently being done around the world has also resulted in the hardware technology breakthroughs that we are seeing in use today. I am speaking of 3D computer technology. This breakthrough is absolutely revolutionary and offers special hope for people with brain tumors. BrainLab is a German-based company responsible for the development of NOVALIS, a shaped beam surgery system for brain tumors. The significance of this technology is that the beam is perfectly conformed to the malignant tumor, and therefore does not harm healthy tissue. The procedure is completed in only a few hours and has fewer complications than the traditional invasive surgery. There is only one cancer center in the United States that has this technology. NOVALIS is being used to treat patients at UCLA's Johnson Cancer Center. For information call (310)825-9775 or find the website at www.ucla.edu. The new advances described on the previous pages are just some of the breakthroughs that have been made in the quest for a cure for cancer. There are so many resources available to you. Your computer is the best link in finding them. If you don't have a computer, ask a friend or family member to help you search the INTERNET. There are thousands of links to information. Your local American Cancer Care or Cancer Society can also give you much of the information you need.

About Clinical Trials

Copyright Nancy Hassett Dahm October 2000. All rights reserved.