Interesting Article

[PPhelps]

I found this interesting: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/291/22/2705
I found this questionnaire at the link above.

Box. Questionnaire on 20 Symptoms Typically Associated With Ovarian Cancer
Have you had any of the following symptoms in the past year? If you had a symptom, please indicate the severity, frequency (number of times per month), and duration of the symptom.

Pain

Pelvic
Abdominal
Back

Eating

Indigestion
Unable to eat normally
Nausea or vomiting
Weight loss

Abdomen

Abdominal bloating
Increased abdomen size
Able to feel abdominal mass

Bladder

Urinary urgency
Frequent urination

Bowels

Constipation
Diarrhea

Menses

Menstrual irregularities
Bleeding after menopause

Intercourse

Pain during intercourse
Bleeding with intercourse

Miscellaneous

Fatigue
Leg swelling
Other
No symptoms

[SimplyStar]

ScienceDaily (Feb. 29, 2008) — Thalidomide, a drug blamed in the 1950s for causing birth defects, is now showing promise as a safe and effective treatment for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to a study led by a University of Minnesota Cancer Center researcher.


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Levi Downs, Jr., M.D., principal investigator for the multicenter, randomized Phase II clinical trial, has published the findings of this research study in the current issue of the journal Cancer. Downs is an assistant professor and a researcher of gynecologic oncology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Cancer Center.

"For some women, ovarian cancer has become a chronic disease," Downs said. "The standard chemotherapy regimens can put recurrent cancer in remission, often more than once. However, when the cancer resists the standard treatments, we need new options for treatment."

The study compared the effectiveness and safety of the combination of thalidomide and topotecan, a chemotherapy often used for ovarian cancer, versus topotecan alone for treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer in patients who had received prior treatment. Epithelial ovarian cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissue that covers the ovary.

The study evaluated 75 women who were randomly assigned to receive either the combination of thalidomide and topotecan or only topotecan. This is the first randomized clinical trial to test thalidomide for recurrent ovarian cancer. Other clinical trials have shown thalidomide to be effective for treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

"We found that patients who received topotecan plus thalidomide showed an overall response rate of 47 percent compared to 21 percent response in patients who received only topotecan," Downs said. "In patients receiving topotecan plus thalidomide, 30 percent achieved a complete response, meaning the cancer went away, compared to 18 percent for patients only getting topotecan.

"Furthermore, patients getting topotecan plus thalidomide had a longer cancer-free period after treatment than those receiving topotecan alone," he said. "What all of this means is that while thalidomide may not cure ovarian cancer, it may broaden the treatment options available to physicians and provide more hope to women diagnosed with the cancer."


The results of this study have led to the development of a new clinical trial at the University of Minnesota that will test the safety and effectiveness of a newer member of the class of drugs containing thalidomide properties for treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer.

This study was sponsored by Celgene Corporation, biopharmaceutical company and manufacturer of thalidomide. Cancer centers in Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, and California participated in this study.

[Mary 53]

Thanks for taking the time to post this information....


Mary

[Sandymac]

That's really a good article.. Yes, I think it would be great addition to Health Pages..

Sandy

[silver&gold]

I think its a great article , maybe it should be put in the health pages with the other interesting and informative facts .

Angie