Thursday, December 16, 2010

Emerging Target, “Cell Metabolism”: From Boondocks to Harvard Square, Boston

The emergence of “cancer energy metabolism” as one of the promising targets, is affirmed by the two significant Pharma deals this year:

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The "non-survivors" in the dance of cancer

Elizabeth Edwards died in her home, at the age of 61, on December 7th, after a six year battle with advanced breast cancer.  It was 2006, when on Senator John Edward's presidential campaign trail, with her cancer in remission, she was being hailed as a survivor.  With a glow in her skin, her hair showing no sign of chemo/radiation tox and with her seemingly unlimited enthusiasm and energy, she inspired fellow cancer patients, she met on the campaign trail and all over the country.  That was the time when she was one of the "celebrity cancer survivors" who often are celebrated by the media.[read here, here, here]

 Je suis un "Survivor".
"But in March 2007, during her husband’s campaign for the presidency, Ms. Edwards announced at a news conference that the breast cancer had recurred, certainly in a rib and possibly her lung. What she did next was rare for celebrity patients: She announced that the cancer was terminal. Yes, Elizabeth Edwards was a breast cancer survivor, according to the lingo. But she would not survive the disease." - Lessons From Elizabeth Edwards.  By Barron H. Lerner, M.D., December 7, 2010, Well Blog NYTimes
Today, her death tells the story of thousands of ordinary cancer patients,

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Diagnosed with cancer! So, what are my chances?

"One in four deaths in the United States is due to cancer." [...]  Statements such as this will make people sit up and really take notice.   Also true are the facts that, "among men, cancers of the prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectum account for 52% of all newly diagnosed cancers. Prostate cancer alone accounts for 28% (217,730) of incident cases in men. . . The 3 most commonly diagnosed types of cancer among women in 2010 will be cancers of the breast, lung and bronchus, and colorectum, accounting for 52% of estimated cancer cases in women. Breast cancer alone is expected to account for 28% (207,090) of all new cancer cases" [read here].