Cycle Two Complete - With A Dose Of History

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Summary

Cycle two of six complete, not nearly as bad as last time. No adverse reactions during treatments, addition of one more drug to my arsenal (sleep aid) means I wasn't so beat all the time. The disabling fatigue didn't hit either. Friday I was slow but functional at work, last night got further down but not out, and today was able to stroll (not walk) the dog and do a little work outside on the pool.

So, 1/3 of the way through, I'm feeling OK about all this. My family has been, as always, amazingly helpful and supportive. As have my co-workers, friends, and neighbors.

Today's Cancer Science Lesson

At the Space Coast Cancer Foundation workshop I went to a couple of months ago, Dr. Sprawls gave a rather interesting segment on the history of cancer treatment. The French were actually in front, being at the cutting edge of science in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Curie's discovery of radioactive iodine led to attempts to heal thyroid cancer. 

In the interval between the World Wars, it had been noticed that mustard gas survivors, besides of course having lung damage, also had bone marrow issues, and shrunken lymph nodes. This was applied to lymphoma patients, with some results worth following up on. World War II, besides of course driving nuclear technology, also advanced along several major medical lines, such as antibiotics (yes, some cancer is treated with antibiotics); the mustard gas applications to medicine, as well as applying an integrated scientific/industrial approach to R&D.

In fact, Sloan Kettering Institute, one of the real pioneering cancer research centers, was started by transferring an entire chemical warfare research unit from the Army after WW II.

During this time, another common food product, folic acid, (vitamin B-12) also was found to positively affect cancer patients. 

So for years, the only two drugs being used to treat cancer (and still are, or their direct descendants), were a chemical warfare agent and broccoli. (Not exactly, but poetic license is allowed in a blog).

I've been studying a lot about this lately. I figure, hey, it's hardly worth having a major disease if you can't learn something about it, right? Otherwise I'd just not bother with the whole chemo/life stress thing and just not have cancer at all.

One thing I never knew was that the concept of "curing" cancer is actually newer that the space program. Through the 50's, that idea was just laughed about as fringe medicine. In the 60's, there were no oncologists, just whack researchers fumbling around the edges of real medicine. Not until the 70's, when some genius started combining medicines together and seeing results skyrocket, did long term hope arise for cancer patients.

In the 70's, 5-FU was developed as a targeted therapy for colon cancer,  another early heroic and then-scorned effort that is still effective today.

For the total science nerds, or those interested in the history of really smart people fighting bureaucracy in the interest of humanity, I recommend the attached excellent and really long article:

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/68/21/8643.full


Not So Bad Cancer Jokes. (Help me, I'm running out of material!)


A friend said that when his father woke up from his colon cancer surgery he groggily asked the nurse: "Guess what I am now? A semi-colon!" 

And a non-cancer one, but hey I love "a xxxx walked into a bar" jokes:

A string walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, "I'm sorry, sir, we don't serve strings here". The string, without saying a word, walks outside where he proceeds to tie himself into knots and mess up his "hair". When he walks back in and asks for a beer the bartender says, "Aren't you the string that was just in here?" "No, he answered, "I'm afraid not".



 Thanks for the prayers, support, concern, help and kind thoughts

KB