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Tag: chemotherapy

  • Amber Marchese: ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star Confirms Cancer is Back

    Amber Marchese, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, confirmed recently that her cancer has returned. She learned the devastating news back in April.

    “I was just sick to my stomach,” she said in an interview with People magazine.

    “I can’t even begin to describe the feeling you get when someone says you have cancer,” she adds. “Then to get it again after you thought you fought it and thought it was behind you ….”

    Amber Marchese feared at first that her life was over.

    “I was thinking, ‘This is definitely it. I’m going to die,’” she said.

    First diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2009, Amber Marchese underwent a bilateral mastectomy even though her left breast was cancer-free–just to be on the safe side. She had a cancer scare on the last season of the RHONJ when blood tests for a cancer screening were at first inconclusive. In the end, she learned that she was, indeed, still cancer-free. Sadly, that has now changed.

    The new tumor, she says, “is right in the middle of where the other two were. It’s the same type of tumor.”

    Amber Marchese believed chemotherapy would rid her of cancer forever.

    “I thought, you remove it, you go through the harsh treatments, and you move on. So I was shocked. Everyone is shocked,” she said.

    Marchese says her doctor isn’t certain yet if the tumor is a new one or if not enough tissue was removed during the mastectomy.

    “You’re never going to remove 100 percent of the breast tissue with a mastectomy. So you just pray to God that you remove enough,” she said.

    “You have a double mastectomy and chemotherapy to stack all the odds in your favor so that there is no recurrence. The percentage of it recurring is very small, less than 5 percent. I just fell into that category. I wasn’t so lucky.”

    It was back on April 3rd when Amber Marchese was watching a movie with her husband, Jim Marchese, that she discovered the new lump.

    “I have no idea what made me do this, but I reached my arms over my head and touched my right breast and felt it. It was hard. It was pea-sized. And I just knew …. My heart just sank,” she said.

    “I said, ‘Jim, I just found another lump.’ It was right by the site of the other tumors. I just knew in my heart that this was serious, and Jim did too.”

    Amber Marchese will soon have more surgery to remove the remaining breast tissue with clean margins. She will then undergo radiation treatments five days a week for five weeks. She will be having an MRI of both her chest and her brain as well, to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread.

    The Real Housewives of New Jersey star is a strong believer in the power of prayer.

    “By God’s good grace, I found the lump on Good Friday,” she says. “I have spent a lot of time in prayer. It’s the only thing that is giving me a sense of hope that no matter what, everything is going to be okay. It takes away my fear and doubt.

    “Then you kind of just take a deep breath and you just talk. Jim and I talked this through every which way, probably 24/7. And we pray. We pray together. We pray by ourselves,” she adds.

    Surely Amber Marchese’s friends and fans are praying for her as well. Hopefully with medical intervention and all these prayers, she will once again be cancer free.

  • Amy Robach Finished With Chemo Treatments

    Amy Robach Finished With Chemo Treatments

    Amy Robach is finished with her chemo treatments. The Good Morning America anchor celebrated her ‘graduation’ from chemotherapy on Friday. Robach was diagnosed with breast cancer following an on-air mammogram.

    “I join the ranks of 2.8 million women who are breast-cancer survivors,” she said in a clip that was filmed while she had her very last chemo treatment.

    “And I plan on living each day to the very fullest, thankful and grateful, and encouraging so many women out there who are still in the thick of it, who have yet to fight this fight, that you can do it. You can get through this, one step at a time. And I am there for you, I am there with you.”

    “With my eighth and final chemo complete, I will start on a new journey, helping raise awareness about early detection, and letting women everywhere know, ‘You can kick cancer’s butt!’” she added.

    As she returned from the clip to the GMA live broadcast, Amy shared a small tidbit of information about her comment.

    “I actually wanted to say another word, but they wouldn’t let me. ‘You can kick cancer’s bleeeep!’” she said.

    Amy Robach debuted a new hairstyle during her chemotherapy treatments several weeks back, as seen in the video clip shared above. She not only rocks the new ‘do, but has also inspired women all over the country with her amazing attitude–from the shock of her cancer diagnosis to her graduation from chemotherapy.

    Robach shared this set of photos during her last chemotherapy session on Thursday.

    Congratulations to Amy Robach on this momentous milestone, and may the end of her chemo treatments represent the beginning of a long life of abundant good health.

    Image via Twitter

  • Jessica Sanchez is Declared Cancer-Free and Returns Back to WKMG

    Traffic reporter Jessica Sanchez at WKMG-Channel 6 will be returning back to work following a one-year struggle with cancer.

    If you’re unfamiliar with Sanchez, you may remember the very outspoken journalist for her controversial response to a drunk interviewee during a live Superbowl report last January 31 in New Orleans.

    In the video a young female, who is obviously under the influence, interrupts Sanchez’s live standup. In response, the annoyed TV journalist informed the lady that her report was on STDs and asked if she ever had any.

    Of course the news report went viral and Sanchez received a mix of backlashes and support for how she handled the “videobombing.” Thus, WKMG saw something in her that others did not and she continued forward with her position as a traffic reporter.

    Sanchez was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in which the station announced to the public in March 2013. In April she shared her story during a live broadcast.

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    Now, after extensive treatment and chemotherapy, the 33-year-old is said to continuously receive negative test results. Her oncologist has diagnosed her condition to be cancer-free.

    WKMG’s General Manager Skip Valet reported to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper that he is “pleased to announce that Jessica Sanchez continues to get positive news from her doctors” and looks forward to her returning on a part-time schedule.

    Sanchez, who is so excited about her reunion with WKMG, plans to come back to her job sometime next week.

    Since Sanchez is still reassessing her energy level, the station authorized her to start behind the scenes so she can retrain with new equipment and slowly build her way back up to being an on-air reporter. (image)

    “They want to see how I do with all of that. I want to go back and go back for good. I think it’s the best way to go back in part time and get used to everything,” she told the newspaper.

    One of the things Sanchez is most concerned about is reprogramming her body to wake up in the early morning hours for work. Besides that, she is more than ready to readjust to all the changes that have occurred since she has been away.

    As for the station, Valet confirms that they are more than sure that Sanchez is ready to start back work again.

    “It feels so good to say I see the light again,” she stated. “I see normal again.”

    The cancer-survivor plans to broadcast her return next week during an on-air newscast segment.

    Check out the “videobombing” report below:

    Images via Facebook, Facebook

  • Amish Family Chemo Battle Continues

    Amish Family Chemo Battle Continues

    An Amish family has fled their home, and has gone into hiding, after a court ruling ordered that their daughter continue chemotherapy treatments.

    Sarah Hershberger, an 11-year-old Amish girl, was diagnosed with Leukemia in April 2013, and was undergoing rounds of chemotherapy until her parents Andy and Anna Hershberger made the decision to stop treatments. Her parents believed that the medicine was making her too sick, and they feared that their daughter would die if the chemotherapy was not stopped.

    Despite the parents requests, the hospital appealed to the court in a request that Sarah be granted a guardian to ensure that she continues to receive the medical attention that she needs. In October, the hospital’s request was granted, and Sarah was appointed a guardian Maria Schimer, who would remain in charge of all of Sara’s medical decisions. Schimer says that although she respects the religious background of the Hershberger family, that doesn’t outweigh the duties of the law to protect the child. “I believe there can be no doubt that it is in her best interest to have chemotherapy and have a chance to live a full life,” Schimer said.

    Sarah was being treated at the Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, and doctors informed the court that her form of Leukemia could be treated. In a desperate plea, the hospital revealed that if she does not follow through with her treatments, that she could be dead in as little as a year.

    Sarah’s parents are urgently trying to appeal the ruling that appointed the guardian, and want to be able to treat Sarah with natural methods, of their choosing, such as vitamins and herbs. “We’ve seen how sick it makes her,” Andy said. “Our belief is the natural stuff will do just as much as that stuff if it’s God’s will.”

    According to the Hershberger’s attorney, by appointing Sarah a guardian and forcing her to receive treatment, the family’s constitutional rights are being violated, and this decision could affect the rights of other parents to make their own medical choices in Ohio. “Any parent could have significant decisions second-guessed, any parent could lose the right to choose the doctor, hospital and course of medical treatment of their choice,” the family’s attorney said.

    Anna, Andy, and Sarah are hoping that the court will grant their appeal, and that they will be able to return to their home soon.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Camille Grammer Finishes Cancer Treatments

    The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Camille Grammer, 45, has completed her treatment of chemotherapy and radiation for her endometrial cancer.

    On January 3, Grammer tweeted, “I rang the bell at MD Anderson Cancer Center which marks that I have completed my Chemo and Radiation treatments. YAY,” and then added, “Thank you and your terrific Doctors and Staff!”

    When Grammer found out that she had cancer, she says her heart sank. “My heart sank,” she said. “You know, you think about your children, am I gonna make it, I want to be alive for them. I want to see my daughter get married, I want to see my son get married, graduate high school, college.” On October 11, Grammer underwent a radical hysterectomy, and has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments since.

    On November 14, Grammer appeared on an episode of Dr. Oz to talk about her battle with cancer, and revealed that she was “feeling great.” She also said, that even though she has pains from time to time, she is able to move around and is continuing to move on with her life.

    Grammer admits she knew she had to overcome her disease because she is the main parent in both of her children’s lives. “My kids — my ex-husband hasn’t seen the kids since July so I’m mom. I’m there. So I really needed to be here for them,” she said. “My son doesn’t really understand it that well, but my daughter said, mom, I’m so glad you’re getting surgery ’cause then the cancer’s gonna be all gone.”

    Congratulations Camille! Here is to a happy and healthy 2014!

    Image via Twitter

  • Amish Girl With Lymphoma Flees to Avoid Chemo

    Amish Girl With Lymphoma Flees to Avoid Chemo

    A young Amish girl with lymphoblastic lymphoma is now believed to have fled her Ohio home with her family to avoid chemotherapy treatments. A court ruling in October appointed 10-year-old Sarah Hershberger a temporary guardian to make her medical decisions. Sarah was diagnosed with the cancer and her family consented to two years of chemotherapy last Spring. After the treatments made her incredibly ill, Sarah reportedly ‘begged’ her parents to let her stop the treatment. After they consented to try alternative natural remedies, the hospital where Sarah was being treated took the Hershbergers to court.

    Hospital officials at Akron Children’s Hospital say that they have a ‘moral and legal obligation to ensure Sarah receives proper care.’ A CT scan did show that Sarah’s cancer was responding well to the homeopathic course of treatment.

    Sarah’s parents have been battling in court for months, after the hospital filed a claim against the family to force Sarah to continue the life-saving treatment. Records indicate that the last time Sarah underwent a chemotherapy session was in June. However, it is unknown whether she has been receiving treatments elsewhere.

    Doctors say that Sarah’s form of lymphoma has an 85% survival rate and high rate of success for patients who undergo treatment. However, lymphoblastic lymphoma is also known to be highly aggressive, and she could die within the year if treatment is not resumed soon, according to her doctors.

    The Hershberger’s attorney, Maurice Thompson, said Thursday of the family, “They just don’t want Sarah to be taken away.”

    Sarah’s parents have taken the case to both an appeals court and the state Supreme Courrt. In October, a judge ruled that parental discretion over medical treatments for a child should be allowed unless it is a matter of life or death. The court appointed an attorney who is also a Registered Nurse to serve as Sarah’s temporary guardian in the case of her medical decisions. The guardian’s attorney, Claire Dickinson, says that the family has not contacted her client since the ruling.

    A visit to the Hershberger family home showed strong indications that the family had moved, and a neighbor told them that the family was not there.

    The Hershberger’s attorney, Maurice Thompson, says that he is “very worrried about her.”

    Main image courtesy foxnewstest via YouTube.

  • Cancer Treatment Could Help Against “Aggressive” Leukemia

    A new study has found that combining ibrutinib and rituximab could help cancer patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The results of the study were presented this week at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

    “This is a patient population with a great need for more targeted therapies,” said Dr. Jan Burger, lead author of the study and an associate professor at the MD Anderson’s Department of Leukemia. “Many CLL patients, especially those with indolent or non-aggressive disease, do well on the standard treatment of chemotherapy and antibodies. But for a certain subset of high-risk patients, treatment often fails, and remissions, if they are achieved, are short.”

    According to the National Cancer Institute, CLL is the most common type of adult leukemia. The disease is more common in men than women, and the average age of diagnosis is 72. The side effects of current treatments can be harsh: though chemotherapy combinations have improved the survival rate for CLL, many CLL deaths are from secondary cancers caused by treatment.

    “When we looked at how well the high-risk patients were doing on ibrutinib – even though it was a small number – we saw a great opportunity to find out if combining the two drugs would have a positive impact on these patients,” said Burger.

    The study looked at forty patients with high-risk CLL. After four months, 38 of the patients saw no disease progression, while one died from an unrelated infectious complication and one withdrew from the study due to oral ulcers. 20 of the patients were evaluated at three months, showing that 17 of them had a partial remission and three of them had a partial remission. This 85% response rate came with “well tolerated” side effects, including fatigue, pneumonia, insomnia, bone aches, and neutropenia (low white blood cell counts).

    “Although this study has a short follow-up time, we are encouraged by the fact that the vast majority of patients are responding and are able to continue on treatment,” said Burger.

  • Chemotherapy May Cause Memory and Concentration Difficulties, Shows Study

    According to new research, Chemotherapy can induce changes in patient brains, affecting their concentration and memory. Dubbed “chemo brain,” the physiological effects were detected by researchers using PET/CT scans.

    “The chemo brain phenomenon is described as ‘mental fog’ and ‘loss of coping skills’ by patients who receive chemotherapy,” said Dr. Rachel Lagos, a diagnostic radiology resident at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. “Because this is such a common patient complaint, healthcare providers have generically referred to its occurrence as ‘chemo brain’ for more than two decades.”

    “Chemo brain” may be common, but it’s cause has eluded doctors for as long as it’s been around. Previous studies using MRIs found small changes in brain volume following chemotherapy, but no definite link was established. Lagos and his colleagues looked at changes to the brain’s metabolism instead of volume.

    “When we looked at the results, we were surprised at how obvious the changes were,” said Lagos. “Chemo brain phenomenon is more than a feeling. It is not depression. It is a change in brain function observable on PET/CT brain imaging.”

    The researchers looked at PET/CT brain images from 128 patients who had chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. The results, obtained using software that reveals differences in brain metabolism, found statistically significant differences decreases in regional brain metabolism closely related to symptoms of “chemo brain.”

    “The study shows that there are specific areas of the brain that use less energy following chemotherapy,” said Lagos. “These brain areas are the ones known to be responsible for planning and prioritizing.”

  • Herceptin Breast Cancer Drug Shown to Greatly Increase Heart Risks

    A study by the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle has determined that trastuzumab, the drug behind the brand name Herceptin, raises the risks for heart problems in breast cancer patients much more than previously thought. Trastuzumab is widely prescribed alongside chemotherapy to increase survival chances for patients with breast cancer.

    Erin Bowles, an epidemiologist at the Group Health Research Institute and lead author of the study, explains that previous studies of trastuzumab and similar drugs often exclude elderly women or those with other health problems that prevent them from being part of clinical trials. However, as breast cancer treatments improve, the ages of women with breast cancer are increasing.

    “We tried to take a broader look by estimating the risk of heart failure in a more general population,” said Bowles. “We looked at all the women in a population with breast cancer, not selected ones. Our study shows that people who are not generally eligible for clinical trials – older women and those with existing heart failure – do receive these drugs in real life.”

    Bowles’ cohort study looked at 12,500 women diagnosed with breast cancer. It found that the overall risks of developing heart failure or cardiomyopathy when trastuzumab was taken alone are greater than chemotherapy alone. The risks of combined chemotherapy and trastuzumab are even higher.

    “These drugs are toxic,” said Bowles. “They kill cancer cells, and sometimes kill other cells in the body, too. These drugs are still important for women with breast cancer to use because we know they improve survival. But as with any drug, people need to be aware of the risks, too.”