YOUR INPUT NEEDED for breast cancer article

[vpfeiffer]

hi everyone--
I could use your help....I have been asked to write a feature story about breast cancer for a local publication. The only guideline given to me by the editorial staff was that they want a story that addresses issues relating to breast cancer that other local publications haven't covered--new or cutting-edge information about the disease that the average person doesn't know.

Pretty exciting!! But I need your help, if you're willing, in one of these areas:

1. One story angle I'd like to develop I actually discovered on this board. There are many of you who were diagnosed at Stage 3 or 4, or had a recurrence at Stage 4, and I've sensed that you have come to approach this disease as more of a chronic condition than a death sentence (I am sure that if Herceptin wasn't available, I would be well into stage 4 by now, and probably would be planning my own funeral instead of writing this story). There have been many advances in BC treatment that have allowed us to manage our diseases with this new outlook. I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE BEEN MANAGING YOUR DISEASE AS IF IT'S CHRONIC AND NOT DEADLY. Let me know if you are willing to be quoted and, if so, what name I should use. (And I hope I have explained this well--I still need some input from you guys to tell this story angle the right way.)

2. Are any of you participating in what you consider to be cutting edge treatments, such as vaccine trials or other new technology trials? Describe your experience and how you think the treatment will affect the next generation of women who will face this disease.

3. In your opinions, what is the future of breast cancer treatment? Prevention? What have you read or learned via your providers about the issues that will have the most impact on breast cancer in the next couple years? If you have links to pertinent articles, please let me know.

I have met so many highly intelligent people on this site, and you all have inspired me to take charge of my own treatment. I am certain that my treatment would have been completely different if I hadn't insisted on changing the direction of my treatment at certain points. I am coming to you with these questions because I know that I'll get some great answers. Each of you has an important opinion, so please don't be shy--and please don't hesitate just because you think your writing skills aren't up to par--it's my job to clean that up. Thank you for all your past, present and future support :-)

Val


P.S. When the article is published, I will post the link on this site so you can read it-- it's a print publication, but they put the stories online too.

[al from canada]

WOW, what a great opportunity!!!!!!!!!
I think you are really going to enjoy this.

I would love to see someone (not me) do an article on how the internet has empowered people and changed the course of cancer in so many people. I think the internet has gotten a bad rap in self-diagosing, self-medicating etc. and would love to see someone put the record straight.

Congrats and good luck,
Al

[Becky]

I believe the near future of breast cancer is individualized targeted therapy. It is moving in that direction with adding Herceptin to adjuvant chemotherapy for Her 2 + and even hormonals for "run of the mill" ER/PR + types.

Research is focusing on the growth drivers (ie: Her 1, Her 3 etc) and other factors. Drugs, like Herceptin, will be developed to attack cancer cells with specific markers, like Herceptin attacks Her 2. Next generation Herceptin types will be developed that will work better and without chemo so one will get treated and only the cancer cells will be destroyed not normal cells.

There should be every hope that prevention will be the long term goal, probably by vaccines given to healthy, young girls (just like DPT and measles) so they will never develop the disease. I believe this is the preventive route over lifestyle because eating right and exercising, although great, does not prevent breast cancer.

I do not fit any of your other criteria although, because of drugs like Herceptin, bc can be a chronic disease.

Best regards

Becky

[Lyn]

Gee you wouldn't want me to get started, I am in Australia and I have a GIANT beef at the moment, with all of the knowledge and info I have sucked out of our site and the internet, we still can't get American FDA approved drugs here until they have undergone a further trial for up to 5 years, I have been lucky on occsion that my onc tries his best to bend some of the criteria, but when he can't even get his hands on the drugs it is soooo frustrating. Does our government think that the rest of the world are Aliens and that their drugs may be harmfull to us, it was only that our Prime Minister John Howard\s wife got BC that Herceptin was made available to the Australian public, I just hope she needs Abraxen real soon. Some of the combinations we have come up with have been used for other big C patients under the care of my Onc. I have been doing this non stop since 1998, I think I may have had a remission of about 4 months back in 1998 but since then, 10 different chemo drugs, over 100 rads and 2 hormone drugs, and now I am looking at a new primary BC in my remaining breast, which seems less agressive and down graded to HER 1+, 2+ previously strongly HER3+ with an ugly fast growing agressive invasive cancer, definately a chronic illness, I put it in the category of diabetes, I was schedule for termination in about the year 2000 or 2003, but I had a bigger plan in the scheme of things. No I am afraid if I did get started you would be publishing a novel and not just an article.

Love & Hugs Lyn.

[*_Cathy_*]

Dear Val-
Since I have had many little miracles happen to me since being diagnosed with breast cancer, I would like to help people realize the huge role that the Divine Physician plays in our healing. Prayer is so powerful. Sometimes I actually could feel all the prayers that went up for me.Onward and Upward. God Bless You- Cathy

[Lyn]

Hi Val, if you read my recent post you will see that the power of the internet works. I e-mailed one of our larger hospitals enquiring about Abraxane ane I got a reply this morning and seeing them next week, if not for our independent scouring of the Net we would not know much, let alone get our point accross so quickly, definately not snail mail. No one had suggested I do this, and we now have a chain of events, we are not so dumb after all, we will probably come up with the cure before the scientists.

Love & Hugs Lyn