New Pump Can Help Treat Colon, Liver Cancer
DRIVE TO DISCOVER
Apr. 10 - - When White House press secretary Tony Snow announced his colon cancer had spread to his liver, the prognosis was not good. Each year thousands of colon cancer patients have their cancer spread to their liver, but survival rates are below 10 percent. But there's a more effective way to destroy this cancer and extend patients' lives.
Jeff Campbell is in remission from stage four colon cancer that spread to his liver.
Jeff Campbell, colon cancer patient: "All of the doctors said I would never see 100 percent remission. None of the doctors were very positive as far as my outlook."
In fact, stage four colon cancer has a mere eight percent survival rate especially when it spreads to the liver.
Mark Roh, M.D, Surgical Oncologist: "Up to 60 percent of patients with colon cancer will develop the disease in their liver at one time or another."
With standard chemotherapy, drugs travel through the entire body which means only 25 percent of the treatment actually makes it to the liver. Now doctors are implanting a chemotherapy pump into a patients' abdomen. It's powered by body heat and can stay in place for months or even years at a time.
Dr. Mark Roh: "All 100 percent of that drug will be seen by the tumor in the liver."
A recent study on this chemotherapy pump found it significantly increased survival rates compared to standard chemotherapy.
Dr. Mark Roh: "If we didn't have this opportunity for him, I don't think he would have survived. I mean, it saved his life."
In fact nine years later, Jeff is still in remission.
Jeff Campbell: "I think I'm going to live a normal life just like everybody else. What am I looking forward to? Tomorrow."
Jeff credits this small pump for giving him a second chance at life.
The chemo pump is easier on patients resulting in less hair loss, nausea and many other symptoms, but not everyone is a candidate for the pump. Doctors say it works best in colon cancer patients where cancer has spread to less than 50 percent of the liver.
The chemo pump is easier on patients resulting in less hair loss, nausea and many other symptoms, but not everyone is a candidate for the pump.
If you'd like to find more about the cancer pump visit:
www.medtronic.com.
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