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StephN · 12-09-2010, 12:57 PM

Chiming in and seconding Chrisy's report that it is going well here. By coming a day early and being able to set up the booth and get checked in to the symposium we missed the lines yesterday morning!

I attended a brilliant special lecture this morning concerning new research on circulating tumor cells. New ways to cull out those cells are being developed and and then they break out a single tumor cell into ever tinier parts.
Several new hypotheses being studied as to the action of these cells from primary tumor to resting in the bone marrow and recirculating. New markers are presumably going to come out of this research. All very theoretical at this point, but they do feel they are on to a direction in which to keep working.

This evening we will attend a special reception put on by Genentech for Patient Advocates. We will let you know what info on new therapies we can ferret out from them. In the past when I attended the panel gave broad hints, but would clam up when we tried to dig for details.

12-09-2010, 12:57 PM	#3
StephN Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Misty woods of WA State Posts: 4,128	Re: live from San Antonie SABCS! Chiming in and seconding Chrisy's report that it is going well here. By coming a day early and being able to set up the booth and get checked in to the symposium we missed the lines yesterday morning! I attended a brilliant special lecture this morning concerning new research on circulating tumor cells. New ways to cull out those cells are being developed and and then they break out a single tumor cell into ever tinier parts. Several new hypotheses being studied as to the action of these cells from primary tumor to resting in the bone marrow and recirculating. New markers are presumably going to come out of this research. All very theoretical at this point, but they do feel they are on to a direction in which to keep working. This evening we will attend a special reception put on by Genentech for Patient Advocates. We will let you know what info on new therapies we can ferret out from them. In the past when I attended the panel gave broad hints, but would clam up when we tried to dig for details. __________________ "When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." H.D. Thoreau Live in the moment. MY STORY SO FAR ~~~~ Found suspicious lump 9/2000 Lumpectomy, then node dissection and port placement Stage IIB, 8 pos nodes of 18, Grade 3, ER & PR - Adriamycin 12 weekly, taxotere 4 rounds 36 rads - very little burning 3 mos after rads liver full of tumors, Stage IV Jan 2002, one spot on sternum Weekly Taxol, Navelbine, Herceptin for 27 rounds to NED! 2003 & 2004 no active disease - 3 weekly Herceptin + Zometa Jan 2005 two mets to brain - Gamma Knife on Jan 18 All clear until treated cerebellum spot showing activity on Jan 2006 brain MRI & brain PET Brain surgery on Feb 9, 2006 - no cancer, 100% radiation necrosis - tumor was still dying Continue as NED while on Herceptin & quarterly Zometa Fall-2006 - off Zometa - watching one small brain spot (scar?) 2007 - spot/scar in brain stable - finished anticoagulation therapy for clot along my port-a-catheter - 3 angioplasties to unblock vena cava 2008 - Brain and body still NED! Port removed and scans in Dec. Dec 2008 - stop Herceptin - Vaccine Trial at U of W begun in Oct. of 2011 STILL NED everywhere in Feb 2014 - on wing & prayer 7/14 - Started twice yearly Zometa for my bones Jan. 2015 checkup still shows NED 2015 Neuropathy in feet - otherwise all OK - still NED. Same news for 2016 and all of 2017. Nov of 2017 - had small skin cancer removed from my face. Will have Zometa end of Jan. 2018.