A NEW YEAR'S COUNTING GAME

 This beautiful quilt was created by my lovely wife shortly before ovarian cancer took her life.  I have it displayed on a wall in my living area here in the Willows, and I often sit in my recliner and admire it.  Moreover, I play a game: how many squares can I see?  The number is surprisingly high, but I won’t tell you the answer.  Count them yourself, then post the answer.  (I won’t screw up and say “Yeah, got it!  That would reduce the incentive for others to do their own count.)  If you get it right I will donate some cash to Linda’s fund at Fred Hutch in your name.

I can see that the bottom few red-bordered squares are indistinct, so I will tell you that all 12 such squares have nine little squares inside ‘em .

So, happy counting and remember – squares, not rectangles.

And Happy New Year!

This beautiful quilt was created by my beautiful wife shortly before ovarian cancer took her life.  I have it displayed on a wall in my living area here in the Willows, and I often sit in my recliner and admire it.  Moreover, I play a game: how many squares can I see?  The number is surprisingly high, but I won’t tell you the answer.  Count them yourself, then post the answer.  (I won’t screw up and say “Yeah, got it!  That would reduce the incentive for others to do their own count.)  If you get it right I will donate some cash to Linda’s fund at Fred Hutch in your name.

I can see that the bottom few red-bordered squares are indistinct, so I will tell you that all 12 such squares have nine little squares inside ‘em .

So, happy counting and remember – squares, not rectangles.

And Happy New Year!

A SECOND SURGERY?

                           Linda and her snug little home.

                                            Courting days

                 Murphy, the Prince of Darkness, lurked inside

Linda received what I believe was the standard treatment for advanced ovarian cancer in 2008:  surgery to remove all visible tumor, followed by weeks of platinum-based chemotherapy.  She had the benefit of cutting-edge medical practice at the SCCA (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance), which includes the Fred Hutch cancer research people.  Her surgeon was a leader in the field;

 Linda died three years later, but only after we enjoyed a lengthy period of remission during which time we traveled to Egypt and northern Mexico, and enjoyed quality time at our place in Borrego Springs.  At the time that her remission broke down (her cancer returned) her hair had grown out to a fine, beautiful shade of gray.  After remission she was subjected to additional chemo, but to no avail.  In common with most 3C OVCA patients, she died after only about three years following diagnosis.

The research outlined below seems to show that a second round of “cytoreduction surgery”, following remission and accompanied by more chemo, may add as much as 20 or so months to overall survival time.  Also, it is implied, the quality of this additional life is or can be high.

I asked about a second surgery when Linda relapsed but was told that it would be of no real value.  Maybe now, with new wrinkles in tumor detection and better chemo a second surgery would be useful.  Nevertheless, as I relive Linda’s pain and misery after surgery, which I recall painfully after 13 years, I am cautious.  OVCA is a terrible, cruel, implacable disease.  Society should concentrate on early detection, effective treatment, and ultimate cure (or even prevention, if such a thing is possible).  In the meantime, I guess that studies such as these that lead to greater remission time are valuable.

 God!, how I hate that f…ing disease!

https://consumer.healthday.com/cytoreductive-surgery-plus-chemo-better-for-recurrent-ovarian-ca-2655898360.html 

 

LOMA LINDA

 Linda, after an exhausting five mile, steeply uphill hike

                            Why she didn't divorce me I'll never know

Loma Linda is a town in what I regard as a conspicuously unpleasant patch of Southern California: near San Bernadino, Riverside, Colton, Redlands, etc.  I grew up in that area and, as a kid, I remember it as a pleasant land of small towns surrounded by citrus orchards, rimed by beautiful mountains, and enjoying fresh air and sunshine.  Now, of course, it has evolved into a land of chronically smog-plagued lower middle class housing developments, connected by freeways that roar day and night.  Such is Californian progress, I guess: glad I live up here.

Anyway, Loma Linda has a university.  It was founded by, and is supervised by, the Seventh Day Adventist Church.  I tend to be skeptical of universities that are closely tied to religious bodies, but Loma Linda University seems to be totally legit.  (I once ran into one of their geology field trips.  The kids were bright, knowledgeable – and agreed that the earth is a lot more than 6,700 years old.)

Loma Linda University has a medical school that is quite highly regarded.  They do a lot of cancer research; the (SCCA) oncologist who treated Linda was active there for a time.  The Loma Linda cancer clinic has just produced the video transcribed below, and you should watch it.  It is highly generalized but quite useful nonetheless.  It covers cancer in general but does mention breast and ovarian.  Go to it.

https://news.llu.edu/patient-care/half-century-of-research-clinical-advancements-culminate-preserving-patient-lives

NOT EXACTLY A CHRISTMAS LETTER

                   Linda, her Mom, and a Jolly Old Elf

This will serve as my Christmas Letter.  I am living in The Willows, a posh “retirement facility” that features all the amenities, including hundreds of old ladies to have dinner with!  I am holding up okay in most regards, although inexorably time is having its way.  I miss family and friends a lot, and am pleased as punch for visits.  And, of course, I daily anathematize whatever or Whoever took Linda away from me so early and in such an unnecessarily cruel manner.  But, what the hell?  I still look forward to at least another year of blogging, chatting and snoozing in my recliner.  I hope you all have a good 2020.

So, to make this blog worthwhile, I am going to toss in some science.  As you all know, we all are merely mock-ups of the ideal creature coded in our genes.  Evolution is supposed to work by eliminating useless and/or inadaptive genetic mutations.  Now, humans and rodents are both mammals, but our “lines” split at least 50 million years ago, hence our genomes are markedly dissimilar.  However, we have a number of genes in common.  These are termed ultra conserved  genes, and the supposition is that they perform some functions that are absolutely essential.  “But what or which” always has been the question.  Now it appears that some smart people at Fred Hutch have provided an answer, using CRISPR gene editing technology.  There answer, summarized below, is interesting and understandable.  Read it yourself, with another cup of egg nog.

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2020/01/bradley-poison-exon-essential.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hutchnewsjan2020 

A -DISCOVERY, AND A PUZZLEMENT

 Linda, showing off her cast, the resuly of a nasty skiing accident'

Apparently immunotherapy does not work very well as a weapon against ovarian cancer.  According to this article, emerging from research performed at the Wistar Institute, a prominent biomedical facility located in Philadelphia, this is because OVCA protects itself against the immune system by means of the activities of several rogue genes, which the Wistar people identify.  It is hoped that this discovery will lead to more effective therapies.

To me, it is a puzzle how genetic defects like these can avoid being eliminated from the gene pool by normal evolutionary processes.  After all, to my perhaps primitive way of thinking evolution will preserve and propagate mutations that confer a survival advantage.  How can a genetic change that contributes to the death of its host be beneficial?  Maybe these genes help get a woman past puberty and reproduction age, and then go bad?  Beats me.  But I am thankful for the scientists who come up with these facts and conundrums.  We will beat the SOB yet!

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20211130/Study-identifies-two-genes-that-play-key-role-in-protecting-ovarian-cancer-from-the-immune-system.aspx

 

CHEMO-PREVENTION

                    A young Linda in happier times

                                  Where?  When?  Beats me.

Several times lately I have poured cold water on the notion of cancer prevention.  The point I was trying to make is that, ultimately, cancerous cells arise because of mistakes made in vital genetic processes, and that we have no control over them.  Well, a brief article I just read in The Week (“all you need to know about everything that matters” – my kind of rag) leads me to a new understanding.  We might not be able to prevent dangerous mutations, but maybe we can teach the immune system to recognize them early-on – and rub them out!  This promises to be a tricky, and sensitive, endeavor.  After all, we don’t want our killer T cells to mistake our, say, liver cells, for bad guys, do we?

But – given enough effort – this could come about.  Not soon, and not without massive funding, but maybe someday.  Fondly to be awaited, that's for sure.

Trouble is, I can’t seem to find a way to lead you to the article that set this off.  It is in the latest issue of The Week, and will take you about two minutes to read.  In lieu of that, here is a more general article about “chemo-prevention”.  Not great, but the best I can do.

https://www.oncolink.org/risk-and-prevention/prevention-screening/what-is-chemoprevention 

A WORTHY TAX DEDUCTION

                           The Roy and Marion Joyce family

                               All dolled up for a special occasion

        Probably the marriage oh Marion to the redoubtable Burton Doolittle

Well, yes, it’s that time again.  If Santa Claus is just over the horizon, can the IRS be far behind?  Even as we speak, the tax people in D.C. and elsewhere are hiring staff specifically to audit your tax returns to death and beyond.  Thus, those of you who itemize deductions should be in search of worthy charitable deductions – and I have a winner for you.  Fight ovarian cancer by donating directly to Fred Hutch using Linda’s personal web page:

https://secure.fredhutch.org/site/TR/PersonalFundraisingPages/General?px=1148821&pg=personal&fr_id=1573

Thanks.  You can do no better.

OCRA AND THE "DREAM TEAM"

 Linda visiting her mother at Friendship Village,        Kalamazoo, Michigan

               Much like The Willows, where I now reside

Have I said enough about OCRA, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance?  Probably not.  OCRA is a non-profit that seems to operate much like our more local organization, the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.  That is, it raises money by hook or crook, then funds research projects selected by a committee of experts.  Both OCRA and the Rivkin Center also do good work by simply getting OVCA out into the public eye, harassing Congress for more funding, and so forth.  I tend to favor Rivkin because I once volunteered there, and its founder, Saul Rivkin, is one of my heroes.  Actually, when I donate I usually go straight to the front line by sending my contribution to Fred Hutch, using Linda’s web page:

https://secure.fredhutch.org/site/TR/PersonalFundraisingPages/General?px=1148821&pg=personal&fr_id=1573

Anyway, the link at the bottom of this blog will tell you about some research funded by OCRA and performed by their “dream team”, which includes a U. Washington researcher with whom I have had some contact – Elizabeth Swisher.  Swisher is, as we once were wont to say, the real deal.  You may find this article a bit technical, but if you persevere you will obtained some useful insights.  Go for it!

https://standuptocancer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Scientific-Abstract-Ovarian-cancer1.pdf 

MORE GOOD INFO ON GENETICS

                Linda as a paleomagnetic field assistant

                                                            Southern Chile

There is nothing cute or light-hearted that I can think of to ease us into this topic.  Get up the link given below and read a very informative discussion of the role of genetics in all sorts of cancers, including OVCA.  Then search your memory for evidence that a member of your family has undergone a bout with any form of cancer (you can skip the skin cancers, except for melanoma).  If you find such a relative, seriously consider getting your genes sequenced – by a reputable lab, under the supervision of an oncologist or genetics counselor.  Costs for such procedures have sharply diminished but  are still high, I am afraid.  But the result may well be worth it.  I impatiently await the day when an enlightened society routinely scans the genome of every baby at birth.  Expensive, yes, but worth it - to my way of thinking.

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2021/11/beyond-brca-breast-cancer-risk-genetics.html?utm_campaign=hutchnews_nov21&team=marcom&utm_source=luminate&utm_medium=email&creator=fh&version=control  

 

BAD NEWS FOR BREAKFAST LOVERS

                   Linda and Carolyn in Split Mountain gorge

                                                             Happy days

You all probably are aware that I tend to be deeply skeptical about suggestions that diet plays an important role in contracting cancer, especially ovarian.  (But, then, as always: what do I know?)  Clearly, over-eating is risky, because it may lead to obesity, which may then cause inflammation, which thus may aid and abet cancer.  (Lots of “mays” in that statement, but nevertheless it seems to be true.) 

But what about specific foods?  Well, it turns out that researchers in England and Canada have collaborated in a meta-analysis of diet and ovarian cancer and discovered an unsettling correlation between OVCA and the consumption of coffee and eggs!  A meta-analysis is a study in which the results of a bunch of other studies are combined in some statistically slick manner to arrive at various conclusions.  Note that in general what results from such an activity are correlations, not conclusions about cause and effect.  So there is hope for those of you who, like me, are addicted to large, greasy breakfasts.  Thank the Lord for small favors!

However for the most part I continue to believe that the root cause of cancer are genetic mistakes occurring when cells divide, and in general nothing we can eat or drink can make much of a difference in that process.

But regardless of my mutterings you should read the article below.  It seems to be part of a diet enthusiasts web site called Eat This, Not That.  Not my cup of tea – or coffee for that matter.

https://www.eatthis.com/news-coffee-eggs-cancer-risk-study/ 

TUMORS THAT GLOW IN THE DARK

V

Linda in Wrangell, Alaska
The little town that God almost forgot

I’m no physician, that’s for sure, but I am fairly certain that the standard counter attack after a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer involves what is called debulking surgery – your trusted doc goes in with a scalpel and cuts out as much cancerous tissue as he or she can find.  (Sometimes this is preceded by what is known as “neoadjuvant chemo therapy”, the purpose of which seems largely to be to reduce the tumor burden to manageable proportions.)  But sometimes – commonly I fear – the surgeon, being after all human – misses a chunk of the stuff.  Well, to reduce this risk medical science has developed a drug that makes solid tumor masses glow in the dark, as it were.  This can’t help but help, so hooray for those people in the white coats!  If you have occasion to face such a dilemma, be damned sure your oncologist is in the know.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-imaging-drug-help-identify-ovarian-cancer-lesions

 

 

AN EASY WAY TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF

                          Linda, a baby, and a cat

                        I can identify the cat, but not the baby.  Carolyn?

I know I have already posted once today, but this is too good to wait – especially with Black Friday at hand.

Did you know that you can finagle Amazon around so that every time you use it, a small donation is made to a charity of your choice?  Well, I certainly didn’t know that– but now, I am “woke”!  (Probably not a valid use of that neologism but, what the hell, I’m an old codger.)

Anyway, just google “smile.amazon.com” and follow the ensuing instructions.  No hassle; I did it in 30 seconds.  All you have to do is choose a charity.  I suggest Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, or the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.  There are maybe 10,000 other causes to choose from; but try to avoid things like, say, the Donald Trump re-election fund.

Come on – do it!  It is useful, easy, and will even make you feel virtuous this dreary Thanksgiving day.

 

MUTATIONS AND CANCER: a simple summary

                                           

                                  San Francisco Days

 Thanksgiving Day & not a time to labor over a blog, but – before I forget – here is a useful summary from Fred Hutch concerning the role of inherited genetic mutations in all kinds of cancer, but especially breast and ovarian.  I had the Devil’s own time getting the thing to appear, and so may you – but don’t give up!  Read it sometime.

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2021/11/beyond-brca-breast-cancer-risk-genetics.html?utm_campaign=hutchnews_nov21&team=content&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&creator=fh 

A BIO-MEDICAL THANKSGIVING GREETING

                     LINDA IN SCOTLAND, I THINK

                                      Or was it Norway?

Everyone seems to be wishing everyone else a happy, safe and amply gratifying Thanksgiving.  Rather than do that, I am going to refer you to the posting of my second favorite MD, Dr. Francis Collins of the NIH.  Of Dr. Collins I previously have written that he is incapable of writing a dull paragraph.  Well, his latest Blog (below) is certainly neither dull nor overly technical.  In it he gives Thanks for many of the latest advances in bio-medical research – and sneaks in layperson’s descriptions of what they are all about.  Good stuff.  Read it.

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/11/23/feeling-grateful-this-thanksgiving-for-biomedical-research/ 

SEER

 From front to back:  Whiskers, a tiny bit of soft fluff; Murphy, my Ancient Enemy, the Prince of Darkness; Linda, my much adored and badly miss wife/

Do you think cancer can be fun?  Well, hell no!  I hate it as much as anyone (probably a lot more  having watched Linda die of OVCA), but I admit to amusing myself from time to time, playing with the following set of official NIH statistics.  The program is known as SEER, which codes for Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, and you can access it using this web address.

https://seer.cancer.gov/

There is virtually no end to the variety of cancer statistics one can conjure up using this resource – although a modest amount of patience and determination may be required.  For instance, with the web site up and running, click on “Start Exploring”, then use the ensuing plot to ask for long term trends in ovarian cancer.  If you do this correctly you should obtain a graph showing several surprising things:  (1) since the year 2000 the incidence of ovarian cancer has declined all fractionally among white women, but not for their black counterparts. (2) Throughout that period white women have been more afflicted by OVCA, although of late the curves appear to merge.  A little more fiddling will provide you with a graph showing that, from 1975 to present, OVCA incidence has declined fractionally; I find that curious, don’t you? 

Also somewhat surprising is the “incidence of prostate cancer” graph; there, black Americans are shown to be less fortunate than the rest of society.

I will stop here.  There is virtually no end to the time you can waste using the SEER program.  Grim stuff, yes, but important!

MORE ON THE NEW SWEDISH CANCER INSTITUTE

                             A PUB DINNER, LONDON    

Some of the verbal flak accompanying the creation of the (Paul Allen funded) new Swedish Cancer Institute* involved an effort to prevent cancer as well as cure it.  To my way of thinking, that’s a very long shot.  Cancer occurs when something genetic goes haywire, which mostly happens when something goes wrong with the (very complicated) cellular reproduction process.  I don’t see how we can influence such a basic biological mechanism,  for good.  For bad, we have no trouble – think smoking, for instance.

But the other stated goals of the new Institute – early detection and treatment - are humanly attainable, I think.  I tried to help out with an early detection of ovarian cancer program a few years ago, at Fred Hutch.  Sad to say, we didn’t accomplish our main goal, although not for lack of trying.  The effort then seemed to be to establish a correlation between the prevalence of OVCA and certain bio-objects in the blood; I think they may have been proteins, but as I am a dumb geologist and not a dabbler in occult bio-science I was never sure.  Should have worked, but largely didn’t.  Too bad.

Anyway, one PI on that project was Dr. Charles Drescher, M.D. Chuck, as we called him, is one of America’s top gynecological oncologists.  He also will be affiliated with the new Swedish Cancer Institutes.  That is very good news; Chuck is the real deal.  If you need help, look him up.

https://schedule.swedish.org/directory/gynecologic-oncology/1101-madison-street-157927-787309 

*That’s Swedish, as in the Seattle hospital, not the country

          Linda and Murphy, the Prince of Darkness

                   Probably on our first wedding annivesery

Okay, here is one I hope nobody needs, but everybody ought to be exposed to.  U.S. News provides us with a laypersons account of the behavior of the PARP inhibitor Lynparza, commercial-speak for olaparib.  You already know all about olaparib, how it works, how effective it is, etc., etc., if you have been paying attention to this blog.  Olaporib will not cure ovarian cancer, but it may greatly enhance what the medical folks term PFS – progression-free survival.  In other words, olaparib may keep you well and enjoying life for an important and valuable stretch of time!  If the stuff had been available in 2010 Linda probably would still be now, eleven years later - but we could well have had a few more happy and joyful years together.  That would have been an indescribably great blessing.

So, yes – you know about PARPi and maintenance therapy already.  Just make sure your oncologist does too!  And if you are suspicious, switch docs immediately, without compunction!

By the way, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has left $25m to Swedish Hospital to found a cancer clinic, which is now up and running.  That makes two recommended ( by me!) places for you to consult if, God forfend!, you are diagnosed with any kind of cancer.  The other, of course, is the SCCA 0 Seattle Cancer Care Alliance: U.W. Medical, Seattle Childrens’ Hospital, and Fred Hutch

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-03-25/drug-boosts-survival-for-women-with-advanced-ovarian-cancer

A NEW APPROACH TO CANCER CURE?

                                           Linda and Butch

                                                 Color coordination

 

Next to Saul Rivkin, my favorite human on the medical side of things is Francis Collins.  Not only did Dr. Collins co-spearhead the task of deciphering the human genome, he went on to become the director of NIH and the occasional author of lucid, informative blogs aimed at the likes of you and me.  Here is one such.  To benefit from it you will need to know what mRNA is and what it does.  Faithful readers (all 11 of you) will need no refresher research; the rest of you should consult Dr. Google.  I am not going to try to consolidate and simplify Dr. Collins’ article; you really should read it, and mull it over, for yourself.  Anyway- while I have energy remaining I want to allow you to share my latest humiliation, by means of a Frivolities blog.  Read Dr. Collins’ essay.  Now

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/11/12/teaching-the-immune-system-to-attack-cancer-with-greater-precision/

MORE ON DIET AND OVARIAN CANCER

                                Linda in Cuzco, Peru

Can eating right “immunize” you from ovarian cancer?  Emphatically, no!  OVCA is rooted in genetic problems.  About 1/6 of all sufferers have a genetic defect that they were born with, most often a malfunction of one or other of the BRCA genes.  Having this defect does not guarantee contracting  OVCA, but it greatly enhances the probability.  The remaining cases are the result of errors made during cell reproduction.  Bad luck, that is.  Such “copy errors” are extraordinarily rare, and in most cases harmless – but in some cases may be devastating.  Again, bad luck!

So what, then, are we to make of the study (below) that purports to show that diet can influence the likelihood of contracting OVCA?  Well, danged if I know.  Maybe people who eat “right” also tend to have stronger or more effective immune systems.  In that case the (very slight) correlation between OVCA resistance found does not entail cause-and-effect.  That’s my guess.

But, what the heck:  eat right, anyway.  It can’t hurt.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ovarian-cancer-and-diet 

 

SOME NEW STUFF, SOME OLD STUFF

                        LINDA AT A QUILTING RETREAT

                   Cancer could take her hair, but not her smile

Okay, here is a link to a bunch of short videos concerning various aspects of ovarian cancer research.  To get the most out of them, though, you may need to review such topics as PARP inhibitors, check point inhibitors, platinum sensitivity, and maybe even angiogenesis.  You know all that stuff, right?  Well, there’s always Dr. Google…..  I have written about them, too, from time to time.

https://www.onclive.com/clinical/ovarian-cancer 

PROGESTERONE: FRIEND OR FOE?

            Linda on top of the world:  Colorado  

  What’s a dumb geologist to do?  I took them at their word; taking birth control pills cut the probability of contracting OVCA.  Presumably, I thought, because it cut down on ovulation and associated phenomena, and therefore – I surmised – reduced the risk of deleterious mutations.  Now, however, if you can believe the rats (lab mice, actually), an important hormone contained in such medicaments - progesterone – actually aids metastatic behavior!  Thus, if you do get cancer, the pills will help it spread faster?  So, I guess, you[d better read the article below, then ask somebody who actually understand these things.

ttps://ovariancancernewstoday.com/2021/02/18/progesterone-may-help-drive-spread-ovarian-cancer-preclinical-study/  LINDA ON TOP OF THE WORLD:  Colorado

RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL

 Linda stands astride the northern and southern hemispheres  (Ecuador)

A new word for me, but easy to decipher: using radiation as a drug.  We have long known that radiation can be used to kill cancer cells.  The problem, a serious one, always has been to guide the lethal alpha particles and their kin to the unwanted cancer cells without destroying useful things (as, brain, heart, liver, etc.) in the process.  If I read this article correctly, it appears possible to convert ordinary lead (Pb) into a radioactive isotope (Pb 214) with a half-life of 25 minutes.  It also appears to be possible to attach these little activated suckers to a molecule called trastuzumab that somehow has the important property of being able to search out and glom onto cancer cells.  Then the Pb214 kills the cell with a burst of sub-atomic ejecta.  How all this works is well outside my pay grade, obviously.  Read the article and you will be enlightened.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/750426 

 

 

BLOBOLOGY

                             Linda with Amanda Kelly

Amanda is of this moment (2021) the mother of three totally                            wonderful great grandkidaof my

This is not about a new breakthrough in ovarian cancer research, but rather a fascinating description of a important new tool in bio-medical research, a device that permits you to actually SEE the structure of all but the smallest organic molecules!  Sure to have cost an unimaginable sum; we can reasonably expect great benefits to flow therefrom. 

Imagine being able to study the shape and structure of things this small!  My experience with microscopes ended with frustration and a headache; turned me away from rocks, toward tectonics.

Anyway, you should read this article.  It is well written and interesting.

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2021/10/-blob-ology--no-more.html

 

 

A MOST VALUABLE ACCOUNT

Linda astride the eastern and western hemispheres (at Greenwich, England)

“My belly button saved my life”.  Kind of a funky title for what turns out to be a most valuable and serious, article about ovarian cancer.

The author is 44, a professional writer and OVCA sufferer, who shares her experiences in a clear and almost cheerful way.  You really should read her piece; even the most knowledgeable of you will learn something.  I’m not about to try to summarize her story; it would be impossible to do her justice.  Just click below, and if that doesn’t work copy and paste to thr Google command line (or whatever you call it).  Do it now

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ovarian-cancer-warning-signs-symptoms_n_614a31d2e4b077b735ebecc1  

 

NANOPARTICLES AND DEATH

 

 

I am more or less starting over with this blog and, as it happens, I have about 500 pictures oi Linda in a special file, so I plan to use them systematically throughout what I hope will be a long series of useful blogs.  This one is perhaps my favorite.  Hurricane Ridge and lots of love.

So, Celsion Corp has trumpeted its FDA fast-track approval for its new OVCA treatment which it calls GEN-1.  This entails delivery via nanoparticle (not a virus vector) of the drug lnterleukin-12 directly to the cancer cells, thereby reducing the probability of unwanted side effects.  IL-12 is a protein that causes inflammatory response and thus enhances the probability that the cancer cell will croak.  Use of IL-12 before and/or after debulking surgery will (or won’t, pending FDA approval) prolong remittance in the case of advanced OVCA.  Preliminary trial results look promising.

I wrote about this drug/company once before.  I even went so far as to buy a bunch of Celsion stock, at $1.88 per share.  Since then it dropped to $1.00 and shows every sign of roosting there.  Don’t look to m for stock tips!

 

https://ovariancancernewstoday.com/2021/02/25/fda-grants-fast-track-designation-celsions-gen-1-advanced-ovarian-cancer/ 

No more excuses

                                           The love of my life

As many of you know, I am in the process of moving from Linda and my wonderful home of 34 years, located in Fairhaven and close to the action to a very nice retirement community called The Willows, which is close to the local hospital and all my doctors!  Our home simply had become too large and lonely for one old man to appreciate.  So, for the last few months I have been caught up in the turmoil of a major life change, which is part of my excuse for neglecting this blog.  But now I am almost settled, so I intend to get back to work.  To add something useful to this blog:

     September is Ovarian Cancer Awarness Month

So wear teal, give generously. And maybe do some praying

BIRTHDAY

                        This little girl would be 76 tomorrow/  How I miss her

ANOTHER WORTHY PLACE, AND COUPLE

                     Linda (in treatment) and niece Ella

In the past I have recommended that if you receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis you repair immediately to a top cancer center for treatment:  Sloan Kettering, Fred Hutch, etc.  Well, now I have found another one – at UTexas SW, in Dallas.  UTexas SW includes a clinic and research outfit named after its benefactor, the Cecil and Ida Green foundation.  Apparently Cecil made a ton of money in the oil game, then disposed of it productively by establishing an institute devoted to the reproductive sciences.  Its latest research output, which I don’t claim to understand well enough to translate into lay English, is given below.  Somebody please read it, then explain it to me.

So with people like Cecil and Ida still around, maybe capitalism isn’t all bad after all.

https://www.genengnews.com/news/new-biomarkers-and-flaw-found-in-ovarian-cancer/ 

MORE GENOMICS

                              Patches and you know who

A few of you may have noticed that this blog has been quiet of late; in fact, my “posting rate” has dropped from about three a week to more like one every three weeks!  Believe me, this is not a sign of loss of interest; eradication of ovarian cancer remains my principal goal in life.  The slowdown results from three factors:  First, I have been inundated by two separate waves of Alaskan family, including five great grandchildren under the age of eight, with concomitant energy drain.  Second, I have decided to post only news I consider truly significant; no more reports of clinical trials with less-than-earth shattering results.  And, finally – I am damned near 90, so cut me some slack!

So, anyway, I do want to alert you to something interesting, in a bio-genomic sort of way.  Unfortunately I can’t give you a link to click. You will have to search for it. The article appeared very recently in the NY Times.  The author is Carl Zimmer and the title is Scientists Finish the Human Genome at Last.  It is worth reading primarily as a refresher course on the inner workings of the human hereditary system operate.  The Times allows us a few free articles each month, so use one here.  Happy hunting!

MACHUNE LEARNING AND CANCER

                              Linda in Cairo

When cancer finally is conquered and a memorial to that milestone erected on the Mall it should contain tributes to two kinds of mice – the traditional furry kind that have died in the billions to provide us with all sorts of useful data, and the kind we use to manipulate our computers.  As this article shows

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210702/World-first-study-uses-artificial-intelligence-to-map-the-risks-of-ovarian-cancer-in-women.aspx 

computer algorithms might prove to be an important weapon.  The idea is simple.  Just assemble a truly massive data set containing information about people with cancer and those without, then turn loose machine learning – AI – to identify statistically significant correlations, to point cancer researchers in the right direction.  Sounds simple, eh?  Well, promising, maybe, but don’t hold your breath.  Many more of the furry kind of mouse must die before we can build that memorial on the Mall.  But I retain hope.

NEW RESEARCH, ENCOURAGING

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                      Possibly Linda's first quilt

I wrote a clever little blurb to go with this

https://sciworthy.com/a-personalized-vaccine-to-treat-ovarian-cancer/

but somehow it disappeared from my computer, never to be seen again.  To hell with it!  It’s too damned hot (91) to wrestle with modern technology.  Read it yourself,  it’s interesting, and potentially very important.

RUN OVCA INTO THE GROUND

                    Saul Rivkin,  one of my heroes
 

As many of you know, I have been supporting ovarian cancer research at Fred Hutch and the Marsha Rivkin Center for quite a few years.  At first I actually drove to Seattle and tried to help out – but that activity soon succumbed to the realization that, at my age, I was a potential deadly threat on I5.  Thus, I switched to helping from home any way I could, and, of course, sent my annual charity in that direction.  Well, for reasons it would do no good to relate, lately I have switched to Fred Hutch, 100%.  However, the Rivkin center still does good work, so I am happy to relay to you the news that their annual Fun Run will happen soon – July 11^th, to be more precise.  Here is the skinny:  give it a whirl.  I would if I could still get around.

https://summerun.rivkin.org/site/TR/Events/SummeRun?pg=entry&fr_id=1060 

 

BITTERLY DEPRESSING NEWS

                    The Joyce gang, a long time ago

It is true that OVCA, caught in an early stage, is easier to cure,  I have long assumed that it followed that early detection would save lives.  I blogged in that vein several times; i.e.:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/900265558914510650/2033328844619410480 

Well, turns out that that, somehow, that isn’t the case.  The link below will inform you of the results of a massive study conducted in the U.K., one that lasted decades.  It appears that, although the cancers were detected early, with laudable success, overall mortality was unaffected!   There is some discussion of why, and a lot of chatter about all that’s been learned, etc., but the overall impact of the study is profoundly depressing,  And, it’s a big deal; Google “ovarian cancer”, then click on “news” to read several more versions of what is summarized below.

So, obviously, we need to concentrate more on late-stage treatment and, of course, prevention.  Damn it, anyway!

https://theconversation.com/devastated-and-sad-after-36-years-of-research-early-detection-of-ovarian-cancer-doesnt-save-lives-160999

 

TEN YEARS

 Linda and Patches grab some serious down time

I have been away from my computer for several weeks, visiting my daughter and husband at their beautiful farm in Wisconsin,  I travelled by Amtrack, and one of these days I will write something about that experience, which was more or less pleasant.  But, in the meantime the 10^th anniversary of Linda’s death rolled by.  The picture shows her about 25 years ago, enjoying some serious down time with a creature that grew into what must have been the world’s most beautiful cat, Patches.  Oh how I wish they were here with me today.

God made a serious blunder when he took Linda instead of me all those years ago.  She had a long and productive life left to live, whereas I was more or less worn out.  Agnostic though I always have been, I even asked Him, as she was about to go, to let me take her place.  Such are the silly things we think at such moments.  Anyway, if Linda dying of ovarian cancer in such an unnecessarily cruel way is in any way part of “God’s plan”, then I don’t like Him very much.  I prefer to think it was all the result of brute biology and bad luck.  At least we can fight back against the brute biology part by donating to her research fund at Fred Hutch.  You can track it down easily; start by Googling “Linda Joyce Beck” and go from there.  Thanks.  And those of you who knew her should take a moment to remember how beautiful, kind and loving she was.

SEVERAL RELEVANT TOPICS

                                                    In Athens

                                                        God, how I miss her

Here is a discussion of the importance of seeking out a clinical trial if you get an OVCA diagnosis.  If at all possible, enroll at one of the top research hospitals: Fred Hutch, Sloan Kettering, Fox Chase, MD Anderson, etc.  It would be worth a long commute.

https://www.curetoday.com/view/making-strides-in-ovarian-cancer

And here is another discussion, of a new anti-OVCA drug, Rucaparib.  This bio-weapon belongs to a class of drugs called PARPi, with which you, as faithful readers of this blog  are familiar.  (If not, consult Professor Google).  Apparently Rucaparib is most effective if used before standard, platinum-based, chemotherapy.  For some unfathomable reason OVCA cells develop an effective defense against Rucaparib if first attacked by platinum!  Nasty little bastards!

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uows-nco050321.php