looking for survivors

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looking for survivors

by sunshineday66 on Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:00 AM

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Good Morning-

I'm in awe of all the strong, wonderful women on this board. Cervical cancer is a very challenging disease and you all live your life with such determination and grace. I'm a reporter for SELF magazine. For our October issue we are doing a large story on cervical cancer rates in Latinas and I'm looking for a some cervical cancer survivors (who are Hispanic) to speak with for a brief interview.  If you're willing to share your story to help others please drop me a note before May 5th at

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RE: looking for survivors

by herenow on Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:00 AM

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It's all good and well for you to right an article about cancer survivors. But are you going to discuss the medication proving successful in clinical trial, right now? Nventa has HspE7, CNRS has MVA E2, and Roche has the vaccine TG-4001, which has therapeutic properties to clear up dysplasia caused by HPV-16. In addition, there are other therapeutic medications being tested at places, such as the John Hopkins Medical Institute. Checking www.clinicaltrials.com will also reveal what else is in clinical trials.

Doctors are not telling patients about this. Why? Because too many corporation producing surgical tools are profiting from this! Because too many doctors are making money by doing surgery! It is not in their best interest to have medication made available to patients, and they are going to do everything possible to keep it from becoming accessible to the public. This is why the travesty that is gynecology needs to be exposed and the funding made available to finish the testing in order to get the approval.

I have been in contact with some of the biotech firms creating therapeutic medication, and one of them told me they're having a hard time convincing those who support surgery that this medication is necessary.

Gynecology is currently a stagnant profession. It took a giant step forward with the development of the PAP smear and other screening tools. But it hasn't moved any further. The treatment is still invasive and barbaric, the success rate is still the same, and the recurrence rate is still up to 27%. Ominously, with these odds, the chances of doctors making more money from surgery is still there, and women's health will still be vulnerable. The CBE (cone biopsy exisor) was currently approved, and it's just another reinvention of the wheel. In the meantime, barely anyone is aware of the success of these medications in clinical trial. There needs to come a point at which women demand change, or we won't get it, due to the profit from surgery. Reporters like you could help us bring about change faster.

I can understand how important it is to write an article about cervical-cancer survivors, as well as emphasizing the importance of regular exams. But the bigger story is about the medication that is not being made available to us, which is clearing up dysplasia - and HPV (or at least reducing the original viral load to 10%)  - less invasively and more effectively for our future health.

You would do women a greater good by writing that story. If you do not have the investigative means to write that story, please have somebody who is qualified do it for you.

RE: looking for survivors

by KellyB33 on Fri May 08, 2009 12:00 AM

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You might want to look into the large amount of women who are diagnosed while pregnant or have tumors grow when they are pregnant. It is a rising group of people.  I had a tumor grow while I was pregnant with my son.  The doctors believe the pregnancy was the perfect environment for this fast-growing cervical cancer to grow.  I had a positive HPV test but normal pap the first week of my pregnancy.  They should have repeated the pap in 6months but didn't b/c I was pregnant and figured it would be a positive HPV result.  This was a big mistake!  I think it is common though to not repeat during pregnancies.

RE: looking for survivors

by nrbsun on Fri May 15, 2009 12:00 AM

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It seems like a lot of people are giving you advice on what to highlight - and I have to say that I am also one of those people. I am not Hispanic but I recently just had a radical trachelectomy for my stage 1B1 cervical cancer. I am 34 and had absolutely no symptoms not even an abnormal pap. All of my cancer was removed and I still have the chance of having children. It is not a very common procedure but I would like as many women as possible to know that it exists so they can truly research all of their options. Thank you for your consideration. 
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