CancerCompass message board discussion started by Danaray on 6/5/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,12906,0.htm Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I am new to this site.....just found it looking for treatments for some of my mother's side effects from Nexavar.  She does not allow me to go to the Dr. with her, so I try to obtain as much info as I can from the web.  (My stepdad takes her to the Dr. & doesn't ask many questions).  Anyone else out there taking Nexavar for Liver Cancer?  I am having trouble in keeping my  Mom's attitude positive.  I know how important attitude is & I see her fading as our options disappear.  I am really looking for some ideas---anything---someone might have done to help the individual suffering from a terminal illness to stay positive.  If my mom loses hope, she will lose her fight & in turn I will lose her sooner.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Cathy Danaray Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Cathy Attitude is very important.  I'm in the battle with my friend.  I have two entries:   5/26 "8 weeks"      4/26   "Nexavar Working?"  For some Nexavar works very well and for others it doesn't appear to help.  Side effects can be hard for some.  The results of Nexavar phase 3 from the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting of this week are all over the web.  One quote form presentation sums it up:  Re: Nexavar   "Standard of care for HCC"  Go to David Foster's wed site.  He has Stage 4 Kidney cancer and has been on both Nexavar and Sutent, and has kept his cancer at bay for over 2 years, and he is living an active life style.  He is very positive and I like his writing style.  He has two entries that I know about in the Kidney section of Caner Compass.  His handle is Davidf.Wish you the best, Ed    Seeking Information Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Another positive article hope this helps: Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical WriterFor the first time, doctors said Monday they have found a pill that improves survival for people with liver cancer, a notoriously hard to treat disease diagnosed in more than half a million people globally each year.The results in a multinational study of 602 patients with advanced liver cancer are impressive and likely will change the way patients are treated, say cancer specialists, including the study authors.Patients got either two tablets daily of a drug called sorafenib or dummy pills in the study, which started in March 2005. Some patients are still alive, although on average, sorafenib patients survived 10.7 months versus almost 8 months for those on dummy pills.That type of survival advantage "has never happened" with liver cancer "and is a major breakthrough in the management of the disease," said Dr. Josep Llovet, the lead author."That may not sound like a lot of time," but for liver cancer, "this is actually a quite impressive gain," said Dr. Nancy Davidson of Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It is the first effective systemic treatment for liver cancer, which is such a huge problem internationally."The results were released Monday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting."We now have moved forward" in treating advanced liver cancer "when it was not really possible before," Dr. William Blackstock of Wake Forest University School of Medicine said at a press briefing about the study.Sorafenib attacks cancer with a targeted double-barreled approach. It zeros in on malignant cells themselves and cuts off the blood supply feeding the tumor. It is believed to work on tumors within the liver and those that have spread elsewhere.In the study, tumors didn't shrink or disappear but in many cases they also didn't grow."You are not curing the disease but you are delaying the progression of the disease significantly and strikingly," said Llovet, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain.The study was halted early in February because of the good results, and patients on dummy pills were switched to sorafenib."This is a very good step forward in this disease," said Dr. Emily Chan of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.The drug, sold under the brand name Nexavar, is approved in the United States and dozens of other countries to treat advanced kidney cancer. It is marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., which funded the liver cancer study. They hope to receive approval for liver cancer use from U.S. and foreign regulators.Llovet has done consulting for the sponsors.Liver cancer is diagnosed in about 19,000 Americans annually but is much more common elsewhere and is the fifth most common cancer globally. Risk factors include chronic liver infections and some forms of hepatitis. The disease is common in China and countries without widespread use of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is routinely given to U.S. infants.Liver cancer doesn't respond well to conventional chemotherapy and is often diagnosed too late for surgery to be an option. Many patients die within a year of diagnosis.Robert Throckmorton, a 73-year-old attorney in Orange County, Calif., said his doctor told him "You better get your affairs in order" after he was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer last August.But then the doctor offered sorafenib off-label, and Throckmorton readily agreed. He did not take part in the study.After nine months on the drug, Throckmorton said his cancer shows no sign of progression and he has no significant side effects. He said he walks three miles six days a week to stay active and feels fine.Instead of thinking about wills and funerals, Throckmorton is looking forward to get-togethers with his eight children and 18 grandchildren, and even a possible church trip to Uruguay with his wife."I have good energy," Throckmorton said. "We are optimistic." Seeking Information Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Yes,attitude is crucial.I had a Whipples procedure in May 2000 and was overjoyed to have the chance.I was told mid last year,metastisised to the liver.No options available-but an attack via radiation,that buys but time.I simply told him I would survive completely from my temporary health problem.The day my surgeon passed a death but in time mesage,I found out about John of God,in Brazil.(There are no coincidences in God's realm.)Please do consider researching John of God on the internet.Once you have sites,copy his Portuguese name-as that produces better information.I simply tell you,John of God can introduce you to a new world.The eleventh leeper. Haifu 1. Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Thank you all for your responses.........I think my family is in for more than we expected.....I will search for more help & keed my mama positive for sure!!!!  Thank you again. Danaray Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/10/2007 Danaray wrote:Thank you all for your responses.........I think my family is in for more than we expected.....I will search for more help & keed my mama positive for sure!!!!  Thank you again. Thanks for the compliment. My little blog is  www.mapblog.typepad.com/david_foster Working with attitude can be just awful, not working with it can be, well, deadly. Dave  Davidf Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT