Josie Grove’s family said that she died “with dignity” after her two and a half year battle with leukemia. Josie, a talented artist and swimmer, announced in December that she wanted to enjoy what remained of her young life after her treatments had failed to cure her disease.Josie, sixteen, died yesterday at home surrounded by her parents and siblings.

“The Grove family would like to thank all of those who gave what can only be described as overwhelming support during her final months and which helped give her strength and courage to carry on during her illness”

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is uncommon in adults between 15 and 50 years of age but occurs more frequently in individuals over 50 years of age. The Philadelphia chromosome is a specific gene mutation that occurs in about 20 percent of all ALL cases. The Philadelphia chromosome occurs when specific genetic information is switched. Patients who are Philadelphia chromosome positive typically do not respond well to standard therapies.Researchers want to find new strategies to improve outcomes for Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL patients. Gleevec has shown some anticancer responses in these patients who no longer responded to standard treatments.

According to a study was done and published in the journal Leukemia, the survival at one year was 66 percent for those patients who received chemotherapy and Gleevec. Among comparison subjects the survival at one year was 43 percent.

What also sounded very promising was that the probability of surviving for one year without a relapse was 58 percent for those in the study and only 11 percent among comparison patients.

Source: The Cancer Blog

Scientists have developed a way of “executing” cancer cells.

Healthy cells have a built-in process which means they commit suicide if something is wrong, a process which fails in cancer cells.

The University of Illinois team created a synthetic molecule which caused cancer cells to self-destruct.

Cancer experts said the study, in Nature Chemical Biology, offered “exciting possibilities” for new ways of treating the disease.

One of the hallmarks of cancer cells is their resistance to the body’s cell suicide signals, which allow them to survive and develop into tumors.

All cells contain a protein called procaspase-3, which the body should be able to turn into caspase-3 – an executioner enzyme.

But this transformation does not happen in cancer cells, even though certain types, such as colon cancer, leukemia, skin and liver cancers paradoxically have very high levels of procaspase-3.

The researchers examined more than 20,000 structurally different synthetic compounds to see if any could trigger procaspase-3 to develop into caspase-3.

They found the molecule PAC-1 did trigger the transformation, and cancer cells from mice and from human tumors could be prompted to self-destruct – a process called apoptosis.

The more procaspase-3 a cancer cell had, the less of the molecule was needed.

Healthy cells, such as white blood cells, were found to be significantly less affected by the addition of PAC-1 because they had much lower levels of procaspase-3, so cell-suicide could not be triggered.

When the scientists tested PAC-1 on cancerous and non-cancerous tissue from the same person, the tumor cells were 2,000-fold more sensitive to PAC-1.

Since different levels of procaspase-3 were found in the cell lines studied, the researchers suggest some patients would be more responsive to this therapy than others, so it might one day be possible to tailor treatments to individual patients.

Professor Paul Hergenrother, who led the research, said: “This is the first in what could be a host of organic compounds with the ability to directly activate executioner enzymes.

“The potential effectiveness of compounds such as PAC-1 could be predicted in advance, and patients could be selected for treatment based on the amount of procaspase-3 found in their tumour cells.”

Cancer Research UK expert Dr Michael Olson, who is based at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, said: “These findings present an exciting new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of some cancers.

“It remains to be seen which, if any tumour types consistently express elevated procaspase-3. That will tell us how many patients could potentially benefit from the drug.

“Clinical trials will be needed to confirm whether procaspase-3 causes any adverse effects in humans.”

Source: BBC News

CHICAGO: Hundreds of people took to Lake Michigan today to help raise money for leukemia research. They were participating in the 10th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta.

CBS 2’s Suzanne Le Mignot spoke with a cancer survivor who took to the water this morning to raise money to find a cure.

This is 38-year-old Travis Wilhite. Looking at him, you’d never think just two years ago, he was fighting for his life. He was diagnosed with incurable Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Right now, he’s in remission.

“I realized at that point, that you know what, in order for me to continue to live like this,” said Wilhite, “to really cash in on the gift that I got of my cancer, that I needed to go out and help other people so they don’t have to go through that.”

Travis along with his wife and friends are taking part in the 10th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta organized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They’re among the more than 600 people setting sail on Lake Michigan for the six-mile race.

There are more than 80 boats in the race. Each owner has collected donations. The goal is to raise at least $175,000, with the money going towards finding a cure for lymphoma and leukemia.

Before he set sail, Wilhite had this inspirational message for those battling cancer.

“Keep fighting, hang in there,” he said. “It does get better, I promise. You’re in my thoughts and prayers all the time and I wish you all the very, very best.”

Wilhite says raising awareness and money for cancer research is one of the greatest gifts he will ever leave behind.

In the 10 years the Leukemia Cup Regatta has taken place in Chicago, the event has raised about $1 million for research to find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma.

CRICKET legend Ian Botham is set to pound the streets of Edinburgh to raise £1 million for teenagers with cancer.

The sports personality, whose nickname is Beefy, is renowned for his tireless fundraising and the event will be his 11th walk for charity.

The Beefy Bowls Out Teenage Cancer event is part of a tour which will see him transported by helicopter between 17 cities over nine days.

In each city he will complete a ten-mile trek and his walk in Edinburgh on October 10 will start and end on Princes Street.

Those who help him raise money for Leukaemia Research and the Teenage Cancer Trust will also get the opportunity to meet the star when he arrives in the city.

Botham, who had a Test career spanning 15 years, said today: “I know that, with the people of Edinburgh supporting me, the walk will be a great success. Every penny counts and we can only bowl out teenage cancer if we work together to raise as much money as possible. I’m looking forward to coming to Edinburgh and meeting those who have worked hard in their fundraising.”

The cricketer became involved with cancer charities in 1977 after meeting a group of children in a Taunton hospital who had leukaemia.

When he was told that some had little hope of surviving, he became passionate about helping to improve treatments and his first high-profile walk, in 1985, was from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Since then, he has raised £8m for good causes and has also held the post of president of Leukaemia Research.

Although his route is yet to be confirmed, this time he will start at Princes Street and walk ten miles via the Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital on Crewe Road.

Leukaemia Research chief executive Douglas Osborne said: “We are thrilled that our hero Ian Botham is pulling on his walking boots once more to raise the money that’s vital for the very specific needs of teenagers and young adults with cancers.

“More young people die from the blood cancers than any other cancer. At Leukaemia Research we constantly strive to ensure all patients will in the future be routinely cured. Ian’s inspirational efforts give great heart to everyone working to that end.”

For more details on getting involved in fundraising and to have the opportunity to meet Ian Botham OBE in Edinburgh, call Georgina Fitt on 020 7269 9003 or visit www.bothamwalk.com.

Volunteers are also needed to help the charity organise the walk on the day and anyone interested should call Yvonne Dickson on 0131-661 9224.

Source: Scotsman 

Almost one in five children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia does not receive the appropriate chemotherapy regimen due to medication errors, according to a new study.

The study reveals that 10% of chemotherapeutic medications for outpatients were prescribed or administered incorrectly. Although most were of little clinical significance, in some patients the errors may have put the patients at risk either for relapse or for overdose-related complications.

In the US, medical errors cause up to 98,000 hospital deaths per year – more deaths than by motor vehicle accidents and breast cancer combined. Medication errors are attributable to almost 7,000 inpatient deaths. Medication errors in the outpatient setting are thought to be some of the most common medical errors, but they are not well-studied, particularly in children.

These mistakes can occur in prescribing by physicians, during interpretation and processing by pharmacists, and when administered by patients or their caregivers. Most mistakes among outpatients are caught before drugs are given to patients, and because most drugs have wide safety ranges, most errors are benign. Children with cancer, however, receive extremely toxic drugs with narrow safe dose ranges and must be prescribed according to specific, sometimes complex, protocols.

Led by Dr James Taylor of the University of Washington and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, researchers studied the rate and types of medications errors that occur in children receiving outpatient chemotherapy regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The authors reviewed the administration of drugs and the medications prescribed and dispensed to 69 enrolled patients.

One or more errors were identified in 17 of 172 (9.9%) chemotherapeutic medications and impacted 13 of 69 (19%) pediatric patients. Of the 17 errors, 12 were attributed to how the medications were administered to the patient, and five were attributed to prescribing errors – that is, incorrect dosages. There were no dispensing errors by a pharmacy.

Although there was little clinical impact of the errors in nine of the 13 patients, errors in four children were potentially clinically significant. Three patients failed to receive medications at the appropriate time, increasing the risk of relapse. One patient received an overdose of medication and, consequently, was at greater risk for life-threatening infection.

“It is possible that the efficacy of treatment regimens is reduced or toxicity increased because not all children are receiving the chemotherapeutic agents as indicated,” said Dr Taylor. Moreover, the authors recommended, “in designing new [chemotherapy] protocols, a balance needs to be struck between the precision of dosing regimens and simplification so that medication errors are minimized.”

The odds of coincidental and similar cancer diagnosis are astronomical, but Laura Daly is convinced her brother and his best friend will triumph.

Ms Daly’s 27-year-old sibling, Ryan, was diagnosed with leukemia last April. His best friend, also 27, who asked to remain anonymous, received the same news one year ago.

Both Markham men are undergoing treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital, where health professionals are dismayed at the rarity of the case.

“They’re floored,” Ms Daly said. “Leukemia is a mystery and so is the situation of two close friends having the same thing. They say it could be environmental.”

Her brother will require a bone marrow transplant, she said.

Adding to the bizarre circumstance is the fact Ms Daly and her brother organized fundraising golf tournaments for several years before the disease affected the young men.

In the past, their annual event supported charities including The Make A Wish Children’s Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.

This year the focus is a bit more personal.

The “Get Wrec’d” charity tournament at Rolling Hills Golf and Country Club in Gormley is this Saturday. The 1:30 p.m. shotgun start is fully booked, Ms Daly said, but people wishing to contribute to the cause are welcome.

To date, more than $3,000 has been raised on behalf of cancer research and treatment at Princess Margaret. More money is anticipated after the event’s silent auction and participant’s fees.

“The objective is to raise funds and awareness for the signs and symptoms of leukemia and how bone marrow transplants can help patients,” she said. Ryan and his best bud remain close, going to treatments together. “Both are the most amazing people I know,” Ms Daly said. “They’re doing well. They’re strong and positive, but it is day-to-day.”

For information or to contribute, e-mail Ms Daly at spor_tee_44@yahoo.ca.

Susan Butcher, four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, was determined to conquer her leukemia, just as she had triumphed over the grueling 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

Despite her fighting spirit, though, she couldn’t overcome the cascade of medical complications that eventually overtook her. Butcher, 51, died Saturday afternoon at the University of Washington Medical Center, where she had undergone a stem-cell transplant about two months ago.

When Butcher first developed leukemia, late last year, she worried about who was going to take care of her beloved dogs in Alaska while she got treatment, said Dr. Jan Abkowitz, head of the division of hematology at the UW and one of a team of doctors who cared for Butcher during her treatment there through the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

An “incredible network of spectacular friends” stepped up, said Abkowitz, who wasn’t surprised.

“This was a truly amazing person,” she said. “She was extremely insightful and sensitive and exciting. She just had an amazing way of communicating with people and inspiring them.”

For years, women and men around the world were drawn to the adventures of Butcher, a young woman struggling to win the classic (wo)man-against-nature race, pitting mushers against Alaska’s blizzards, wildlife and frostbite. In 1985, she was forced to withdraw from the race when a rampaging moose killed two of her dogs and severely injured six others. That year, Libby Riddles braved a storm to became the first woman to win the Iditarod.

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Sadly, another cancer death has occurred — this one caused by leukemia and ending the life of Arthur Lee. Lee, eccentric singer and guitarist with the 1960s rock band Love, died Thursday at the age of 61. His death was shocking to many who knew him because he had the ability to bounce back from just about everything. Leukemia was usually no exception. But recently, Lee, who was diagnosed this year with acute myeloid leukemia, was not faring well after three rounds of chemotherapy failed. And despite a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from an umbilical cord — the first of its kind for an adult in Tennessee — Lee could not overcome cancer.

Lee, a Memphis native, called himself “the first so-called black hippie.” In 1965, he formed Love — the first multiracial rock band of the psychedelic era — and his groundbreaking albums featured a blend of folk rock, blues, and early punk. Lee is remembered for his hit singles My Little Red Book and Revelation, for influencing bands like Led Zeppelin and Echo, and for spending six years in prison during the 1990s for firing a pistol into the air.

After his release from prison in 2001, Lee formed a new version of Love and performed in Europe and North America. And then others — like former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant — performed for him this June in benefit concerts to raise money to help Lee with his medical bills.

Arthur Lee died in at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis — with his wife Diane at his side.

Former contestant Elliott Yamin was the third runner-up on the most recent season of American Idol. But he comes in first place for 19-year-old fan Amanda Jones whose dream after her diagnosis with leukemia was was to meet Yamin. Her dream came true this weekend when she got the chance to meet Yamin backstage at the “American Idols Live” tour in Richmond, Virgina — Yamin’s hometown.

Jones, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, is such a fan of Yamin’s that in May she camped out at Graceland in Memphis just to catch a glimpse of him when the top Idol contestants were visiting the former home of Elvis. Now that she knows Yamin a bit better, Jones feels a real connection with him. “He’s my hero. He went through so much in his childhood, struggled through so much, and in the end, he came out on top. That’s what I pray and hope I can do,” she said.

Yamin, 28, is no stranger to health concerns. He suffers from Type 1 diabetes and is also deaf in one ear — as a result of repeated childhood ear infections and an ear-drum replacement surgery at the age of 13 that just didn’t work out right. Still, he overcame his obstacles and has made a name for himself as a talented singer. Jones wants to overcome her obstacles too. For now, though, she is just happy Yamin helped her forget for a moment that she is a kid with leukemia.