Ever hear of "occult tumors"?

coloCan

You've read of the Salem witch trials......Well, this has nothing to do with the supernatural. In fact,"About 25 percent of colon cancer patients who are deemed node-negative or pN0,(meaning the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes) after treatment end up recurring with metastatic disease. Known as occult tumors, these hidden metastases often escape detection,be it imaging modalities or histopathology."

Article is about a molecular diagnostic test being developed and explains why this might be of benefit,especially to African-Americans Dxed with CRC:

newswise.com/articles/view/588602?print-article

PhillieG

Blue Oyster Occult Tumors
Interesting Steve.
There are just so many variables when you talk about cancer.
No wonder cancer is so tough to beat.
-phil

Sundanceh

PhillieG said:

Blue Oyster Occult Tumors
Interesting Steve.
There are just so many variables when you talk about cancer.
No wonder cancer is so tough to beat.
-phil

"Don't Fear the Reaper..." by BOC
Exactly, Phil...no wonder indeed.

-Gregg

Sundanceh

Steve
Interesting article...I'd have to check the archives but I don't think I had lymph node involvement...anyway, the barn door swung open and one got away - and it's been uphill since then.

Thanks for the article and all the info you post.

-Craig

idlehunters

Sundanceh said:

Steve
Interesting article...I'd have to check the archives but I don't think I had lymph node involvement...anyway, the barn door swung open and one got away - and it's been uphill since then.

Thanks for the article and all the info you post.

-Craig

Hey Steve
Very interesting article..... I had no lymph involvement either but plenty of recurrence! Interesting...... I will look into this some more

Jennie

ron50

Once we have had it we can never relax.
I was the opposite highly aggressive and had raced thru six nodes yet no recurrence BUT I can never forget my surgeons words "A lot of things have to go wrong for you to get cancer but once you are in the zone unless you are vigilant sooner or later you will get more".
I met a bloke the other day ,he came into a shop where I do some work. We got to talking and he mentioned that he had prostate cancer. I told him my story and asked how he was going with the peostate. He told me that it was fine but he has just had his third operation for breast cancer. It recalled my surgeons words. We really are in a war and the best we can do is to survive it as long as we can,Ron.

Unknown

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

coloCan

unknown said:

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

i revisit this only to add the following since published info:
on how some researchers think CRC starts:medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-outwitting-brainy-genes.html

medicalnewstoday.com/releases/244618.php
Designing New Generation Anti-Cancer Drugs (on 115 proteins indentified via computer simulation that could treat CRC.)

On protein MCL1's "newly discovered form and function":eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/sjcr-kpn043012.php

While "Update on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway" does not cite CRC, this pathway is also involved with CRC so some might be interested:ecancer.org/news/2779

On the potential cancer-fighting properties of the protein lactoferrin:nrcresearchpress.com/doi/story/10.4141/news.2012.04.17.66

For those with Wild-Type Kras,here's an abstract on adding "Erlotinib" to Erbitux:
jco.ascopubs.org/content/30/13/1505.abstract

On older people and Vit D:eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uow-rdv050112.php