Very interesting podcast on NPR about the development of new way to fight cancer

aysemari
aysemari Member Posts: 1,596 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
I found this very interesting and informative.
Maybe we can have a discussion?

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/13/136280452/can-viruses-be-used-to-fight-cancer

Hugs,
Ayse

Comments

  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #2
    I heard this some time
    I heard this some time ago...it's certainly exciting. Thanks for sharing.

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #3
    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    I heard this some time
    I heard this some time ago...it's certainly exciting. Thanks for sharing.

    Hugs,

    Linda

    Great topic!
    Very encouraging to see that they are working with viruses and heat. What I pray for our Stage IV sisters is that they keep the new treatments coming and ultimately find a cure. For now survival for many is dependent on continuing to add new treatment options. These may also help pancreatic cancer which is especially deadly.

    He mentions Vitamin D, E, and Selenium. I was deficient in D and Selenium but did not know until after my diagnosis. After 6 months on 1000 mg of D, I was still at very low levels of vitamin D. My dietitian found I was low in Selenium. It is vital to thyroid function. I had been told that my thyroid was fine but she found I was deficient in this nutrient. She said my thyroid could be structurally fine but could not full function without an adequate amount of selenium. There is a book out that claims there is a correlation between thyroid function and breast cancer. In my cancer support group there are 2 women who had thyroid cancer prior to having breast cancer. Interesting.

    Looks like the virus treatments could be 10 years out. Too long!

    Thanks for directing me to the podcast.

    Roseann
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #4
    roseann4 said:

    Great topic!
    Very encouraging to see that they are working with viruses and heat. What I pray for our Stage IV sisters is that they keep the new treatments coming and ultimately find a cure. For now survival for many is dependent on continuing to add new treatment options. These may also help pancreatic cancer which is especially deadly.

    He mentions Vitamin D, E, and Selenium. I was deficient in D and Selenium but did not know until after my diagnosis. After 6 months on 1000 mg of D, I was still at very low levels of vitamin D. My dietitian found I was low in Selenium. It is vital to thyroid function. I had been told that my thyroid was fine but she found I was deficient in this nutrient. She said my thyroid could be structurally fine but could not full function without an adequate amount of selenium. There is a book out that claims there is a correlation between thyroid function and breast cancer. In my cancer support group there are 2 women who had thyroid cancer prior to having breast cancer. Interesting.

    Looks like the virus treatments could be 10 years out. Too long!

    Thanks for directing me to the podcast.

    Roseann

    Most of the USA is low in selenium
    Most of the soil and water in the US is low in selenium - thus what grows also low. Where I live we have 'pockets' of very high selenium levels.

    I've never looked into what high selenium will do to humans but have in horses and it's not nice. This is why you need to be very careful where the hay you buy is from - especially if 'cheap'. It will cause manes and tails to fall out, it will cause hoof walls to slough off. You may or not be able to reverse the effects but looking at quite a while at best. Thankfully I've never dealt with it with my horses (I'm a 'nut' on what I feed mine) but have seen it in horses of friends.

    Again - I don't know the effects of selenium on humans, but without doing research and monotoring levels, there is no way I would take selenium suppliments of it.

    Susan
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #5
    roseann4 said:

    Great topic!
    Very encouraging to see that they are working with viruses and heat. What I pray for our Stage IV sisters is that they keep the new treatments coming and ultimately find a cure. For now survival for many is dependent on continuing to add new treatment options. These may also help pancreatic cancer which is especially deadly.

    He mentions Vitamin D, E, and Selenium. I was deficient in D and Selenium but did not know until after my diagnosis. After 6 months on 1000 mg of D, I was still at very low levels of vitamin D. My dietitian found I was low in Selenium. It is vital to thyroid function. I had been told that my thyroid was fine but she found I was deficient in this nutrient. She said my thyroid could be structurally fine but could not full function without an adequate amount of selenium. There is a book out that claims there is a correlation between thyroid function and breast cancer. In my cancer support group there are 2 women who had thyroid cancer prior to having breast cancer. Interesting.

    Looks like the virus treatments could be 10 years out. Too long!

    Thanks for directing me to the podcast.

    Roseann

    Not so surprising. I was
    Not so surprising. I was low on vit D. and had my thyroid out due to tumors less than 10 months b4 finding out I had mets to the bone. My thyroid had multiple tumors that came back with cells that were atypical but not yet cancer. I have been on weekly vit D. 50,000 iu and my vit D is still low as is calcium and potassium even with supplements.
    But I keep hoping that they will find something and these studies really are the most promising. I believe that we have to fix my immune system b4 anything will work.

    I just wish that some of these trials didn't take 10 years before they are actually safe to use on humans. I am so glad that strides are being made, but I am a little selfish and want to see them come to fruition while I am here to use them!

    I was reading a while back about a group of researchers and doctors from Stanford and UCLA who are trying to get the FDA to release some of the drugs and procedures that have gone through all of the phases and trials and are just waiting on FDA approval to go through in less than a year so they can help those of us with advanced cancers. Mind you, these are trials that have been completed and show definite benefits.

    Just hope they get the needed funding to pursue these trials.
  • mariam_11_09
    mariam_11_09 Member Posts: 691 Member
    #6
    camul said:

    Not so surprising. I was
    Not so surprising. I was low on vit D. and had my thyroid out due to tumors less than 10 months b4 finding out I had mets to the bone. My thyroid had multiple tumors that came back with cells that were atypical but not yet cancer. I have been on weekly vit D. 50,000 iu and my vit D is still low as is calcium and potassium even with supplements.
    But I keep hoping that they will find something and these studies really are the most promising. I believe that we have to fix my immune system b4 anything will work.

    I just wish that some of these trials didn't take 10 years before they are actually safe to use on humans. I am so glad that strides are being made, but I am a little selfish and want to see them come to fruition while I am here to use them!

    I was reading a while back about a group of researchers and doctors from Stanford and UCLA who are trying to get the FDA to release some of the drugs and procedures that have gone through all of the phases and trials and are just waiting on FDA approval to go through in less than a year so they can help those of us with advanced cancers. Mind you, these are trials that have been completed and show definite benefits.

    Just hope they get the needed funding to pursue these trials.

    I found out I had low

    I found out I had low thyroid function right before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since my mastectomy my thyroid function has been within normal limits. I also have a tendency towards low potassium, which plummeted to new lows while on chemo (dexamethosone apparently causes potatssium depletion as well). I am still low on potassium, calcium and magnesium and take suppliments. I have been taking some selenium.

    However what I think is helping my immune system (and I am not having any treatment right now) is Astragalus. It is a herb that supposedly works on immune system, supports the spleen and helps to build up the blood. I was told you CANNOT take it during chemo, it supposedly interferes. My blood work has improved since taking it but then it could be that I am further and further out from my treatment anyway.

    10 years is a long time particularly if you are dealing the metastatic cancer.

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