60 Minutes last nite!!

Donna70
Donna70 Member Posts: 852 Member
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi,
I will have to look this up but 60 minutes was showing how new cells can be generated with a substance from pig bladders. They said they grew a liver for a mouse. I turned to Ron and said boy wish they could grow me a new esophagus. Then, a dr came on and explained about EC and they showed a man who had EC did not say what stage, showed them removing the tumor and placing something that looked like a mesh stent and putting some tissue in this and he formed all clean esophageal tissue around the mesh. I think it was the man's own tissue that they added the special substance from the pig bladder. Now the man was saying he was cancer free but the dr cautioned this is just in the experimental stages. It was something to see. Can't remember what hospital it was but they are hoping to grow limbs for our soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was such a shock but wouldn't this be wonderful for future EC victims? The dr mentioned how the surgery for EC is almost worse than the disease. The man was eating and feeling great. Just in the most early stages but the longer we live the more they come up with. take care,
Donna70

Comments

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,392 Member
    #2
    There is a promising future
    Donna,

    I watched the same segment of 60 Minutes. My first reaction was to turn to my wife and say 'Well too late for me, my esophagus is history". But it is great to see that this might be an option for some folks in the future.

    It appears that for people with reflux an upper esophageal and grastric endoscopy should be a recommeded diagnostic proceedure just as a colonoscopy is recommended for people over 50. If EC could be caught at Stage 1 A or before the "cure would not be as bad as the cancer". As they stated on 60 Minutes.

    The future does look promising.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0
    12/03/2010 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 – 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
  • Donna70
    Donna70 Member Posts: 852 Member
    #3
    paul61 said:

    There is a promising future
    Donna,

    I watched the same segment of 60 Minutes. My first reaction was to turn to my wife and say 'Well too late for me, my esophagus is history". But it is great to see that this might be an option for some folks in the future.

    It appears that for people with reflux an upper esophageal and grastric endoscopy should be a recommeded diagnostic proceedure just as a colonoscopy is recommended for people over 50. If EC could be caught at Stage 1 A or before the "cure would not be as bad as the cancer". As they stated on 60 Minutes.

    The future does look promising.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0
    12/03/2010 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 – 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    6/21/2010 CT Scan NED

    the names of the research hospitals
    Hi,
    If you can't get on the internet or google, the names of the hospitals involved were Wake Forest and where the EC patient was University of Pittsburgh. Think the name of the procedure or substance is ECF. Think it is great people are working on this, they mentioned making kidneys, livers and lungs etc. Just a ray of hope for our kids in the future. take care,
    Donna70
  • cjmac49
    cjmac49 Member Posts: 100
    #4
    Future
    Yes the future does look good. Maybe someday they will be able to grow new esophagae. But for now I feel a day late, dollar short --so to speak -- esophagus and some stomach short too.

    I'd like to see more information put out about getting endoscopies when people have recurrent heartburn. Most of the information in print, on TV and the internet pushes medicines to treat the symptoms and not information on how to find out the cause.

    Jim
  • Tina Blondek
    Tina Blondek Member Posts: 1,500 Member
    #5
    Donna70 said:

    the names of the research hospitals
    Hi,
    If you can't get on the internet or google, the names of the hospitals involved were Wake Forest and where the EC patient was University of Pittsburgh. Think the name of the procedure or substance is ECF. Think it is great people are working on this, they mentioned making kidneys, livers and lungs etc. Just a ray of hope for our kids in the future. take care,
    Donna70

    Hi Donna
    Thanks for that
    Hi Donna
    Thanks for that interesting and useful information! I agree with Paul....we must stress to anyone with chronic acid reflux to get a scope done so the ec can be caught early. Glad to know that the future looks brighter for anyone with ec.
    Tina
  • Donna70
    Donna70 Member Posts: 852 Member
    #6
    cjmac49 said:

    Future
    Yes the future does look good. Maybe someday they will be able to grow new esophagae. But for now I feel a day late, dollar short --so to speak -- esophagus and some stomach short too.

    I'd like to see more information put out about getting endoscopies when people have recurrent heartburn. Most of the information in print, on TV and the internet pushes medicines to treat the symptoms and not information on how to find out the cause.

    Jim

    make yourself a personal ambassador
    Hi Jim and everyone,
    I really feel that there should be public warnings on TV about the danger of EC and how the OTC meds and prescription drugs can disguise what is happening for some people. My state Maryland had the month of April as National Esophageal Cancer Awareness month but no public announcements so what good was it? What I do is I have spread the word to my friends, family and anyone who will listen that if they or someone they know is having constant reflux, heartburn and takes a lot of antaacids, then they should ask the drs for an EGD. Of course, some drs don't get the ball rolling and I wonder how many internists don't know about the prevalence and rising numbers for EC. So we have to be the ones to spread the word. I know many people I encounter ask me how did I find it, how did I know something was wrong and I always share my experience with them. We may only reach so many people but maybe we can get someone diagnosed early. take care, prayers for all,
    Donna70
  • sandy1943
    sandy1943 Member Posts: 824
    #7
    Sorry I missed it last nite.
    Sorry I missed it last nite. AS common as acid reflux , heart burn etc. is I don't understand why drs. don't suggest an endoscopy when a problem is first mentioned to them. I casually mentioned it to my dr. because I didn't suffer with it like i've known some people to do. He waited a couple of years until i had a swallowing problem before we scoped. I was just as much to blame. I was ignorant to what can happen.I try to educate anyone I know with a problem ,to make sure they take matters in their own hands--Don't wait on the doctor, insist on testing. Early prevention can make a lot of differece in outcome.
    I'm so glad the new studies include the esophagus. I did't know anything about the esophagus until I was diagnosed.
  • K_ann1015
    K_ann1015 Member Posts: 500
    #8
    video clip & EC awareness
    Thanks Donna,
    This video is a re-run but is also on the ECAN.org (Esophageal Cancer Action Network) site under the topic of HOPE! (It has been there since December). Please share this site with family & friends so they can share it further. This site DOES have PSAs about warning of the dangers of untreated heartburn & OTC meds. I have no ownership of this site, but from all the research I have done through my families journey, this site is doing what we all want--see About us and then GOALS> They are working with legislators on funding awareness and even classification issues to get more funding. There is a lot of work to do.

    You can go on the site and become an ambassador yourself! It is not all about money, but getting out information and creating a network. We are all more powerful together than alone. Unfortunately, we keep having new visitors to this CSN site, newly diagnosed with EC. I hope through my and others efforts we can make a difference in the future. For those that don't know, my dad and his younger brother were diagnosed with EC last year. My dad is doing relatively well after 8 months of aggressive treatment including chemo, radiation & surgery. But, sadly my uncle passed on after only 3 months. My 11 year old daughter also has reflux. This topic will for ever be important to me. My dad's brave fight has inspired me. Mindy Mordecai at ECAN inspires me. Also, My aunt (dad's little sister) had a fundraiser and split the money, half went to ECAN and the other half to a race for the cure team she was sponsoring. She inspired me to try to do something like this in the fall.

    Sorry this is so long----but I wanted to share the hope that I have seen that also comes with some sadness.

    Kim

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