The Mesothelioma Advisor – Cancer, Health, Wellness, and Medical Information

Doug Fieger, leader of The Knack passed away last Sunday of cancer at the age of 57. Doug had battled cancer for several years and told the Detroit News in January that “I’ve had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don’t feel cheated in any way, shape or form.”

Doug was born August 20, 1952 in Detriot, Michigan and after he graduated from high school, he traveled to England to record two albums with the group Sky. After Sky broke up and Doug started The Knack in 1978 in Los Angeles. The Knack’s biggest hit was the 1979 number 1 song, “My Sharona” which was inspired by a former girlfriend.

Beth Falkenstein, Doug’s sister said that “he was an extraordinary lover of all things popular culture, he was an eternal pop teenager but highly intellectual and intense.”

“I feel lucky to have been able to know Doug as a friend, and it’s hard to imagine many people who have not smiled when hearing the opening riff of ‘My Sharona,’ and the vocal performance will assure that Doug’s spirit will be felt by generations of rockers to come,” said guitarist and session musician John Jorgenson.

But overall odds are still low and headache sufferers shouldn’t worry, researcher says

Migraines are more common in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in those without the disease, new research shows.

The study looked at close to 117,000 U.S. women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II, including 18,000 who had been diagnosed with migraine at the start of the study. The women were assessed every two years over a 16-year period. Of the 375 women who developed MS during the study, 82 had been diagnosed with migraine when the study began.

The researchers determined that women with a migraine diagnosis at the start of the study were 47 percent more likely to develop MS than other women. The risk was the same regardless of age, vitamin D levels, body mass index, smoking status or where the women lived.

This is the first large-scale study of its kind to examine the association between migraine and MS. The findings were released online Feb. 16 and are scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Toronto in April.

“While having a history of migraine diagnosis was linked to MS, women with migraine need to know that over 99 percent of them will never develop MS, thus having migraine should definitely not be a reason to worry about getting MS,” study author Dr. Ilya Kister, of the New York University School of Medicine, said in a news release from the American Academy of Neurology.

“More research is needed since it’s still not known whether migraine is a risk factor for developing MS or if it is a condition that occurs at the same time as MS,” Kister added.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about multiple sclerosis.

Former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, who led the department for more than a decade, has been hospitalized with bladder cancer, sources said Tuesday.

Chief Charlie Beck informed the police commission during its Tuesday meeting that he had visited the former LAPD chief in the hospital over the weekend. Beck said Gates, 83, had a “very serious malady.” He did not describe the nature of Gates’ illness.

“I ask everyone to keep him in their prayers,” Beck said.

According to sources familiar with Gates’ medical condition, however, he has been hospitalized for several weeks with bladder cancer that has spread to his bone structure near his hip. Gates has been receiving radiation treatments to eradicate the cancer and his doctors want to then start chemotherapy for the tumor in the bladder.

“Los Angeles police officers are praying that Chief Gates will have a quick recovery and be able to get back to making frequent appearances to honor officers for their service — from retirements and funerals to ceremonies and charity events — as soon as possible,” said Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the police union.

Gates, once a driver for former Chief William H. Parker, rose through the ranks to serve as department chief from 1978 to 1992. Throughout his career he made headlines, often verbally sparring with Mayor Tom Bradley and council members. Known as the father of the modern SWAT team, he retired in 1992.

His retirement occurred after the riots following the Rodney G. King beating trial. But the pressure for Gates to retire came before the riots when the Christopher Commission issued a scathing report on the department under Gates. The commission findings signaled a new era of LAPD management.

Many police experts say Gates help developed many of the tactical responses used in modern policing. Gates, who attended Beck’s recent swearing-in as chief, remained a popular figure with rank-and-file officers in retirement. While in office, however, his relationship with the Los Angeles Police Protective League was often combative.

With his eyes watering and his team standing by his side, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl announced Tuesday night that he is again battling cancer, and he will miss some games and practices during the next six weeks to undergo intense radiation treatment.

Karl has squamous cell carcinoma in his right tonsil that has metastasized to a lymph node in his neck, according to his physician, Dr. Jacques Saari of Sky Ridge Hospital. Karl called it “a curable and treatable disease.”

The cancer was diagnosed in late December when Saari found a 2-inch-wide lump on the coach’s throat. Karl, 58, beat prostate cancer about five years ago, and his son, Coby, is a thyroid cancer survivor.

Risk of death, recurrence halved for those who took it, study finds

A new study of more than 4,000 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer shows that taking aspirin appears to significantly increase survival and reduce the risk of recurrence.

“Women who took aspirin were 50 percent less likely to die from breast cancer [during the study follow-up period] than those who did not take it,” said study author Dr. Michelle Holmes, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health, in Boston.

The study is published online Feb. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The 50 percent reduction is the overall finding when comparing to users to nonusers, she said. “Statistically, the women who took it more days per week had a higher risk reduction,” Holmes noted. For instance, those who took it six to seven days a week had a 64 percent reduction in risk of death during the follow-up. For some reason, those who took aspirin two to five days a week had an even greater risk reduction, 71 percent, Holmes found.

But the most important finding, in her view, was the overall 50 percent reduction. She didn’t have access to doses, just number of days a week the women took aspirin, she noted.

Aspirin use also reduced the risk of recurrence of the cancer in similar fashion.

“It is a surprisingly strong effect,” Holmes said, though she acknowledged that it was an observational study and does not establish definitive cause and effect.

Exactly how aspirin confers a risk reduction is not known, Holmes said. But the new research is in line with some previous studies. “We’re appreciating more and more that cancer is an inflammatory disease, and aspirin is an anti-inflammatory,” she said.

Aspirin might lower estrogens in the blood or might prevent early spread of cancer, the researchers speculated.

For the study, Holmes and her colleagues evaluated aspirin use among women at least one year after having been diagnosed with breast cancer. The women, diagnosed with stage 1, 2 or 3 breast cancer between 1976 and 2002, were all participants in the Nurses’ Health Study.

During the follow-up, which went until a woman’s death or June 2006, 341 women died of breast cancer and 400 had distant recurrences, or metastatic disease.

Aspirin would never be a substitute for recommended cancer treatments, Holmes said. And aspirin does have negative effects in some. “It can cause bleeding of the GI tract,” she noted.

More study is needed, Holmes said, but for now, “if a woman has breast cancer and is taking aspirin for other reasons [such as arthritis or pain], she may take some comfort in knowing she might be doing something to help prevent her breast cancer from recurring.”

“This is the largest study of aspirin use and breast cancer recurrence and survival to date,” said Eric Jacobs, director of pharmacoepidemiology for the American Cancer Society. Previous research has produced mixed findings, he noted.

“While the results from this study are exciting, there are some important caveats,” he said. Like Holmes, he noted that the findings do not prove cause and effect.

“As noted by the study authors, it is possible that survival results could have been influenced by women with recurrent breast cancer being advised to stop taking aspirin during chemotherapy, resulting in an overestimate of any benefit of aspirin use,” Jacobs said.

Both Holmes and Jacobs agreed that it’s premature to suggest that breast cancer survivors take aspirin with an aim of reducing breast cancer recurrence or death from the disease. Women should talk to their doctor about what’s best for them, they said.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about breast cancer.

In our quest to lose weight, we often lean on convenience to help push us along. Smart Living takes a look at those diet frozen dinners and how a simple fix can actually improve your chances for losing weight.

One of the best ways to lose weight is portion control, and that’s just what those frozen diet foods offer.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea, especially for people that need some sort of accountability for serving sizes,” Cleveland Clinic Registered Dietician Laura Jeffers says.

Consumer Reports found most frozen diet meals are OK. They tested Kashi, Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice — in different categories — chicken, beef, pasta and shrimp and all of them pretty much rated good in nutrition and taste although taste is subjective.

But for many of us, they just don’t offer enough food.

Jeffers says look at the calorie count on the label.

“If it’s gonna be your meal 400 to 500 calories, look at the fat, especially saturated fat. Make sure there’s no trans fat. Make sure it’s on the lower range of fat,” she says.

To help boost the meal, you can add extra food without adding a lot of extra calories.

“Definitely add fruits and vegetables. They’re gonna have lots of vitamins and minerals and just fill in the gaps on the food that isn’t there, and that’s not going to provide a ton of calories either,” Jeffers says.

She also says not to deny yourself too much or you risk a binge. Those 100-calorie snacks or yogurt are a good way to get a snack but avoid lots of calories.

Make sure you read the label and pay attention to serving size. Also, the higher the fiber, the more full you’ll feel. Jeffers advises five or more grams of fiber is ideal.

Another thing you want to watch for is sodium. Keep the level under 500 milligrams per meal and remember not to salt your food because the food companies add enough for you.

Keeping her New Year’s Resolution, Kelly Osbourne is eating right.

Recently, the former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant was able to strut her stuff at New York Fashion Week – walking on the runway for Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief as well as Betsey Johnson’s Valentine’s Day show, looking great and in shape.

“I’ve completely changed the way I eat since doing Dancing with the Stars,” Kelly explained. “A trick I’ve learned is to eat just a little bit of something that has no carbs and no sugar in it before you go to sleep because it keeps your metabolism going. “

Revealing her secret, she says, “They say you should never eat before you go to bed, but I’ve found just having a tiny little snack — like half an apple or something like that — before you go to sleep really helps.”

When doctors perform cancer surgery, they often remove so much tissue that it leaves serious indentations — altering a person’s appearance.

If you saw Hersel Mikelian’s face now, you’d never know he used to have a gaping hole on the right side of his face.

“I was very sad. I was very angry that the doctors previously they did a surgery even though it was the right thing to do,” said Mikelian.

He had a salivary gland cancer that required the removal of part of his jaw.

“I had a tremendous amount of pain in my jaw area because of the nerves, they were basically exposed,” said Mikelian. “I looked for a reconstruction surgeon and most doctors did not want to touch me.”

That is until he met cosmetic surgeon Dr. Nathan Newman. He pioneered a new treatment called the Stem Cell Lift.

He removes fat from the patient and harvests one of the body’s most precious resource: adult stem cells. He then doubles and triples the concentration of stem cells before injecting.

“The stem cell is what brings in the new blood vessels, rebuilds the structures, maintains the volume by replacing the fat cells that die off,” said Newman.

Not only can the fat and stem cells be used for cosmetic reasons, Newman says the stem cells are so smart they can also break up scaring caused by the cancer treatment and rebuild and reconstruct surrounding tissues.

“We take these fat cells that are enriched with stem cells and put them next to bone. I can actually grow bone and make that bone stronger and bigger,” said Newman.

He says there’s no risk of rejection because you’re using your own fat and stem cells.

It took about two years and about 20 to 24 injections. Mikelian says nobody can even tell he ever had a dent in his jaw and the nerves and tissues appeared to have healed.

“He has given me my face back. He has given me my confidence back. And he has given me my hope back,” said Mikelian.

The price of the procedure depends on how many injections a person needs. The treatment of one area could run into the thousands. Newman says almost anyone can be a candidate for a Stem Cell Lift and the only limitation is that the procedure is dependent on how much fat a patient has.

Every 10 minutes, 12 women in the US get a hysterectomy. That’s 600,000 a year. One-third of those are due to uterine fibroids. They can be painful and disruptive. Now, women have another option — one that doesn’t involve major surgery.

Christina Simon is working hard to learn the ins and outs and ups and downs of tennis.

For more than two years, she played through the pain of uterine fibroids. She’s not alone. As many as 40-percent of all women have them.

Fibroids are non-cancerous masses in the uterine wall. They can be very tiny or large like Simon’s. She was told her fibroid was as big as a grapefruit.

“The doctor told me I was beginning to look pregnant,” said Simon.

Before, the only option was surgery to remove the fibroid or a hysterectomy. But then Simon learned there’s a treatment that doesn’t involve major surgery.

Dr. Marc Friedman, an Interventional Radiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, performs uterine fibroid embolization or UFE.

“One of the beauties of this procedure is all the fibroids in the uterus are treated,” said Dr. Friedman.

A catheter is inserted in an artery in the groin. Using real-time imaging, the physician guides the catheter through the artery and releases tiny particles — the size of grains of sand — into the uterine arteries that supply blood to the tumor. This blocks the blood flow.

“The fibroids die and eventually shrink,” said Dr. Friedman.

Approximately 85 to 90-percent of women who undergo a UFE say it significantly improves symptoms. Simon’s shrunk by half, and within two months, she was back on the tennis court.

“I came back and started playing again,” said Simon.

She is now focused on her game and not her pain.

No one knows what causes fibroids, but we do know that African American women are at a greater risk — 50-percent may have fibroids of significant size.

Web Extra Information:

What are uterine fibroids?:

Uterine fibroids are also called fibromyomas, leiomyomas or myomas and usually appear during an adult woman’s childbearing years. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths inside the uterus. They affect as many as three out of four women sometime during their lives. Most times, there are no symptoms for the fibroids. The fibroids are not associated with any increased risk of uterine cancer nor are there cases where fibroids developed into cancer. (Source: Mayo Clinic)

Uterine Fibroid Symptoms:

The Mayo Clinic outlines some common symptoms of uterine fibroids. These include: constipation, frequent urination, difficulty emptying your bladder, heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged menstrual periods, frequent urination, back aches and leg pains. Many symptoms go away, but if they don’t, it is suggested you see a doctor.

Uterine Fibroid Treatments:

There are medications to help treat the symptoms of uterine fibroids, such as heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pressure. However, there is no medication that can eliminate the fibroids. Some common medications include: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, Progestin-releasing intrauterine device (IUD), and Androgens. The only permanent proven elimination of uterine fibroids is having the uterus removed through a hysterectomy. Once this option is chosen a woman gives up her ability to bear children and now has to choose whether or not to take hormone replacement. Myomectomy is another procedure that removes the fibroids but without removing the uterus. By not removing the uterus, there still are risks of fibroid recurrence.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE):

UFE is a way of treating uterine fibroids, but without surgery. UFE has a shorter recovery time and takes less than one hour for the full procedure. The UFE procedure consists of an interventional radiologist using a catheter to deliver microscopic beads to block the uterine fibroids’ blood supply inside the uterus so it cannot grow anymore. Over 13,000 UFE procedures have already been conducted since 2004. Ninety-six percent of those patients said they were happy with their results. UFE offers another route for treatment against uterine fibroids while preserving the uterus. UFE is covered by most insurance companies.

Even though they receive equal treatment, black patients with liver cancer have lower survival rates than patients of other races, a new U.S. study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from 20,920 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry who were diagnosed with liver cancer between 1973 and 2004. The researchers also examined data from 4,735 United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) liver cancer patients who had liver transplantation between 1987 and 2008.

Over time, survival for liver cancer patients in all racial, ethnic and income groups has improved due to advances in screening, diagnosis and treatment. Among patients in the SEER registry, black and low-income liver cancer patients had the poorest long-term survival. Compared to whites, black patients had a 15 percent increased risk of death, while Asians had a 13 percent reduced risk, the researchers found.

The study findings are published online Jan. 25 in the journal Cancer.

The reasons for the survival disparities aren’t clear, but may be due to differences in patients’ underlying disease and in access to appropriate care, study author Dr. Joseph Kim, of City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., said in a news release from the journal. But even when the researchers adjusted for the type of therapy received by patients, blacks did worse than patients of other races.

Among patients who had liver transplants, blacks had poorer survival than all other groups of patients. This shows that racial and ethnic survival disparities can’t be explained by differences in access to care alone. Further investigation is needed to identify other factors, the researchers said.