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Sunday, November, 29, 2009
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Breaking News: Metastasis Risk Markers; Powerful New Tumor Killer

PJ Hamel
PJ Hamel
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PJ Hamel is happy to be alive. As always.
Author, breast cancer survivor

Writer, mother, wife, volunteer, and survivor: PJ Hamel joins the...

PJ Hamel

Wednesday, April 01, 2009
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Two stories that broke online last week may have long-reaching benefits for women with breast cancer.   First, Science Daily reported on March 27 that researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered a new marker that may identify, at the time of di...
  1. Questions from two women in their early 40's with bc
    Barbara Lee
    Friday, April 03, 2009 at 01:34 AM

    Hi, P.J.  I sent the link to this sharepost to my daughter, and she wrote this back--can you reply?

     

    Brooke says, "Interesting article.  I was particularly struck by this quote:
    "Most markers (a kind of cellular-level footprint) indicate that cancer is spreading or growing; TMEM predicts whether it will spread in the future, as it eventually does with about 40% of women diagnosed with breast cancer. "
     
    "I've not heard that statistic and it sounds very different than what the doctors have told both Erin and I.  Is metastatic cancer 40% likely in those who don't follow a protocol like chemo?  Would you mind asking your friend PJ?  Also, the nurse said something today, in an off-handed way about HER2/Neu patients being more likely to develop ovarian cancern. No one has said that to me before . Does PJ know?"

     

    What do you know about these two questions, P.J.?  And thanks!

    Reply
    re: Questions from two women in their early 40's with bc
    PJ Hamel
    Friday, April 03, 2009 at 06:20 AM

    Barbara, apparently HER2-neu overexpression is found in both breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Does this mean you're more likely to develop ovarian cancer than other women, if you have HER2-neu overexpression? That may be assuming it as a cause, not an effect... Or it may worsen ovarian cancer, but not be its genesis. I'm just guessing here. I found nothing in the online literature supporting what the nurse said. But clearly, she's a trained medical professional, and I'm not, so Brooke had probably better ask for more information.

     

    As for the 40% statistic, she might find come clarification here:

    http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/pu-tfb010509.php

     

    Hope this helps - PJH

     

    Reply
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