Seven Years

Well, I must admit it has been few and far between lately.  If someone had told me back in 2006 after my failed stem cell transplant I would survive seven years post diagnosis, I would have been somewhat sceptical but quite a bit over joyed.  Hopefully, I can keep up this survival thing for a good long time.

If you read the "Five Year" post, you will notice we were trying to reduce medication dosages.  I've been on 10 mg Revlimid for a couple of years now.  I am now under the care of an Endocrinologist at UAB who is helping me get off Dexamethasone.  We aren't completely sure that can be done.  I'm down to 2 mg twice a week.  My white blood cell count is also down a bit and monoclonal protein up a bit from about 150 mg/dl to around 250 mg/dl.  I don't really like seeing the para protein go up ANY but I suppose that is the price I pay to get off the dex.

If you have been following my blog, perhaps you recall I had damage caused to my left hip by a plasma cytoma, steroid use, and radiation.  That finally required total hip replacement and reconstructive surgery 1/24/2012.  I suppose I should consider myself lucky I got seven years out of the joint before requiring replacement.  Dr. Herrick J. Siegel of UAB Highlands is the Orthopedic Oncologist who did the procedure.  My hip replacement is almost back to "normal" but I suppose it will be a while longer before I don't notice it at all.

My wonderful daughter bought one of those mall helicopters as a 2010 Christmas peasant for me.  That is all it took for me to get fully involved in the Radio Controlled (RC) Helicopter Hobby.  I suppose I need a hobby.  It helps me keep my mind off other things.  This hobby is relatively inexpensive and it is fun.  Electric helicopters are described by the length of the blades in millimeters.  A blade length of 300mm is approximately one foot.  A 450 class heli would have blades approximately 450 mm in length.  My helicopter collection includes three micro heli's; four 200 class helis which include one coaxial with lots of lights for night flying, one three blade collective pitch, one four blade fixed pitch, and my favorite two blade fixed pitch.  I have one 400 class and one 450.  Last but certainly not least is the HK(mostly Align)600-GT.  The blades are approximately four feet from one end to the other.  I built this one from a kit.  It is an awesome experience flying this one.

Ford 5C5Z-7210-AC Lever - Gear Shift

Greetings all and thanks for checking this blog. I guess you will notice right off the bat the title of this post is a Ford part number and description. This is going to be way off topic but what else is new. I wanted to use this medium to share information about my experience with my 2004 Lincoln Aviator which could save others over $1000 or help them to decide whether to live with the problem or go ahead and have it repaired.

I'm guessing most folks would choose to save $1000 and live with the problem. However, there is an aspect of this which might dictate having it repaired. Therefore, I will post a link to my blog in other places which will draw people looking for automobile information rather than my status as a cancer survivor.

Speaking of that, I should share that I had a 50 per cent reduction in my paraprotein this month from 100 mg/dl to 50 mg/dl. Contrast this with 6000 mg/dl when I was diagnosed back in June of 2005 and that the protein level has been on a 100 to 170 mg/dl plateau for ten months or so. Not bad! It is so close to zero it almost hurts :)

Now the car stuff. I am posting this here because I have almost unlimited space to write. You might not care to read all of it but hopefully I will make this interesting enough for you to hang in there. If you are coming here because you want to find out about the shifter problem, I probably could just supply the facts as bullets and a couple of pictures and that would be good enough. This blog thing has a spell checker too which is good because I can't spell a lot of words.

You may be coming here because you saw Eric Kirkhuff's YouTube video and read my comment with the link to this blog (if they let that comment stay). Regardless how you got here, I want to share my experience with you and if you haven't seen Eric's video, you need to use this link and watch it first. You will learn some things I may not write about. Besides, a picture IS worth 1000 words! I plan on using a few pictures too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF6YbWr8mWk&feature=player_embedded#at=25

If you are a master mechanic and make your living out of a tool box, all this may seem amateurish and you probably repaired the shifter in your Lincoln or someone else's a long time ago. Just so you will know, I am a pretty good amateur mechanic. My dad was what I consider a master mechanic and quasi mechanical genius. I learned from him.

I pried the side inspection panel off the console to get a look and decided I would be way in over my head to attempt to repair this myself. However, knowing what I know now, I could probably do it in a day. Others have commented you will be better off to have the dealer do the work because they do this kind of stuff every day and will do a much better job. I tend to agree.

First, let's discuss the shift knob cover plate. A lot of folks have commented they tried to pry the plate off and broke it. Eric's video begins AFTER he removed the cover plate and even though he makes a few comments about the removal, I think you need a little more information and you will be able to remove the cover plate like I did without breaking it. I have worked with plastic parts like this on a semi-regular basis for thirty years so I sort of have an advantage. It will help to depress the big chrome button so you can get a little better clearance to work with.



The key to getting the cover plate off is to realize that the top front has two small plastic catches on each side pictured above. If you use a dull knife with a thin blade and very carefully pry from the middle toward each side, you may get lucky and it will pop out but not off. There is another catch Eric mentions at the bottom. Intuitively, you would think you need to use a small flat blade screwdriver and push in to get this to slide up. Counter intuitively, push the screwdriver blade in behind the catch, pull out toward you, and you are done with this. You can see the catch above the set screw hole in the picture below.



Speaking of the set screw, yours will probably be missing like mine was. You could call this the $1,000 set screw because this is what caused all the problems. Loss of this and subsequent breakage of the plastic interconnecting shaft could cause your wife or family or yourself to be stranded in the middle of no where unable to shift the car out of park. Read on.

Bear in mind, there is a plastic shaft inside the hollow metal outer shift lever. What I think happens is this. The set screw works loose due to all the movement and vibration of the shift lever. The set screw eventually falls out. You may notice the shift lever becomes loose but ignore it because it seems insignificant. If you could hear your shifter speaking to you, you would hear it screaming at you to replace the set screw. But you don't and you don't. This looseness will be your only warning.






Next, at some opportune moment, you or someone else will twist the shift knob enough to break the plastic shaft which you can see in the pictures above. This will permit the shift knob to be raised high enough to make the spring in the shift knob come out. Probably at this point, your shifter will be stuck in park and you will be unable to wiggle or move the shift knob so that it returns to its normal position.

If you are lucky like I was, you will be messing with it in your drive way when this happens. If not, you will probably have to tow it to the dealer who is going to tell you he wants you to buy a $950 part which has to be paid for in advance. Also, at this point, you will have a gut level reaction that tells you you could probably fix this with a good old country boy fix and save yourself $1000 if you just knew a little more about it. Even though this is partially true, the plastic shaft is broken which leaves you open to the shifter getting stuck in park if the improvised set screw were ever to work loose and fall out unbeknownst to you. You have to ask yourself, do you ever want to take that kind of risk. I'll tell you what my wife told me, NO.

The screw you see in the picture is one I found that seems to work. However, the length of the screw is critical because if you screw it in too far, it will lock the plastic shaft in place and make it impossible to shift. You really need the OEM screw to go back with or something almost identical. Also, the Ford dealer service manager suggested using the kind of Loctite they use on carburetor screws. You paint this stuff OVER the screw to hold it. If you ever need to remove the screw later, just scrape the LocTite off. Maybe Loctite 290 green for preassembled parts.

I decided to get the Ford dealer to do the repair. Just so you will have something to compare with, the shift knob does not move. It is as solid as a rock. It also seems to shift easier. I can't inspect everything but I will eventually get a look at the set screw and apply Loctite if it appears none was used.

Five Years

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted anything as I am sure you are aware. I suppose the old cliche, no news is good news is sometimes true. At least, it is pretty much true regarding my disease. It (the monoclonal protein which is abnormal) has hovered pretty much at 150 mg/dl (as opposed to measuring in gm/dl as in .15 gm/dl) for over a year which is good. However, zero is normal and we are still looking for that. It was 4 gm/dl when I was diagnosed. I am blessed with continued survival!



My local hematology oncologist told me he considers me to be in "remission." He is definitely not ignorant about my disease so we will say he is being nice. We can't really accept anything above zero as "remission." We would also want to be drug free with no disease progression to consider the disease as exhibiting a "Complete Response."



You see, the disease is incurable to date. Thus, no such thing as remission. Besides, many so called remissions are really cancer cells gone dormant which continue to fly below the radar so to speak. I'm just thankful we aren't having to fight disease progressing in the opposite direction from where it is headed now. Believe it or not, the m-protein is still creeping toward zero ever so slowly which is good.



We reduced the dose of the expensive cancer drug Revlimid from 15 mg to 10 mg which has made a noticeable reduction in the tiredness, inability to concentrate, and neuropathy. We have gone from one huge dose of 20 mg dexamethasone a week to 8 mg on Monday and 8 mg on Thursday which seems to help the energy level and reduce the depth and duration of the dex crash. However, fasting sugar level is rarely below 100 now. It used to be rarely above 100 (assuming my Ultra2 meter isn't lying to me.)



It has been a long time since I have posted AND it has been FIVE years since my diagnosis. When I was diagnosed, median survival was three years. Now it is around seven years. So, in a way, we are back at square one :)

Thanks for checking in on me from time to time!

The BIG 60

Well, almost. It doesn't happen for me until May. Coincidentaly, it also happens for my two brothers-in-law soon. Therefore, our wives planned a surprise group B-Day party for us old codgers out in Artesia, NM. I can hear Stan now, "Speak for yourself." He actually turned 60 last week so that was the excuse to get us all together, a happy 60 party for Stan. But it was a happy 60 party for the three of us, what a surprise! It was also a nice winter vacation in early March just in the knick of time befor the spring break crowd forms in mass.

We left Columbus Friday and drove to Texarkana to my wife's sister's house. We ate dinner almost at closing of one of the local buffet's. I suppose I failed to be vigilent enough with hand sanitizer. The food was mostly fried catfish, frog legs, and otherr items which lent themselves to eating with hands. Boy, did I learn not to do that again. I picked up some sort of bug. No one else got sick and we all ate the same food at the same table so I know my getting sick was related to my low white blood cell count due to cancer drugs. About 3 AM Saturday, I got up to get a drink odf water. I got a long cold drink from a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

Almost immediately, I went into a neutropenic fever which lasted for about an hour. I had a fever of about 102 but fealt like I was freezing and shivered uncontrollably. Not fun. We had to drive across Texas Saturday so I managed to get myself up and in the car for traveling. We got in at Artesia real late. I checked my temperature real quick and immediately collapsed into bed. I don't think I got around until about noon. The b-Day party was scheduled to happen so I drug myself out of bed, took some tylenol, and had fun with the rest of us. Obviously, I didn't feel as good as the rest of us. I started feeling bettter when we went to Ruidoso.

Here are some pictures from the party:






The three (old) amigos:

Stanley Donald McKee (championship golfer)

Jack Clark Long, Jr. (Mr. Know it All)

John Adger Smith, Jr. (Chief, Cook, and Bottle Washer of par excellance performance engines)













Fourth generation picture. Grandma's and grandpa's on the left. The young and babies on the right. I have confidence we will advance to fifth generation soon.

The Grand Collage:

Ruidoso, NM. (Noisy River) In The Mountains:

More About Neutrophils and Dexamethasone

This post will be a bit technical and will likely appeal more to the Myeloma patients among us with an analytical streak like me. However, I picked this up from an article describing the cancer microenvironment in the most recent Cure magazine so I suppose it has an application for anyone curious about the role neutrophils play in angeogenesis.

Illustration of the cancer microenvironment:
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/1305

If you can link to this web site, you need to do it. This illustration is truly worth a thousand words, or more. This provided the bit of information about the role played by neutrophiols I needed to explain why it is necessary to take dexamethasone with Revlimid.

One thing they constantly remind you of if you are taking Revlimid is that it will reduce your white blood cell count. After you take the drug for a year or two, you begin to wonder how many other things they AREN'T telling you about. One thing I wasn't told is that something about Revlimid makes neutrophils stick to blood vessel walls. This is a normal response to localized infection but highly undesirable when it is happening all over your body because if your white blood cell count has been reduced by Revlimid, your neutrophil count is already low, it doesn't need to be lowered even more by neutrophils sticking to blood vessel walls.

This is where dexamethasone helps out. Something about dexamethasone causes neurtophils not to stick to blood vessel walls and allows them to circulate in the blood. The difference between not taking any dexamethasone and taking 10 to 20 mg or so is a neutrophil count well below 1000 or well above 1000. Normal is 3000 or above. Below 1000 is getting into dangerous territory where you become susceptible to any bacteria or virus you are exposed to and some good bacteria you carry around that is held in check by neutrophils but can grow out of control and cause infection without neutrophils.

According to the cancer microenvironment illustration, "Neutrophils and lymphocytes are immune system cells that can tip the balance toward a cancer-promoting or cancer-inhibiting microenvironment. An abundance of neutrophils is associated with increased growth of cancer blood vessels and poor prognosis. High levels of lymphocytes have been linked to a better prognosis."

My local oncologist reminded me during our last visit we still do not know how Revlimid does what it does, sort of like saying it is what it is. Nevertheless, we do know some things about the behavior of the drug. For example, it is known to inhibit angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation) and inflammation. The angiogenesis inhibition is likely the "something" about Revlimid that tends to inhibit neutrophils.

We are told dexamethasone causes cell death of myeloma cells (apoptosis). Therefore, the goal is to find a dosing level which will sustain the therapeutic effects of revlimid and dexamethasone. I don't think serious myeloma cell kills are realized with low dexamethasone dose levels below 40 or 80 mg and maybe below the high dose level of 160 mg spread out over four days.

Something about Revlimid provides serious myeloma cell kills in most patients. Therefore, the combination of low dose (equal or less than 40 mg once a week) dexamethasone and Revlimid is a powerful combination. There was a time years ago when dexamethasone was one of the only drugs used to treat Myeloma. With Revlimid, it is possible to reduce dexamethasone dosage to an almost tolerable level if there is such a thing. If elimination of dexamethasone does not cause neutrophil count to go below 1000 and Revlimid alone holds the disease at bay, then this would be the best because the side effects of dexamethasone are no fun and in all likelihood reduce life expectancy due to deterioration of the adrenal and other associated glands which produce the hormones that make us feel like living.

By the way, Mississippi is going through the big thaw. The capitol building is flooded. Pipes have burst all over town here in Columbus reducing water pressure and keeping public works workers busy. You can get an appointment with a plumber but it is like some doctors - month after next - ha. The South is not geared to single digit weather. This always happens. Therefore, global warming doesn't worry me as much as what follows, global freezing!

Out with the old 2009...

Greetings one and all and thank you for checking on me and I hope everyone has a very happy new year!

I suppose I am way past due on posting something here. We are currently in the throws of winter here in Columbus, MS the likes of which we have not seen for a good long while with single digit lows at night and highs during the day in the upper twenties and yes, we did have a bit of show this morning but you had to pay close attention or you might miss it.

I recall back in December of 2005 when we were at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (south eastern corner of the state about one and a half hour drive south of Minneapolis). They were having a mild winter. They were complaining of the warmish temperatures and absence of show before Thanksgiving. They were experiencing low temperatures in the single negative digits with highs in the positive single digits. I recall speaking with folks back home in the south who would tell me about the 72 degree weather. I think it took me four months to get warm after I got back home and didn't really get warm until the summer. I think some of that was due to my stem cell transplant recovery.

Speaking of that, the number we have been following which we think is a good indication of disease progression (monoclonal protein level) has been on a slightly declining plateau for about the last eight months or so. I am taking this as an answer to prayer and an over all good thing. The number is hovering around .2 gm/dl. The latest was .17 gm/dl. I am told that even if it was to go to zero (which is normal), they would want me to stay on some dose of Revlimid until disease progression at which point we would try something else. If I can behave myself, I may be in this game for quite a few more years (I hope).

Next subject. I decided it was about time to get into Windows 7. I did a small amount of homework in advance and realized I would most likely have to purchase a new model computer with Windows 7 preinstalled which is what I did. Vinita and I went to our nearest Sam's Club in Tuscaloose, AL to shop back in December. I knew I wanted one of the new all-in-one computers but wasn't sure what brand. Sam's had the new HP TouchSmart which is extremely attractive affordable so we bought one.

I have spent about the last two months off and on getting out of our five year "old" DELL. We have them side by side on our desk which is cramped for space now but I am optimistic this will be temporary especially in view of the fact I just ordered a HP Pavilion dv6t Notebook PC. It should be here around the end of January give or take. I did way more homework on this one than the all-in-one. There aren't many all-in-one's right now so not that many choices. Laptop computers are another story. The choices are mind boggling so I decided to go with a pair of HP's. I ordered a TV modulator so I can set the laptop up in the bedroom and use it as a 15.6" wide screen TV. Best of all, HP offered me a 30% discount so I didn't have to go to Sam's Club to shop :)

I'm planning on reformatting the hard drive on the DELL and reloading the original Windows XP software so it is like new. It is a DELL Dimension 2400 with a 17" high brightness flat panel monitor and extra RAM. The Altec Lansing speakers hang under the monitor which makes for a nice compact space friendly footprint on the desk top. If you know anyone who might be interested, this one is negotiable, your pig for my computer - ha.

IMF and Washington, DC

UPDATE: We received an invitation in the mail to the International Myeloma Foundation Patient and Family Seminar held at the Weston Hotel in Washington, DC Friday afternoon August 7 and all day Saturday. We stayed over an extra day Sunday to tour the mall. We walked almost all day in the 95+ heat and pretty much over did it. It has taken us most of this week to recover our energy levels. I understand this is quite common among those who visit the mall. Even though we bought all day passes to the circulator buss system and did quite a bit of riding, we did a massive amount of walking.

Vinita wanted to see Archie Bunker's chair and the original constitution. We found Archie Bunker's chair in the Smithsonian Castle main entrance atop a pile of post modern leftovers like Fonzie's jacket. We couldn't view the constitution because it is in some archive somewhere. It was a very educational visit. If you want to view diversity real time, go to DC. There are people from all over the world visiting along with you. You won't understand a word they are saying (unless you happen to speak their language).

I learned a few new things at the seminar which have prompted me to get a bone marrow biopsy and skeletal x-ray bone survey done at Emory next week or the next. Since my myeloma cells have apparently changed in some important ways, we need to do a cytogenetic study to determine how they have changed and what if anything to do about it. I may be having a second stem cell transplant at Emory in a few months if tests indicate I stand a better than average chance of getting a response. Last time, I got no response. I don't want to repeat that if I can help it.

Cancer Cure?

Here is a link to last Sunday's CBS 60 Minutes

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/25/60minutes/main4752082.shtml

You can view it and/or read it.

Fountain Of Youth In A Wine Rx?

Of course, heavy emphasis on the fountain of youth aspect. However, I found it interesting that at one point in the program, there was a comment that this drug has potential as a cancer cure. There was also a comment toward the end that the owners of the firm researching this drug were recently bought out by a drug company for a huge amount.

"Initial test results on cancer patients are expected this September. Last summer, Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Westphal's little start-up company was bought by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline for almost three quarters of a billion dollars."

I think this is a preview to the cancer cure. This stuff may not be the drug that cures but I assure you, there are numerous drugs being researched now. All the drug companies have to do to be able to patent a natural compound is make one insignificant minor alteration. And that is what the two doctors have done with this drug.

When they find the drug that cures cancer, it will not matter how much you or I have contributed to our favorite charities to find a cure, that will not save us from astronomical drug charges and treatment charges in the name of development costs. They aren't going to give this stuff away and cancer patients and their insurance companies will bear the brunt of the cost.

Maybe I should be grateful in the event a cure is found but it seems so unfair that we give so much and so much more will surely be demanded. I suppose fame is not as good without fortune.

5/11/2009 Test Results and El Pinto

If the previous several posts didn't deter you, thanks for hanging in there and stopping back by.

This month's m-spike was the lowest it has been yet at .19 mg/dl. I'm not overly excited about this because the test is subjective and this number is relatively close to the other six. Be that as it may, it represents close to a 60% reduction from .32 gm/dl recorded 12/1/2008. There has been a downward trend for the last six months which is encouraging.

Another encouraging item is an absolute neutrophil count of 4077. This is an exponential leap from past test results. I suppose I will have some idea of how accurate it is when I get the same test done at Emory clinic 6/2/2009. Of course, it varies over a two week period so it very well could take an exponential leap in the opposite direction. My white blood cell count was 5.9 (1000/mm3). The reference range is 3.5 to 11.8. Also, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is not inverted for the second month in a row which is good. My oncologist told me whatever I am doing, keep it up.

What I am doing is increasing the dose of decadron from 20 mg to 40 mg one week a month and taking GNC brand 95% curcumin. I implemented these changes a little over a month ago. I am up to 2 gm curcumin daily, 1 gm AM and 1 gm PM. I plan to eventually work up to a therapeutic dose. The decadron hits me so hard on crash days it is all I can do to make myself take the extra dose. I will try to keep it up as long as the test results continue to support the changes.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading through all the techno babel. If you like spicy hot Mexican cuisine, you will LOVE what I found in my local Kroger store. I don't know if other Kroger stores stock this or not.

Well, actually, I found two somethings but one is chips. If you haven't found the perfect corn chips, look for On The Border brand (same as the restaurant, On The Border - same chips as in the restaurant). Most Kroger stores stock these. Ours just started. You will notice the "Cafe Style" disappear first. That's because they are low in sodium, thin, crispy, not greasy, they are just about everything you look for in a corn chip all rolled up into one chip. They are just about perfect.

This El Pinto green chile sauce is about perfect too - http://elpinto.com/

I purchased the MEDIUM Green Chile Sauce. It is great with the chips mentioned above or as an ingredient in one of your recipes. As Emeril would say, BAM! I'm sure their other sauces are equally as BAM. I wouldn't try HOT though. Medium is about where it needs to be in my opinion. If you can't stand anything spicy hot, don't try this. Well, maybe try it just this once - you might actually like it. I mix it with Otiska salsa (which is only available from a restaurant in Artesia, NM 505-764-9411) and a little catchup. The Otiska salsa doesn't list green chiles in the ingredient list. It is more of a tomato/onion/jalapeno salsa but it is good too. You need to add something to thin out the El Pinto because it is very chunky. The little bit of catchup sweetens it up a bit. It's BAM!

Emory Researchers Discover Signaling Protein

Signaling Protein For Multiple Myeloma Identified, Findings May Result In New Therapeutic Target

Article Date: 12 Sep 2007 - 8:00 PST

http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=11503

Researchers at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute are the first to discover a mechanism that plays a critical role in the multiple myeloma cell cycle and survival. Their research may result in identification of a new therapeutic target for treating multiple myeloma.

The results of the study appear in the September issue of Cancer Cell. Jing Chen, PhD, assistant professor of hematology and oncology at Emory Winship and a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, is senior author on the paper. Sumin Kang, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Emory Winship, is the paper's first author.

Multiple Myeloma is among the most common hematologic malignancies in patients over 65. About15 percent of multiple myeloma patients harbor a genetic abnormality called "t(4;14) chromosomal translocation" that causes over-expression of a tyrosine kinase called fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3).

Tyrosine kinases are molecules that act as biological switches inside cells, regulating processes including cell division and growth. Abnormal kinases have been identified as a driving force in many forms of cancer.

"We are interested in how FGFR3 mediates transforming signals," says Dr. Chen. "We wanted to know which protein factors in cells are activated by FGFR3 and then transform normal cells to highly malignant cells. We identified Ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2), which is a protein factor that mediates signaling in cells as critical in downstream signaling of FGFR3 in myeloma cells."

Dr. Chen and his colleagues are the first to discover a mechanism to "turn-on" RSK2 by FGFR3. FGFR3 impacts downstream proteins through phosphorylation at special "tyrosine" sites.

"We found that FGFR3 directly phosphorylates RSK2, which is a critical step in the process to activate (turn-on) RSK2," says Dr. Chen.

The researchers observed that elimination of RSK2 proteins or shutting down RSK2 activity blocks FGFR3 transformation signaling in myeloma cells. This means FGFR3 requires RSK2 to transform normal cells.

"This is a beautiful model," says Dr. Chen. "We are able to mark the connection between the oncogenic FGFR3 and its downstream protein kinase RSK2, which plays a critical role in regulation of cell cycle and survival. These findings extend our understanding of pathogenesis of multiple myeloma in a signaling basis."

Collaborators on the project include Roberto Polakiewicz, PhD, and Ting-Lei Gu, PhD, both of Cell Signaling Technologies (CST), developers of the "PhosphoScan" technology, which enables investigators to identify hundreds to thousands of phosphorylated sequences and observe the global state of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in cells and tissues.

"Using this technology," says Dr. Chen, "we identified RSK2 as a critical downstream signaling protein effector of FGFR3 in myeloma cells." Other authors include researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic and Novartis Pharma AG.

Dr. Chen and his colleagues also tested a drug called fmk that was designed by co-author Jack Taunton, PhD, at UCSF to specifically target RSK2 in treatment of human malignant myeloma cells from laboratory culture or primary samples from multiple myeloma patients, and saw that fmk effectively kills t(4;14) myeloma cells with abnormal over-expression of FGFR3.

"This study shows the potential utility of drugs that block the downstream effectors of mutant tyrosine kinases, and that these drugs are opening more doors to treating hematologic malignancies and cancers," explains Dr. Chen. In addition to the t(4;14) in multiple myeloma that is caused by abnormal over-expression of FGFR3, abnormality of FGFR3 has also been identified in human bladder and cervical cancers. The findings suggest, the authors write, that targeting RSK2 with RSK inhibitors such as fmk may be effective in treating t(4;14) multiple myeloma, as well as other diseases and cancers where mutant FGFR3 is the culprit.

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

About Emory Winship Cancer Institute: As a leader in cancer patient care and research, Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute (EWCI) offers new therapies not usually available outside university-affiliated medical centers, including nearly 150 clinical trials for all types and stages of cancer. The EWCI serves as the coordinating center for a vast array of resources in medical, surgical and radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and the subspecialties of cancer care throughout Emory University -from blood and bone marrow stem cell transplants to internationally recognized breast reconstruction. For more information, visit: http://www.cancer.emory.edu/.

Source: Vincent Dollard Emory University
Article Date: 12 Sep 2007 - 8:00 PST

Targeted Therapy and The Myeloma Cell

The picture to the right depicts the plasma cell with all the stuff hanging off it. The little "Y" shaped things are immunoglobulins (antibodies) composed of ameno acids which I referr to as "protein bullets." These are what create an immune response and tag a germ for disposal as depicted by the picture on the upper left. Some of the other hanging off structures take samples of germs in order to send a message to the plasma cell to create a unique immunoglobulin for this unique invader. Some of these hanging off structures are unique to the defective plasma cell which we call the myeloma cell (depicted below). Targeted therapy consists of a manufactured immunoglobulin which identifies the unique structures of the myeloma cell for myeloma cell destruction.

As you can see above, what we call a "cancer of the plasma cell", multiple myeloma is a genetic defect which causes a "defective" plasma cell to produce gobs of defective immunoglobulins or M-proteins. The myeloma cell is poorly formed with an irregular nucleus. If the myeloma cells are left untreated, the defective immunoglobulins which when normal are in relatively short supply when they reach the kidneys to be chopped up by enzymes and recycled as simple amino acids, arrive in mass which tends to overwhelm the kidney's ability to recycle and thus the defective immunoglobulins become lodged in the kidneys which leads eventually to renal failure and death.

The myeloma cells above are "secreting" m-protein. Some forms of myeloma are "non-secretory." Therefore, there are possibly as many variations of myeloma as there are people who have it. The thing that saves us treatment wise is that there are enough similarities to allow the cancer drugs to work on a number of minor variations. Targeted therapy should do a much better job of identifying myeloma cells and killing them since some of the targeted therapies use samples from individual patients in order to tailor the immunoglobulin for that specific myeloma cell deviant.

New Antibody Drug

The following is an article about targeted therapy. This is one of several efforts now under way to discover, test, and implement targeted therapy for Multiple Myeloma. I hope I am correct in hoping the cure for many cancers will develop out of this kind of research some of which is being funded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. For more, see "MM Research from Emory University" posted below.

Jack
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New Antibody Drug

Australian medical research company Immune System Therapeutics Ltd (IST) has launched a clinical trial to test its breakthrough treatment for blood cancers.

IST has genetically engineered an antibody drug that binds specifically to a target protein found on the surface of some blood cancer cells. Laboratory studies, using cells taken from patients with multiple myeloma, have shown that the antibody works with the human immune system to induce death of the cancer cells. It is anticipated that the antibody will potentially reduce the number of cancerous cells in multiple myeloma patients and improve patient health and well being.

IST has commenced a Phase 1 trial in patients with multiple myeloma and to date six patients have been treated at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Spencer. Results so far indicate that the antibody has no side effects and final results are expected later this year.

IST's Director of Clinical Development, Dr. Rosanne Dunn, said in order to maintain the recruitment momentum, the Company is seeking to enroll another nine multiple myeloma patients with the kappa form of the disease to be treated over the next few months.

"We are very pleased that the antibody drug is performing as expected with patients suffering no adverse effects. Although this is very rare in cancer treatment it is an indication that the antibody specifically targets cancer cells and not normal cells," she said.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Rosanne Dunn - +61 2 9514 4060
Alan Liddle - +61 2 9514 7437
Immune System Therapeutics
www.ISTL.com.au

A Cancer Cure

It has been a while since I posted anything. My condition continues to be pretty much the same which is a good thing but still wish I was at a point where I could stop taking the expensive cancer drug.

Regarding the cure for cancer, rest assured, there WILL be a cure and it WILL be very, very expensive unless someone discovers something that is common and universally available to everyone like Curcumen. Then it will become scarce because of massive demand unless a drug company can patent a synthetic, then it will be expensive again.

I don't expect to see a cancer cure in my lifetime. However, if there ever was in the past or is in the future a cure for cancer, word will get out and there will be a mass exodus demanding a cure.

When Jesus, who could raise the dead and heal the sick (like really incurably sick with leprosy), walked the earth, there was no TV or internet to spread the word about Him overnight. I suppose if there was, Jesus would have been pretty much immobilized by the masses seeking a cure. As it was, word got out about his abilities. I am sure only a small percentage of the population got the news about his ability to heal but enough so wherever he went, crowds formed when they found out he was in town. Some even knew enough about it to know all they had to do was to touch him or ask him, he didn't even have to be present to heal someone (or raise them from the dead).

I think the cure for cancer will be like that. No one will be able to cover it up or hide it. If the slightest bit of information leaks out that this stuff or that thing has been proven to cure cancer and it ACTUALLY does cure cancer, a mob the likes of which has never been seen since the first century will swarm the new cancer messiah. Of course, Jesus was free. If the drug companies offer a cure, the mob will be cut to it's knees due to the extreme expense of treatment.

Rest assured, a cure will be found and it will most likely be extremely expensive.

One Person's Opinion

http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/3761

Fri, 2008-07-18 19:37 — Wise Merlin

A Slightly Different Viewpoint

I have a slightly different viewpoint of the American Cancer Society.

First, it is the largest singular health corporation in the country and has been for many years. By that, I mean it has become the Cancer industry.

Second, it has receive more than 4 TRILLION DOLLARS SINCE IT'S INCEPTION from individual donations, corporate donations and government subsidies.

Third, in the sixty some years of its existence and all that funding, it has not cured ANY type of cancer. Yes, there are people that have become "individually" cancer free due to surgery, Chemo and other treatments, but they are in the minority. Leukemia treatment seems to be the closest to a real cure that works.

Forth, it seems to me the American Cancer Society has changed it's goal of "curing" cancer to "managing" cancer.

Fifth, many of the cancers have little or no greater life expectancy than they did sixty years ago. More than 100 years ago cancer was almost unheard of. Today cancer will affect one in four people.

Sixth, many times the so-called treatments kill the patient before the cancer does. Both of my parents died from the treatment rather than the cancer. My father WALKED into a hospital for radiation treatment for lung cancer and died two weeks later from radiation burns to the throat. My mother had successful surgery to remove cancer from her kidney, later received Chemo and died within three days.

Seventh, twenty percent of the moneys the American Cancer Society receives going to actual research is "in my opinion" an appalling statistic. A better question is, "How much goes to ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES?"

Eighth, the American Cancer Society has never been a strong public advocate against environmental and corporate "cancer causing" pollution and the removal of these cancer causing agents FROM OUR SOCIETY.

Ninth, cancer treatment is one of the most expensive treatments in existence and it constantly costs more each year rather than less, surpassed for the most part, only by transplant treatment and rare disease treatment.

Tenth, it seems to me that the wealthier one is, the more likely they will survive a particular cancer and the poorer one is, the more likely they will die quickly from the same type of cancer.
I am sure there are many who find the American Cancer Society a comfort and many may attribute their "individual cure" to the Society.

One reason I feel this way about the American Cancer Society is because I remember more than twenty years ago Sixty Minutes televised a show depicting three critically ill "multiple" cancer patients who were bedridden and weeks away from death who were given an experimental treatment that COMPLETELY eliminated their multiple cancers within three months. (I recall it was about the time Interferon was another promising experimental treatment, but it was something else. I do recall something about the treatment attacked only cancer cells and the cancer cells could not function once attacked) Suddenly after that show aired, the treatment apparently fell into a black hole and was never heard from again.

God Bless those who are helped by the American Cancer Society, I would not deny them their joy, happiness and extension of life, but I am not impressed.

Wise Merlin

Two Power House Charity Organizations

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) And Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Partner To Fund $500,000 In Cancer Stem Cell Research Grants

16 Feb 2009


The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) have partnered to award William Matsui, MD, Johns Hopkins University, and Irving Weissman, MD, Stanford University, research grants totaling $500,000 to study the multiple myeloma cancer stem cell. Each individual grant is valued at $250,000.

These grants, developed in response to input from leading cancer stem cell experts who participated in the 2008 MMRF Myeloma Cancer Stem Cell Research Roundtable, provide an unprecedented opportunity to apply existing knowledge of cancer stem cells to multiple myeloma. Ultimately, the identification and characterization of the multiple myeloma cancer stem cell will advance our understanding of drug resistance and relapse in patients with multiple myeloma and potentially lead to the development of targeted therapies that effectively treat the disease.

"The emerging field of cancer stem cell research holds enormous promise for patients-particularly those with an orphan disease, such as multiple myeloma, for which effective treatments remain limited," said Louise Perkins, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the MMRF. "The MMRF is pleased to partner with LLS to advance this important research effort and lay the groundwork for the development of better, more effective treatments."

Many researchers believe that cancer stem cells, although few in number, are responsible for cancer's development, metastases, and recurrence.

"By putting our resources together, LLS and MMRF have identified some of the most promising researchers in the field of stem cell biology as it relates to myeloma," said John Walter, President and Chief Executive Officer of LLS. "Ultimately, the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells in myeloma may enable the development of more effective therapies."


About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer of the plasma cell. The five-year relative survival rate for multiple myeloma is approximately 35%, one of the lowest of all cancers. In 2008, an estimated 19,920 adults (11,190 men and 8,730 women) in the United States were diagnosed with multiple myeloma and an estimated 10,690 people died from the disease.


About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world's number-one funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised over $110 million since its inception to fund more than 100 laboratories worldwide. The payback on its investment has been significant, including the approval of four new treatments in four years alone. Today, the MMRF is supporting 40 new compounds and approaches now in clinical trials and pre-clinical studies and has facilitated 17 clinical trials through its sister organization, the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). For more information about the MMRF, please visit http://www.themmrf.org/.


The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society®

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The LLS mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 6.3 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Article URL:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139140.php

Me 2009

Well, we made it to 2009, almost two months ago. It is true what they say, time flies when you are having fun! And I suppose the more fun the faster it flies. Maybe you could view this as the low end of Einstein's theory of general relativity.

I am still amazed and thankful at the number of folks who continue to follow this blog. Thank you for hanging in there with me and coming back here from time to time. I'd like to think I have something accurate and interesting to offer from time to time.

It has been a while since I did a health-o-me update so here it comes. Basically, everything remains pretty much the same which is good but could hope my m-spike would go from about .3 gm/dl which is where it has been for about the last three months, to zero. That would be great. I suppose I will have to continue taking this HUGELY expensive drug until I run out of insurance money, the drug stops working, something better comes along, I go into complete remission, or who knows what.

Dave Ramsey. Dave has been around for quite a while but only recently become widely available via TV and XM. I started listening to him on XM recently. I don't agree with everything he says but 98 percent of it is good. Basically, Dave is a finance professor who specializes in personal finance. If you took a finance class, basically you would get someone like Dave spouting financial theory similar to what he "broadcasts out on the radio," to steal a line from O'Brother. Actually, college finance classes are about 100 times more, "steeped in it." At any rate, his advice often makes a lot of sense and he can come up immediately with the most amazing solutions impromptu.

Here is something I came up with listening to Dave and the national news. As I am sure you are aware, we are in this latest economic demise being incessantly referred to as the "financial crisis." I'm sure we need to be reminded numerous times daily or we would simply forget it, and wouldn't that be nice!

If you wanted to see bankers in a real financial crisis, imagine ('cause it ain't ever going to really happen) EVERYONE following Dave's advice and paying off their mortgages and credit cards and becoming debt free. Stop reading for a few seconds and just imagine the ramifications of that. No, don't stop, keep going. Bankers would freak! Imagine them not making three times the price of your house on a 30 year mortgage. Now, that would be a crisis! Almost the same as if someone found a universal, affordable cure to cancer. The medical and insurance industries would be crushed!

Enough about that, back to Dave, Dave promotes savings. Specifically, an emergency fund large enough to pay six or eight months (or more) of expenses in case the paycheck to paycheck syndrome were to come to an abrubpt halt. He said something the other day that made me start thinking, and that is becoming increasingly more difficult with the mind numbing cancer drugs I am taking, another reason to wish for remission. He said this is sort of the same as a company or business maintaining a retained earnings account.

They do seem to be related. However, at least one difference that comes to mind is that corporations don't like to leave any more liquid assets laying around than they have to. Some corporations have a reputation for maintaining large cash reserves and that sometimes qualifies them in the eyes of stock market analysts to be investment worthy.

Generally, corporations like to "invest" liquid assets in internal projects, thus internal rate of return (IRR), and/or external investments, equal to or better than IRR which can compete for internal projects and vice verse, fun stuff huh. One corporation I am very familiar with went as far as to base the decision to retain or divest individual business units on whether they earned at or above the IRR. I think Dave recommends we store up our "retained earnings" in a money market fund or some instrument like that in order to maintain their liquidity and make one, or two, or three percent return (as he likes to point out every now and then).

Now, here is where my thought process takes a sharp left turn out into left field. Consider what is going on with corporate layoffs. Essentially, corporations are ultimately and largely responsible for a reduction in consumer spending via layoffs both directly through unemployment and indirectly through the news media incessantly hawking this stuff to us non-stop on national TV (so don't watch TV, right).

Next, consider this, what about the corporate emergency fund, retained earnings? I began to wonder why corporations don't draw on their emergency fund like Dave suggests we consumers do. Then, it began to dawn on me, why spend your hard earned cash when you can go down and draw unemployment, both them and us! If corporate earnings aren't keeping pace with expenses, there is a federal shock absorber available to them and us, unemployment compensation. I don't think this explains every instance but I think it explains a good many instances of massive layoffs. It's sort of a sideways government bailout.

And that's the way it is February 19, 2009.

Doctors Tame One Of Cancer's Deadliest Forms

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99970093

National Public Radio
Morning Edition
January 29, 2009

Doctors Tame One Of Cancer's Deadliest Forms
by Richard Knox

This is a good summary of the current state of Multiple Myeloma. I highly recommend you go to this web site and listen (or read).

My personal opinion is that a few Myeloma patients have been cured of this disease but the jury is still out because it takes ten or twenty years to confirm.

I also think if we give enough money to organizations like the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to fund research and researchers continue with their research, they will eventually find causes and cures for Multiple Myeloma.

When I was diagnosed June 2005, I was very scared because I didn't think I would be alive today. I now think if I can continue my treatment and medical checkups, I have a good chance of living as long as my contemporaries.

MM Research from Emory University

MMRC announces Phase 1B Study of Elotuzumab (HuLuc63) Monoclonal Antibody in combination with REVLIMID and dexamethasone

Article Date: 15 Oct 2008 - 4:00 PDT

The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) today announced the initiation of a three-drug combination study of elotuzumab (also known as HuLuc63), a humanized anti-CS1 monoclonal IgG1 antibody administered intravenously, in combination with REVLIMID(R) (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who are experiencing a relapse.

Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute, Washington University, and St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center of Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York will evaluate the maximum tolerated dose of elotuzumab in combination with label dosing of lenalidomide and dexamethasone. The multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation Phase Ib study will enroll up to 26 patients.

"This three drug combination study is a pivotal study for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma as they may benefit from the synergistic effects of a new monoclonal antibody with two currently available drugs", said Principal Investigator, Sagar Lonial, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute. "We look forward to testing this promising new combination."

About Elotuzumab

Elotuzumab (or HuLuc63) is a humanized monoclonal antibody under development by PDL BioPharma that binds to human CS1, a cell-surface glycoprotein that is highly and universally expressed on multiple myeloma cells but minimally expressed on normal cells. The antibody is currently being evaluated in Phase I clinical studies as a monotherapy and combination therapy for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma.

For more information, visit http://www.themmrc.org

Source: Anne Quinn Young, MPH Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium

View drug information on Revlimid

Where The Jobs GoGo

Healthwise, adding 20 mg per week (half the low dose regimen of 40 mg per week) decadron as per the recommendation of Dr. Sagar Loneal of Emory Cancer Center has caused my ANC to rise by about 300 or so which is good when you are teetering on the edge of danger. So, I'll have to tolerate the negative side effects of decadron in order to avert the negative side effects of not taking it :)

I thought I would relate my recent furniture buying experience to demonstrate where our middle class jobs have gone and continue to go. This area of Mississippi (especially around Tupelo) has a history of furniture manufacturing. Lane furniture is manufactured up around Tupelo. We were told by one of the furniture store owners here in Columbus Lane shut down one of their plants so they are down to two now. I think the jobs are slowly going to elsewhere probably China. The store owner's biggest concern when reordering was the hugely increased cost of containers over the last five or six years. Guess where the containers come and go to.

Anyway, years ago, furniture was manufactured in an old abandoned school house at Woodland, Mississippi. That slowly changed over the years and the Woodland location became more of a factory outlet sourced by furniture manufacturers up around Tupelo. Blame it on government regulations sponsored by our politicians or what have you, the furniture store located in Woodland (located close to Houstin and quite a bit south of Tupelo) is now pretty much sourced by goods made in CHINA. I know, I just purchased two tables still in boxes, hauled them home, and unpacked them, and there it was, the label, "made in China," on the bottom of each table.

I told you that to say this, I don't think we should be blaming the government for middle class jobs going to China. I think those folks who worked at the now idle Lane furniture plant lost their jobs to recently employed Chinese furniture manufacturers. That's probably not technically correct but if it isn't, I'm sure it fits a bunch of someone and somewhere elses. Maybe you can boil it down in aggregate to generalized economic pressure caused by disparities between Chinese and American standards of living, government subsidies, terrifs, and regulations, and economic differences.

So, my conclusion is this, I was looking into the faces of those who are responsible for sending jobs to China when I wrote the check and handed it over to pay for my two tables. I'm sure they did the same thing when they purchased a container either directly or indirectly from whoever makes Butler furniture (probably a US front for a factory in China).

And my final answer is this, we are ALL responsible to one degree or another for waving bye bye to millions of US jobs. ALL OF US. It isn't always simple greed but it usually gets around to that one way or another especially the higher up you go in the organization. The little people like me who are trying to make ends meet are every bit as quick to jump on "bargain" aka greed. It just exists on an exponentially multiplied level the higher up the food chain you go.

Lane is still pretty much made here, in Mississippi. It is up to me to make the correct buying decision to keep that happening which isn't always easy because often, I don't have a viable choice except to "Save More, Live Better *." I suppose I could have driven all around the great state of Mississippi looking for similar tables (or whatever) made in the USA. Lane furniture still comes with a tag that has a picture of an American flag on the back page lower right cornet with the words under it, "ASSEMBLED IN THE USA." Translated, that reads, "Won't Be Long Until We Have It MADE IN CHINA."

It is up to Lane management and sales staff to keep production in the USA. It is up to workers to be productive enough to permit competitive pricing and senior management: CEO, board of directors, et. al. who tend to make off with huge gobs of company money which they tend to want to continue to support by laying off workers in favor of purchasing containers.

And that's my nutty outlook on the reason our middle class jobs, created and sustained by corporate America, which by and large support consumer spending which accounts for somewhere around 70% or so of the economy are more and more being MADE IN CHINA. When corporate America lays off workers, responsibility for that 70% consumer spending falls back on corporate management.

Please tell me if I'm wrong about this - I'm sure there is some room for improvement if you move my analogies off the nut shell level. I admit, it is a fairly complicated problem but in a nut shell, I am convinced the root of the problem is essentially greed of us all and more pronounced among those who can afford the most greed.

We need a bunch of folks who are willing to make a quality product in the USA (or at least one slightly better than what we are getting from over seas that consumers will recognize as superior and prefer to buy) and consumers who are willing to shop and locate products made in the USA (not easy with what we have being made available by merchants for us to choose from these days).

If you got a kick out of this and may have liked it in some demented sort of way, some time, I plan on revealing how you and I never escaped living under a Kingdome and in face still suffer the tyrany of the King.