On the pulse....for people affected by breast cancer

On the pulse

Cancerkin’s News….

Cancerkin Volunteers….
Cancerkin would like to say a HUGE thank you to all those who have volunteered their time this week to help us with our mail out for our forthcoming opera fundraising evening. Your efforts have been greatly appreciated!

There is still much to be done so if you are available to get involved please drop in anytime towards the beginning of the week or give the office a ring on 0207 830 2323 to check that we still need people!

For all our other Cancerkin supporters, keep an eye on your mail box for information on our exciting production of Puccini’s La Boheme at the Soho Theatre London on 31st July 2010.

Hyde Park Walk marshals….
We are still on the lookout for some volunteers to help marshal our Hyde Park Walk fundraiser on Sunday 13th June. As a marshal you will be helping with the general running of the day and assisting walkers with any problems they may have. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer please email l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk or speak to Lauren Newton at the office.

In the News…

The risk of cancer drug Taxotere…
The thought of hair loss, a common side effect from undergoing chemotherapy, makes many women anxious, with some feeling as though they have ‘lost my femininity’. Usually hair grows back a month or so after chemo has ended, however chemotherapy drug Taxotere, also known as docetaxel, has left many women with devastating long term hair loss.

Taxotere manufacturers Sanofi-Aventis, say permanent baldness is a 'very rare' complication of such treatments. However, researchers have found that as many as 1 in 16 patients using Taxotere could suffer from persistent alopecia. Following this research a leading UK cancer specialist has now called for a further detailed investigation into whether it is Taxotere alone causing the problem or whether the risk is increased when the drug is used as part of a combination of treatments.

The research has caused global outrage among patients who took Taxotere but insist they were never warned there was any possibility of permanent hair loss. Shirley Ledlie is one such and tells her harrowing story with Taxotere in the Daily Mail saying: 'I feel dreadful, not only about the way I look, but about myself,' she says. 'I am unrecognisable as the woman I once was. I avoid looking in the mirror and I hate shop windows because I see an 80-year-old, ugly old man - or someone going through chemo, which I'm not any more.' Read her full story here.

A drug for the future?
A harmless virus which can apparently reverse even seemingly untreatable forms of cancer when injected into tumours, could give thousands of patients new hope.

Lab tests have shown that Reovirus, which lives in human respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, can help magnify the effects of radiotherapy in treating even the most advanced cancers. A total of 23 patients who had all stopped responding to traditional therapies were treated in the trial. They were however, still undergoing radiation as a form of pain relief. The patients were given 2-6 injections of Reolysin in varying measures alongside their radiotherapy treatment, with the results reported in the Clinical Cancer Research journal as either shrinking the size of their tumours or stopping it growing completely.

Dr Kevin Harrington, the study leader from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: ''The absence of any significant side effects in this study is extremely reassuring for future trials in patients receiving radiotherapy with the aim of curing their cancer.'' Dr Harrington continued, stating that the next steps of investigation would need to look at the effects of the treatment in patients with newly-diagnosed cancers that would normally be treated with radiotherapy alone, he said. Read the full article here

Lauren Newton 12th May 2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk