New Study Lighting Up Cancer Cells to Kill Them

A new technology developed at Purdue University actually makes cancer cells glow, so surgeons can see what they have been missing.

CBS News Reports New Study Makes Cancer Cells Glow

Scientists Developing Blood Test to Detect Lung Cancer

An article was published yesterday on Voice Of America News regarding new developments in early detection for lung cancer. 

This is also an important topic for me, and one that is close to my heart. I lost my Grandpa in November of 2010 to lung cancer. 

He went to the doctor in February and his only symptom was shortness of breath.  They did a CT scan and it didn't show anything abnormal - he was told he had COPD and he was sent home .  In May they did another CT scan because he wasn't feeling any better and that's when they found the cancer.

My Grandpa was healthy for most of his life and was diagnosed in June 2010 with Stage IV Lung Cancer and died within 5 months.

Scientists are developing a blood test to detect lung cancer. According to the World Health Organization, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, claiming an estimated 1.5 million lives each year. This blood test is similar to the CA 125 test for Ovarian Cancer in that it detects protein signatures.  They are hoping that they can develop the tests so doctors can use it on patients at risk for lung cancer within two years.

This is great news for early detection.

Blood Test for Early Lung Cancer Detection

New Combined-Tool Imaging May Spot Hard To Detect Ovarian Cancer

Medical News Today is reporting that a new study using only minimally invasive surgery and a device that combines three unrelated imaging tools may help diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer in high risk women.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut and the University of Southern California propose the new approach may be better than the current method of preemptive removing of the ovaries.

New Combined-Tool Imaging May Spot Hard To Detect Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer One-Sheet

Print out this sheet courtesy of Dr. Oz and NOCC and take it with you to your next GYN appointment.  It's a great starting point.

My mom wasn't diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer until it was in Stage IV. She was mis-diagnosed for almost a year. Don't wait. If you have symptoms, talk to your doctor sooner rather than later.

Ovarian Cancer One-Sheet

Daughters with the BRCA Gene Diagnosed 8 years earlier than Mothers were.

Medical News Today reported that daughters with the BRCA Gene diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer 8 years earlier than their mothers or aunts were.

Daughters diagnosed 8 years earlier

Story of Kansas City Woman With Ovarian Cancer

This is an amazing story about a difficult decision. It is heart-wrenching to hear what they went through, but I know they aren't the only family who has had to face such challenges.

A husband loses his job and enlists in the Army to get medical coverage for his wife who is suffering from Ovarian Cancer.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/08/3127823/woman-whose-husband-joined-army.html

Check it out.

More About Mom

Sorry I've been offline for a few weeks. I'm back now and we're still in the beginning of September so remember the entire month is dedicated to Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Do your part to bring awareness to everyone you know.

Whether it is through your teal toes or your teal shirt - know that I appreciate everything you are doing to raise awareness. It is exactly how my mom would have wanted it.

Back to my mom. It has been a while since I've talked about her and I want to share her stories with you. September 2nd would have been my mom's 59th birthday. It is just weird to look at that "would have been". I hate that this horrible disease took her too soon. 

My mom lived through a lot in her 58 years. She was married to my dad for 19 years before he passed away. He had a heart attack at 39 and passed away at 41. She was too young to be a widow. She had a grown daughter (me) and 2 very small children (ages 5, my brother & 6, my sister). She struggled to find herself in the years that followed and was in a dysfunctional relationship for most of 10 years.

Like I said in earlier posts, she knew something was wrong when she was 55 and it took until she was 56 to be diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. She had a total hysterectomy and when the doctors did the surgery they found the tumors had spread to her colon and intestines. When she woke from her surgery, she found she had a colostomy bag. This really didn't make her happy at all..that's all we heard about for months. But, I was happy to have my mom for as long as I could keep her.

I will share more of her story soon. I miss her so much and I'm getting a little overwhelmed at the outpouring of love, friendship and the little things that add up to huge things. Thank you to everyone for your support in my endeavor to bring awareness to everyone. Much love. xo