Happy Thanksgiving from Susan

  Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday! Always filled with family, good stories, good food and very good times. I...

Thursday, April 23, 2020

FDA expedites approval of two new breast cancer treatments

The approval of two new treatments for breast cancer were expedited by the FDA to help high-risk populations during the coronavirus pandemic
The approval of two new treatments for breast cancer were expedited by the FDA to help high-risk populations during the coronavirus pandemic
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two new kinds of breast cancer treatments, one targeting HER2-positive cancers and a second for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. The FDA notes approval for both treatments was expedited due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“As part of FDA’s ongoing and aggressive commitment to address the novel coronavirus pandemic, we continue to keep a strong focus on patients with cancer who constitute a vulnerable population at risk of contracting the disease,” says Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA’s Oncology Center for Excellence. “At this critical time, we continue to expedite oncology product development.”
On April 17 the FDA approved a treatment using a new drug called Tukysa (tucatinib). The approval is for Tukysa to be administered in combination with chemotherapy for patients suffering metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.
The approval is not for Tukysa as a first-line therapy. Instead, patients must have received at least one prior anti-HER2 treatment before commencing Tukysa.
The approval was based on recently published Phase 3 clinical trial data showing positive results from the novel combination treatment. In particular, the treatment offers hope to those patients with brain metastases, an aggressive form of the disease with very low survival rates.
“Tukysa was approved four months prior to the FDA goal date, providing an example of this commitment and showing how our regular work in reviewing treatments for patients with cancer is moving forward without delay,” says Pazdur.
On April 22 the FDA granted accelerated approval to Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy). This therapy is targeted at patients with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer known as triple-negative breast cancer.
Trodelvy comes with a relatively severe set of potential side effects, so the FDA approval only allows the therapy to be administered to patients following the failure of at least two other available therapies.
The Trodelvy application was also only granted under the provision of what is called "accelerated approval." This means further clinical trials or clinical data will be necessary before a full approval, however, the drug may be administered widely based on the criteria it is, “reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit to patients” suffering from serious conditions with unmet medical needs.
“Chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment for triple-negative breast cancer,” says Pazdur. “The approval of Trodelvy today represents a new targeted therapy for patients living with this aggressive malignancy.”
As with the Tukysa case, Trodelvy’s approval was expedited due the FDA’s commitment in bringing oncology treatments more rapidly to market during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020


HAIR LOSS FROM ALOPECIA, CHEMO, OTHER



Are you kidding me? First it was a cancer diagnosis. Then treatment was determined to be chemotherapy. I worked out a plan with my oncologist and began chemo. Treatment was stressful for sure, but going OK. Then a couple of weeks into chemo – My Hair began falling out. I knew I had to find a solution.

My doctor referred me to Susan. Susan is an Oncology Nurse and has experienced Breast Cancer. After chemotherapy treatment she began losing her hair. Susan said that when she was going through this experience in 1992 there wasn’t anyone to talk with to help as a guide to help her feel that she wasn’t alone on this journey. This is one of those times that you can’t understand until it’s you.

“I never want anyone to share my experience,” said Susan. “I founded Susan’s Special Needs in 1994 where we have helped over 12,000 women experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy, alopecia and other medical treatment.

We are now Susan’s @ Antonino Salon here to help you during the loss of your hair whether from chemotherapy, alopecia or other. Depending upon your chemotherapy drug and cycle will determine how long you will be experiencing hair loss. That will help you decide what is right for you - Synthetic, Human Hair/Synthetic Blend, Human Hair.

CALL 248-544-4287 FREE consultation to explore wig solutions right for you. We look forward to your visit. Susan's @ Antonino Salon, Birmingham, MI is by appointment only on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Monday, February 10, 2020


Breakthrough MRI imaging method promises early-stage cancer detection

A new method to detect early-stage cancer is being fast-tracked into human trials within the next two years
A new method to detect early-stage cancer is being fast-tracked into human trials within the next two years
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Researchers are reporting the development of a new imaging method to detect metastatic cancer in the liver. Described as a potential “game-changer” for the field of cancer diagnostics, the researchers believe the method could be applied to a number of other types of cancer, offering an entirely novel way to detect metastatic disease at its early stages.
The research focused on a particular receptor, called chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which was previously found to be overexpressed in certain organs in the presence of a metastatic cancer. In this instance the study was examining the path of a common form of eye cancer that is known to move into the liver in its early stages of metastasizing. This metastatic pathway is challenging to diagnose, and is often only detected in the liver at an advanced stage.
The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, describes the development of a new MRI contrast agent that combines MRI image-enhancing gadolinium with a novel protein designed to home in on and bind to CXCR4 receptors.
“Currently, it is difficult to see early stages of disease in the liver, even in invasive biopsy,” explains Jenny Yang, corresponding author on the new study. “Diagnostic testing using this contrast agent can not only identify the presence of disease but differentiate the stages of disease with high sensitivity and accuracy. That’s the beauty of this work.”
At this stage the research has only been directly validated in lab cell studies and animal tests but human trials should commence within the next couple of years. The promising nature of the innovation has seen it labeled with a fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This designation recognizes the clinical importance of the breakthrough.
“We have already met with the FDA, so we have a blueprint,” says Yang. “We hope within 18 months to two years we can conduct our first clinical trials in patents.”
While initial development and testing has focused on a specific type of metastatic cancer found in the liver, Yang is confident this novel imaging agent will be applicable to several other forms of the disease due to the nature of CXCR4 being overexpressed in a variety of different cancers, including skin, breast and colorectal.
“This is a game changer. It has the possibility to have many more applications, really for any type of cancer,” adds Yang. “We are already applying it to 10 different types of cancer in the lab. We have been using the same contrast agents for 30 years with few breakthroughs. I think this is my biggest scientific contribution. And I hope there are many more to come.”
The new study was published in the journal Science Advances.

Friday, January 10, 2020


New cancer treatment delivers weeks of radiation therapy in a second

A new form of FLASH radiation therapy, which delivers weeks' worth of radiation in a second to cancer patients, can be performed using existing equipment
A new form of FLASH radiation therapy, which delivers weeks' worth of radiation in a second to cancer patients, can be performed using existing equipment
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Radiation therapy is currently our best shot at treating cancer, but it’s far from a perfect solution. It takes a course of weeks or even months, during which time healthy cells often become unfortunate collateral damage. But what if the whole course of treatment could be over in under a second? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have now shown just how this might be feasible.
With the right tools, cancer cells on their own aren’t all that difficult to kill. Radiation or drugs can be administered to kill them off relatively easily – the problem is tumors like to hide in crowds, and whatever weapons we fire at them also tend to hit healthy cells around them. Because radiation therapy takes weeks, there are more opportunities for those healthy cells to be affected, leading to all kinds of health problems even if the cancer is destroyed.
For the new study, researchers at Pennsylvania University found that by changing the type of fundamental particle used, they could make FLASH radiotherapy far more effective. Normally, electrons are the particles of choice for this method, but they don’t penetrate very deep into the body. That means they’re only really useful for shallower cancer types such as skin cancer.
In this case the researchers used protons, and showed that linear accelerators already in use in hospitals could be adapted to produce these particles. Since they can pass deeper into the body, they should be more useful against a wider range of tumor types.
The team tested it out on mice with pancreatic flank tumors, and found that the method did inhibit the growth of the cancers with roughly the same effectiveness as regular radiation therapy. Importantly though, the proton FLASH therapy reduced healthy cell loss and didn’t cause intestinal fibrosis, a common side effect of radiation therapy.
“This is the first time anyone has published findings that demonstrate the feasibility of using protons – rather than electrons – to generate FLASH doses, with an accelerator currently used for clinical treatments,” says James M. Metz, co-senior author of the study.
The researchers are currently working on how to translate the treatment to clinical trials. This includes designing a system that can deliver the proton radiation to humans.

Saturday, January 4, 2020





FRIENDS DIDN'T KNOW - CUSTOM TAILORED PERFECT FIT


Note from a client:

“I bought a wig from you over the summer and have been wearing it for all professional and social occasions for about the last 6 weeks.

I’m still learning, but it’s starting to feel more normal. It surely feels like the best of my options for now.

Many of my close friends have complimented my great new haircut and say that they love the look with “more bangs.” We’ve had some good laughs when I quietly tell them that it’s “hair you wear” and they can’t’ believe it at first. Those moments have been great therapy!


Best of all, I’m starting to feel like myself again, in that I’m looking forward to going out and having fun living my life, as I always have.

Thanks for taking such good care of me back in July!”

I am an Oncology Nurse Clinician who experienced Breast Cancer. After chemotherapy I lost my hair. Susan’s Special Needs was founded in 1994 out of my personal frustration finding a salon that understood.  We have helped over 12,000 women experiencing hair loss from Chemotherapy, Alopecia and other medical treatment.

We are now “Susan’s @ Antonino Salon” to help you during the loss of your hair. We will help you decide what’s right for you. Depending upon your chemotherapy drug and cycle will determine how long you will be experiencing hair loss.

CALL 248-544-4287 FREE consultation to explore wig solutions right for you. We look forward to your visit. Susan's @ Antonino Salon, Birmingham, MI is by appointment only on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Thursday, January 2, 2020


Google’s AI breast cancer system spots tumors human experts miss

One in five breast cancers are not picked up by trained radiologists looking at mammograms, but AI can help improve this result
One in five breast cancers are not picked up by trained radiologists looking at mammograms, but AI can help improve this result
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A new artificial intelligence system is proving more effective at detecting breast cancer in mammograms than trained radiologists. The software, developed by researchers from Google Health, is not designed to replace human radiologists but instead assist and speed up current diagnostic processes.
Although mammograms are the best diagnostic tool for uncovering breast cancer clinicians currently have at their disposal, they are not a perfect screening tool. One in five breast cancers are not picked up by trained radiologists looking at mammograms. At the other end of the spectrum around 50 percent of women receiving annual mammograms will have a false-positive finding at some point over a 10-year period.
The new AI system was trained on a dataset of nearly 100,000 mammograms. The newly published study, evaluating the performance of the predictive software, was tested on two large mammogram sets, one from the UK and the other from the US. Neither of the two new test datasets were used to train the AI system.
In the US dataset, the software performed significantly better than human experts, producing 5.7 percent fewer false positive diagnoses. Even more impressively, the system recorded 9.4 percent fewer false negatives, suggesting it picked up several breast cancers that human experts missed.
The results in the UK dataset were less impressive but still significant. In the UK mammograms are screened by two separate radiologists, generally reducing the volume of errors, yet the AI system still bested the human experts with 1.2 percent fewer false positives, and 2.7 percent fewer false negatives.
A second arm to this evaluation study was an independent “reader study” conducted by an external research organization. In this test six US radiologists were pitted against the AI system, evaluating 500 randomly sampled mammograms from the US dataset.
Again, the AI system significantly outperformed the human radiologists on average. However, the study does note that although there were cancers picked up by the AI that were missed by all six human experts, there was at least one case picked up by all six humans but completely missed by the AI system. No clear patterns were identified to explain why these particular cases resulted in significant differences between human and AI, but the Google researchers suggest the future of these tools lies in assisting human experts rather than entirely replacing them.
“This is a great demonstration of how these technologies can enable and augment the human expert,” explains Dominic King, one of the UK Google Health researchers working on the project. “The AI system is saying ‘I think there may be an issue here, do you want to check?’”
Daniel Tse, one of the US Google Health researchers working on the project, affirmed this idea to Stat News, suggesting the goal is not to replace human experts but instead find a way to deploy this software in clinical spaces to help reduce human error.
“We believe this is just the beginning,” says Tse. “There are things that these models and technology are really good at, and there are things that radiologists, who spend their whole lives doing this, are really good at.”
The new study was published in the journal Nature.