Robin Roberts' blood disorder linked to BC treatment

cp418

http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2012/06/11/robin-roberts-blood-disorder-linked-breast-cancer-treatment-how-big-risk/koJwGraMGJupLSGXu5yK5K/story.html

Robin Roberts' blood disorder linked to breast cancer treatment: how big is risk?

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-robin-roberts-20120611,0,198936.story

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/robin-roberts-cancer-cure-caused-illness-ll-therapy-article-1.1093506

otter

I'm surprised this thread hasn't garnered more attention.  Here's a slightly different version, from MedPage Today: http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/Hematology/33211

Robin Roberts has been diagnosed with "myelodysplastic syndrome," which is a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia.  I wasn't able to find out what type of chemotherapy she'd been given for her breast cancer.  It makes a difference.

Apparently, alkylating agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide) pose the greatest risk of secondary myelodysplasia and/or acute myeloid leukemia.  Anthracyclines (doxorubicin = Adriamycin; epirubicin) also increase the chances (http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/8/1343.full).  Risks of secondary myelodysplastic syndrome and/or myeloid leukemia associated with chemo are still very small.  The numbers I've seen have been down around 0.3% to 1.7%, depending on the study.  Addition of hematopoietic growth factors (Neupogen or Neulasta) to the mix may nudge those numbers a bit higher.  While juggling all these numbers, we should keep in mind that our chance of developing myelodysplastic disease increases with age anyway.

IMHO, one message is that numbers do matter.  We ought to consider that a very small benefit from chemo  -- an absolute benefit that's less than 3% -- might be outweighed by the odds of a life-threatening chemo-associated illness such as myeloid leukemia.

otter

(Yeah, I'm doing the math in my head, too. At my chemo center, they gave the Neulasta shot on the same day as the chemo infusion, instead of 24 hrs later.  Apparently, giving hematopoietic growth factor on the same day as chemo increases the odds of myelodysplasia/myeloid leukemia even more than giving it 24 hours later.)

jenrio

I'm gonna be on my big horse again.  This is why MBC needs to be cured.   As long as MBC has abysmal survival rates, early stagers have to go through barbaric treatments like surgery/AC/radiation.   When MBC is cured, all these problems/costs/risks go away.

msippiqueen

Just one reason a woman should be given a PBLM for LCIS and not have to search or beg for that option.



Having worked an an onc nurse a long time ago, I became respectful of the complications of cancer and treatments, the fallibility of test.



So the current push of breast conservation regardless of how the woman feels about it is a real shame. We are told lots of time to not worry, we'll survey your breast and attempt to knock cancer right out with early treatment. There is big push back against PBLM's.



I am thankful there is treatment for invasive cancer. But the side effects are nothing to sneeze about or dismiss.



Frankly, I'm not suprized Robin's news is understated. 'It might frighten people', I read this over and over. 'Nothing Worse' is how IBC is referenced on the LCIS forum. Nothing worse indeed.

cp418

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/chemo-a-treatment-that-could-wind-up-giving-you-another-cancer/258498/

Chemo: A Treatment That Could Wind Up Giving You (Another) Cancer

jenrio

thanks cp418 for lots of news and insight everyday even on weekends.

------------------------   Cruel stats warning.   Don't read on if you can't handle cruel stats. 

------------------------   This is a clinical trial/research/news thread.   Don't read on if you have no interest in clinical trial or learning new things, and you are just interested in being glad living your life, and being sad for people wanting to advocate clinical trials and more research.

------------------------   Keep reading at your own risk

------------------------ 

Notice that MDS probability is low (10000 cases a year) and three year survival is like 10+-60%.   

http://abstract.asco.org/AbstView_114_95656.html 

Before anyone beat me to the punch, I want to be fair and balanced and look at it as a glass half-full situation for this beautiful brave lady, one of our own.   Best wishes 4 every Afghan woman and her mom.

otter

jenrio, the link's not working.