Today the NY Times printed the third part of Amy Harmon’s excellent feature on the ups and downs and promise of some clinical trials for cancer. The focus is on a new drug, PLX4032, some people with melanoma who chose to try this experimental agent, and the oncologists who prescribed it to them. What I like about this story is that, besides offering some insight on the drug itself, it balances the patients’ and doctors’ perspectives; it explains why some people might elect to take a new medication in an early-stage clinical trial and why some physicians push for these protocols because they think it’s best for their patients. And it provides a window into the world of academic medicine, where doctors’ collaborate among themselves and sometimes with corporations. Here’s some of what I learned:
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 There’s a new survivor on TV and she means business. In the latest episode of The Office, Kathy Bates walked into the Scranton branch of Dundler Mifflen and onto my living room TV screen as Jo Bennett, CEO of Sabre, a fictitious Tallahassee-based company. An assistant and two large canines accompany her as she meets the crew. She’s firm, graying and very much-in-charge. When the camera gets her alone, in focus, here’s what she has to say: “I’m Jolene Bennett, Jo for short. “I’m a breast cancer survivor, close personal friends with Nancy Pelosi, and Truman Capote and I slept with three of the same guys. When I was a little girl I was terrified to fly, and now I have my own pilot’s license. “I am CEO of Sabre International and I sell the best damn printers and all-in-one machines Korea can make. “Pleased to meet ya. Breast Cancer | cancer survival | cancer treatment | Medical News | Oncology (cancer) | Women's Health
 There’s promising news on the breast cancer front. A study published on-line this week in The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) suggests that regular, low-dose aspirin use reduces the risk of recurrence and death from breast cancer among women who’ve had stage I, II or III (non-metastatic) disease. This is a phenomenal report in three respects: 1. The dramatic results: among women who’ve had breast cancer, regular aspirin use was associated with a reduced risk of recurrence and of death from cancer by more than half; 2. The relevance; these findings might affect millions of women living after breast cancer, today; 3. The cost: aspirin is widely available without patent restriction. Aspirin costs around $5 for 100 tablets, several months’ supply. See more News on Aspirin After Breast Cancer “The insurance market as it works today basically slices and dices the population. It says, well you people with medical conditions, over here, and you people without them, over here… — Jonathan Cohn, Editor of The New Republic, speaking on The Brian Lehrer Show, February 16, 2010* —– There’s a popular, partly true, sometimes useful and very dangerous notion that we can control our health. Maybe even fend off cancer. I like the idea that we can make smart choices, eat sensible amounts of whole foods… Communication | Life | Life as a Patient | Life in NYC | Medical Education | Medical Ethics | Movies | Patient Autonomy | Reviews | Women's Health
 This is my first film review, if it is that. I was tempted to write about Ethan Hawke, hematologist among vampires in Daybreakers, but gore’s not my favorite genre. A mainstream choice would have been Harrison Ford solving the enzyme deficiency of Pompe disease in Extraordinary Measures, but I didn’t get sucked in. I chose Precious, instead. This luminous movie relates to the practice of medicine everyday, big-time. See more On Precious |
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