Baylor coach Drew and his siblings lead cheers in parents' cancer fights - PennLive.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. _ Basketball has always represented common ground for the Drew clan _ family business, touchstone, emotional outlet.

As the Drews faced their most difficult personal moment this fall and winter, basketball was again at the center of the struggle. Former Valparaiso University basketball coach Homer Drew was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September. Three days later, Janet, his wife of 44 years, was found to have advanced stage 3 bladder cancer.

The terrible news was a 1-2 punch to a close-knit family that includes son Scott, the head coach at Baylor. Homer Drew's cancer was not necessarily a shock, given that his father had died from the disease and that he underwent regular tests. Janet's diagnosis blindsided everyone.

"You expected one bad news, but two at the same time.....," Scott Drew said. "That was a tough day."

Six months later, Homer is cancer free. Janet, finishing radiation treatment, received encouraging medical news last week that led to an impromptu celebration after son Bryce coached Valparaiso to the Horizon League regular-season title.

Basketball served as a welcome diversion, Homer Drew said. He and his wife still live Valparaiso, a northern Indiana town of 31,730. They followed Bryce's team in person, and used satellite to catch almost all of Baylor's games from afar.

"It was a wonderful release," Homer Drew said in a phone interview as his wife napped. "It gave something for both of us to be involved in and for both of us to look forward to. We went from doctor to hospital to game. That was the pattern for three months."

If there is a first family of March Madness buzzer-beaters, it may be the Drews.

Tuesday marked the 14th anniversary of one of the most famous shots in NCAA Tournament history. Bryce Drew's jump shot off a long inbounds pass helped Valparaiso edge Mississippi in the first round of the 1998 tournament.

Homer was coaching the 13th-seeded Crusaders. Scott, the oldest child, was an assistant and rising star in coaching as his father's heir apparent.

Sister Dana was a standout player at Toledo, good enough to have her jersey retired this season.

While his two siblings were dealing with their parents' illness, Scott was trying to multitask nearly 900 miles away, coaching a top-10 program with high expectations while trying to do what he could for his parents.

He learned the intricacies of Skype and FaceTime to help his three children bond with their grandparents, calling nearly every day.

"I knew they were always watching our game, and I was trying to put them in a good mood by winning," he said. "It's hard enough when you compete. When you know how much it means to family, friends and loved ones among you, it makes you want to even compete that much harder."

He also immersed himself in cancer research. Scott can recite the ominous numbers about men over 40 and prostate cancer, along with the remarkable medical advances in treating bladder cancer. His mother had a replacement bladder that doctors built from part of her small intestine.

He also gained an appreciation for his father, whose initial surgery went well and who then took on the primary caregiver role for his wife.

Early on, Janet Drew told her husband: "This is the toughest coaching job you'll ever have."

Suddenly, he was confronted with a world of catheters and stents _ and even shopping. Janet drew her recently retired husband a map of the local grocery store, complete with arrows marking milk and bread.

"To see him take care of her makes me proud to be his son," Scott said. "I hope I can be a father like that someday."

Added Bryce, whose team fell to Miami in the NIT on Wednesday: "They don't have to say any words. Seeing how they've gone through teaches me hundreds of lessons."

Just more than three weeks ago, on Feb. 21, the Drew family got an answer to their hopes and prayers.

Because cancer had been found in Janet's lymph nodes, doctors were concerned about a possible spread to the brain and lungs.

MRI scans of her brain and torso revealed no further cancer.

"She's always been the rock and foundation of the family," Homer said, praising her courage and faith. "It's amazed us how she tackled it day in and day out with the difficult surgery and recovery."

Scott got the good news by phone but had a surprise for his mom. He, his wife and three children were in Valparaiso. After Bryce's team beat Loyola of Chicago to win the Horizon League, the entire family of three children and seven grandchildren surprised Janet in Bryce's office.

The family hopes for better news next week when the radiation treatment ends and Janet is examined again.

"It definitely brings you closer any time there's a struggle in the family and seeing your mom and dad going through tough times physically and not able to do the things they would want to," Scott said. "It makes everybody realize how quickly life passes and how you have to enjoy every day."

___

(c)2012 The Dallas Morning News

Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Track and Field: Beckman head coach Bob Day dies at 67 - OCRegister (Blogs) (blog)

 

Former UCLA distance star and Beckman track and field and cross country coach Bob Day passed away Thursday morning after a short battle with bladder cancer.

Jenny Day, Bob’s wife, confirmed that Day was originally diagnosed with bladder cancer last October. He had an operation in November and had been in and out of the hospital since then. He returned from his last stint in the hospital last week at which time his condition had deteriorated and taken a turn for the worst.

Day was a four-year distance standout for UCLA from 1963-66. In 1964, he set a then national-record of 3:56.4 in the mile. That time is still the school’s current mile record. By the time he graduated, Day also held school records in the 1500 (3:42.1), the two mile (8:33.0), and the 5000 (13:44.2).

In 1968, Day won the 5000 competition at the U.S. National Track and Field Championships and competed for the United States team in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.

Day had been the coach of the Patriots boys and girls track and field and cross country teams since the school started competition in those sports in 2004.

Memorial services for Day are pending.

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Takeda Hid Actos Bladder Cancer Risks, Whistleblower Case Says - Salient News

The U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor issued an order to unseal a whistleblower case by a former Takeda Pharmaceuticals medical reviewer involving the failure to report bladder cancer and Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) adverse events for the diabetes drug Actos.

The whistleblower is Dr. Helen Ge, a medical doctor and former safety consultant to Takeda’s pharmacovigilance division. Dr. Ge worked to review adverse events and to identify and evaluate potential safety signals for the diabetes drug Actos, the only drug in the same class and competing with GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia.

Dr. Ge had direct knowledge of the Actos bladder cancer risk and, according to the complaint, encountered resistance from her superiors when she tried to report bladder cancer as related to Actos. Takeda’s adverse event database for Actos held more than 100 bladder cancers reported to the company, but only 72 reported to the FDA, which Dr. Ge referred to as “a serious discrepancy.” Takeda, like other drug companies, is required to update the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. failed to give accurate reports to regulators about hundreds of congestive heart failure cases associated with its diabetes drug Actos, Dr. Ge claimed in a lawsuit. Additionally, the company failed to classify “non-hospitalized or non- fatal” congestive heart failure cases as serious from late 2007 to January 2010, and supervisors directed the whistleblower to change her “related” assessment to unrelated.

According to her complain, Dr. Ge complained to her superiors that her medical assessments were being downgraded from “serious” to “non-serious” and that, as a result of this, the Congestive Heart Failure events were being under-reported to the FDA. As a result of her complaint, her contract with Takeda was terminated.

“Takeda’s motivation to fraudulently report and under-report the serious adverse events was driven by an economic desire to falsely enhance Actos’s safety profile and to increase sales,” Ge said. Takeda wanted to push that Actos was safer than GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK)’s Avandia diabetes drug, and that the company downplayed data suggesting a link between Actos and bladder cancer, according to the complaint.

In 2007, the FDA ordered Takeda and Glaxo to place its strongest warning on the labeling of their drugs about the risk of congestive heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart doesn’t adequately pump blood. Avandia has since has been severely restricted in the U.S. Ge sued under the False Claims Act in 2010, and the suit was recently unsealed. The Justice Department decided not to intervene in the suit, after reviewing the claim, but the plaintiff hopes that additional evidence will be enough to persuade federal regulators to take a second look.

Nina, owner of NinaRotz.com, is a freelance writer and blogger. Nina’s work has been published and linked on Associated Content, Yahoo! Shine, Yahoo! Voices, eHow, Live Strong, CNN, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, as well as various online magazines and blogs.

Tags: Actos, actos adverse failure, actos bladder cancer risks, actos heart, Avandia, bladder cancer, bladder cancer risks, Congestive Heart Failure, effects, Takeda, takeda whistleblower

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Run/walk against bladder cancer is Saturday in Oswego - Syracuse.com

Oswego, NY -- A run/walk to raise money to fight bladder cancer is being held at 10 a.m. Saturday in Oswego.

The "Run for Dennis" event honors Dennis Pacheco, of Oswego, who died of the disease March 17, 2011. A native of Rome, he was a long-time employee at the James FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, coached soccer and baseball teams when his three children were young, was an avid motorcyclist and enjoyed motorsports, hunting, construction, woodworking and playing harmonica. He also liked all types of music, but especially enjoyed the blues and was known to do an impromptu Elvis impersonation on many occasions.

The race course is a 5K (3.1 miles) and begins at Gibby’s Irish Pub on Lake Street.

Go to this website link to register for the race. The cost now is $25 and $30 on Saturday morning.

Packet pickup is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Gibby’s Irish Pub, 8 W. Second st., Oswego. Packet pickup also is available from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on race day.

Proceeds go to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. Donations can be made to "Run For Dennis" and sent to Oswego County Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 310, Oswego, 13126.

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Inflammation - What You Absolutely Need to Know for Your Health, Longevity and Freedom From Disease

Inflammation, it's not usually what you hear when you go to the doctor for pain and you want a diagnosis. You have arthritis, what do you expect you're 55 for crying out loud, he (or she) says. Ok, most doctors are not that cruel, however I have heard this complaint from my patients one too many times. A better answer would be "You have inflammation, let's see if we can find out why".

Any diagnosis that ends in an 'itis' is an inflammatory disease. And, of course, there are many more conditions that are inflammatory in nature. Here's a list of common inflammatory diseases:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Heart Disease

Coronary Artery Disease

Type II Diabetes

Artherosclerosis

Thyroiditis

Arthritis

Sarcopenia

Lupus

Sjorgren's Syndrome

Ankylosing Spondolytis

Crohn's Disease

IBS

Gastritis

Hepatitis

Pancreatitis

Cancer

Without getting into the scientific details of what causes inflammation we know that inflammatory conditions are driven by a series of inflammatory molecules and protein that are produced by the tissues of the body in response to a number of initiating events including but not limited to:

Exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides

Trauma or Injury

Allergens

Stress

The Standard American Diet

Abnormal gut lining

Liver toxicity

Immune challenges

Insulin Resistance

Dental Infections

Obesity

Current research shows obesity to be the #1 cause of inflammation in the body. The adipose (fatty) tissue produces and releases pro-inflammatory molecules and hormones that are directly involved in the inflammatory process. Adipose tissue is also a target for inflammatory mediators resulting in the release of C-Reative proteins and is correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Understanding the underlying causes of inflammation is vital. Knowing what is creating your inflammation will give you the map to optimal health and well-being. Taking a pill or cortisone shot is not the answer to ridding your body of inflammation. There are serious side effects of anti-inflammatory medications and they do not address the cause.

The easiest and quickest way to reduce inflammation is to remove the major triggers of inflammation in the body. The food you choose to eat provides one of the greatest sources of inflammatory triggers.

To decrease inflammation and allow your body to heal please remove the following from your diet:

1. All foods containing gluten. These include; wheat, rye, oats, and barley and are found in bread, pasta, and other products containing refined flours.

2. All dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, etc.)

3. All refined sugar products (sweets, candy bars and junk food). Refined sugar slows the process of detoxification in the body and has been shown to weaken the immune system.

4. Corn, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. These are common allergens and should be avoided because they can contribute to pain and inflammation.

5. Pork, cold cuts, bacon, hot dogs, canned meat, sausage, and shellfish. All have been shown to increase inflammation.

6. Alcohol, caffeine containing beverages (coffee, black tea and sodas) and soy milk, soda and fruit drinks that are high in refined sugar. These are particularly hard on the liver, which has to be functioning properly in order to begin to reduce the inflammation in the body.

7. Foods high in fats and oils including; peanuts, refined oils, margarine, shortening, and hydrogenated oils. These foods put a burden on the body especially the gall-blader and the liver.

So, the next time a health practitioner tells you it's arthritis or any other age related disease, ask them - WHY and what can I do about it without medication!

Please visit http://www.managingmenopausenaturally.com for a complete list of foods to include and exclude from your diet to reduce inflammation.

Dr. Brenda Sahlin invites you to visit her at http://www.managingmenopausenaturally.com for information on additional health topics and to find out how you can receive a complimentary phone consultation to start the discovery process to optimal health today.

Common Causes of Blader Leakage

Incontinence is not a disease or condition, but it is a symptom of a disease or condition. Women and men of all ages can encounter bladder leakage, but this is more present in men in the mid and later years of their life. Bladder leakage is a cause of a lot of embarrassment for a lot of people and is a more common problem then moat people believe. This can also be a symptom of an underlying problem. The best way to deal with this is by sharing this problem with your doctor. This way they can determine the underlying cause and start the necessary treatment.

Causes-

Any change or disruption in any system involved in bladder control will cause you to have bladder leakage. If you have weak pelvic muscles this can be one of the primary causes of bladder leakage. Pregnancy and childbirth do put a lot of stress on the pelvic floor but not all pelvic muscle weakness is caused by these conditions. Doing Kegel exercises will work to re-strengthen the pelvic muscles which will in turn give you better bladder control. If you experience nerve damage cause by disease or trauma this can change the way the brain and bladder signal each other. The damage can be so bad that this signal can stop all together. Some diseases and afflictions that can cause enough nerve damage leading to bladder loss include Parkinson's, Diabetes mellitus, stroke, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. The trauma that causes such nerve damage may be from pelvic or back injury, pelvic or back surgery and radiation therapy.

There are some medication that can also affect the nerve signals that go to your brain and bladder. These kinds of medications can weaken the signal which causes the bladder leakage problems. Medications can also interfere with the proper function of the muscles involved in bladder control. If you consume alcohol this can also affect the nerve signals, causing leakage. Water pills and caffeine will cause the body to produce urine faster than normal which will result in the bladder becoming full faster. If you get a urinary tract infection this can lead to temporary bladder leakage. The process of aging can also affect the musculature involved in bladder control. This makes bladder leakage a problem for both men and women alike. Constipation can also cause a temporary incontinence because when the rectum is full of stool, it presses against the bladder and this can cause the nerves to be overactive.

Enlargement of the prostate gland in men can cause several problems with normal urination which can include this leakage. Bladder cancer or bladder stones can sometimes cause leakage along with other problems such as burning upon urination, urgency to void and sometimes blood in the urine. Women can experience bladder leakage after having a hysterectomy due to the possible muscle or nerve damage from the surgery. This is because the bladder and uterus are so close to each other. Women who have gone through menopause have a decrease in the production of estrogen which can contribute to bladder leakage. This hormone is involved in keeping the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy, so when this starts to decrease this will affect the ability of the muscles to work correctly.

Be sure that if you have a bladder leakage problem you first seek out the help of a physician. To save embarrassment, consider ordering Tena pads from a reputable source.

Exotic and Super Spicy Foods Korean Kimchi

Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. It is a delightfully fiery hot and delicious Chinese cabbage dish. However, it must be prepared far in advance. When you sit down for Korean foods and they bring you sixteen bowls of vegetables, fish, pastes and sauces - a lot of that is kimchi. It is always something that's there (at the table).

It is a traditional fermented food from Korea. The most common type of kimchi uses napa cabbage as its main ingredient, but it can also be made with daikon radishes, cucumbers, or other ingredients. It is made mainly by salting Chinese cabbage and dressing it with red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, scallions and radish. This mixture is then placed in clay containers called onggi and left to fermentate slowly. November and December are traditionally when people begin to make kimchi; women often gather together in each others' homes to help with winter kimchi preparations. It is a Korean fiery foods product that few people in the west have even heard of, much less tasted. But all that is changing rapidly as the spicy, fermented condiment has been increasingly exported since the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.

It is a good source of fiber and, depending on the ingredients, may contain many of the nutrients and naturally occurring chemicals that can help combat cancers of the mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, blader, colon and cervix. During the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia, many people even believed that it could protect against infection, although there was no scientific evidence to support this belief. Kimchi is an exotic, super spicy side dish. While no one is quite sure whether it is a pickle or a salad, its wide range of flavors, types and styles make it a palatable part of an irresistible side-dish, a great appetizer, and a naturally cultured healthy raw vegetable. It is garlicky, peppery, pungent pickled cabbage, and it may safely be said that kimchi represents Korea. However, this Korea's national dish is in danger because of Japanese copycat kimchi.

It can also be used in cooking. It is full of dietary fiber yet is very low on calories, also high in vitamins, notably B1, B2, B12 and C, as well as iron and minerals, particularly calcium. The lone drawback is the huge quantity of salt used as a preservative. Kimchi is known as a banchan, or side dish in Korea. It is common, in Korean cuisine, to have many banchan served alongside a meal. It is effective in killing food poisoning bacteria left untreated by antibiotics. Seoul National University veterinary professor Park jae-hak and his team helps Cell Biotech company separate the anti-bacterial peptide "LACTOCIN W" from two kinds of lactic acid in kimchi. Koreans believe that the microorganisms formed when the salted fish ferments with kimchi's other ingredients fight cancer.

It is widely regarded among nutritionists as one of the healthiest foods on the planet, full of helpful vitamins and bacteria that promote digestion. Among Koreans, it is regarded as a "manbyongtongchiyak" kind of miracle cure that will help make you strong, prevent cancer and generally give you a garlicky glow. It is also a common ingredient and combined with other ingredients to make dishes such as kimchi stew and kimchi fried rice. The unique taste of kimchi is achieved, in part, by various kinds of organic acids which are formed by the respiration process of the microorganisms which are present in the ingredients.

It is so important in Korean culture, that there is also a museum dedicated to kimchi. There you will be able to learn everything about kimchi. It is served in Japan as a "health food".Thousands of professional scientists are working in kimchi research teams with an industry team functioning along side them. It is probably the most renowned of these preserved vegetable.

The Kimchi refrigerators is specifically designed with precise controls to keep different varieties of kimchi at optimal temperatures at various stages of fermentation, this has made the seasonality unnecessary and kimchi needs to be kept at an appropriate temperature in order to be preserved at its best.

Nutritional composition of typical kimchi

Nutrients per 100 g

Food energy 32 kcal

Crude protein 2.0 g

Total sugar 1.3 g

Crude fiber 1.2 g

Vitamin C 21 mg

Vitamin B 1 0.03 mg

Crude ash 0.5 g

Calcium 45 mg

Moisture 88.4 g

Calcium 45 mg

Moisture 88.4 g

Vitamin A 492 IU

Crude Lipid 0.6 g

Vitamin B 2 0.06 mg

Niacin 2.1 mg

Phosphorus 28 mg

Interested to find out how to make exotic Korean Kimchi? Please view the Korean Kimchi making video.
Albert G.Y Lee
http://www.1albertlee.com

Summary of the 6th annual bladder cancer think tank: New directions in ... - UroToday

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Remember MeSubscribeForgot your password?Forgot your username? Quicklinks CAUTI ChallengeBladder Cancer Diagnosis & Monitoring CenterAdvanced Prostate Cancer Treatment Resource centerGU MalignanciesProstate CancerBladder CancerOveractive BladderFemale UrologyInfections advanced search HOMEConference CoverageEvent CalendarAdvanced SearchUroToday International Journal Browse CategoriesInvestigational UrologyProstate CancerRenal CancerBladder CancerEtiologyEpidemiologySymptoms & SignsDiagnosisPathologyNatural HistoryStagingBladder Cancer Diagnosis & Monitoring CenterCases, Prevalence, & MortalityGuidelines -Conference CoverageLinksTesticular CancerPenis & Urethra CancerBPH & Male LUTSErectile Dysfunction (ED)ProstatitisMale Infertility & ReproductionUrinary Incontinence (UI)Overactive BladderStress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)Female UrologyPeyronie's DiseaseIC/PBS/BPS/HBSStone DiseaseInfectionsUrologic Trauma and ReconstructionRenal Transplantation, Vascular DiseaseAdrenal and RetroperitoneumPediatric UrologyRelated TopicsGeriatric UrologyLaparoscopic & RoboticAndrogen DeficiencySexually Transmitted DiseaseDisease ResourcesFemale Sexual DysfunctionPelvic Floor RehabilitationCurrent Clinical Trials Home > Bladder Cancer #wrapper_photos,#mod_localnews_sports,#weather_photos{display:none;} Summary of the 6th annual bladder cancer think tank: New directions in urologic research - Abstract Thu, 15 March 2012 The 6th Annual Bladder Cancer Think Tank brought together a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, researchers, and representatives from the National Cancer Institute and Industry in an effort to advance bladder cancer research efforts.Username

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RhoGDI2 protein helps prevent bladder cancer metastasis to the lungs - News-Medical.net

The diagnosis of localized bladder cancer carries an 80 percent five-year survival rate, but once the cancer spreads, the survival rate at even three years is only 20 percent. A major study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation not only shows how bladder cancer metastasizes to the lungs but pinpoints a method for stopping this spread.

Specifically, the study shows that versican, a protein involved in cancer cell migration, is a driver of lung metastasis and that high levels of versican are associated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer patients. The study is the first to show how that when a cancer cell makes the protein RhoGDI2, it reduces the cell's production of versican, thus blocking the ability of the cancer cell to grow in the lungs.

"For a decade, we've known that the major challenge of treating bladder cancer is treating or preventing the metastatic form of the disease. This study represents an advance in the latter - by preventing the spread of bladder cancer to the lungs, we could improve patient survival," says Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the paper's senior author.

When a cancer metastasizes from its birth location to another, it's not necessarily that cells suddenly become mobile and thus able to float through the blood or lymph to new homes. In fact, these cancer cells may have been floating through a patient's blood for quite some time, and metastasis occurs only when one of these intrepid cells is finally able to grow in the place where it is attached, such as the lungs.

When the first cancer cells to attach to, say, the lung, they have a tough time - they become distressed. Cancer cells express this distress in the form of versican. And the more versican they express, the more help they get, which arrives in the form of macrophages, a part of the body's immune response that eat pathogens and other debris.

In most cases, the fact that macrophages benefit distressed cells is good, but in addition to helping healthy cells survive, these arriving macrophages also promote the growth of cancer cells that have landed in distant sites such as the lung, thus promoting metastasis of the disease.

More versican made by the cancer cells calls more macrophages, which aid cancer cells' survival and increase the likelihood that a cancer cell's toehold will develop into a clinically significant tumor in the lung.

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Putting the Brakes on Bladder Cancer - dailyRx

As with any malignancy, once bladder cancer starts to travel to other parts of the body, an individual's chances of outliving it are diminished. So, preventing that spread is a major objective of research.

A protein that's sort of like a siren - versican - has been shown to help cancer cells get set up in the lung. This research discovered that another protein - RhoGD12 - silences versican so that cancer cells can't grow and thrive in the lung.

If your urine turns dark or rust colored, see your doctor.

The paper's senior author, Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, says this finding could help people with bladder cancer live longer.

Metastasis isn't something that happens all of a sudden. Cells don't start moving just out of the blue.

No, these cells may have been stalking around in the blood or lymph for a while, just looking for a place to land, latch on and grow. 

The lungs are a great landing pad for cancer cells.

But getting settled in is stressful for these cells. They get overwhelmed and panicked. When that happens, they make a distress call, and versican responds to save the day and the cancer.

The more versican that builds up, the more support troops arrive in what's known as macrophages, which are sort of like garbage men. They eat up stuff that could a cell harm, even if that cell is a potential killer.

So the macrophages support the bladder cancer cells in getting set up in lungs and that's when metastasis takes hold and over.

The protein RhoGDI2 puts the brakes on this process, Dr. Theodorescu and colleagues demonstrated, by decreasing the levels of versican. When they added RhoGD12 to a bladder tumor in the lab, versican and metastasis were both decreased. 

"We believe this study provides an important contribution to the scientific literature by delineating for the first time a new mechanism of metastasis suppression, namely that suppression of metastasis is possible by altering the tumor microenvironment, including reducing the presence of macrophages," Theodorescu says.

The story doesn't end there. Another protein called CCL2 helps versican recruit macrophages. And that's a nifty finding because, clinical trials are already under way testing drugs that inhibit, or block CCL2.

If the laboratory results can be repeated in humans, these drugs might just be the ticket to lowering metastasis, thereby significantly extending lives.

When asked what all this means, Dr. Theodorescu told dailyRx, “The significance of our study to patients is that two of the drugs used have the very real possibility of crossing over quickly to human use. This could be a major advance in keeping bladder cancer from metastasizing to the lungs,” he concluded.

This study was published March 12, 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. 

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. No conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States, and over 64,000 men and women are diagnosed each year, with men making up four out of every five diagnoses. The most common type is called transitional cell carcinoma, which causes abnormal growth of cells on the inner lining of the urinary bladder.

Risk for developing bladder cancer is primarily due to environmental exposures. Cigarette smoking is the most serious risk factor, responsible for up to half of bladder cancer in men, and a third in women.

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Occupational exposure to chemicals is another serious risk factor, with bus drivers, rubber workers, motor mechanics, leather workers, blacksmiths, machine setters and mechanics being at particular risk. As with most cancers, exposure to radiation and chemotherapy also increase risk.

Symptoms of bladder cancer are non-specific and may resemble those of conditions like bladder and prostate infections. Most people notice blood in the urine, painful urination, and urinary frequency and urgency. As cancer progresses, patients may notice general symptoms of advanced cancer such as weight loss, anemia, fatigue, and abdominal pain.

Diagnosis is primarily made by cystoscopy, where a camera is inserted through the urethra to visualize and biopsy the inside of the bladder. Examination of the urine may reveal cancerous cells as well.

Early stage bladder cancer can be treated with bladder-sparing surgery to remove the tumor, as well as treat chemotherapy directly into the bladder (Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Mitomycin-C (Mutamycin), Thiotepa (Thioplex) and immunotherapy for the bladder (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy, a mycobacterium that prevents cancer recurrence). Later stage cancers where the tumor has advanced into the muscle tissue of the bladder have much lower survival rates. Removal of the entire bladder )as well as prostate and seminal vesicles in men, and urethra, uterus, and the front wall of the vagina in women) may be necessary, as well as systemic chemotherapy (gemcitabine/cisplatin, Paclitaxel/carboplatin).

Fruit and yellow-orange vegetables, particularly carrots and selenium are associated with a moderately reduced risk of bladder cancer. Citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables were also identified as having a possible protective effects.

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Takeda Actos Judge Names Lead Attorneys in U.S. Bladder-Cancer Lawsuits - Bloomberg

The judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (4502)’s Actos diabetes medicine causes cancer appointed 19 plaintiffs’ lawyers to manage litigation involving U.S. claims.

Takeda, Asia’s biggest drugmaker, may face as many as 10,000 claims that Actos causes bladder cancer after U.S. regulators found last year the drug was linked to the disease. Federal lawsuits against the drugmaker were consolidated before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty in Lafayette, Louisiana, in December. The first hearing on the cases is set for March 22, according to court filings.

“The court has determined to effect the selection of lead counsel, liaison counsel and plaintiffs’ executive and steering committees before the March 22nd-23rd status conference,” Doherty said in a March 12 note posted on the court’s website.

The lawsuits claim patients who use Actos, a prescription drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes, face increased risks of developing bladder cancer. The plaintiffs also claim that Takeda and co-defendant Eli Lilly & Co., based in Indianapolis, withheld information about the risk and failed to provide adequate warnings.

Takeda pulled Actos, its top-selling drug, off the market in Germany and France last year after it was linked to an increased cancer risk. The medication had sales of 387.9 billion yen ($4.8 billion) last fiscal year, 27 percent of the Osaka, Japan-based company’s revenue.

“Given that litigation is pending, we can’t comment,” Jocelyn Gerst, a U.S.-based spokeswoman for Takeda, said in a telephone interview about the selection of the plaintiffs’ group.

Doherty named attorneys Richard Arsenault and Paul Pennock as lead plaintiffs’ counsel in the case and also appointed them to the executive committee, along with lawyers Mark Robinson and Hunter Shkolnik.

Arsenault, a products-liability lawyer based in Alexandria, Louisiana, served as one of the lead lawyers in consolidated cases filed against Merck & Co. (MRK) over its Vioxx painkiller that resulted in a $4.85 billion settlement in November 2007.

Pennock, a New York-based attorney, was one of the lawyers leading the consolidated suits against AstraZeneca Plc (AZN) over its Seroquel antipsychotic drug. The London-based drugmaker agreed last year to pay a total of about $350 million to resolve patients’ claims that the drug caused diabetes.

The Los Angeles-based Robinson, who has won multimillion- dollar jury awards against carmakers such as Ford Motor Co., is a co-lead counsel in sudden-acceleration lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)

Shkolnik, based in New York City, served as a member of the plaintiffs’ steering committee in lawsuits against Medtronic Inc. (MDT) over flawed heart defibrillators. The cases later settled for more than $114 million.

Other lawyers named to the plaintiffs’ steering committee in the Actos cases include Mark Lanier, a Texas-based lawyer who won the first jury award against Whitehouse Station, New Jersey- based Merck in the Vioxx litigation, and Chris Seeger, a New Jersey-based attorney who also won a verdict against Merck on behalf of Vioxx users.

The judge also named Andy Birchfield, an Alabama-based lawyer who helped negotiate the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement, and Vance Andrus, a Lafayette-based lawyer who was one of the lead counsels in cases against GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GS) over its Avandia diabetes drug. The London-based drugmaker has agreed to pay more than $700 million to resolve claims that Avandia caused heart attacks and strokes in users.

The lawsuits are consolidated in In Re: Actos Products Liability Litigation, 11-2299, U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana (Lafayette).

To contact the reporters on this story: Jef Feeley in Wilmington, Delaware at jfeeley@bloomberg.net; Margaret Cronin Fisk in Detroit at mcfisk@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net

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