| U.S. approval of Nexavar (sorafenib) for inoperable liver cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Nexavar (sorafenib) for use in patients with a form of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma, when the cancer is inoperable. Nexavar was originally approved in 2005 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. "In a randomized clinical trial, the group of patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma who received Nexavar survived 2.8 months longer than the group of patients who didn't receive the drug," said Robert Justice, M.D., director of FDA's division of drug oncology products. "This is an important new treatment option for patients who are fighting this very difficult form of cancer." According to the National Library of Medicine, hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 80 to 90 percent of all liver cancers.
Glickel Elected President of American Society for Surgery of the Hand
Steven Z. Glickel, MD, C.V. Starr Hand Surgery Center, St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY, was elected the 62nd President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) at the Society's Annual Meeting -- September 27-29, 2007 -- in Seattle, WA. .
Health calendar
Some events coming up in the area: EVENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
A Montgomery Family Christmas, a benefit for Baptist Hospice, will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church. The entertainers for the evening will be David Phelps, who will bring his new Christmas production, "One Wintry Night," and comedian Thor Ramsey. Tickets are on sale and available at LifeWay Christian Store in EastChase, Frazer church, Maxwell Air Force Base, Itickets.com and the Baptist Health Care Foundation office. Reserved tickets are $20, general admission tickets are $15 and groups of 10 or more are $10 each. If you would like to become a sponsor, call Dawn Railey at 273-4565.
Celebration of Life Christmas trees. Celebrate the memory of a lost loved one by placing an ornament on one of these trees, which will be at each area Baptist Health hospital.
How to overcome joint problems and get yourself moving again
Each year, about a half million people in the United States have joint replacement surgery to regain physical function, with a goal of eliminating pain, cane and limp. Hips and knees top the list of joints replaced but other joints, such as shoulders, elbows, ankles, toes and fingers also can undergo replacement. .
A Loing Battle: Scaling down
It's somewhat funny to think back 14 months when I finally decided to risk my life and undergo bariatric weight loss surgery. At 509 pounds, I was afraid I'd die on the operating table.
If I had not made the decision, however, I may not have lived to see my youngest son Brad play his first season of flag football this fall because I was on the fast road to an early death.
I made the decision that was in the best interest of me and my family, and on Sept. 20, 2006, my life changed forever when I had the surgery. I was the largest patient that Presbyterian Hospital of Denton ever got approved for the Lap-Band procedure.
My main goal was to lose 100 pounds. I figured I could live another 10 years and see both of my boys through high school if I could get down to 400 pounds.
Investigators: The Star Treatment
Once a larger woman, gastric bypass surgery has made Star Jones much smaller—but still a “hero" to many young girls right here in Detroit. Chief Investigator Steve Wilson went to bat for a group of youngsters who have found their Star is not quite as bright as they'd hoped.That would be putting it mildly. You don't have to be a celebrity to realize that disappointing people who look up to you is not a good thing.Star Jones: …and I think what's important is I acknowledge that a lot of women look up to me. There's a responsibility there for me.The Star we're talking about is Star Jones…once a court reporter at the O-J trial, a host on The View…and now with her own afternoon talk show said to be struggling in the ratings. You may not recognize her here because she's changed, now literally just a shadow of her former self after gastric by-pass surgery…Yet to young women who struggle with their own weight and issues of self-esteem…Star Jones has been a hero of sorts.Ethel McIntosh, Full and Fabulous Member: She's Star Jones Reynolds! I mean this woman knows more influential people than, people I meet every day!Ethel is one of a number of young ladies in Detroit in a group called Full and Fabulous to better themselves with weight loss, good nutrition, and stronger self-esteem.
More Lifestyle
If you ask 35-year-old Vicki Joseph what motivated her drastic measures, she'll probably say it was her young son. That motivation almost led her to Mexico two years ago to seek an affordable option for weight-loss surgery. Almost. At 5-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Joseph was morbidly obese. "My health was deteriorating," she said, recalling more desperate times. "I had high cholesterol, pain in my feet. ... I was getting injections in my feet (to relieve the pain)." A final diagnosis of sleep apnea pushed her to get deadly serious. The condition caused her to stop breathing up to 50 times an hour and raised her cardiac death risk. She figured she had to do something or she wouldn't be around to see her son graduate high school. At her practitioner's urgings, Joseph eliminated any thoughts of going to Mexico.
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