A recent article
Before sharing an interesting article, I'd like to mention again that Mort and I are anxious to hear from those of you who are reading the blog. Many readers do write, but "zero" always appears under comments. It's just a function of the blog itself, so don't be deterred by thinking that no one else is writing. We really do want to hear from you!
So now to share an interesting article published on March 7, 2006 by The American Cancer Society which summarized a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. It stated that researchers reviewed the results of clinical trials performed for the past 30 years. They found that follicular lymphoma can be treated with chemotherapy but that the disease invariably comes back. Further, they found that follicular lymphoma patients who are treated with monoclonal antibodies are living longer and experiencing longer remission periods.
Monoclonal antibodies are man made. Some kill cancerous cells by themselves while others have a radioactive atom attached to help them kill the cancerous cells. The conclusion was that adding these monoclonal antibodies increased the lifespan of patients with follicular lymphoma.
If we have to have lymphoma at all, we are lucky to live at a time in medical history that gives physicians the capability to manage lymphoma with increasingly successful treatments. Radioimmunotherapy rescued me when all else failed.
Betsy