Once again the OCF News had an article that helps me understand my own battle with cancer. Today's story on the Evolution of Cancer explained in more detail what my RO, MO, and ENT had told me about my cancer coming back: your tumor had a high percentage of cells resistant to radiation and targeted chemo.
As the article explains
[quote]The authors point out that for most patients with advanced cancers � even when there is a well-known target and a highly specific drug � response to therapy is fleeting owing to the evolution and proliferation of a resistant population of cancer cells.

While targeted therapies have been among the most recent approaches to treating cancer, the authors suggest that the vast changes in the genetics of tumors via mutations reduce the effectiveness of targeted therapies and are a reason why targeted therapies cease to work.

�The emergence of resistance is predictable and inevitable as a fundamental property of carcinogenesis,� Gatenby said. �However, this fundamental fact is commonly ignored in the design of treatment strategies. The emergence of drug resistance is rarely, if ever, dealt with until it occurs.�[/quote]
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Thank you Brian & Sheldon for OCF News
Charm