Vaccines in Cancer Care and Risk Reduction January 9, 2019

For our first chat of 2019, we had twenty-eight participants discussing Vaccines in Cancer Care and Risk Reduction. You may find the transcript here and additional analytics here.

Some responses to our questions may be found below.

T1: What vaccines are available before you develop cancer to reduce your risk? Are there different types? 

• T1 The #HPV vaccine is cancer prevention for six cancers-cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, & oropharyngeal. #gyncsm
• T1: Cancers that are caused by viruses can be vaccinated against. HPV vaccine protects against cervical and other HPV-related cancers. The HepB vaccine can help protect against liver cancer
• the #HPVvaccine has been available since 2006 -- initially it offered protection against HPV16 and HPV18, the types of HPV that causes 70% of #cervicalcancer #gyncsm
• the FDA approved Gardasil 9 in 2014 -- which protects against another 20% of the most dangerous subtypes of #HPV #gyncsm 

T2: What cancers can be caused by HPV? How does the HPV vaccine reduce the risk of HPV-related cancers?

• T2 Cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, & oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV. Every year in the US, HPV causes 33,700 cancers in men and women
• #HPV can cause #cervicalcancer and some types of ear-nose-and-throat, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and anal cancer. The CDC recently release a report about trends in HPV-related cancers. #gyncsm cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/6…
• T2 -- interestingly, in recent years oropharyngeal cancers are now the most common type of HPV-related cancer. #HPV #gyncsm
• T2 The HPV vaccine protects against an HPV infection-persistent infection can lead to cell abnormalities & cancer.
• T2: It takes a long time for a persistent HPV infection to cause cervical disease and pre-cancer. The vaccine helps keep the body from being infected after exposure. Approx 80% of people are exposed to HPV at some point in their life
• It's better to get vaccinated before exposure to #HPV - that way your body is already immune!
• A2 from @cochranecollab Among women aged 15 to 26 years, vaccines reduced the risk of cervical precancer associated with HPV16/18 from 341 to 157 per 10,000. HPV vaccination reduced also the risk for any precancer lesions from 559 to 391 per 10,000.

T3: What are the current U.S. recommendations for HPV vaccination? Who should get vaccinated, when and how many doses?

• T3 The HPV vaccine is recommended for all girls & boys who are 11 or 12 years old. The series can be started as young as 9 years. #gyncsm
• T3 -- currently the @CDCgov suggest offering vaccination for boys and girls starting at age 9, and recommends it starting at age 11-12.
• T3 -- however, in October 2018 the @US_FDA has approved the use of Gardasil 9 for men and women up to age 45. #hpvvaccine #hpv #gyncsm https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/06/fda-expands-hpv-vaccine-use-to-age-45/
• And Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program offers vaccines ( including HPV) at no cost for eligible children cdc.gov/vaccines/progr…
• Yes -- for individuals who start the vaccine series younger than age 15, two shots of the #hpvvaccine is recommended.
• The @HPVRoundtable has a bunch of great parent materials.
• You can also check out yesterday's tweet blast by @StopHPVCancer for some great HPV resource links 

T4: What are cancer treatment vaccines? How do they work? When are they used - after front-line?

• T4: There are cancer vaccines that can be created the patient's own tumor! They have been explored in #ovariancancer as a maintenance strategy after primary treatment #gyncsm
• Specific #HPVVaccines are being combined with #immunotherapy to treat #cervicalcancer and head and neck cancers @MDAndersonNews
• T4: "Cancer treatment vaccines boost the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy antigens. Often, cancer cells have certain molecules called cancer-specific antigens on their surface that healthy cells do not have." https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/immunotherapy-and-vaccines/what-are-cancer-vaccines
• T4: Some cancer vaccines are made from the person's tumor sample for them. Other cancer vaccines target specific cancer antigens and are given to people whose tumors have those antigens on the surface of the tumor cells.
• T4 this article talks of the steps producing the vaccine Provenge for prostate cancer and examples of types of cancer vaccines. #gyncsm historyofvaccines.org/content/articl…   

T5: In which gynecologic cancers are treatment vaccines being studied? Has there been progress in this area?

• I found 15 clinical trials when I searched on clinicaltrial.gov for ovarian cancer vaccines https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=vaccine&cond=Ovarian+Cancer&Search=Apply&recrs=a&age_v=&gndr=&type=&rslt=
• Results from one #ovariancancer trial last spring via @ocrahope ocrahope.org/2018/04/vaccin…
• Cancer Vaccines in Ovarian Cancer: How Can We Improve? gives overview of research being done in this area in 2016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5344251/
• T5 -- to me, it seems that the most progress with vaccines as a treatment strategy has been in #ovariancancer. There certainly is a lot of interest in this area given the innovation in #immunotherapy #gyncsm cancertherapyadvisor.com/gynecologic-ca

Additional resources shared during the chat may be found at the end of this post. 

Be sure to join us next month on February 13, 2019 at 9pm ET for our chat "Getting Into a Clinical Trial". 

You can also join us for a collaborative chat across all #cancer communities presented by #LCSM this Thurs Jan 10th at 8pm ET/5pm PT on "Immunotherapy: What Patients Need to Know". More here: https://lcsmchat.com/2019/01/06/lcsm-chat-2019-01-06-immunotherapy-what-patients-need-to-know/ 

And on January 16 at 9pm ET join the #CervivorChat (@IamCervivor) for support and discussion about HPV and cervical cancer. 

See you there!

Dee
Co-moderator #gyncsm Chat

RESOURCES: 

Trends in HPV 
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6733a2.htm

Hepatitis B Vaccination : What Everybody Should Know 
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hepb/public/index.html 

Recap from our #gyncsm Feb 2017 chat on HPV and Cervical Cancer 
http://gyncsm.blogspot.com/2017/02/hpv-and-cervical-cancer-chat-2817.html

@theNCI site 
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-vaccine-fact-sheet 

HPV vaccine: A smart way to protect kids from cancer @jburzawa
https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/cancerwise/hpv-vaccine-a-smart-way-to-protect-kids-from-cancer.h00-158830434.html 

American Academy of Pediatrics - HPV 
https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/adolescent-sexual-health/Pages/HPV.aspx 

Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program 
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/parents/qa-detailed.html 

NCI-designated Cancer Centers Urge HPV Vaccination for the Prevention of Cancer http://www.cinj.org/sites/cinj/files/documents/NCI_HPV_Consensus_Statement_012716.pdf 

Cancer.Net 
https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/immunotherapy-and-vaccines/what-are-cancer-vaccines

Phase 2 Trial on HPV Indications 
http://ir.inovio.com/news-and-media/news/press-release-details/2018/Inovio-Announces-Initiation-of-Phase-2-Trial-in-New-HPV-Indications/default.aspx

Cancer Vaccines in Ovarian Cancer: How Can We Improve? 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5344251

First Chat of 2019 - Vaccines in Cancer Care and Risk Reduction 1/9/19

"Vaccine therapy is a type of treatment that uses a substance or group of substances to stimulate the immune system to destroy a tumor or infectious microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses." - NCI

We have talked in this community about how the HPV vaccination reduces the risk of cervical cancer (HPV and Cervical Cancer - 2/2017). Did you know it may also help reduce head and neck cancers caused by HPV? Did you know that the Hepatitis B vaccine helps reduce long term infection with HPV which can lead to liver cancer? Did you know that vaccine research to treat ovarian cancer is currently taking place? 

If you would like to learn more about the use of vaccines to treat and reduce your risk of cancer, please join us on Wednesday January 9, 2019 at 9pmET (8pmCT, 6pmPT) as the #gyncsm community chats about Vaccines in Cancer Care and Risk Reduction.

Since January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, we will include the HPV vaccine and latest CDC recommendations. We will also look at current ovarian cancer trials and how a patient's immune system can be trained to fight cancer tumor cells.

Guiding our discussion will be the following Topic (T:) questions:

T1: What vaccines are available before you develop cancer to reduce your risk? Are there different types?

T2: What cancers can be caused by HPV? How does the HPV vaccine reduce the risk of HPV-related cancers?

T3: What are the current U.S. recommendations for HPV vaccination? Who should get vaccinated, when and how many doses?

T4: What are cancer treatment vaccines? How do they work?

T5: In which gynecologic cancers are treatment vaccines being studied? Has there been progress in this area?

You may learn about our topic on this Cancer.Net page:
https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/immunotherapy-and-vaccines/what-are-cancer-vaccines

See you on Wednesday!
Dee
Co-moderator

SGO Annual Meeting Research Review and Ask the Doc April 2018

Twenty-four participants shared what they had learned at the SGO Annual Meeting or asked questions about research presented at the meeting during this month's #gyncsm chat. You may find more analytics here. You may find a transcript from the chat here.

We covered a number of different research areas from treatments to survivorship to funding for research.

T1: What were the results of the study comparing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) w/ radical hysterectomy in early cervical cancer. Will the results change practice?

• "Disease-free survival following minimally invasive procedures significantly lagged behind radical hysterectomies done by open laparotomy," -Pedro T. Ramirez, MD. I found this fascinating.
• some suggested uterine manipulator use (not assessed in the study), also discussed immature data, early stopping.
• Any reasons would be speculation. But I think we get bigger tissue margins with open surgery
• data safety monitoring committee (filled with GYN ONCS) said the study should be stopped

T2: Several studies used targeted therapies to treat #ovariancancer - Which results stood out for you? Were side effects critical in any of the studies?

• The #PARPi combinations are very exciting - responses and improved outcomes regardless of #BRCA status are encouraging
• From our Scientific Director, Dr. Deb Zajchowski, “Exciting preliminary results for PARP inhibitors combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors — particularly in platinum-resistant patients.” (@ClearityFnd) 

T3: Which studies presented at the meeting will impact treatment of women with #endometrialcancer #uterinecancer #sarcoma?

• The combo of everolimus & letrozole was quite successful in #endometrialcancer - this is the 2nd study to demonstrate this
• Excited re our study (in rodents) of everolimus-eluting IUD pres by @JDottinoMD - could allow pts to avoid surgery in endo ca
• 
  

Dr. Marcus Randall discussing GOG 249 results: pelvic RT vs chemo/brachy similar RFS and OS; more acute toxicity in chemo arm, similar late tox #SGOMtg #gyncsm #endometrialcancer pic.twitter.com/cT4zbjoUbc

— Jolyn Taylor (@TaylorJolyn) March 25, 2018

• My friend Matt Anderson, MD, PhD, presented on the genomic profiling of #uterine #leiomyosarcoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas as well as his own lab in Baylor. Data from @ALazarMDPhD was included. This is bigly important for us
• This data confirmed gyn #leiomyosarcoma differs from LMS elsewhere
• I was not at SGO but results from the phase 2 trial looking at carbo/taxol vs carbo/tax + trastuzimab (herceptin) in uterine serous CA with Her2/neu overexpression were presented. Improved PFS w/addition of herceptin.
• Agree... exciting abstract. Several pre-analytical issues that can affect Her2 testing results which will be important to consider for the future

T4: What research on palliative care and survivorship do you think will impact patients lives the most - or that survivors should ask their gyn/onc's about?

• @Stigetta reported this from the meeting:

Fantastic sunrise seminar on survivorship! Survivors need to be empowered with information after front line treatment. Reduce risk and screen for secondary cancers. #sgomtg #gyncsm pic.twitter.com/OLyOW0E4lL

— Annie Ellis (@Stigetta) March 26, 2018

• There was a study that finally measured and estimated rates of post op lymphedema which were much higher than anticipated. If we can measure it we can look for ways to reduce it. 
•  Overall, I think it has been great to see an increase each year in survivorship studies and talk of long-term care planning and navigators/coordinators. Patients living longer and more emphasis on support.

T5: Once again studies showed less gyn cancer clinical trials and lower funding for gyn cancer research. What suggestions were made to increase enrollment and funding?

• We MUST advocate for gynecologic cancer funding - write your Congressman and tell them that this funding must be INCREASED!!
• the photo in this tweet shows how great the need is via @ShannonWestin

Research for #ovariancancer #endometrialcancer and #cervicalcancer is grossly underfunded compared to #ProstateCancer - this is a disturbing trend for our patients. #SGOMtg #gyncsm pic.twitter.com/NfqGNF1h1w

— Shannon Westin (@ShannonWestin) March 24, 2018

• Outcomes are better for minorities who have access to #clinicaltrials - we need funding to ensure these trials are available 
• I thought this was an important study. #clinicaltrials are an important part of cancer care. Many in general population still think trials are last resort and consider them "experimental" in a very negative risky way.
• From our Scientific Director, Dr. Deb Zajchowski, “We need more funding. We also need to get the word out to enroll in the many clinical trials that are already available. There are more than 300 #clinicaltrials that #ovariancancer patients can enter.”

We have several questions/thoughts out there - feel free to now add any additional tweets re: the latest gynecologic cancer research.

• Here is a link to a study reported at SGO on a vaccine to prevent recurrence in OC https://t.co/phQx2osDcN
• Can you please tell us a little more about check point inhibitors and what that they’re used for in regards to #Lynchsyndrome cancers
• Right now - they are FDA approved for any tumor that has MSI (microsatellite instability) - that includes Lynch Syndrome assoc tumors
• Essentially the MMR in LS makes the cells more susceptible to attack by the immune cells. The checkpoint inhibitors allow the immune system to be more effective.
• Still on #uterine #leiomyosarcoma: I'm glad the #sarcoma med oncs talked about the many lines of chemo -- I can think of at least 6 -- they might give. Some gyn oncs offer fewer
• I was very surprised that chemo for early stage endometrial Cancer didn’t improve outcomes. Especially after last years ASCO when it was discussed that it may replace radiation.
• Great video to share (from SGO) on clinical trial basics! https://t.co/UWjBqxQ584
• There was a study that finally measured and estimated rates of post op lymphedema which were much higher than anticipate…

Additional resources mentioned during the chat may be found below. 

Patients and caregivers are invited to continue our discussion on the Smart Patients platform at  https://www.smartpatients.com/partners/gyncsm

Join us next month on Wednesday May 9,2018 at 9pm ET for our chat on Palliative Care - When and Why? with guest Christian Sinclair @ctsinclair (#hpm). 

See you then, 

Dee

#gyncsm Co-founder

Resources:

Links to @SGO_org #SGOMtg Abstracts: https://www.sgo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Abstracts-2018-SGO-Annual-Meeting-on-Womens-Cancer-1.pdf and Late Breaking Abstracts https://www.sgo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Late-Breaking-Abstracts-2018-SGO-Annual-Meeting-on-Womens-Cancer.pdf

#SGOmtg Coverage and Videos https://www.sgo.org/education/annual-meeting-on-womens-cancer/annual-meeting-media-coverage-3/ compiled by @SGO_org

For #ovariancancer, see advocate summaries via @ocrfa https://ocrfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-SGO-Highlights.pdf and also @womenofteal blog http://womenofteal.blogspot.com/

April 11, 2018 Chat - SGO Annual Meeting Research Review and Ask the Doc

Part of our mission as a community for those impacted by gynecologic cancers is to inform and educate our followers regarding new developments in disease screening, treatment and survivorship.

A number of those developments were presented as research studies and practice innovations during the SGO Annual Meeting in New Orleans in March. This 49th Annual Meeting drew over 2500 participants including gynecologic oncologists, oncologists, radiologists, genetic counselors, oncology nurses and patient advocates. The #gyncsm community will discuss research projects and trial results presented at this meeting during our monthly chat on April 11, 2018 at 9pm ET (8pm CT, 6pm PT).

Join us as we cover a variety of research topics including answering questions such as:

What is the impact minimally invasive surgery has had on survival of women diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer? 

What is the latest news on the use of targeted therapies (niraparib, pemrolizumab, Olaparib, durvalumab) in treating ovarian cancer?

What impact could Phase I trial of Vigil® vaccine personalized engineered autologous tumor cells (EATC) have on preventing recurrence in women with ovarian cancer ?

What is the role of palliative care and lay navigators in treating and supporting gyn cancer survivors ?

What is the impact of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on endometrial cancer survival? 

How can we improve funding for gyn cancer research?

What is the impact of participation in clinical trials on minority patients? 

During the chat we will open the discussion to questions participants have for our health care professionals.

Check the SGO Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SGO.org/), their Twitter account (@SGO_org and #SGOmtg), or their website (https://www.sgo.org/education/annual-meeting-on-womens-cancer/annual-meeting-media-coverage-3/) for more meeting coverage and potential topics of interest.

We look forward to having you join us.

Dee
#gyncsm co-moderator

Feb. 8, 2017 HPV and Cervical Cancer Chat

While January is officially Cervical Health Month, we're going to continue sharing information and discussing HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), the HPV vaccination, and cervical cancer treatment and survivorship right into February - and beyond.

Cervical cancer forms in the cells lining the cervix. It generally takes several years for normal cells to develop into cervical cancer. The Pap test detects those precancerous cells and the HPV test detects the presence of high-risk HPV types known to lead to cervical cancer.

The most recent numbers available on the incidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. is from 2013. In that year, 11,955 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer (CDC ). The five-year survival rate is 68%. Over the past forty years, death due to cervical cancer has dropped by more than 50% due to the use of the Pap test (http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/statistics).

HPV is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, with HPV 16 and 18 accounting for more than seventy percent of all cervical cancers. HPV is a very common virus that is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. Many HPV infections go away by themselves but when they persist they can lead to cervical cancer. Other cancers also associated with HPV include cancer of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, rectum, and oropharynx (cancers of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils). The goal of vaccination is to prevent a lasting HPV infection after a person is exposed to the virus. (http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/prevention-and-healthy-living/hpv-and-cancer)

We hope you will join us and learn more about cervical cancer.

We will use these questions to guide our chat:

T1: Which HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) types cause cervical cancer? How does the HPV vaccination prevent cancer? 

T2: What other health issues and cancers are associated with HPV? Why is the vaccine recommended for both boys and girls?

T3: What are the tools we have to catch cervical cancer in the pre-cancer and early stages? What do we need to know re: guidelines? 

T4: What are options for fertility preservation? What fertility and general resources can help women diagnosed with cervical disease? 

T5: There is still a lot of stigma surrounding women's cancers. How can we ensure ALL women receive the necessary education.

Feel free to read the Cancer.Net website (http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/introduction) and the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/cases.htm) for more information on cervical cancer and HPV.

See you on Wed the 8th!

Dee
#gyncsm Co-Founder

World Cancer Day 2016

Thursday, February 4, 2016 is World Cancer Day. The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has selected “We Can” and “I Can” as the theme of this year's day.

Here is some information from World Cancer Research Fund International on the global impact of three gynecologic cancers - cervical, ovarian and endometrial.

Ovarian Cancer

• 7th most common cancer in women worldwide
• 239,000 cases in 2012 worldwide
• 5 year survival rate varies from 30-50%
• In 2012 the rate of ovarian cancer was more than two times higher in Central and Eastern Europe compared with Eastern Asia.
• The 5-year prevalence of women globally living with ovarian cancer is 22.6 per 100,000.

Endometrial Cancer

• 6th most common cancer in women worldwide
• 320,000 cases in 2012 worldwide 
• 5-year survival rate of over 91%
• The 5-year prevalence of women globally living with endometrial cancer is 46.8 per 100,000 (estimated from incidence and observed survival by cancer and age group).

Cervical Cancer

• 4th most common cancer in women worldwide
• 528,000 cases in 2012 worldwide
• Highest incidence of cervical cancer was in Africa and in Latin America & Caribbean
• Women become susceptible to developing cervical cancer following HPV infection, but other environmental factors are required for the cancer to develop.

You can join the campaign to reduce the cancer burden worldwide by signing the declaration on the UICC site, take part in the 'Talking Hands' activity or use the hashtag #WorldCancerDay or #WeCanICan on social media. Learn more at: www.worldcancerday.org


Dee
#gyncsm co-moderator

Survivor Stories: No Christmas Tree for Christmas - Patti Murillo-Casa

As January,  Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, draws to a close we are pleased to bring you the story of Cervivor Patti Murillo-Casa. Thank you Cervivor for allowing us to share stories from your website this month. 
Dee

No Christmas Tree for Christmas

Ever since I can remember, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s has been a special time in my family. It’s filled with traditions, love, being grateful, and always feeling blessed and thankful for everything. We celebrate by being together, giving each other gifts, serving delicious food, and of course always having a beautiful Christmas tree.

In the year 2008, these holidays were very different – I was shocked beyond belief when my doctor gave me a cancer diagnosis. That particular moment is vivid in my mind, but the moments after the words “You have stage IIB cervical cancer” are a blur.  It was mid-November, right before Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Needless to say, I wasn’t in the spirit for any of the holidays after receiving such a diagnosis. Everything had gone dark. I thought, “Thanksgiving??? What do I have to give thanks for? For having cancer?” Focused only on the words of my doctors, I was forgetting about the rest of the many blessings around me. I was giving up before I even started to fight back. For me, it was the beginning of the end.

I went into a cocoon, asking myself over and over, “What did I do wrong to deserve this?” I didn’t want to see anyone, not even family or friends. That year, there was no giving thanks on Thanksgiving, no beautiful tree or gifts for Christmas, no party or champagne cheers for the New Year. What was the sense of doing all that if I felt uncertain about my life? I was facing my own mortality.

It took a while for me to feel ready to fight back. I was fighting for my life, and I was really scared. I even questioned my own faith, but God gave me the support and strength to endure. It was a difficult journey, but I won the battle – I got a second shot at life.

Now, I don’t question anything. I give thanks every day as if it were Thanksgiving Day. I celebrate each day and see it as a gift given to me like a Christmas present. I live and celebrate every day as if it was New Year’s day. There is so much I want to do, and I don’t take anything for granted. I see life differently now; problems that seemed huge are not so big anymore, and I really don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is good!!

After going through this experience, I want to share my story with other women and let them know that my journey does not have to be theirs. I want to pay it forward.

In 2014, I was fortunate to have been chosen as one of the survivors to attend Cervivor School. This is a life-changing event that trains women in impactful storytelling, teaching the most essential facts about HPV, cervical cancer, and prevention. Cervivor School supports women in becoming cervical cancer advocates and changing the future of female health.

I had an awesome experience at Cervivor School 2014, becoming empowered with knowledge in so many different areas. The support of my survivor sisters is beyond anything I could imagine, and I’m now a SURVIVOR turned ADVOCATE, committed to helping eradicate cervical cancer for good!

I want you to know that you can get through this, and we are here for you. Together, we’ll make a difference.

~ You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really
stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you
think you cannot do.  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt 

Wishing Everyone a Very Healthy New Year 2015!!

Cervivor Patti Murillo-Casa

Survivor Stories: Top things to know about recovering from cancer- Justina Hurley

This month, Cervical Cancer Awareness month, we are pleased to share the stories of cervical cancer survivors. This post was written by  Justina Hurley and appears with photos on the That Health Site website. Justina is an Irish writer and BioEnergy Therapist based in Southern Ireland. 
Dee

Cancer isn’t all bad..

This is just my take on this and I’ll explain more about all of this below but for a short list:

1. Less tolerance
2. More connection to day to day life pleasures
3. Past interests and even career choice can completely change
4. Friends and family become very important
5. Learning to live at peace with a ticking time bomb makes you very zen!

Recovering from cancer isn’t as straight forward as many would think.

For friends and family who help you through, the worst part for them is hearing about it and being there while you undergo treatment and / or surgery. Then, when all of that is over and once you have had that first post operative or post treatment all clear, everything all goes back to normal again…for them.

However for me that’s actually when it all began!!

I’ll explain… I knew I had cancer for a long time before it was diagnosed. I’m a bioenergy therapist and I knew something was very off in my system, I was even sure that that problem was in my cervix but smear after smear showed an all clear result.

I was tested on average every 6 months as I had been exposed to DES in the womb, and despite the bleeding, the pain and the constant symptoms, every smear was clear. I even had an ultrasound which showed an all clear and yet the symptoms were ongoing. Finally on holidays I had a really, really bad pain, this time like a knife ripping through my insides and another bleed.

It was a defining moment as I absolutely knew, despite all tests, that this was cancer. As soon as I got home I was tested again. This time, probably due to whatever the knifelike pains had done in my system, the result showed full blown adenocarcinoma. Strangely enough I was relieved. At last my feelings were being proved right!

The cancer was unfortunately quite progressed to a 1B1, but was still operable and I wasn’t going to need chemotherapy or radiation. I felt so lucky though, as I knew it had been there for quite some time and that it had stayed as confined as it had was nothing short of a miracle. I can only think that all the healing and sound therapy I had been doing for my clients had somehow rubbed off on me. That, and a diet rich in turmeric, ginger and chilli maybe!!

Where I live we are so fortunate to have one of the top surgeons for kind of surgery I needed – a radical hysterectomy. So while everyone else around me was worried and anxious about procedures etc., I wasn’t. I felt really positive and I had a real sense that this could have been so much worse.
The years of training in healing and spiritual practice kicked in too, proving that when the chips were down I found an inner reserve of trust that literally kept me in a state of real calm, grace and optimism.

The added bonus for me though, was that I got a real appreciation for the one thing that I had struggled with down through the years – namely the real experience of physical life!

In healing, in writing and in my childhood I tended always to drift to the wider world of spirit, universal consciousness or whatever term you choose. It is a wonderful connection to have and for me the world has been and always will be a part of a much wider multidimensional reality. But all the time I was aware that on a level I didn’t quite ‘get’ the physical life part. My preference was for what I called the wider world, physical life…meh!..it was fine but narrow….

So maybe subconsciously I chose the lesson of cancer to give me a push in one direction or the other. All outcomes are perfect. I truly believe that, as what is happening is happening only because on some level a part of me chose that experience. And we all die, so that’s not the issue really. But it’s a bit different when you have it brought to you that yes we do all die, but right now the exit door might just be approaching a lot sooner than you thought.

Then just to make sure I was getting the lesson, a slight mix up when waiting for a test led a doctor I didn’t know to misread my file and more or less imply that things were much worse than I thought!! Wow! The emotions even surprised me! I went from fear, to terror, to upset and then kind of grabbed onto my inner practise and felt my way back to peace and acceptance. It wasn’t pleasant but it was the final kick in the proverbial I needed to really get the life bit!

Something gelled in me. I felt a shift where yes the acceptance that ‘all outcomes are perfect’ was still there, but a real 100% desire to live and to fight for life kicked in.

Life became shinier, more immediate and more real. My awareness and connection to the wider world hasn’t changed, but the connection to this life, to this body is much deeper and more thankful and more understanding of why the time here in this amazing body suit is a real privilege and not one to be wasted.

So this gets me back to my five points from above. When the dust settles and the process is supposedly over, well it’s not actually over for you. In some ways it’s just beginning, but in a good way.

If there has been surgery or treatment, when that is over there is a part of you that can come out of survival mode. If you had an experience like me whereby I really felt like I was carried through everything by grace, then the hands that carried begin to coax you back to standing on your own two feet again.

Then the real work begins because you have changed and while everyone else goes back to normal, you stay changed and in that change, there will still be patterns in your old self that still need undoing.

What changed for me:

1. Less tolerance

For all the reasons I’ve said above, there is just no place for nonsense, for insincerity, for anything fake in fact any more.

I always think of an example my spiritual teacher gave where, for example, someone chops off their own finger. You’re concerned for them, you want to help and so you help them have it put it back on, help them to get through all the reasons behind why they did it and so on but as soon as your back is turned they chop off the next finger, and the next and the next.

“Now,” he asked, “how many fingers do you stay for? At what point does compassion stop and enabling or even destructive codependence begin? When should you walk away and what is stopping you.”

Well, before my cancer awakening (as I like to call it) I was really a 5 or 6 finger person. Not so bad that I’d stay for the whole 10, but still using too much of my energy to give where the giving was really just an act of throwing my own energy away. Now I’m gone at the second finger! Once is a cry for help, twice is maybe needing to bed the learning in, but after that there’s a choice that is not mine to make, push or force.

And this applies to me too. Perhaps to me most of all. All the things I used to postpone or fear or just say I’ll get round to it when I have more time are brought into sharp focus when you might not have that time. Time becomes precious and so I’m becoming even more intolerant of any behaviours in myself that hold me back.

In some ways maybe it’s made me less easy to be around as I just see anything that I don’t want to do as a waste of this precious time. It feels like a second shot at life or even a new life and time to get rid of old patterns and habits that I don’t want in my life any more. It’s not easy and is an ongoing learning but I’m working on it!

 2. More connection to day to day life pleasures

Life becomes more vibrant, well at least it has for me. Sitting in the sun, coffee with friends, the birds singing, working with clients, all the little things have become the big things. They have become the real pleasures and while there are still things I want to do and achieve, the feeling in the moment, the really being in the now and experiencing the now is what counts.

As ultimately it’s my body that went through the ordeal, I now have a much greater appreciation for it and for what it can withstand. How often we look in the mirror and criticize and complain and want to be thinner, fatter, prettier and so on. Now I’m loving the “body suit” and accepting it for what it is with all its quirky bits and imperfections.

Even the changes post surgery are a marvel to me. Who knew that one hormone could change so much! Life without ovaries is really different and to witness the changes in my own body is at times challenging, but always intriguing. And I have to honestly admit that I’m nothing short of delighted to be free of years of painful periods and endometriosis, so sorry womb but I don’t miss you at all!

3. Past interests and even career choice can completely change

It’s hard to put this into words but it ties in a bit with less tolerance. The balance between doing what you love and earning a living is a real one, regardless of circumstances. So that is still there but now I just can’t do anything I don’t love, even if that means less income.

So I let go of all the work that I did just for income and now only want to do my bioenergy work and write here for this site and my own creative projects.

Do I worry still about income and all of that? Of course. That’s an old pattern and hard to fully break, but I’m much happier now to roll with what comes and just keep doing what I love and trust that it will work out.

4. Friends and family become very important

I say I was carried though my whole journey by grace and love, but a huge part of that was the amazing support of friends and family. For anyone reading this who has a loved one with a cancer diagnosis, then don’t run away from talking about it and don’t be afraid to have fun. My friends were beyond supportive.

My healing friends sent healing, my medical friends almost came into the surgery with me, and my other friends were just there in every way they could be.We went out, had day trips, ate, drank, laughed. And I am aware that they all have busy lives but they took the time out to be there for me and I will always be grateful for that.

I am aware too that while I didn’t get into fear or worry and I can honestly say that even though I had my moments (see section 5!) I didn’t really have that much fear. However I know my immediate family did and again their friends rallied round and supported them and this helped me, as one thing that did happen, for me anyway, is that I couldn’t get involved in how anyone else was reacting as I knew that to stay on top of things I had to stay 100% away from all the negative associations with cancer.


So I was probably annoyingly positive! But it was how I felt and I do understand that at times I must have seemed unfeeling about the worry my family were experiencing but I just couldn’t take that on board and stay on top of things myself. All my energy had to go on being and feeling positive and on undoing the energy pattern that got me into the cancer situation in the first place.

5. Learning to live at peace with a ticking time bomb makes you very zen!

I’m not superhuman and did have moments of real fear along the way, but thankfully very few. I’ll discuss dealing with fear in another article. But I’m not naïve either. Just because I don’t want to allow the energy of cancer to have another second in my system, doesn’t meant that it won’t return. I don’t want it to and I believe it won’t, but it could, I know that too. However you can either worry about that all the time or ignore it completely or you can find a space in between.

I imagine it a bit like being in a room with a bomb in the corner that has been deactivated as far as everyone knows but which can’t be moved. Now you can spend every day hovering around that bomb and continually checking to ensure it won’t blow or you can just see it as an ornament in the room, surround it with some nice soft cushions and maybe a potted plant and voila, you have an interesting room feature that you can live with and come to appreciate for the little reminder it continually sends that life is a gift to be appreciated. That’s my zen bit and my space in between!
Living in the sense that ‘right now I’m fine'; that’s where I have to stay. There are of course continual medical checks and each one that is OK adds another nice cushion to pad that bomb and decorate the feature in my room.

I’m grateful for my bomb and the little message it sends. I’m getting used to its continual presence but I don’t want it to explode ever again!!

Survivor Stories: I Want To Talk - Maria's Story

This month, Cervical Cancer Awareness month, we are pleased to share the stories of cervical cancer survivors. As Cervivor School 2015 begins today in Austin,  Texas, we share Maria's Story. 

Dee

I Want To Talk

Sometimes I wonder why people are so quick to let the world know their bra color to support breast cancer, change their profile picture to a cartoon character to raise awareness about child abuse, or even take an ice bucket challenge in support of ALS without knowing what ALS is, yet few talk about the issues itself.

So you posted your bra color on social media; did you talk to someone about breast cancer prevention or monthly self-exams? Probably not.

Your profile photo is a cartoon character; did you talk to your friends about child abuse, or volunteer your time to a charity that helps children? I dare say most of us didn’t.
The famous ice bucket challenge… How much money did you donate? Since taking the ice bucket was the alternative to donating money I’m going say that very few people donated any money for research.

Despite that, it seems so much easier for people to do these things than talk about Cervical Cancer. It makes me realize that despite how progressive and evolved we think we are (a society that fights for a woman’s right to choose, marriage equality, and other things we wouldn’t have dared to think about in past years), there is still stigma surrounding HPV and Cervical Cancer.

Well, I want to talk. I want to talk about HPV and Cervical Cancer. I want to do more than just raise awareness. After all, you already know Cervical Cancer exists; I want to bring the topic to the open. I want to share what I know, what I lived, so you and your family and friends don’t have to go through it.

Most people don’t think they will be affected by HPV and/or Cervical Cancer until they hear the dreaded words “You have cancer”, or see a friend fighting for her life.

In the last few weeks I’ve heard people tell me “My daughter won’t get HPV because she is a good girl, she’s not going to have pre-marital sex” or “This is the first I’ve heard of HPV” or “I haven’t had a pap smear since I had my last baby who is 7 years old now.” To me, that is scary as hell, and that’s why I feel the need to talk about it.

HPV and Cervical Cancer can affect anyone, and I mean anyone. I’ve known women who’ve had only one sexual partner get HPV, and prostitutes that tested negative for it. If you think this is a disease of the promiscuous, just as AIDS was thought of in the 1980s, think again.
If you have a vagina, you can be affected. Guys, HPV touches men too. Ever heard of penile, anal, or oropharyngeal cancers?

At least 79 million people are estimated to be infected with HPV; most of them don’t even know it. It is a scary number, and yes, it is a scary virus that can have devastating consequences. However, there are things that you can do to protect yourself and your children from the risks of HPV and Cervical Cancer.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month; which is why I’m hosting a screening of the film “Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
Come see the movie. Invite your significant others, friends, daughters, sisters, brothers; make it a group outing! Imagine if 100 people came to the screening… that would be 100 more informed people in the area; 100 individuals sharing with their families and friends what they saw and heard. It would translate into more people taking control of their health.

Come, be informed, be empowered. We can break the stigma. We can take action.
We can eradicate Cervical Cancer!

Maria Franklin is a 15-year cervical cancer survivor who is excited to be attending Cervivor School.


This post originally appeared on the Cervivor blog. Re-posted with permission.

January Chat Topic Questions : Gynecologic Cancer Risk Factors

Happy New Year!

We begin this year's chats on January 14, 2015 at 9 pm EST. We will be discussing the risk factors for gynecologic cancers. "A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer." - @cancerdotnet.  

Following the questions you will find links to information from Cancer.Net, the Mayo Clinic and the Foundation for Women's Cancer on the risk factors of each gynecologic cancer.

Topic Questions:
T1A: Are you aware of the risk factors for gyn cancers? When did you learn them? How have they influenced your health decisions?

T1B: Providers - Have your patients asked you about risk factors before or after diagnosis?

T2: Viral infections caused by HPV virus raise risk for cervical, vaginal & vulvar cancers. What do women & parents need to know?

T3: What is DES (Diethystibestrol)? How are women exposed to the hormone? What are the risks?

T4: Genetics are thought to account for as much as 25% of GYN cancers. BRCA has received media attn. What are other genetic risks?

T5: Have you tried to reduce your risk for cancer, recurrence or other cancers? What can women do w/ the info about risk factors?


Links for Gyn Cancer Risks:

Risk factors for ovarian cancer  from @cancerdotnet http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/ovarian-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention

Risk factors for cervical cancer from @cancerdotnet

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/risk-factors

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/prevention

Risk factors for uterine cancers from @cancerdotnet

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/uterine-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention

Risk factors for endometrial cancer from @MayoClinic

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometrial-cancer/basics/risk-factors/con-20033696

Risk factors for fallopian tube cancer @cancerdotnet

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/fallopian-tube-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention

Risks for vaginal cancer from @cancerdotnet

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/vaginal-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention

Risk for vulvar cancer from @MayoClinic

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vulvar-cancer/basics/risk-factors/con-20043483

Risks for GTD @GYNcancer

http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/types-of-gynecologic-cancers/gestational-trophoblastic-disease-gdt/risk-factors/

Risks for #primaryperitoneal cancer @GYNcancer

http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/types-of-gynecologic-cancers/primary-peritoneal/risk-factors/

We look forward to having you join us. 

Dee

Co-moderator