In With The New

Good news seems to be in short supply as we slide into 2008. Benazir Bhutto's assassination has led to more uncertainty in the Middle East. Global warming has led to an outbreak of tropical diseases in temperate places like Northeastern Italy. Finally, high-levels of pollution in Beijing have led to concerns about the potential world-class performances of the Olympic athletes who will arrive there next summer. (Maybe the real concern should be for the actual residents of Beijing, but since it would be bad manners for me to bring this up, we best move on.)

These worries are just the macro-level ones. We all have worries at the micro level, too. How do we pay the mortgage and the taxes? How do we keep the kids away from the gangs and the drugs? How do we, in good conscience, keep our lawns green and enjoy a long shower during a record-level drought?

For me, the pressing question of 2008 is how to attack the breast cancer and hold onto my hair. The first step was to decide on an oncologist, which I did. Let's call him Dr. G.

As I mentioned in the last blog, Dr. G is proposing a relatively new test, known as the Oncotype Dx, which can help us chart the remaining course of treatment. Specifically, this test is for women whose cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes and who test positive for estrogen. Since I fall into both categories, I'm a candidate for it.

Scientists who developed the Oncotype Dx were able to distinguish which women had a high, low, or intermediate risk of recurrence by studying 21 selected biomarkers they found in breast tissue that had been removed during surgery. According to Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, concerning the Oncotype Dx test, "The recurrence score [from the test] was more predictive than age or tumor size. In fact, the [scientists] found some very small tumors that had a high chance of recurrence and some larger ones that did not." The makers of the test, Genomic Health, also showed that women who fell into the high-risk group benefited from chemotherapy, while the low-risk patients did not.

I agreed with Dr. G that he should order the test, and now we're waiting for the results. Given the holiday slowdown and a small health insurance hurdle, I don't expect to receive any data until the second week of January. So, keep sending positive thoughts that my recurrence score will be low. If I can score a low number (this is like golf), I'll have a legitimate, medical reason to skip the whole chemo thing. While my whining about the nasty side effects has drawn some sympathy, I can see that my loved ones aren't going to let me avoid the chemo, unless I have solid medical evidence in hand.

So while I await the test results and the approaching new year, here's my thought for all of us: Whether your concern stems from a global crisis, or a job crisis, or a health crisis, my wish is that we navigate the new year with less anxiety and greater hope for a better day ahead. To that end, I did find some good news in the paper today. The Los Angeles Police Department has been rescuing feral cats from local animal shelters and giving them jobs at various police stations. The police are providing the cats with food and shelter, and the cats are providing the police with protection against persistent rat infestations. This is a news story without bombs, bad air, or rising global temperatures. In this article, not even the rats are dying. Apparently the mere presence of the cats is enough to send the rodents packing. Go Kitty!

Happy New Year.