Katherine Lagomarsino

Shortly after interviewing President Barack Obama for a “Newshour” segment on a cold December day in 2010, Madhulika Sikka, an executive editor for 

, heard her doctor say, “You have breast cancer.”

“My head had been full of the president’s interview,” she writes, “and now my doctor was delivering the most devastating news I had ever had in my life.” The confusion and emotion that followed her diagnosis will be familiar territory to many cancer patients.

In hopes of offering guidance and companionship to others, Sikka has written

, a part memoir, part self-help book that delivers an honest, and often humorous, look at her own cancer experience. Divided into 26 succinct chapters, beginning with “A is for Anxiety” and ending with “Z is for Zzz’s,” the book covers topics that include: breasts (“‘They are cutting off my boob’ is what you want to say, but you don’t. We have this sterile-sounding medical term— mastectomy, which is now part of everyday parlance.”); drugs (“Drugs are your friends. Let me repeat, drugs, pharmaceuticals of all kinds for all things, are your friends.”); and even pillows (“In a time of enormous discomfort, pillows are an indulgence that you can afford, and they actually make a huge difference. Who knew?”).

The beauty of this book is that it can be read from start to finish, or it can be skipped through so that readers can fastforward to the topic most relevant to them at the moment, such as overwhelming fatigue, a lowered sex drive or hair loss. 

Articles

In hopes of offering guidance and companionship to others, Madhulika Sikka wrote A Breast Cancer Alphabet, part memoir, part self-help book.

A Breast Cancer Alphabet 

While much research links medical illness with lowered sexual functioning, few studies have focused specifically on the sexual health of women who were treated for cancer as children. A recent article in the 

 reported findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a large retrospective analysis initiated in 1994 to examine late effects in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. In the study, a group of 2,178 female adult survivors ages 18 to 51 reported significantly lower sexual functioning, interest, desire, arousal, satisfaction and activity compared with a control group made up of 408 of their female siblings. Risk factors for this psychosexual dysfunction, which arises from mental or emotional distress, include premature ovarian failure, treatment with radiation to the brain, and a diagnosis of cancer during adolescence. The researchers hope that understanding the incidence and risk factors of poor sexual health might result in screening tools or interventions that could prevent or mitigate these issues.

While much research links medical illness with lowered sexual functioning, few studies have focused specifically on the sexual health of women who were treated for cancer as children. 

Adult Female Survivors at Risk for Sexual Issues

Tom's River: A Story of Science and Salvation

, author Dan Fagin tells the true tale of what happens when large chemical companies with dubious waste disposal practices set up shop in a quiet seaside town in New Jersey. In a nutshell—a troubling number of cancer cases occurring in very young children living in the area. But, as this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book details, the existence of childhood cancer clusters are difficult to prove and drawing a scientific connection between environmental contaminants and cancer is almost impossible, and even less likely when cancer registries are poorly kept and public officials are reluctant to draw negative attention to their tourism-driven town.

In this case, which ultimately resulted in one of the largest settlements surrounding toxic dumping in U.S. history, numerous people had to surface at precisely the right moment: a perceptive nurse in the oncology ward at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who began noticing that an unusually high number of kids on her floor hailed from the same south Jersey town; a persistent research scientist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection who worked nights and weekends identifying mysterious pollutants in the Toms River water supply; a tenacious, outspoken mom whose son developed neuroblastoma at the tender age of three months. In this town, heroes come in the form of chemists, parents and advocates, and remarkably, triumph over large corporations and government agencies guilty of both negligent and criminal behaviors.

Fagin’s in depth reporting and engaging storytelling delves into complex issues, including the epidemiology of cancer, as well as heartbreaking accounts as told to him by parents who lost children to cancer and childhood cancer survivors themselves, some of whom still struggle with the disease. This absorbing book will appeal to many people for many reasons. We highly recommend it.

Tom's River tells the tale of what happens when a chemical company with irresponsible waste disposal practices sets up shop in a quiet seaside town in New Jersey.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Aside from wearing a gold ribbon, there are myriad ways to get involved that range from sipping tea, noshing on gourmet grub or going for a stroll. Following is a roundup of just a handful of the many, many activities going on around the country this month that are bringing awareness to the disease. 

: The St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta is hosting a Teddy Bear Tea for adults and children every day from Sept. 1-Sept. 30. Five percent of afternoon tea sales will be donated to Cure Childhood Cancer.

: On September 6 at Soldier Field stadium, CureSearch holds a walk in honor of Chicago-area children who have been touched by cancer.

: On September 20, the best chefs and mixologists in the country gather to offer tasty bites in honor of a good cause. Ticket sale proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit dedicated to raising money and awareness to defeat childhood cancer.

: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) hosts its largest fundraiser of the year with a 5K run and a 2K walk. The event supports the hospital's cancer research and survivorship programs.

: On September 21, the National Mall will host CureFest, a fundraiser for childhood cancer that kicks off with a walk followed by a festival that includes live music, guest speakers and activities for people of all ages.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

In the past few years, advances in melanoma treatment have generated a flurry of activity, and much of that activity has focused on immunotherapy. From vaccines to checkpoint inhibitors to T-cell therapy, these 

 involve harnessing the body's immune system to kill cancer cells, and it has been used in a variety of other cancers, from lung to bladder to kidney cancer. But is immunotherapy appropriate for the patient with an autoimmune disease? Recently, two melanoma researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston addressed that point during an 

 webinar hosted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York. "We often have these kinds of patients that come in and have other diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, where the immune system is already attacking the body," said Patrick Hwu, chair and professor at MD Anderson's Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, who co-hosted the webinar with Sapna Patel, an assistant professor. These diseases include, among others, psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative pancolitis, both of which might require medications that suppress the immune system. In some cases, either immunotherapy is ineffective because of the immune-suppressing drugs, or it can exacerbate a condition, like in the case of ulcerative pancolitis. "The issue is whether you would withhold immunotherapy from somebody who has an essentially life-threatening melanoma simply because they have an underlying autoimmune disease," explained Patel. "However, it is also the idea that if you're stimulating the immune system, and someone is on therapy that may be blocking the immune system, how effective will that be, or are you setting them up for toxicity?"  In addition, transplant patients on anti-rejection medication might not be good candidates for immunotherapy, as those therapies might enhance the possibility of organ rejection.With this in mind, what are the options for melanoma patients who must take immune-suppressing drugs? "You first go looking for actionable mutations in that patient," explained Patel. "Maybe there is a way to treat them outside of using immunotherapy." Some targeted therapies, such as BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors, are showing promise in treating melanomas with certain mutations. She added that chemotherapy might still be an option as well. "But also you have to have a really important discussion with the patient if they have a very aggressive melanoma that could be terminal if it's untreated and unchecked, and yet they have this underlying autoimmune disease," said Patel, regarding determining the risks and benefits of immunotherapy. "If your back is up against the wall, you may have to bite the bullet."For the full presentation, click 

Immunotherapy for the melanoma patient with an autoimmune disease

The world's largest organization dedicated to childhood and adolescent cancer research is engaging more than 200 pediatric cancer programs around the U.S. to participate in collecting biologic samples, such as blood, tissue and other specimens, from children undergoing treatment. Called 

, the purpose of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) initiative is to develop new treatments for childhood cancers that are both common and rare, including leukemias, lymphomas, solid tumors and tumors of the central nervous system. The information gleaned from these biospecimens will be entered in a secure database that can be accessed by researchers worldwide with the hope they can utilize it to discover more effective and less toxic treatment options, as well as cures.

Project: EveryChild is collecting biologic samples, such as blood, tissue and other specimens, from children undergoing treatment.

Group Launches Global Initiative to Support Cancer Research

While any cancer diagnosis can leave an entire family bewildered, this book speaks directly to husbands whose wives have breast cancer. Written by Todd Outcalt, a United Methodist pastor who supported his wife through her illness, 

 offers a straightforward yet nuanced game plan to guide men in their role as caregiver.

Outcalt writes honestly about his experience, revealing everything from his own sense of loneliness to his curiosity about a post-mastectomy breast. He offers advice to men tempted to approach their wife’s breast cancer as a problem that simply needs to be fixed. “We tend to believe that all a woman needs is the proper information, the right doctor, the best hospital, the perfect treatment. Problem solved.” Instead of trying to immediately “fix” the cancer, he suggests men listen to their wives, support them emotionally and, above all, be present. The book covers a range of topics, including selecting a medical team, discussing the diagnosis with children and dealing with finances. For those pressed for time, each chapter contains quick takeaways, including a brief summary, “Five Things to Remember,” as well as a Top Ten list and a first-person account in which a husband describes his own experience. This thoughtful book would be helpful to any couple dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Husband's Guide to Breast Cancer: A Complete & Concise Plan for Every Stage is published by Blue River Press.

Written by a husband who supported his wife through her illness, Husband’s Guide to Breast Cancer offers a straightforward game plan to guide men in their role as caregiver.

Husband's Guide to Breast Cancer: A Complete & Concise Plan for Every Stage

Our family is heading to Mexico next month and I'm already nervous about protecting my blond-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned one-year-old daughter from the brutal Mexican sun. To a young child's tender skin, a severe sunburn can have lasting effects. According the Skin Cancer Foundation, a single blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person's risk of developing melanoma later in life. With melanoma in my family (my father and his cousin both died from the disease), keeping her protected now is crucial for her future health.Though a bit labor intensive, sun safety is relatively straightforward for a toddler. Her daddy and I will slather her with SPF, dress her in a sun-proof bathing suit, top her off with a wide-brimmed hat and keep her in the shade when the sun is most intense, between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. (The Skin Cancer Foundation has more good tips 

 for protecting small children from the sun's rays.) It's later on in her life, when she's an independent, strong-willed teenager under the influenced of tanning obsessed peers, that I worry about. But I've already decided that I will resort to scare tactics, and fortunately, there are plenty of public service announcements (PSAs) out there that will help me get the point across that too much sun, like smoking, poor eating habits and too much alcohol, can be deadly.The American Academy of Dermatology has released several ominous PSAs on its website. The most recent 

 shows a young woman in a bikini settling in for a good soak in the sun. She's unfurling a towel on a bed of sand, sipping a bottle of water and putting on sunglasses. It's a vision of relaxation, until the camera pulls away and you realize the girl is not on a beach, but enclosed inside an hourglass. Far below her, the sand is slowly slipping away. Time is running out for this sun worshipper. There are more unsettling PSAs, like this 

 entitled "Dear 16-Year-Old Me," which shows young melanoma survivors revealing their scars, as well as family members remembering their loved ones who died far too young with the disease. It might seem extreme to some to subject their teenager to these types of videos, but for those who have had any experience with melanoma--an extreme form of skin cancer that is one of the most common kinds of cancers in young adults--it just might be life-saving.For backup when discussing sun protection with your teen, here are a few good resources:

Sun Protection: Getting the Point Across to the Young

Today is Melanoma Monday and what better way to mark this day of understanding and advocacy about the deadliest form of skin cancer than by celebrating recent progress made in its treatment. Much of that headway revolves around immunotherapy drugs, a class of drugs that provokes the body into attacking cancer cells. Yervoy (ipilimumab ) is one such drug that broke out onto the scene in 2011, a full five years after my father passed away from melanoma. The drug was the first to extend survival in advanced melanoma patients. While my father did in fact "hitchhike" from one clinical trial to the next, which bought him six very active years of life after his melanoma metastasized, sadly, he was not able to take full advantage of this new generation of treatments, some of which are paving the way, as some researchers are saying, to a clinical cure.  Anti-PD1 and anti-PDL1 are a new generation of immunotherapy drugs being tested alone and in combination with Yervoy, which, despite all of the excitement surrounding it, extends survival by a mere four months. Others, such as nivolumab, are being studied in late-stage trials, while lambrolizumab and MPDL3280A are being tested in early-stage trials. The hope is that some potent cocktail of these immunotherapy drugs will be the winning combination for some or all patients. What an unbelievable moment in science that will be. Until then, here's to those who are bravely hitchhiking their way through melanoma with hope and fortitude...and to those whose journeys have ended.For more information on Melanoma Monday, visit the American Academy of Dermatology's 

. And stay tuned for more exciting news in melanoma at this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting at the end of this month.

Progress in melanoma that is bittersweet

More than 1 percent of babies currently born in the U.S. have been conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART), most commonly with in vitro fertilization (IVF).

IVF involves retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm to produce embryos and then implanting one or more embryos into a woman’s body. Questions have been raised about whether this process increases the risk of developing pediatric cancer in children born through IVF. A recent study published in 

In the largest study of its kind, researchers looked at data from more than 100,000 children in Great Britain who had been born after ART between 1992 and 2008 and discovered they had no greater overall risk of developing childhood cancer before the age of 15 than those in the general population.

While the risk of developing leukemia, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, or central nervous system, renal or germ-cell tumors was not greater than expected, the study did find a slightly increased risk in two rare cancers: hepatoblastoma, a liver cancer; and rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. But, in general, the risks of developing these two cancers are low, so questions remain about whether they can be linked to ART or other causes.

An analysis of several studies found the risk of cancer in children born through IVF is low.