Susan covers January 6 - Brain Cancer

     Glioblastoma, a devastating and highly aggressive brain tumor was the sobering yet highly educational topic of our New Year's program January 6, 2009. Neuroscientist, Greg Foltz and associate Medical Director and Oncologist, Dr. John Henson, both of Swedish Medical Center provided information on the treatment, research, hope and new insights into tumors of the brain.

     Treatment of Glioblastoma requires surgery, which does not capture 100%, nonspecific radiation, chemotherapy to alter the DNA (also nonspecific) and other personal treatments. Research today is all about finding drugs to turn the gene off while offering personalized medicine and individual treatments. Hope lies with the DNA microarray which extracts the DNA/RNA from tumor cells to study the bright/dim effect of gene alteration. Trials in tumor reduction are currently being studied by Dr. Foltz and others. Other cancer treatment research facilities are at Mass General, Houston, Duke and MD Anderson.

     The neuroscientists and community hospital alliances along with doctors and scientists at UW, Swedish and Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle are working to recruit researchers to study new treatments. The question came up about cell phones and brain cancer, which is not definitive at this time. A recommendation was made to turn off phones.

Rotary First Harvest food donation made in recognition of Dr. John Henson's
presentation about the work of the Swedish Neuroscience Institute

Evan made sure that the white marble rests among five others!

Al Marsh must be counting the days until his inauguration !

Next Reporter:
Al Marsh
January 13