New book: "What Helped Get Me Through: Cancer Survivors Share Wisdom and Hope"

This book is from the American Cancer Society, edited by Julie K. Silver. A review can be found here, at the Los Angeles Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/10/book-compiles-a.html

According to its Amazon listing, it has not yet been released. Here is the link to the book on the American Cancer Society, too.

HealthGrades announces new 2009 hospital ratings

You can now see the ratings of hospitals, based on specific medical procedures, at the HealthGrades site: http://www.healthgrades.com/

According to Judith Graham, Chicago Tribune reporter: "For consumers, an important message is there are real differences between medical centers in terms of how well patients fare when they're having a heart attack or a stroke or when they're admitted with heart failure or pneumonia.
The new rankings are particularly useful in helping people have important conversations with their physician. If I were having a hip replacement, for example, and my doctor recommended that I have the operation at a hospital with a three-star ranking for that procedure, I'd ask for the reasons behind his or her choice."

Other news items covering this announcement can be found at this Google News link:
http://news.google.com/?ned=us&ncl=1257518684&hl=en&topic=m

Breaking in for a career-related message: "I love my librarian" award now taking nominations

To my blog readers - think about the librarians that have assisted you recently (public, school, university), and nominate one or more for the I Love My Librarian award here: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.cfm . From the site:

"Librarians in our nation’s 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. Now is your chance to tell us why we should shine the spotlight on a librarian at your public, school, college, community college or university library. Nominate your librarian for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

Up to ten librarians will be honored. Each will receive $5,000 and be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by The New York Times at TheTimesCenter in December 2008."

Now THIS is one event that I hope they get Oprah to visit! Deadline for nominations is October 15, so hurry. If you don't nominate that deserving librarian, who will?? Here's your chance!

Now, back to regularly scheduled adenoid cystic carcinoma information....

New palliative care scorecard

From the Washington Post: National Scorecard Ranks Palliative Care Across Country http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/02/AR2008100201725.html

'Palliative', according to the World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/ , "provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; affirms life and regards dying as a normal process; intends to neither hasten or postpone death; integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care; offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death; offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement; uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated; will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness; is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications."

You can check out your state's ranking at the Center to Advance Palliative Care site:
http://www.capc.org/

Adenoid cystic carcinoma in the news

An NYT book review covering 'A Race Like No Other', about the New York Marathon, mentions Harrie Bakst, an adenoid cystic carcinoma fighter who ran the marathon: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/books/review/Cheever-t.html?em

Benign

Man, that is one great word. Just got my results back from a liver MRI, where they were scoping out the latest lump that has been causing me pain. Turns out that the lump isn't in the liver, but very near it in the muscle, and is a mass, but not cancer. I am calling the end to this scan dance, and going out and breathing the fresh air. The pain - heck, I can deal with the pain. No problemo. Thanks for all of your support 'out there' - it kept me on the right path. Here's to all of us getting the 'benign' designation to our future scan dancing.