Talking about bowel cancer during Be Loud Be Clear week

Following Be Loud Be Clear Week (23^rd to 29^th Jan), we at AllClear wanted to voice our support by talking about travelling with bowel cancer. Be Loud Be Clear  is part of UK charity Beating Bowel Cancer’s work to raise awareness of symptoms, promote early diagnosis and treatment for bowel cancer.

Lots of events took place including dress LOUD days, cake sales or even a LOUD tie day  - all contributing to raised awareness! At AllClear we too helped spread awareness of the event through our social media, such as our Twitter account.

If you didn’t get directly  involved in Be Loud Be Clear week, there is still lots that you can do throughout 2012. For example, take a look at all the runs, treks and challenges that you can sign up to in 2012.

The aim of all these events is to get people talking more about bowel cancer and understanding more about the symptoms and signs to look out for.

One thing that we think is not talked about it enough is how you can carry on doing the things you enjoy, even if you have been diagnosed with bowel cancer…

Don’t let bowel cancer affect your holiday plans

At AllClear we understand that when you’re diagnosed with bowel cancer, part of the problem is the feeling that your life is put on hold and you can’t get on with the things you enjoy. This can include getting comprehensive travel insurance to go on holiday. Travelling without comprehensive cover, could mean you have no protection if things do go wrong whilst you’re away. It is also a huge risk as medical bills abroad frequently run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Therefore, following Be Loud Be Clear week, we wanted to point out that with specialist travel insurance for those suffering from bowel cancer, a diagnosis doesn’t have to spell the end of holidays abroad. This gives people the peace of mind to enjoy foreign travel, with access to medical treatment anywhere in the world, just in case it’s needed.

AllClear Travel uses a medical screening process to provide specialist travel insurance for cancer –  It’s easy and only takes a few minutes and there’s no need to provide medical certificates. Using AllClear Options, our online medical travel insurance comparison service, you can get a range of quotes, from a number of different specialist travel insurance providers, and get the travel insurance that best suits you.  

As well as getting specialist travel insurance to cover cancer, here are AllClear’s top tips on travelling with bowel  cancer:

Planning: The secret to a stress free trip is to plan ahead. Consult your GP or specialist before booking a trip so they can help decide what is realistic for you.

Holiday Timing: It may often be necessary to advise a delay to the planned journey if you have recently completed, are currently undergoing, or due to start certain treatments e.g. chemotherapy. Do not automatically cancel your holiday, however, as often simple re-arrangements can be made to allow a holiday to take place. Radiotherapy can be planned before the holiday and started on return – this doesn’t delay the treatment because there may well be a week or so gap between the planning and start

Fight infection: Certain types of chemotherapy or radiotherapy can affect your ability to fight infection so you should check with your cancer specialist nurse for any precautions you should take before your holiday, as your immune system takes time to recover. Preventing infection may mean avoiding certain types of food and drink, such as unpasteurised cheeses.

Healthcare: You may wish to understand more about the standard and provision of healthcare in the destination country. You could contact the relevant High Commission, Embassy or Consulate. If there is concern that the destination is a country or area lacking in suitable medical facilities, you may want to consider an alternative that has a better standard of healthcare. If the destination is remote (even in a developed country) then healthcare is likely to be more basic

Vaccinations: To visit some countries you will need vaccinations, but if you are having certain cancer drugs or have a weakened immune system, you may not be able to have the required vaccinations so it is vital that you check with your doctor. It may also be that you require a flu jab as timings of flu epidemics vary across the world, again check with your doctor or a travel nurse.

Medication: If you are taking any medicines, you should plan how much you need to take with you and get those prescriptions before you go (make sure you have an extra supply in case you lose any). Keep a few days’ supply of medication in your hand luggage so you don’t need to panic if your luggage goes missing.

Taking care in the sun: Some patients may be more sensitive to the direct effects of the sun due to chemotherapy regimes or radiotherapy. High-factor sun block (SPF 15 or higher) is recommended, as is the wearing of loose, cotton clothing. (also see careful sun exposure)

Avoiding diarrhoea and vomiting:  Diarrhoea and vomiting can be debilitating to individuals who are generally in good health, but can be devastating to a patient with cancer. If unsure about the cleanliness of the piped water supply, boil all water before drinking or cleaning teeth. For additional safety, only use bottled water (ensure that the cap is sealed).

Information: Keep information on your cancer, doctors and medication with you at all times.

Find more details on travelling with bowel cancer.

Following Be Loud Be Clear, the Department of Health is launching a bowel cancer symptom awareness campaign national campaign on 30 January. The aim is to promote earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer. Find out more about Be Clear on Cancer

Moderate excercise, such as badminton, can help in cancer recovery

Exercise is a ‘wonder drug’ for cancer survivors and may prevent the disease returning, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.  Physical activity could also benefit those undergoing treatment for cancer. Macmillan say doctors should prescribe exercise rather than telling patients to rest.

A review of more than 60 studies for the charity found that being active during treatment does not worsen fatigue and has positive effects on mood and wellbeing.

Once treatment has finished, exercise can reduce the impact of side effects, such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, impaired mobility and weight changes.

The research also showed exercise has an impact on preventing recurrence of a few specific cancers. For example, women with breast cancer who exercise for 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity have a 40% lower risk of recurrence  of disease compared to women  who are active for less than one hour a week.

Moderate exercise includes very brisk walking, heavy cleaning – such as washing windows, vacuuming and mopping – mowing the lawn, cycling and badminton.

Macmillan Cancer Support found that more than half of GPs, practice nurses, oncologists and cancer nurses did not speak to their patients about the possible benefits of exercise, or only spoke to a few of them.

We decided to think about what this means for travel. If you are recovering from cancer, in between treatments, or your cancer is in remission, a holiday can be just what you need to recharge the batteries. But, based on this research, you may want to think more about what kind of holiday you should go on, as a more activity based holiday could actually aid in recovery. For example, could you consider going on a walking holiday, or somewhere where you could hire a bike while you are away? You should discuss any travel plans with your doctor though, and our travelling with cancer tips may help with your decision too.

One more point is obviously to make sure that you have cancer travel insurance cover in case of any problems while you are away.

Raising awareness of lymphatic cancer from 12th to 18th September

This week (12^th to 18^th September) is Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of lymphoma and fundraise for this important work. We checked out the Lymphoma Association website, and there are still a number of ways that you can help and get involved…

We have picked out just a few ideas here:

Tell people online – If you are on Twitter, you could tweet: ‘This week is #Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week, which raises awareness of the UK’s fifth most common cancer. http://www.lymphomas25.org.uk/lymphatic-cancer-awareness-week-2011

Text Giving – You can support Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week by texting LCAW11 and the amount you would like to donate (e.g. LCAW11 £5) to 70070. The Lymphoma Association will receive the whole amount.

Here at AllClear we support Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week. We know that if you have lymphatic cancer, then a holiday can be a great way to recharge the batteries, or aid in recovery. So we have collected the following tips for people with lymphatic cancer who either have a holiday planned, or want to plan one in the future (Thanks to the Lymphoma Association for a lot of this information).

Here are our tips on travelling with lymphatic cancer:

• Planning: What type of medical facilities are there at your destination? Could you get medication if you needed it? Talk everything through with your doctor – they might be able to recommend a colleague in the local area who you can speak to if you need to.
• Travel Insurance: Make sure you get specialist travel insurance that covers your cancer, in case you need any medical treatment while you are away.
• Lymphatic cancer Medication: Take enough medication for your trip, plus extras. Some medications are not readily available in other countries, so it is worthwhile to check out beforehand what you should do if your supply gets low.
  • Keep all medications in their original containers with labels. Prescription bottles should have your name, and the name and dosage of the cancer medication clearly indicated.
  • Consider carrying a note from your doctor with a list of your required medications on it to prove that you need them. This is especially important for pain medications, antidepressants, and stimulants that may be illegal in other countries.
  • Carry all your medications in a re-sealable plastic bag to prevent spills. If you are traveling with chemotherapy or injectable medications, this is particularly important.
  • Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to handle your medications if you will be traveling to a different time zone.
  • If you need syringes for your medications, make sure you bring enough for your entire trip, as well as a note from your doctor explaining why you need them.
• Infection: If you have active lymphoma, you may be more prone to infection because of the impact of the disease on the immune System. This is particularly true if you  are currently receiving chemotherapy or steroids. You can greatly reduce the risk of infectious disease by attention to simple hygiene. For example, wash hands thoroughly; buy all drinking water in sealed bottles and do not have ice if you are unsure of the water source
• Vaccines: Some vaccines are not recommended for people with lymphoma because the vaccine contains live organisms (a small weakened version of the disease-causing organism, causing an immune reaction so the person is protected in the future) . Consider this when deciding your destination. Here are some examples, but you would need to check with your doctor for your individual circumstances.

1. Polio Vaccine – the inactivated vaccine is suitable for people with lymphoma

2. Meningitis Vaccine – people who have had their spleen removed are at particular risk of contracting meningitis

3. Yellow fever vaccine – for certain countries in Africa and South America. Since it should not be given to people with lymphoma, it may restrict your ability to travel to such countries.

4. If necessary, make sure you are protected against mosquito bites. If you are need to take malaria tablets, check with your GP that  that anti-malaria tablets recommended would not result in any chemotherapy treatment or other medication for your lymphoma.

If you have any other useful tips on travelling with lymphatic cancer, do please add them to the comments box below.

A 'Universal' vaccine for Cancer is being trialled

A ‘universal’ vaccine for cancer could be available in just 2 years, according to this article. The TeloVac jab is part of a new generation of drugs that use the body’s own defences to fight the disease. TeloVac has already been given to hundreds of Britons with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease. But it is hoped it will be effective against many other tumours, including those of the skin, lung and liver.

In the case of pancreatic cancer, which killed actor Patrick Swayze, survival rates have barely improved in the past 40 years, and patients typically die within six months of diagnosis. Just 3% survive five years, and it is the fifth biggest cancer killer in the UK. Although vaccines usually prevent disease, the TeloVac jab is designed as a treatment.

Rather than attacking the cancer cells, like many existing drugs, it harnesses the power of the body’s own immune system to fight the tumours (in the same way that vaccines for infectious diseases encourage our immune system to fight off the specific virus).  It works by encouraging the immune system to seek out and destroy an enzyme called telomerase. Found at high levels in many cancer cells, telomerase effectively makes them immortal, allowing them to live on when healthy cells would die – easing the growth and spread of the tumour.

In the largest trial of its kind in the UK, more than 1,000 men and women in the late stages of pancreatic cancer are either being given the vaccine alongside their normal drugs, or treated as usual. The results from the 53 hospitals taking part will not be available until next year but, anecdotally, some patients credit their participation in the trial with giving them an extra year or two of life. In earlier, smaller trials, the vaccine gave those in the late stages of the disease an average of an extra three months.  Pancreatic cancer cells are normally invisible to the immune system but the vaccine ‘spots’ the telomerase spilling out from them and kick-starts the fight back.

Healthy cells escape the attack because their levels of telomerase are too low to bother the immune system. This cuts the risk of side-effects such as nausea and hair loss normally seen with cancer drugs.

The latest study is funded by Cancer Research UK. Obviously, there is still a lot of clinical research to be done, proves the jab’s worth, it could be available to treat advanced pancreatic cancer by the end of 2013. In time, it could be used earlier in the disease – and even to prevent it.

We will keep you posted when we hear any more about this cancer vaccine. In the meantime, if you, or a family member or friend, has cancer and you are planning a holiday, you might find our travelling with cancer blog category useful.

There are things to think about when travelling with cancer

The Times is running a special supplement this week, all about living with cancer.

It will include information about how people’s lives change when they are diagnosed with cancer.  Currently, two million people in the UK are living with cancer, a number set to double by 2030 as diagnoses are made earlier and treatments improve

Two in every five of those diagnosed with the disease are of working age. The Times have put this supplement together to help, inform and reassure readers who have been affected.

The point they make is that because cancer is a way of life for so many people, we need to try and think of it in a different way. The new reality of cancer is that it is not a disease to be conquered, but a normal part of life that needs to be managed and adjustments made.

At AllClear, we agree with this advice, because we believe that if you have cancer, you still want to live your life as fully as you possibly can, and that includes going on holiday. You may want to plan a holiday for the end of your treatment, or that of a loved one, to relax and recuperate. So we have provided some tips on travelling with cancer here that might be useful for you.

Travel Insurance: You will need to arrange specialist cancer travel insurance. This is vital in case you fall ill and have to be brought home, or have unexpected further cancer treatment abroad, as this could be very expensive. Your cancer travel insurance will give you complete peace of mind so you can get on with enjoying your holiday. You may have had difficulty in finding travel insurance to cover your cancer in the past but because AllClear specialize in travel insurance for cancer patients, check out our website.

Talk to a Medical Professional: They may be able to suggest a good time to go, as well as helping to decide what is realistic for you. They can let you know if you are fit to travel.

Destination Decisions: For many, travelling with cancer will have little effect on their holiday. However, you may feel more tired following cancer treatment so you should check that the facilities you need are close to where you are staying. Also, certain cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy, leave the skin more sensitive to the sun. Consider your flight length, because some people with cancer are at greater risk of developing blood clots or DVT.

Vaccinations: If you are having certain cancer drugs or have a weakened immune system, you may not be able to have the required vaccinations for your holiday destination, so check with your doctor.

Medication: If you are taking any cancer medication, you should plan how much you need to take with you and get make sure you have extra in case you lose any.

 Also, look out for the 20-page supplement in the Times on Wednesday entitled Living with Cancer. It combines personal accounts with articles from specialist writers and columnists in the field of health, science and lifestyle.

Now when I first heard these figures, I thought that those figures wouldn’t seem that difficult, but then when you think of all 3 meals a day, throughout the week, you can see how easy it might be to go over these figures

So why these guidelines – what is the link with red meat and cancer? Well, red meat contains substances that have been linked to bowel cancer. One compound in particular, haem, which gives red meat its colour, has been shown by some studies to damage the lining of the colon.

The advice follows recommendations from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

So that is red meat, but processed meat, like sausages, are even worse for you. The WCRF estimated that 3,800 cases of bowel cancer could be prevented every year if everyone ate less than 70g of processed meat a week. Processed meat is generally defined as that preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with chemical preservatives added to it. This process is thought to cause the formation of carcinogens.

Two rashers of bacon a day throughout life has been linked to a 20% rise in the risk of getting bowel cancer. The average person has a risk of bowel cancer of five in 100 but this rises to six in 100 if they eat 50g of processed meat a day. Men in Britain eat an average of nearly 50g of processed meat a day compared with just 24g for women – but this is still too much according to the guidelines.

I hope you have found this information useful. It is definitely something to think about, particularly when we are on holiday, and our diet may be very different to normal.  You can also check out our blog category on Travelling with cancer, if you would like more information.

So what is his story? Well basically, following his stomach problems.  Andy had routine blood tests which showed he had raised prostate-­specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker for prostate cancer — while normal readings are around four, Andy’s was 20. More tests showed he had an aggressive walnut-sized tumour that had broken through the ­covering of the prostate gland and was at risk of spreading.

Andy was told he needed surgery to remove the tumour and the prostate, followed by radiotherapy. There can be pretty severe side effects with this surgery, including urinary incontinence and impotence, due to the risk of nerve damage.

However, Andy’s surgeon told him about another option — instead of surgery he could have an intense form of radiotherapy, known as high dose rate brachytherapy.  This involves putting a tiny ­radioactive seed inside the prostate via a needle or catheter and then removing it 20 minutes later — because the radiation isn’t beamed through healthy tissue, it causes less damage. There is still a risk, although this is thought to be much less than with surgery and conventional ­radiotherapy.

First, Andy had to undergo standard hormone treatment to shrink the tumour. Then Andy had two brachytherapy treatments. He then had a lower dose of conventional radiotherapy for four-and-a-half weeks to make sure all the cancer had gone. Tests then confirmed there was no sign of the cancer, and he was soon back performing at gigs.

Around 36,000 men in Britain are diagnosed with the cancer each year and 10,000 die of the disease, but this new treatment provides some new hope for people suffering from prostrate cancer. March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month so I wanted to share this blog post with you to let you know about the new treatment.

AllClear supports prostate cancer awareness month given that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and more needs to be known about the treatment and diagnosis options available. We also know that for people with cancer, a holiday may be really important for rest and recuperation, and that is why we offer travel insurance for prostate cancer.  You can find out more about travelling with cancer here.

How does it work? The therapy packs a common cancer drug, docetaxel, into a nanoparticle that is designed to escape the body’s immune system. The nanoparticles then deliver drugs effectively to the blood stream and then bind to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. The nanoparticle’s diameter is 1,000 times smaller than that of a human hair.

This means the treatment can deliver higher and more effective doses of drugs to tumours, while limiting damage to other cells that trigger the distressing side-effects of standard chemotherapy. Pre-clinical studies, using animal models and cancer cell cultures, have indicated that the system can expose tumours to doses of docetaxel 20 times higher than those achieved by conventional delivery techniques.

An American woman with ovarian cancer was the first of about thirty patients to receive the treatment last month in a trial that will assess the safety of the technique and establish the doses that can acceptably be used. The trial will include patients with ovarian; head and neck; breast; prostate and lung cancer. If the patient trial is successful, the drug could be licensed within three to five years.

The treatment was developed by BIND Biosciences, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

The treatment is designed to solve three of the major challenges in drug delivery: how to ensure therapeutic molecules get to the right place in the body, how to release them slowly over several days, and how to prevent the body’s immune system recognising them as foreign and destroying them.

If you would like to find out more cancer treatment news, or about travelling with cancer, you can read more blog posts here.

So how does it work? The device, called the Ambulight, is an established alternative to surgery for many forms of skin cancer that uses laser combined with a light-sensitive drug to destroy cancer cells. This avoids the scarring associated with surgical removal of the tumour and the need for a hospital stay.

The Ambulight consists of a pod that houses medical-grade red LED lights. The light source is attached to a controller the size of a mobile phone. Photosensitising cream is rubbed on to the skin, and the pod is attached to the skin with a plaster. Once the cream is absorbed into the skin, the pod automatically turns on. Three hours later the light switches off and the device can be disposed of. Patients can move freely during treatment. The machine costs just £100,  about half the price of the average hospital outpatient appointment.

This new sticking plaster treatment is used to treat non-melanoma-type skin cancers, which affect around 15% of the UK population. These cancers do not commonly spread, but they are still considered malignant.

Ambulight developer James Ferguson, Professor of dermatology at Dundee University, hopes the treatment will eventually be offered at GP surgeries.

Muriel Lowe, 59 underwent the treatment after being diagnosed with skin cancer. Muriel had two treatments, then after three months she returned for tests and was told the cancer had gone.

The Ambulight plaster has just received a European licence and is now being rolled out to NHS hospitals nationwide. I think this seems like an extremely clever new treatment and will be interested to hear more about as it gets rolled out in the UK.

If you have skin cancer and are  planning a holiday, you can find out more about travelling with cancer here.

Her GP prescribed the vitamin after discovering that Mrs Cruikshank had a very low blood level of vitamin D. Scientific evidence suggests that cancer patients may be in a better position to fight the cancer if their vitamin D level is in the optimal range.

Marie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006. She was referred to the Western General Hospital where she was put on chemotherapy which shrunk the tumour. Her GP then started her on vitamin D, adjusting the dose according to the result of blood tests. Currently she takes 1.5mg per week.

 Scientists said large-scale studies were now needed to see if the increased survival rate identified could be a direct response to the vitamin D.

Professor Angus Dalgleish, of St George’s Hospital, Tooting, southwest London, is convinced that vitamin D helped save Mrs Cruikshank’s life. He said: “A patient with lung cancer in Scotland would be lucky to live four months never mind four years. In Athens a lung cancer patient might live four years. A sunny climate seems to prolong life.”

This is a really good positive news story, especially when you think of the simplicity of a simple vitamin supplement compared to other cancer treatments. What is more, we already know that holidays can be a good thing for people to relax and recuperate after cancer, but this story could be another reason for cancer patients to enjoy a lovely holiday in the sun. You can find out more information on travelling with cancer here, or you can find specialist cancer travel insurance here.