Special Encore Presentation: The role of Complementary Therapies in Cancer Care -Grace Gawler in conversation with MSKCC’s Dr Barrie Cassileth

Ellen Slater has had a life-time of personal care-giving & then chose a vocation in care-giving as well as a career as a family therapist and counselor. For 6 years Ellen has been Manager for Counseling, Family Support and Advocacy programs with Carers Queensland. Carers Australia is the peak body for carers. Carers Queensland is responsible for a National Carers Counseling Program (NCCP) which, Ellen has been privileged to manage. In Queensland the organization has 13 professional counseling staff, where they offer face to face counseling, telephone counseling & home visits. This is a state wide program. Ellen has recently resigned from her position at Carers Qld to follow her heart and passion into her next venture and adventure; Joyland Carers Retreat near Korora beach, Coffs Harbour in Northern NSW. www.joylandcarersretreat.com.au More about Ellen Slater on the Guest page. CONTACT CARER'S QLD: www.carersqld.asn.au More resources and info for USA caregivers at gracegawlermedia.com

Although I have been aware of increased likelihood of vascular events for cancer patients, surprisingly, it is rarely discussed. Over the years I have witnessed abnormally high mortality rates from cancer patients travelling overseas for treatments. Many times their fate was not due to their cancer, but DVT, pulmonary embolisms or other vascular events. Events that could have been avoided had they been aware of preventable measures they could take. To explore this issue I wanted to find someone who has worked with vascular issues for decades and who has knowledge of cancer. Introducing Dr John Singe a highly skilled vascular surgeon with more than 30 years experience who will take us on an amazing and educative journey through the convoluted inner landscape of our veins and arteries. Learn about prevention and safe air-travel for cancer patients who are 7 times more prone to blood clotting events than others. Knowledge is power, and this knowledge definitely can save lives.

Ethicist Dr Julie Crews takes an investigative look through the magnifying glass to examine new trends in cancer entrepreneurship where patients who are either still in recovery themselves or who claim they have beaten the odds without medical evidence, are influencing the treatment choices of millions of other cancer patients around the globe. Another group of patients influencing choices are those who have had adequate medical treatment for their cancer, but then champion their ‘cure’ to the use of dietary regimens, alternative medicine, meditation and other healing forms. Authentic hope is a powerful ally, but false hope as a recent article published in the West Australian suggests, provides More Hype than Hope. Dr Crews contributed to that media piece. If asked about buying a product in a store – do we accept being lied to about its efficacy? In cancer the stakes are high-do we want lies or truth? The search for truth in healing stories is imperative for patients whose lives really depend upon it. Learn more at www.gracegawlermedia.com

My guest on Navigating the cancer Maze this week is Prof Dr. Jérôme Galon, Research Director at INSERM (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) & leader of the INSERM Integrative Cancer Immunology laboratory, at the Cordeliers Research Centre. His current interests & major contributions concern basic & translational research in cancer immunology, using systems biology. His laboratory has made some ground-breaking findings demonstrating that the adaptive immune response within a tumor was a better predictor of survival than traditional staging based on the size and spread of a tumor.The new wave of immunotherapies reflects what has been known for some time; that the answer to cancer is in you! But it is not that simple. Our immune system is complex and intricate & as science unravels its mysteries, we are developing new understandings of how the immune system can be captured & recruited in the laboratory; retrained and returned to you the patient! www.gracegawlermedia.com

The aim of today’s show is to help you find a path through the cancer maze by learning how to become an exceptional patient with the possibility of living through and beyond cancer. Like many of life’s major crisis events, cancer is a daunting prospect. In order to survive and thrive; a cancer diagnosis requires you to learn & develop a new skill set; a new way of prioritizing self, time to deal with the trauma of diagnosis and what it might mean for you in terms of accepting change, being adaptable and flexible. Decisions can feel overwhelming because your life depends upon those decisions & the consequences of making them. There is an immediate need to focus, plan, question, set goals, prepare for setbacks etc. Whether or not you are first time cancer patient or dealing with a second or third recurrence, if you have been battling on your own – there can still be much to learn. http://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/survivor-training/ and www.gracegawlermedia.com

Dr Nevil Chimon researches and develops radio tracers for medical imaging. The science, processes & advances of imaging techniques, & the radio-pharmaceuticals that magically make our inner parts visible to doctors for more accurate diagnosis; is the topic for today's Navigating the Cancer Maze. Dr Nevil Chimon shares his passion and invaluable information for cancer patients about the different types of cancer & the best medical imaging to assist diagnosis. This is information that you need to know! All patients become intimately involved with the process of cancer imaging, & the relationship often lasts for 5 or more years. Listen to Dr Chimon talk about medical imaging. He is a medical science graduate of UCLAN, BSc (Hons), Manchester University, MSc and NUS, PhD, with Post-Doctoral training in Molecular Imaging & Radiochemistry completed at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research & Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, UK. Follow my BLOG for more info www.gracegawlermedia.com

Dr Bruce Whelan is a specialist GP who has been in practice for 45 years. A previous guest on the show, episode titled ‘Spinning Gold from Straw: How trauma transformed a Doctor’s Life and Practice’; today I will be asking him about his role as a GP working with cancer patients. The role of the GP is ever-changing; once the family doctor who made house calls and knew the names of all of a patient’s family members, the GP's role has morphed into rapid delivery medicine with crowded waiting rooms and time constraints. However, there is a new and emerging role for GP’s in cancer and supportive care medicine. The need is great for patients and families and a new model of care is timely. A graduate of the University of Queensland School of Medicine-1967, Dr Bruce Whelan has been in general practice since 1971. He also specializes in pain management, so I will be specifically asking him about tips for pain management for cancer patients. Learn more at gracegawlermedia.com

Today I will be interviewing Professor Rajiv Khanna a leading researcher at The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia; a world progressive translational research institute focused on cancer, infectious diseases, mental health and a range of complex diseases. Professor Khanna has been researching immunotherapies & has had a major breakthrough in the treatment of the aggressive brain cancer Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Professor Khanna developed a technique to modify the patients’ T-cells in the laboratory, effectively “train” them to attack the virus, and then return them to the patient’s body. When the killer T-cells destroyed the virus, they also destroyed the cancer. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that immunotherapy - manipulating a person’s own immune system – is a rich new frontier for cancer treatment,” Professor Khanna said. Be informed about the answer to cancer. Support Immunotherapy week. More info www.qimrberghofer.edu.au & gracegawlermedia.com

Last weeks interview with Prof Brendon Coventry has ignited patients' interests in immune therapies. There is a shift occurring in cancer therapies and this requires new knowledge and integration of how immune therapy can be used as a part of a cancer treatment program. So today I am presenting a previous interview with Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, PhD from Cancer Research Institute (CRI). Where is the answer to cancer? The answer is 'i am the answer to cancer' because my immune system has the answer. CRI is a non-profit organization founded in 1953 & today’s global leader in supporting & coordinating research aimed at harnessing the immune system’s power to conquer all cancers. Jill will explain immunotherapy & its value to cancer patients as well as the different types of cancer immunotherapy available. There will be patient stories & an exploration of the very latest in immunotherapy. More at: www.gracegawlermedia.com http://www.theanswertocancer.org/news-about-cancer-immunotherapy

Like many advanced cancers, advanced Melanoma is renowned to be refractory to treatments. On today's show, my guest Professor Brendon Coventry, an Adelaide-based oncology surgeon suggests there may be another way. With a special interest in Melanoma Surgery, he is also a researcher whose interests include anti-tumour immune response in human malignancies, tumour Immunology and cancer vaccine treatments. Results of Prof Coventry et al research paper, pub 2014 titled “Vaccinia Melanoma Cell Lysate Vaccine (VMCL) Trial for treatment of advanced Stage IV Melanoma with and without Chemotherapy”, in collaboration with Professor Peter Hersey; captured the attention of medical and scientific community. Trial conclusions reported “relatively high complete response rates, useful clinical responses & long term survival with little toxicity”. Prof Coventry with colleague Martin Ashdown, has an active interest in timing of therapy in association with cancer vaccines www.gracegawlermedia.com