Jessica Lock, 13, and her mother Shelley at their Aberfoyle Park home. Picture: Nigel Parsons Source: Sunday Mail (SA)

TWO months ago, Jessica Lock was a typical 13-year-old – outgoing, healthy and happy.

Yet now she is a stranger in her own home, racked by an array of mysterious ailments.

A week after being administered in February with the anti-cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil at her school, the teenager began fainting and experiencing strong head pains – and her parents say she has lapsed into a semi-permanent, child-like state.

Mother Shelley Lock believes her daughter suffered a severe and extremely rare reaction to Gardasil but said public hospital staff had been unwilling to examine a link, with one doctor inferring Jessica’s condition was psychosomatic.

"It is frustrating because she was completely healthy before this, she had no stress, had just started Year 8 and was meeting new friends, has a good family, so to have it inferred that it was just stress or psychological was very frustrating," Mrs Lock said.

Exhaustive tests ruled out other potential causes such as brain tumours. However, Jessica’s condition continued to deteriorate.

"She had an episode where she didn’t know we were mum and dad, she was hysterical and screaming and we rang Flinders while she was in that state and they said there was nothing they could do to treat her and to not bother bringing her in," Mrs Lock said.

"Every now and then she comes lucid. like on Monday morning, she woke up and sat and cried for five minutes because she couldn’t remember the whole weekend, so she has her moments where she is aware that things are not right."

Mrs Lock said she found online testimonials from the US and Australia by women and girls who say they have experienced similar symptoms after being given Gardasil.

Jessica is now being treated by a toxicologist, who has said she suffered neurological damage because of an inherited susceptibility to metals contained in the vaccine, which has been administered to about 23,000 South Australian schoolgirls as part of a government program since 2008.

"we have no prognosis as to whether we are going to get her back completely well, but certainly we’re doing everything we can and at least the doctors who acknowledge there is a problem are doing what they can," Mrs Lock said.

SA Health chief public health officer Steve Christley said in the past two years there had been 29 reports of adverse reactions to Gardasil, most of which were mild and did not require hospital treatment.

"the common side-effects for Gardasil include soreness, swelling and redness at the injection site and headache, nausea, dizziness and vomiting," he said. "There has been no link proven between neurological disease and the vaccine."

After being contacted by the Sunday Mail, SA Health said doctors at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s special immunisation clinic would now examine Jessica for possible links to the vaccine.

Mrs Lock said she was not on the bandwagon of anti-vaccine.

"the concept of vaccinating people against life-threatening illnesses is obviously a good thing – there just needs to be some serious awareness of people’s prior susceptibility in reacting to them or just safer practices in general on how we vaccinate," she said.

Thursday, April 26

The Inspirations. Support group for persons living with chronic lung disease. 11:30-12:45 p.m. fourth Thursday of the month. Long Beach Memorial Outpatient Pulmonary Rehab Clinic, 2840 Long Beach Blvd., Suite 210. 562-933-5864.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). Weight-loss support group. 9:15 a.m. every Thursday. Belmont Shore Mobile Estates clubhouse, 6230 Marina View Drive, Long Beach. call Margaret at 562-431-3524.

Cancer support groups. the Wellness Community offers two ongoing groups at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. the group for adult cancer patients meets 5-7 p.m. every Thursday. the group for loved ones and/or family of cancer patients meets 5-7 p.m. every other Thursday. both groups meet in the first floor Radiation-Oncology Department, 2801 Atlantic Ave. 310-376-3550, wellnessandcancer.org.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. a 12-step fellowship for adults and teenagers who have had trouble controlling their eating or are obsessed with food. Meetings 7 p.m. every Thursday at King of Glory Lutheran Church, Room 5, 10280 Slater Ave., Fountain Valley; also 8 a.m. every Saturday at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach. foodaddicts.org

Friday, April 27

Nar-Anon. Support group for family and friends of drug addicts. 7 p.m. every Friday. Lakewood Presbyterian Church, Room W-2, 5225 Hayter Ave. nar-anon.org

Blood pressure screenings. 10-11:30 a.m. every Friday. Free. Cypress Senior Center, 9031 Grindlay St. 714-229-2005.

Saturday, April 28

LGBT Co-Dependents Anonymous group. a 12-step fellowship for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for recovery from codependence and to develop and maintain healthy and loving relationships. 7-8:30 p.m. every Saturday. First Lutheran Church, second floor library, 905 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. Contact Vincent, 562-453-9554 or vjpatti3@aol.com.

Monday, April 30

Cypress Senior Center programs. Free one-hour presentations on various health topics. “Taking Care of Your Skin,” 10:30 a.m. Monday. Cypress Senior Center, 9031 Grindlay St. 714-229-2005.

Nar-Anon. the Long Beach family group, Healing Hearts, offers support for family and friends of drug addicts. 7 p.m. every Monday. Community Grace Brethren Church, 5885 Downey Ave., Long Beach. 562-490-4689, 888-297-9560, nar-anon.org

Gentle yoga. all levels. Contract class with city of Long Beach. 9:45-10:45 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays. Walk-in fee $7. Recreation Park, 4900 E. Seventh St., Long Beach. Registration: 562-750-3111 or lbparks.org.

Tuesday, May 1

Stroke Support Association. a new series of support group meetings for stroke survivors and family/caregivers begins Tuesday and runs 10-11:30 a.m. every Tuesday in Long Beach. call 562-537-0556 for details.

Cholesterol screening. First come, first served; limited availability. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Cypress Senior Center, 9031 Grindlay St. 714-229-2005.

Ovarian and gynecologic cancer support group. for women diagnosed with ovarian, cervical, uterine and other gynecologic cancers. 4:30-6 p.m. first and third Tuesday of the month. Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Women’s Second Floor Conference Room, 2801 Atlantic Ave. 562-933-7845.

Grandparents as Parents. Support group for grandparents or other caregiving relatives raising grandchildren. Free. 9:30-11:30 a.m. every Tuesday. Salvation Army building, 455 E. Spring St., Long Beach. 562-921-7554 or 562-421-7213.

Recovery International. the group teaches participants skills for coping with anxiety, depression and anger. 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday. Burns Community Center, 5510 Clark St., Lakewood. Donations requested but not required. call Bob at 562-343-5195, or go to lowselfhelpsystems.org

Wednesday, May 2

Newly diagnosed breast cancer support group. for women recently diagnosed or in treatment. 4:30-6 p.m. every Wednesday. Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Radiation Oncology Conference Room, 2801 Atlantic Ave. 562-933-7845.

Bereavement support group. Ongoing program for anyone who has lost a loved one includes discussions on the grief process, life after loss, depression, loneliness and positive transitions. Free. 1-2:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Cypress Senior Center, 9031 Grindlay St. 714-229-2005.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). Weight-loss support group. 6 p.m. every Wednesday. First meeting is free. Conference Room C of office building at Grace Brethren Church, 3590 Elm Ave., Long Beach. Leave a message for Jan at 562-427-0575 or contact 800-932-8677, tops.org

Coming up

Shingles program. Dr. Jorge Echeverri from Pioneer Medical Group discusses symptoms and treatment. Participants must be at least age 50. 8 a.m. May 9. Cerritos Senior Center, 12340 South St. 562-916-8550.

Hearing Loss Association of America, Long Beach/Lakewood Chapter. Support, coping skills and resources for people with hearing loss. Meeting at 6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month. At the May 10 meeting, Noreen Warren, formerly of Sony Pictures Entertainment, will speak about captioned movies. Weingart Senior Center, 5220 Oliva Ave., Lakewood. 562-438-0597, hlalongbeachlakewood.org

Exercise as Medicine. Free one-hour class for seniors. Presented by the St. Mary Senior Health Program and Adia. 10 a.m. May 15. St. Mary Medical Center, 1027 Linden Ave., Long Beach. Reservations: 562-491-9811 or sandra.bazant@chw.edu.

Send health calendar items at least two weeks in advance to ptfeatures@presstelegram.com.

April 15 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Botox for cosmetic use. But it has been nearly two centuries since the toxin was identified. Here’s a timeline in the development of the now-popular wrinkle reliever, beginning in the early part of the 19th century. Apparently, it all started when someone encountered a spoiled sausage.

And the rest is history …

1820s: German doctor Justinus Kerner identifies a toxin in spoiled sausages that causes food poisoning. the paralytic illness caused by Kerner’s “sausage poison” earns the name “botulism,” from a Latin word (“botulus”) for sausage. Kerner speculates that small doses of the toxin might be used to treat nerve disorders and excessive sweating.

1895: Belgian bacteriologist Emile Pierre van Ermengem discovers that Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce the botulism toxin.

1920s: Botulinum Toxin Type A is first isolated from the Clostridium botulinum bacteria in a purified form as a stable acid precipitate by Dr. Herman Sommer at the University of California, San Francisco.

1940s: During World War II, American scientists explore potential use of botulinum toxin as a weapon. the U.S. produces botulinum toxin capsules for Chinese prostitutes to drop into the food of high-ranking Japanese officials. the plan is not put into effect because the military found it to be ineffective as a weapon.

1946: Researcher Edward J. Schantz, Ph.D. succeeds in purifying Botulinum Toxin Type A into crystalline form, for the first time providing scientists with the raw material necessary to study the molecule in greater detail.

1949: Researcher Dr. Arnold Burgen and colleagues in London discover that botulinum toxin blocks communication between nerves and muscles.

1960s: Ophthalmologist Alan Scott in San Francisco injects botulinum toxin into monkeys to see whether it relaxes muscles that cause crossed eyes.

1978: Scott wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration for extensive multi-site tests of botulinum toxin as a treatment for crossed eyes in humans. He calls the drug Oculinum and establishes Oculinum inc. to make and sell it.

1987: Canadian ophthalmologist Dr. Jean Carruthers (pictured above with her husband) notices that patients injected with the toxin were losing their frown lines. Her husband, Canadian dermatologist Dr. Alastair Carruthers, injects botulinum toxin into the forehead of their receptionist, Cathy Bickerton Swann, to smooth her wrinkles.

Late 1980s: Doctors begin using botulinum toxin as a treatment for involuntary contraction of neck muscles, also called cervical dystonia.

1988: Allergan acquires the rights to Dr. Scott’s product, Oculinum.

1989: Allergan secures the first FDA approval for Oculinum as a treatment for crossed eyes and excessive blinking and received FDA approval to change the name to Botox.

1993: Doctors in England notice that spasm patients sweat less when treated with Botox.

December 2000: FDA approves Botox as a treatment for cervical dystonia.

April 15, 2002: FDA approves Botox injections for frown lines between the eyebrows under the name Botox Cosmetic.

2004: Allergan launches clinical trials of Botox for migraine sufferers.

2004: Los Angeles socialite Irena Medavoy sues Allergan for ailments that she says were caused by Botox that was injected to ease her migraines. A 9-3 jury verdict goes against her.

July 2004: FDA approves Botox as a treatment for severe underarm sweating.

May 2007: Actress Virginia Madsen becomes the first celebrity to openly discuss her Botox cosmetic treatments and is featured in the Botox advertising campaign, “Keep the Wisdom. Lose the Lines.” She tells People magazine, “I am not using these injectables to look 25. I don’t want to be 25. I just want to look like me. I am 45, and I am in the best shape that I have ever been in my life.”

2008: U.S. Department of Justice launches probe of Allergan’s marketing practices, subpoenas documents related to off-label use of Botox as a treatment for migraines.

2008: Advocacy group Public Citizen urges FDA to impose stricter regulations on Botox and similar products, cites 16 patient deaths that occurred after neurotoxin injections.

2009: Actress and singer Vanessa Williams reveals she has been treated with Botox cosmetic. She becomes the spokesperson for a charitable education campaign whereby Botox Cosmetic donates $250,000 to non-profit Dress for Success.

April 2009: FDA requires Allergan to expand warnings on the Botox label, but says cosmetic use of Botox is not linked to deaths.

October 2009: Allergan sues the FDA, seeking the right to tell doctors about all the effects of Botox and other drugs, not just the effects related to FDA-approved therapies.

March 2010: In $60 million lawsuit, Santa Ana jury decides that Botox injections did not cause the death of cerebral palsy patient Kristen Spears, 7.

March 2010: FDA approves Botox as a treatment for spasms of the arms and hands in adults.

May 2010: Oklahoma jury orders Allergan to pay $15 million to Dr. Sharla Helton, 47, who says cosmetic Botox injections left her in pain and unable to work.

September 2010: In court in Santa Ana, Allergan settles the case of Sondra Bryant of Texas, a 70-year-old nurse who died in 2008 after injections to ease her neck pain. Terms of the settlement were not announced.

October 2010: FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraines.

April 2011: A federal jury in Virginia orders Allergan to pay $212 million to a 67-year-old man who said he was left brain-damaged and bedridden in 2007 after receiving off-label Botox injections to ease trembling and cramps in his hand. the Virginia jury rejects Allergan’s contention that Botox was not to blame for Douglas Ray Jr.’s disabling injuries. the panel awarded him $12 million in compensatory damages plus $200 million in punitive damages.

August 2011: the FDA approves Botox for treating overactive bladders in those who lose control because of damage to the nervous system, including those with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury.

September 2011: Allergan settles the case of a San Francisco-area woman who had cosmetic injections and said she developed systemic problems, including weakness and fatigue, her attorney Ray Chester said. Terms of the settlement were not released.

October 2011: Actress Courtney-Thorne Smith becomes the latest actress to promote Botox, and tells People magazine she’d been getting the injections for about 10 years.

October 2011: A suit brought by Cynthia Van Den Boom of Richmond, Va., was settled before trial was to start the following month. Van Den Boom, who was injected with Botox for neck pain, suffered brain damage, her attorney Ray Chester said. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

February 2012: an Orange County jury hangs on the question of whether Allergan is to blame for a 46-year-old man contracting a devastating disease — Guillain-Barre Syndrome – that he says he got four days after getting Botox injections for back pain. Allergan’s attorney, Vaughn Crawford, said while the company was looking into potential risks in 2008, the year Thomas McGee got his injections, there was no medical evidence that Botox caused the disease.

March 2012: After Allergan alleges its trade secrets were stolen, a federal judge in Santa Ana blocks another company, Merz, from marketing Botox rival Xeomin. U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford says he was troubled that some Allergan employees signed contracts with Merz and then e-mailed themselves Allergan company data before giving their final notice.

March 2012: Allergan discloses it has submitted an application with the FDA for the use of Botox as treatment of overactive bladder in adult patients with symptoms of urinary incontinence who have not responded to other treatments for OAB (overactive bladder).

Luciano Nardo strides into his room at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle smiling apologetically.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I was called to an emergency. a woman had a sharp object stuck in her vagina.” As conversation killers go, this has to be up there with the best of them.

For consultant gynaecologist, mr Nardo, there is nothing untoward about this – it’s all in a day’s work. And yet women view the prospect of being examined by a gynaecologist, particularly a male gynaecologist, in the same vein as root canal surgery.

It doesn’t matter that he is a friendly Italian, who puts you at your ease straight away – the fact is that he’s a bloke. Perhaps it’s our British reserve?

“I saw a French woman recently who went to see her GP to ask if she could be referred to a gynaecologist. the GP asked her what was wrong, she said ‘nothing’ I just want my annual check-up.”

Mr Nardo thinks if we were more like European women who visit a gynaecologist once a year irrespective of whether they’re presenting any kind of symptoms or not – we’d think nothing of it.

Well, perhaps… as it is, if we want this kind of reassurance in most cases we have to go private. And even then we’ll dread it.

Thankfully, mr Nardo is aided by Susan, his nurse, who is at pains to help you relax as, let’s face it, you may well have to have a smear test.

Women are united in their dislike of the smear test and dread the national cervical screening programme call-up to go to have one every three years.

Some of us will ignore those reminder letters, like Jade Goody, who died on Mother’s Day three years ago. the untimely death of a woman in her 20s was a salutary warning not to ignore them. but most of us still think it won’t happen to us.

As we get older, we’re even more likely to turn a blind eye to  letters and symptoms. but you’ll need more than a smear test to detect whether you’ve cause for concern about one of the cancers that particularly affect older women such as cancer of the womb (endometrial cancer).

Having a normal smear test result doesn’t put you in the clear, as a smear test involves a scrape of cells from the surface of the cervix – which is the lower part of the womb. You’ll need further investigations and scans –  which  can be carried out during an appointment with mr Nardo.

About 7,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cancer of the womb very year, which is most common in women aged over 45 – particularly those aged 55 to 65. Factors that might increase the risk of womb cancer are: starting your periods at an early age, having longer than average periods, not having periods, having a late menopause.

You are also more likely to develop womb cancer if you’ve never been pregnant. the most common symptom of cancer of the womb is abnormal bleeding.

Another gynaecological cancer that affects older women is ovarian cancer. More than 6,500 women get cancer of the ovary each year in the UK and the risk increases after the age of 45 but is most common in women between ages of 65 to 75.

Ovarian cancer symptoms often mirror other conditions, particularly in the early stages of the disease, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).

However three main symptoms to look out for are: persistent pelvic and abdominal pain, persistent bloating, and difficulty eating/feeling full quickly.

Consultant gynaecologist, Richard Slade, added: “Many women who come to us with gynaecological symptoms say they wish they’d sought advice earlier.

“A lot of women worry about a serious underlying cause for their symptoms. With immediate investigation we can reassure them and offer treatment to alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life.”

If you have concerns, BMI the Alexandra Hospital, Cheadle, is holding an open event between 10am and 1pm on Saturday when consultants specialising in gynaecology, breast and urology will be offering free pre-booked five- minute appointments. To book, call 0800 051 2303.

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Don’t forget Jade Goody…it could save you from cervical cancer says survivor Hayley

2:10pm Tuesday 13th March 2012 in Echo News by Faye Hackwell

Campaign – Hayley Sneath shows her shopping list of goals to beat cancer

A MUM who discovered she had cervical cancer after Jade Goody’s death prompted her to have a smear test is urging others to get themselves checked out.

Hayley Sneath, 30, from Basildon, suffered gruelling treatment, but survived because the disease was tackled early on.

the mum-of-three, of Briar Mead, said: “I kept putting off having my smear test but when I heard about Jade, I finally went.

“When I got the letter telling me I had cancer, I had to face my worst fear.

“I thought I would die and my children would have to grow up without me.

“My operation took place on the day of Jade’s funeral and all I could think of was that I would be joining her very soon.

“But, thankfully, because I had the smear test, it was picked up early and I was able to have the treatment successfully.

“I feel lucky to have survived and I’ll always be grateful to Jade for reminding everyone to have their tests.”

Hayley was diagnosed three years ago and is now warning others not to ignore cancer symptoms and take routine tests, through a new campaign with Cancer Research UK and Tesco.

She joined staff at Tesco Extra in Pitsea to launch the partnership, through which Tesco aims to raise £10million to fund 32 early diagnosis research projects and launch a customer awareness campaign.

Hayley backed a “shopping list” of goals the two organisations have drawn up – with helping to beat cancer at the top.

She added: “All too often, cancer is detected further down the line when effective treatment becomes more difficult.

“My advice to anyone is to trust your instincts and if you are experiencing any unusual symptoms, find time to get checked.”

A survey carried out by Cancer Research UK found three in ten people in the east of England said they might delay getting symptoms checked out because they were worried what the doctor might find.

One in five might delay because they feared wasting the doctor’s time and almost three quarters failed to list pain or problems with bowels or bladder as possible cancer symptoms.

about 28,700 people are diagnosed with cancer in the region each year and 14,300 lose their lives.

(Credit:istockphoto)

(CBS News) the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released new cervical cancer screening guidelines today that recommend women ages 21 to 65 get a pap smear test every 3 years. for women under the age of 21, the task force does not recommend testing at all, even if they are sexually active.

Women ages 30 to 65 can prolong screening to every five years if they get a HPV test with it.

The guidelines, published online in the the March 14 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, also say that women under 30 should not be screened for HPV. Many benign infections that would go away on their own are found and could potentially cause more harm than good if caught, the task force said.

“It is as effective in reducing cancer deaths as annual screening but we have substantially less false positive tests,” task force member Dr. Wanda Nicholson, associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine, told CBS News.

Cervical cancer study shows Pap tests boost survival chancesHPV tests “better” than Pap smear at cervical cancer detection

However, not all doctors agree. “To blanketly say in these low risks patients 5 years is appropriate might be a stretch too far,” said Dr. Sharyn Lewin, an OB/GYN at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center in New York City  told CBS News. she doesn’t think women should skip the annual checkup because it also includes important conversations about sexual health.

Another set of guidelines from the  American Cancer Society recommends that all women should begin cervical cancer testing three years after they become sexually active or after the age of 18 and no later than 21. A regular Pap test is recommended every year; a liquid-based Pap test only needs to be run every 2 years. Yearly testing is also recommended for women with more risk factors like a family history or weakened immune system.

If a woman over 30 had three normal Pap tests in a row or couples her test with a HPV DNA test , the American Cancer Society says the woman can get tested every 3 years. Women over 70 who have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal results for 10 years can opt not to get tested. Also, women who have had their cervix removed unless it was a result of cervical cancer or pre-cancer need not be tested.

More than 12,100 American women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and another 4,220 will die from the disease this year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The reason why screening is not recommended for women under 21, according to Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, is because a positive HPV test can lead to treatment that may cause a condition caused cervical incompetence or miscarriage years later. He wrote on CNN that most HPV infections that are not treated go away within nine months without any effects. Cervical cancer is a slow growing disease, and can take more than a decade to turn from HPV  to cervical cancer, he said.

Brawley points out that the majority of women who die from cervical cancer hadn’t been screened, and most of those who had been screened had done so 10 years before their diagnosis.

HealthPop reported this month that women are more likely to survive cervical cancer if diagnosed with a pap smear. Women whose cancer was found through the test had a 92 percent cure rate, while women who were diagnosed because of symptoms had a 66 percent cure rate.

That’s something that all organizations agree on, including the task force.

“We need to get the women who have not had a Pap smear in the past five years in,” Dr. Virginia Moyer, chair of the USPSTF and pediatrician at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Dallas, told Reuters Health. “The women who aren’t getting screened at all, that’s the tragedy.”

‘It was the ‘are you pregnant?’ comments that did it,” says Suzy Norman. four years ago, the former primary school teacher from east London noticed her stomach was often unusually bloated; by Christmas 2008, it had swelled so much that her family, friends and even strangers began to ask when her baby was due.

Norman, 37, knew she was not pregnant. For months, her doctor had insisted she had irritable bowel syndrome. Unconvinced, she went to A&E. After a series of scans, one of her ovaries was removed and she was then told she had ovarian cancer. It was so advanced that the only option was to remove the other ovary and her womb; she then underwent three months of chemotherapy. “It was just horrendous,” she says. “I lost my hair; I had painful, aching legs. I went from being a busy teacher to just flopping on the sofa. but it did seem to work: I’m pretty well now.”

Norman is relatively fortunate to have caught the disease in time: the symptoms of ovarian cancer often go unrecognised by women and GPs, and it has one of the worst survival rates of all cancers. according to the charity Target Ovarian Cancer, around 6,500 women in Britain are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and 4,400 lose their lives to the disease. the five-year survival rate in the UK is just 36%: that is one of the lowest in Europe, and has changed little over the past three decades. By way of comparison, UK survival rates for breast cancer have risen over the same period from around 50% to more than 80%.

The poor survival rate for ovarian cancer is strongly linked to late diagnosis because of a lack of awareness of the early symptoms, which include persistent bloating or abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling unusually full; and needing to urinate often or urgently. according to a study last month by Ipsos Mori for Target Ovarian Cancer, just 3% of women feel confident in their ability to recognise these symptoms (by contrast, more than three-quarters of the 1,004 women questioned recognised that a breast lump could be a sign of breast cancer).

For Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, increasing awareness of these early symptoms is a key factor in improving women’s chances of survival. “Our study showed a really positive increase in awareness of ovarian cancer among GPs,” she says. “But we need to improve awareness among women generally. if ovarian cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, the survival rate rises to 70%. the sooner we can diagnose, the more women will survive. It’s that simple.” the charity is campaigning for ovarian cancer to be included in the government’s be Clear on Cancer public-information project, which has seen TV ads made about the symptoms of other cancers, such as bowel cancer.

Rona Passmore, 50, a part-time support worker for adults with disabilities, from Dunbar, knows only too well how important it is to catch ovarian cancer in its earliest stages. in August 2008, she realised her stomach was often distended, but put it down to the menopause. One night, however, she woke with excruciating abdominal pains. the next morning, she went to see her GP; after ruling out a pregnancy, he sent her straight to A&E, suspecting ovarian cancer. His suspicions were confirmed. “I had a scan,” Passmore says, “which showed that I had a huge ovarian cyst. the doctors advised removing both the ovary and the womb; when they found a tumour attached to the cyst, they also advised a course of chemotherapy.”

The treatment was successful – Passmore is now down to six-monthly check-ups. her oncologists were very impressed with the speed of her GP’s response. “They kept saying how lucky it was that my GP had sent me straight to hospital. I knew about cervical cancer and breast cancer, but pretty much nothing about ovarian cancer. Now, I’m telling everyone about it.”

Norman is sure her own lack of understanding of the disease, and her GP’s failure to correctly diagnose her symptoms, led to a serious delay in treatment: two years elapsed between first noticing the bloating and admitting herself to hospital. “I just didn’t know anything about ovarian cancer,” she says. “I was busy, I was getting on with my life, as we all do, and my GP was very tardy in admitting that anything was wrong.

“I can’t help wondering,” she says, “about what might have happened if my doctor hadn’t been so slow. My husband and I hadn’t really been thinking about having children, but of course we did as soon as we realised that we wouldn’t be able to. Perhaps, if the cancer had been found earlier, they could have saved one ovary. we might have still been able to have children. Not knowing for sure either way is the hardest thing of all.”

• For more information, visit: targetovariancancer.org.uk.

A security guard is throwing himself in the deep end – by swimming the Channel in memory of a tragic pal.

Steve Jones was devastated when Jenna Wharton, 25, lost a 14-month battle with cervical cancer.

Jenna went to her GP after developing bleeding in November 2009.

She was stunned when tests revealed she had cancer – and it was too advanced and aggressive to be treated.

Jenna, from Salford, died last January. Now, a year on, Steve, 32, from Ellenbrook, Worsley, has decided to take on the marathon swim in tribute to her strength and bravery.

He is aiming to raise £6,000 for St Ann’s Hospice where Jenna, a former pupil of Walkden High School, was treated before her death.

He is swimming 22 miles a week in training for his attempt in August. Steve said: “Jenna was a true fighter, friend and an inspiration to us all.

“Her strength and courage was amazing and St Ann’s made her life, as much as was possible, a lot better. It’s a fantastic charity and I’d love to raise as much as I can to help other patients.”

Jenna’s mum Diane, a district nurse, explained how her family would always be grateful to the staff at St Ann’s for their support during her illness.

She said: “Jenna had always been very healthy – she didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong when she went to the GP. She just put it down to something hormonal. it was a massive shock when she was diagnosed.

“Jenna’s symptoms became complex and difficult to manage at home and she was very grateful for the support received from the team at St Ann’s Hospice.”

Steve, who works for a security company said:“My biggest concern is if it can’t take place because of bad weather but I’m being positive. I’m not too fond of jellyfish to be honest which is why I’m training in Albert Dock in Liverpool to get used to them.”

He has already completed 11 miles on Lake Windermere during his training and plans to do double that distance there before attempting the Channel crossing.

He is looking for sponsorship and has already received support from businesses and friends. a non-uniform day at Haslam Park Primary School in Deane, Bolton, raised over £170. To sponsor Steve go to swimforjenna.co.uk  or call him on 07403 296173.

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Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, inc. (NASDAQ:SPPI), Advaxis, inc. (OTC:ADXS), and Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) are all in the business of fighting cancer in its various forms and 2012 looks like a good year for advancements in treatments and for bio-techs to raise capital.

All three of these companies have had significant run-ups recently and profit taking is to be expected and any subsequent dips could be just what “Value Hunters” are looking for. If you look at shares of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, they were trading in the $9.24 range on Oct 26 and hit $15.87 on Jan 11; that’s a gain of 71.75% in less than three months. Normal profit taking off of the Jan 11 has set and shares a dipped a little to their current $14.13 range. The ten-week run-up at SIPPI was a very steady ascent with small gives and takes along the way.

On Dec 9 the Company said that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had granted FUSILEV Orphan Drug exclusivity for use in combination chemotherapy aimed at patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. SPPI also noted FUSILEV therapeutic compositions are protected under a US Patent which expires at the end of December 2019.

At another cancer fighting biotech, Advaxis, shareholders have also seen gains in valuation. The stock was trading at $0.14 on Dec 14 and is currently trading in the $0.17 range; a gain of 21.4% in six weeks on some very choppy, but uptrend trading.

ADXS reported yesterday that it’s safety and efficacy Phase II trials for ADXS-HPV targeted for women with recurrent and/or refractory cervical cancer who have failed other therapies are returning very promising results with only 34% of trial participants experiencing non-cumulative flu-like symptoms. 

At Celgene, shares have also climbed with the stock trading at $60.24 on Nov 25 and hitting a $74.02 top of the run-up on Tuesday of this week; a gain of 22.8% in two months. There’s been a little profit taking from the top of the run and shares are currently trading in the $73.26 range.

CELG announced today it would acquire privately held Avila Therapeutics to expand Celgene’s leading role in the future treatment of hematologic cancers with Avila’s AVL-292, a highly-selective inhibitor, currently in Phase I clinical trials. 

I haven’t, don’t, and do not intend on holding any of the companies mentioned in this article.

The state of Iowa continues to ignore the fact that vision screenings in school can prevent many current and future problems for our children. Kids need to see to learn.

Considering that nearly

80 percent of what a child learns the first 12 years of life is through vision, good eyesight is an essential part of a child’s education. So, when a vision problem is overlooked, a child goes through life in a blurry fog, with poor grades and potential behavior issues.

It is disheartening to know that Iowa is one of only 10 states that does not require a vision screening or examination to ensure school-aged children are ready to learn.

Iowa spends thousands of dollars annually to educate each child in our school system, but we fail to ensure that they can see.

In addition to wasting state funding, we have disregarded the clear

connection between vision problems and learning disabilities along with behavior issues. Nearly

80 percent of children with learning disabilities and 70 percent of juvenile delinquents have an

undiagnosed vision problem.

The newly elected Iowa Legislature has the opportunity to ensure that every dime we invest in our children’s education is being put to good use by requiring vision screenings at every school during the first and third grades.

This legislation is supported by Prevent Blindness Iowa (PBI) and other organizations who understand the importance of our children being visually prepared to learn. PBI, a voluntary health organization dedicated to the prevention of blindness and the preservation of sight, provides free vision screenings to nearly 20,000 Iowa children annually to detect common eye problems. Once a vision problem is detected through a vision screening, these children are sent to an eye doctor for a comprehensive exam to ensure their vision is corrected.

Not only do these screenings assist in learning, but they can also detect a vision problem that can cause permanent sight loss if left untreated. With one in four school-aged children experiencing a vision problem, we can’t afford to let these children slip through the cracks and suffer from vision problems that can have lifelong consequences.

Iowa has fallen behind other states on investing in our children’s vision health. the Iowa Legislature has the power to help ensure each child has the opportunity to excel in school and become successful adults through affordable, regular vision screenings.

Our children’s health and education must continue to be our no. 1 one priority.

Chris Schroeder is president of Prevent Blindness Iowa, preventblindness.org/Iowa/. Comments: