In some ways, Nancy Hope, a three-time cancer survivor, considers herself lucky to have had the disease.
“A lot of people dread having cancer, but cancer has made my life better,” says Nancy Hope, who is 47 and lives in Newtown Square with her husband and two children, Nicholas, 13, and Mary, 10.
Hope was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer two days before Christmas in 1999.
“I wasn’t thinking about breast cancer, but about Santa Claus. At this time, my children were only 6 and 4 years of age, and I was quite shocked about my diagnosis because no one in my family had ever had breast cancer,” she says.
Doctors found the 2.9-centimeter tumor in her left breast during her mammogram. She underwent three months of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and then had a mastectomy. Even though the cancer had not yet spread to the lymph nodes, surgeons removed all the lymph nodes around the affected area as a precaution. Another three-month chemotherapy course followed.
But the worst was yet to come. By 2001, Hope’s breast cancer had metastasized to her brain and then her liver. After a delicate operation to remove the cancerous tumor from her brain, Hope underwent whole-head radiation. In addition to killing any remaining cancer cells, the treatment destroyed her hair follicles, and her hair never has grown back. Her doctor opted not to treat the liver cancer.
“After radiation therapy for the brain cancer, I wasn’t feeling well. I was dizzy and felt like vomiting all the time,” says Hope, now a stay-at-home mom.
Hope says her husband, Nick, family and friends were an important source of strength and support during these difficult times.
“My parish family prepared meals for us. They would take my kids from school, help them do their homework, bring them back after dinner, and get them ready for bed. When I had brain cancer, my kids were a little older, but people still helped out by buying groceries. It is just so awesome to know so many caring people that touched my life. I am so blessed and humbled by their commitment to me. By going through such rough treatments, I realized how important each day is and the gift of the moment. My oldest brother, Tom, found Dr. John Sprandio, who has become my hero. It was quite a change from going to a doctor who was all business and very negative to a doctor who genuinely cares about his patients and has a positive effect on each life that he sees.”
Dr. Sprandio is the medical director of the Delaware County Regional Cancer Center and chief of Hematology/Oncology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.
“People facing metastatic disease have more treatment options than ever before, and the prognosis is generally improving for many patients,” says Dr. Sprandio. “Advances in diagnosis, such as combined PET/CT scanning, ultrasound and more sophisticated MRI technologies, are helping us find secondary tumors sooner and stage the cancer more accurately. Patients also are benefiting from new, more precise forms of radiation that kill cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.”
The first Mother’s Day that she had breast cancer, Hope’s brothers and sisters formed a team to run in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. The team’s name was “Team Hope.” On Dr. Sprandio’s suggestion, the team participated in October’s Eagle National Bank 5K Walk/Run at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, which benefits the Delaware County Regional Cancer Center. This year, Team Hope VI raised more than $6,500 to support the cancer center.
According to Lee Bogart, M.D., chief of Hematology/Oncology at Taylor Hospital, some other breakthroughs benefiting people with metastatic disease include more effective chemotherapy drugs and combination therapies, and treatments for the side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea and low blood counts.
“There have been many significant improvements in the use of adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy given after surgery to prevent recurrence of cancer). Specific examples of this include the use of Herceptin® (trastuzumab) in breast cancer patients whose tumors are sensitive to this drug, new adjuvant chemotherapy programs for people with lung cancer, and a medicine called oxaliplatin, which has decreased recurrence rates in people with colon cancer,” notes Dr. Bogart.
When seeking a second opinion for metastatic lung cancer, Mary Varner also turned to the cancer specialists of Crozer-Keystone Health System. Varner, 64, of North Wilmington, Del., met with Raymond J. Vivacqua, M.D., two years after she had a lobectomy for stage II adenocarcinoma in her left lung. Dr. Vivacqua is medical director of the Crozer Regional Cancer Center and chief of Hematology/Oncology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
“After the lobectomy, my first doctor said he got it all, that I did not need radiation and I would be fine,” recollects Varner, who worked as a beautician in a geriatric nursing center for 20 years before she got sick.
In January 2004, after Varner went back to work, she got pneumonia. A chest x-ray revealed she now had cancer in both lungs, and the disease had advanced to stage IV.
“That’s when I found Dr. Vivacqua,” says Varner, whose daughter now lives with her. “He is amazing—so is the whole staff at Crozer Regional Cancer Center. Dr. Vivacqua takes all the time it needs and researches everything. He has spent hours with my children answering their questions and explaining why a particular treatment would or would not work for me. The infusion nurses have been wonderful, too.”
According to Dr. Vivacqua, “Cancer is a complex disease with many emotional and physical consequences. Effective care must tend to the whole patient—and include his or her family support network. Our patients appreciate that they can get advanced medical care while remaining close to friends and family, with the added bonus of developing relationships with the physicians and nurses providing their care.”
“People receiving cancer treatment need a strong support network to help them through this time of anxiety and uncertainty. Though I can’t tell you why, clearly the patients whose families are working with them are the people who do better. Our goal, as a cancer center, is to support patients and also family members every step of the way,” adds Joel Noumoff, M.D., medical director of the Fox Chase Crozer-Keystone Cancer Partnership for Crozer-Chester Medical Center and chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
To find a cancer specialist who’s right for you, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).