Controversial former attorney general Pam Bondi recovering from thyroid cancer, Fox News reports

Pam Bondi, Donald J. Trump's former attorney general, is recovering from thyroid cancer, Fox News Digital reports.

According to a recent story by Michael Sinkewicz, Bondi, 60, underwent treatment after leaving the Justice Department in early April. The Fox New website cited a source telling Axios and Katie Miller, ex-White House staffer and podcast host who is married to White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, reposted the report.

Pam Bondi

"Pam has been quietly kicking cancer's ass the last few weeks," she's quoted as having writtten.  

The Fox story did not list any prognosis.

It does say that Axios disclosed Bondi's health update while reported that she's been appointed by Trump to an advisory committee "focused on artificial intelligence policy."

More information on various cancers can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, aVitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.

Second edition of ‘Rollercoaster,’ now a tribute to wife's bravery, moves closer to publication

I’ve just finished proof-reading the formatted version of Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner’s breast cancer or any other lethal disease. 

 

It’s amazing how many typos popped up. And, of course, I, your favorite now and forever editor, couldn’t help improving things with a word or phrase substitution or addition here and there.

 

So, the fixes are in, so to speak, and we can easily move on to the next pre-publication step.

 

This second edition will be a radically different book than the first. It has totally updated chapters on meds and treatments, and completely new ones on my wife’s mastectomy and metastases. It has 40 extra pages.

 

The book contains, too, new transitional chapters, along with major revamps of every other chapter. Its title is more inclusive.

Woody Weingarten

It still is aimed at male caregivers (and patients of any gender) but it’s now also a tribute to the bravery and perseverance of my wife, as well as a memoir of how we coped with her thrice being diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Meanwhile, instead of waiting for the new version, you may want to dip into my other VitalityPress books. From my website — www.woodyweingarten.com, in case you forgot — you can order a copy (or two or two thousand, depending on the size of your family and how many folks you call friends).

 

My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship (the title says it all); The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter.

Two pancreatic cancer treatments show promise in clinical trials, New York Times maintains

Two experimental drugs are bringing hope to patients with deadly pancreatic cancer.

According to a recent story by Gina Kolata and Rebecca Robbins in The New York Times, clinical trials show promise for daraxonrasib and a personalized vaccine that employs mRNA technology, best known for its use in Covid-19 vaccines.

 

Researchers presented data supporting this conclusion at a San Diego cancer conference, but neither drug has yet been approved for use. Nor has the data “been published in a medical journal or reviewed by regulators,” the article reveals.

 

Pancreatic cancer kills more than 50,000 Americans each year. “Many patients die within a year of diagnosis, and only 13% of people live for five years after being diagnosed,” the piece says.

Dr. Robert Vonderheide

 Kolata and Robbins quote Dr. Robert Vonderheide, director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, as saying “the statistic that caught everyone’s eye was a doubling of overall survival…To see that effect with a side-effect profile that is manageable unleashed a lot of excitement  in the field.”

Vonderheide wasn’t involved in the new research but is president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research, the group of oncologists and scientists that hosted the California meeting.

 

Initial findings of the clinical trials were that daraxonrasib gave patients “over 13 months, compared to less than seven months for those who received chemotherapy.”

 

Pancreatic cancer, the story notes, “is different from many other cancers,” Kolata and Robbins maintain. “It is often caught very late, when the disease has already spread widely, because it often presents no early symptoms.…And treatment approaches like immunotherapy that have transformed the outlook for other cancers have not worked for that of the pancreas.”

 

More information on clinical trials and new drugs can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.

 

Breast cancer screenings and AI may protect against heart disease, new study suggests

Routine mammograms can “flag the risk of heart disease,” according to a new study in the European Heart Journal.

A recent story by Carolyn Y. Johnson in The Washington Post confirms that information. It also notes that radiologists for decades “have observed that breast cancer screening scans also reveal calcium deposits in the arteries woven through breast tissue, which cause the blood vessels to stiffen.”

According to Johnson, the study shows “how artificial intelligence [AI] can be used…to turn this ‘incidental finding’ into a warning system…a marker of increased risk for heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, and death.”

 

Heart disease is “the leading and often under-recognized cause of death in women,” his Post piece adds.

 

The story says that “studies have shown that many women mistakenly believe that breast cancer is the leading cause of death, and they may not take seriously the much greater risk of heart disease.”

 

Dr. Mary Cushman

Mary Cushman, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Vermont, who wasn't part of the study, is quoted to the effect that if women were educated while getting a mammogram, "it could be a game changer."

She also contends, according to an email she wrote, that “it is a clarion call that younger women [under 50] do have risk, that it can be detected, and that detection of risk should lead to interventions.”

 

By 2050, it is projected, “a third of women between the ages of 20 and 44 will have some form of heart disease,” the study says.

 

More information on cancer and heart disease can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.

Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff for Donald Trump, Reveals She Has Breast Cancer, Will Work Anyway

Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s chief of staff, plans to keep working while being treated for breast cancer.

Wiles did not announce those facts, the president did. Today. He said the prognosis for his longtime confidante was “beyond excellent,” according to a story by Dan Diamond in The Washington Post.

Susie Wiles

Donald Trump

Two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Post indicate she’s working on White House strategy in regard to this year’s midterm elections, “encouraging officials to focus on affordability and other messages with bipartisan appeal."

Wiles, 68, a longtime political strategist, helped Trump win the state of Florida in 2016, and then managed his 2024 presidential campaign.

The Post piece indicates she’s honing in on “priorities such as drug price cuts and [tamping] down controversies around vaccines.”

According to Diamond’s article, Trump notes on Truth Social that during the treatment period Wiles “will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me…very happy!”

Critics complained that Trump was politicizing breast cancer, just as he's politicized other difficult health and social situations in the past.

The story says that “Wiles has described her role as empowering Trump’s agenda, rather than serving as a check on his impulses, a break from some past chiefs of staff who have said that their most important role was saying no to the nation’s leader.

The piece continues: “She has also described Trump as having ‘an alcoholic’s personality,’ saying he ‘operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing,” among several comments that were published in a pair of Vanity Fair articles that drew national attention last year.

More information on political activities can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, aVitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.

Major update on the way for 'Rollercoaster: How a man can overcome his partner’s breast cancer'

If you’ve read 2015’s first edition, major changes should be instantly obvious in the second go-‘round of what’s been retitled as Rollercoaster: How a man can overcome his partner’s breast cancer or any other lethal disease.

Ruth Schwartz

The follow-up manuscript is currently in the hands of The Wonderlady, Ruth Schwartz, a book midwife who's sure it will be professionally readied for publication and sale throughout the world by spring.  

Schwartz’s hiring has been “a fail-safe action, a triple-check,” said I, Woody Weingarten, the book’s author and a lifelong journalist.

That’s because I’ve, indeed, updated “all of it,” after more than a year of intense research, rewriting, and fact checking, trailed by a helpful proof-reading by my son and caregiver, Mark.

Rollercoaster now includes several entirely new chapters pertaining to the cancer diagnoses and treatments of my wife, Nancy Fox, and how we coped with them. Like the rest of the book, they're a tribute to her and her courage.

One revised chapter details a truckload of new meds, and another explores multiple breakthrough treatments. A later section shows both agencies and books where help is available.

Anecdotes and humor are sprinkled throughout, to leaven the volume's heavy theme.

My other books are MysteryDates: How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds, co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details, including buy-buttons for Amazon, Barnes & Noble and a bevy of other vendors.

Scientists probe ways modern life can be fueling cancer among millennials, says Washington Post

There's been a "startling increase in cancer cases among millennials," according to an Advisory Board story that cites The Washington Post findings.

With the help of a bank of health experts, the Post has determined that "four potential environmental factors…could explain" the rise. They are maternal medicines, diet, circadian rhythm, and chemicals and microplastics.

The Advisory Board article states that the "trend of rising cancer rates among younger adults began with younger members of Generation X. But now, it's most apparent among millennials, who are being diagnosed in their early 40s or even younger."

According to the original Post article by Ariana Eunjung Cha, Álvaro Valiñe, and Dan Keating, "a growing number of scientists  are examining how the 'exposome' — or the total range of environmental exposures a person experiences throughout their life, even before birth — can impact a person's biology and risk of certain diseases."

Additional findings from a study released at an American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting are cited, to the effect that "millennials seemed to be aging biologically faster than older generations. This acceleration was associated with a significantly increased risk (up to 42%) for certain types of cancers, particularly those of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, and uterus."

Professor Gary Patti

The piece also cites research findings that "changes in everyday exposures may be accelerating aging, which makes the body more susceptible to diseases earlier than expected."

The story quotes Gary Patti, professor  of chemistry, genetics, and medicine at the University of Washington in St. Louis, as noting that "we've changed what we're exposed to considerably in the past few decades."

According to the story, Caitlin Murphy, a professor and cancer epidemiologist at the University of Chicago, While analyzing epidemiological data, had "discovered that cancer rates appeared to spike among millennials rather than just increasing with age."

Ultimately, the Washington Post article adds, "researchers say that the rise in cancer cases among younger adults reflects a deeper trend in human health. Several other major diseases, including heart disease and Alzheimer's, are not just being detected earlier, but are also starting earlier in life."

More information on trends in diseases can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, aVitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.

 

Screening for lung cancer, the deadliest in U.S., misses most cases, new study reveals

Because of missed diagnoses, cancer and public health officials are calling for changes in lung cancer screening guidelines.

That conclusion, according to a recent story by Allyson Chiu in The Washington Post, was from a new study published in “JAMA Network Open,” a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Ankit Bharat

A majority of the lung cancer patients in this country would not meet the screening criteria as it  exists currently, the Post quoted Dr. Ankit Bharat, the study’s lead author and executive director of the Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Medicine, as saying.

“If we have a more broader screening program, similar to breast and colon, then we would be able to detect substantially more patients at an earlier stage," he added.

 

The story indicates that if screening were made available for anyone between 40 and 80, nearly 94% of lung cancer cases could be detected, preventing at least roughly 26,000 deaths each year — "if even 30% of people get screened.”

 

The study had shown that of approximately 1,000 patients treated at Northwestern Medicine, only 1/3 met the requirements for screening. Eligible were people 50 to 80 who had a history of heavy smoking in the past 15 years, but women, minorities, and people who never smoked “were disproportionately excluded.”

 

Bharat noted that “lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in this country. It kills more people than breast, colon, and prostate put together.”

 

The Post piece also quoted Dr. Narjust Florez, a thoracic medical oncologist and co-director of the Young Lung Cancer Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, to the effect that “waiting for symptoms leads to most patients having a Stage 4 diagnosis.”

More information on studies can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, aVitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.