Cardinal George is participating in a clinical research trial at the University of Chicago for a new cancer drug, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Aug. 22. The drug, currently known as MPDL3280A, is designed to activate cells of the immune system enabling them to attack cancer cells, the archdiocese said in a statement released to media. “This approach differs from that of traditional chemotherapy, which uses drugs designed to be toxic to cancer cells. A preliminary trial of this new drug has shown promising results for patients who have the same type of cancer as Cardinal George,” the statement said. The University of Chicago reported that in the first round of the clinical trial, 43 percent of patients with advanced bladder cancer “showed evidence of a ‘durable effect.’” While undergoing the trial, the cardinal will maintain his regular schedule. Cardinal George was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2006. He underwent a five-hour operation at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood to remove his bladder, his prostate gland and parts of his ureters. Five years passed without a recurrence of the cancer, but in August 2012, doctors found cancerous cells in one of his kidneys and in a nodule that was removed from his liver. After the diagnosis, he underwent a series of six chemotherapy treatments. Four months after being diagnosed, the cardinal was told that doctors could no longer find any sign of cancer. However, in March of this year, Cardinal George announced in his column in the Catholic New World that the cancer returned. “After many tests, scans, biopsies and other inconveniences, the settled judgment is that the best course of action is to enter into a regimen of chemotherapy, with drugs more aggressive than those that were used in the first round of chemo,” he wrote. Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 74,000 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2014, and approximately 15,000 of new diagnoses are made when bladder cancer is in advanced stages. The cardinal’s health concerns have stepped up the process of searching for his successor as archbishop of Chicago. During an April 11 press conference, Cardinal George, who turned 77 in January, told reporters that he recently “urged” the papal nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, to begin the process. “It’s a question of being able to spend your entire energy on what is my responsibility as archbishop of Chicago. This is a position that demands a lot of constant attention,” he said. “Now it looks as if I’m going to have to be spending a little more attention on my health and so it’s just not fair to the archdiocese to have someone who may not be able to do the job as well as I believe it should be done.”
St. Patrick High School honors young student diagnosed with cancer When administrators at St. Patrick High School reached out to the family of Brendan Nelson, a second grader who was diagnosed with a brain tumor just before the beginning of the school year, to see what their students could do to help, Brendan’s mother asked for one thing: Do something to make Brendan feel special.
St. Peregrine shrine offers solace to those with cancer For over 25 years, pilgrims from the Chicago area and beyond have visited Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, 3121 W. Jackson Blvd., to pray for the intercession of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients.
Leaning on faith and intercessory prayer to fight cancer When I learned I had breast cancer on Feb. 13, the first thing I did was cry. The second thing I did was text family and friends letting them know the news and asking for prayers. Later, when I calmed down enough to be understandable, I called asking for prayers.