Dr. David Serban-Schreiber

Many of you have read Anti-Cancer, by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, a physician and psychologist. In it, he describes his first encounter with brain cancer in his early 30's, and how he recovered from it. Afterward, he studied the causes of cancer and discovered that changes in diet and lifestyle choices can reduce one's odds of getting cancer. All of this is described in detail in Anti-Cancer. If you haven't read it yet, you owe it to yourself to do so soon. David travelled the world with this message, and spoke at MD Anderson Cancer Center just over two years ago. Although David had one or two other encounters with brain cancer afterward, he survived them. Beginning in the spring of 2010, however, his brain cancer returned with a vengeance. This time, there was relatively little that could be done in the way of a cure. On Sunday, July 24, 2011, he passed away.

A few months before he died, David Servan-Schreiber dictated a memoir of his courageous battle, describing with great insight what it had been like for him during those final few months. It became an instant best-seller in his native France even in his last two weeks of his life. The English version is Not the Last Goodbye: On Life, Death, Healing & Cancer.

During the last year, David's brother Franklin Servan-Schreiber became one of his caregivers. This past Thursday evening, Franklin Servan-Schreiber spoke to a gathering of nearly 200 at MD Anderson Cancer Center about death and dying, a subject that our society avoids to such an extent that it is almost taboo as a topic for discussion.

Franklin had several suggestions for patients, family members and caregivers, based on his experience with his brother's death. First, the patient will have guilt feelings, that he has become a burden to his family and somehow has let them down. For awhile, David believed that his dying undermined what he said in Anti-Cancer, but his friends and family members assured him that this is not true. Second, both the patient and the family want a "timetable" as to when all the steps of dying will happen, but normally doctors won't tell them what those steps are, let alone when.

Third, deterioration is not gradual or linear, but in noticeable steps that happen without warning. Fourth, there are a lot of things that must be resolved as soon as possible, before the patient's condition makes it impossible to do so. A will, burial choices and arrangements for the children are obvious; less obvious are forgiveness issues, as in the situation of David's estranged ex-wife, who appeared at his deathbed.

Fifth, a little denial is OK, if it helps everyone cope. Near the end, his family threw a birthday party for David with 100 guests. Sixth, whatever background the patient has, he should use it to help him deal with his fear. Even though David was agnostic, he found Psalm 23 to be extremely comforting; he realized that he was not being singled out to enter the "valley of the shadow of death" but that it is an experience common to all of us, eventually. Seventh, David's biggest fear was not death, but the pain part of it. Toward the end, the family moved him to a hospital so that when pain struck, it could be dealt with fast. Eighth, the best way to express love to a dying person is touching him, holding his hand.

In a talk full of profound observations, Franklin made this extraordinary suggestion that applies to every one of us: "Make your cancer experience useful --- do not allow this valuable experience to be wasted." David Servan-Schreiber lived that advice, to the benefit of every one of us.

Dave Stevens,

Director, ProtonPals 

January 24, 2012 

The Beam News Presentation this coming Wednesday, February 1, 2012 is on "Questions on Proton Therapy where the answers are hard to find." It will be held between 10:00 am and 11:15 am in the Proton Center large Conference Room. The speaker will be Dave Stevens, one of our patients and a leader of the ProtonPals.

Whether you're currently a patient at the PTC or a Proton Center Alumnus, you're invited.

In his presentation, Dave will share his experiences and answer these questions:

■What happens to my PSA after Proton Therapy is over?

■What warning signs should I be on the lookout for?

■How can I tell if I am low risk, intermediate risk or high risk? And risk for what?

■Are there any side effects from Proton Therapy after I've "rung the gong?"

■Do the treatments continue to work after my 39 sessions are done?

■Why is a Gleason score so important? What does it look like under a microscope?

■What is the difference between a Gleason 7 (4+3) and a Gleason 7 (3+4)?

■What's next after if the protons don't kill all the cancer? What are the stages?

■What does it look like under a microscope when the protons kill cancer?

■If Proton Therapy kills the cancer, why do some men have hormone therapy?

■Doesn't the high dose radiation we get at the PTC make hormone therapy obsolete?

■Since I've been on Lupron, I'm having ED, mood swings, hot flashes and I just feel like sitting in my recliner all day. Does this happen to anyone else?

ProTom has other projects on the drawing board and one is the UK first proton center. The ProTom design with its small footprint and modular design is ideal for large urban center like London.    

What's unique about this technology is that the size and weight of the compact accelerator is in great contrast with previous generations like the one built by Hitachi at MD Anderson Cancer Center and others by IBA  in North America. The ProTom System is smaller, more capable and represents a new approach that could lead to even more accurate targeting of the proton beam. It will use protons for tomography. At the MDA Proton Center, our doctors precede proton therapy by mapping each patient's lower torso and prostate with a 3D scan that uses X-ray technology to target where the protons should go. By contrast, Pro Tom's system will use protons in its 3D scan that targets where the protons go. This change is believed to provide more accuracy and will need less margin.

Competition for other compact systems is on full steam and Mevion (Still River Systems) is commissioning the one in St. Louis and IBA of Beligium who building Proteus One, is installing a single-room system for Shreveport,  Louisiana.

Support ProtonPals by letting us know how you're doing. That is so important to newly diagnosed men and their wives and partners.  As a former patient we'd all welcome your help in getting the word out about proton radiation and how you're doing. Please donate using the Donate Icon below or mail a check made out to ProtonPals, Ltd.(we're a tax deductible non-profit) at my home address.  Read more about about it on the website How to Help - Giving