Katie Couric's Notebook: Tony Snow And Cancer

By: Katie Couric
Topics: Katie's Notebook

Video:
Notebook: Tony Snow

Hi everyone.

Another prominent figure is fighting cancer - again: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.

Two years ago, Tony was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was vigilant about being tested; the disease killed his mother when she was just 38. But when cancer spreads to another organ, like the liver… it can be tough.

There are many new therapies that can keep cancer in check, and sometimes it can be resected, or taken out...and the liver can actually regenerate. This case, and Elizabeth Edwards', are painful reminders that cancer is an epidemic in this country.

In the war on cancer, the foot soldiers are scientists working round the clock to come up with better therapies...and the ten million Americans living with it every day. We'll be taking a hard look at cancer over the next two nights on the Evening News...with more than one in three Americans diagnosed over their lifetimes, this is a series you can't afford to miss.

That's a page from my notebook.

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by boyzforme2 March 29, 2007 2:03 AM EDT: I think your story was great. It is so important for
everyone to understand about cancer. As a mom to a four year old cancer survivor, hepatoblastoma, I would love to see the focus on what these kids go through and about pediatric cancer. I hope you can look into this and inform the nation about the different kinds of cancer that is affecting our children...; Reply to this comment


by petersemkiw March 28, 2007 11:48 PM EDT: Dear Katie,The second night of your excellent and timely CBS Evening News coverage on cancer prevention and treatment was very informative, as was the first night. It was also very interesting to see Dr. Varmus of Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center interviewed and hear his thoughts about cancer treatment. In addition to the great regular news coverage,you and the rest of the CBS Team do a great public health service by educating us about these diseases in these great medical segments. Thank you very much!; Reply to this comment


by sunnlight March 28, 2007 11:08 PM EDT: A focus on cancer and the destructive path it creates and leaves behind is important to ALL of us.

This is especially in the case of pediatric cancer, for which many do not have any known origin; in addition, for most children, the cancer is more aggressive than in the case of adult cancers.

How does this impact all of us? Why is a "story" on cancer NEWS and NOT fluff? It's not obvious?

BECAUSE Cancer:
*Strikes us all, knowing no boundaries.
*Can cause life long survivorship issues and disability.
*Creates financial destruction for not only the person who is battling cancer, but for the caretakers and families.
*Causes loss of time at work for adults, which results in productivity loss.
*Taxes our medical system.
*Causes our taxes to rise as we try to meet the social and financial support the disease creates.

While there are many diseases and illnesses that mirror the same destructive path, there are few that affect every single person. Maybe you, or your family, have been spared fighting cancer. Sadly, for most of us, we have either lived with or witnessed what cancer does.

THANK YOU THANK YOU Katie, and the CBS News staff, for focusing on The most important war-- athe one for all of our lives, against cancer.; Reply to this comment


by duncansmomma March 28, 2007 11:00 PM EDT: There are many who decry this series as a method of corporate journalistic distraction meant to sheild us from the "real news." This may or may not be true, but I would much rather view a series on cancer than learn how to dress-for-less.
The fact is, cancer remains a leading killer in this country and innocents die in its war every day just as in Iraq. Lives are important, no matter how they are threatened.
I wish more of the series could focus on pediatric cancer. Often, pediatric cancer is thought of as rare and, in comparision to adult cancers, it is less prevailent -one in every 300 kids will be diagnosed this year. However, if you are like me, the mother of 2 yr. old survivor of stage IV hepatoblastoma, 1 in 300 is way too many! Childhood cancer is the number one disease among children, more than AIDS and other disease combined. Children are the most vulnerable among us; they can't care for themselves, get medical attention, or pay for treatment. They are OUR responsibility.
Yet funding for pediatric cancer research is cut, despite the fact that our very own president lost a sibling to leukemia!
Children receive and tolerate much stronger doses of more aggressive chemo and tend to show more marked improvements than adults...Give children an inch of treatment and they can deliever a mile of cure! Many childhood cancers are curable if treated properly, these children are NOT lost causes!
Duncan's Resource: http://burgefam.home.comcast.net; Reply to this comment


by margraham-2009 March 28, 2007 10:33 PM EDT: Please do not misunderstand what I am about to say. Cancer is a serious diseases. It needs funding and this funding is suffering because of the Iraqi war. But enough is enough! The media don't make a big fuss about this unless someone worthy of new material has been afflicted. What about the rest of the "unworthy" ones. When or if Mr. Snow and/or Mrs. Edwards succumb to this horrific disease, the unworthy ones will still suffer, the funding will still not come, and that dreaded disease would have taken another number of lives. I think the point has been made. Let us now look at positive news that the viewers can genuinely smile about.; Reply to this comment


by karenap March 28, 2007 5:16 PM EDT: I realize that cancer is a fact of life for many, and we need to understand more about it.

But............! I still do not believe Katie
Couric was very professional in the Edwards
interview regarding Elizabeth's new health
situation.
She seems to be working too hard to get to the heart of the story.
At the expense of lacking empathy.

Go plant a garden Katie. I'll watch Brian Williams on the evening news. kp; Reply to this comment


by queenmim March 28, 2007 3:17 PM EDT: I'd like to see information on how the cancer statistics for the US compare to other countries.; Reply to this comment


by froggytg March 28, 2007 2:32 PM EDT: Humans are the only species on the planet capable of making itself extinct.

What is your view of nature? What is your working definition of natural?

Almost all our efforts as human beings are at odds with nature. We constantly use the words "fight", "war", "battle", "overcome", "conquer" and "eradicate" to describe our efforts to be supreme and above and beyond the reach of nature. Floods, global warming, hurricanes, wild fires, mud slides, aging, HIV, heart disease and many other normal events are our targets.

If we continue to pursue these goals, nature will eventually rise up and, in one fell swoop, make us extinct.

I, for one, would like to see more news about how we can reduce total world population which inceases everytime we record a "victory" over nature. Too many people who live too long is absolutely the greatest threat to the survival of mankind as we know it today.; Reply to this comment


by martinab1 March 28, 2007 1:53 PM EDT: Katie,

I enjoyed your interview of the Edwards' during 60 minutes. Though people are judging you harsely for the questions that you asked, these were questions everyone were asking only silently. I felt the both John and Elizabeth were eliquoent in their answers and made sure to stress that he (John) does not want the sympathy vote.

This resolve made me a stronger supporter of his and his run for the Presidency. But he also realizes that he is nothing without his wife.

She is one of the strongest, articulate, beautiful women to be in the public eye for quite some time. May her optimistic look on the reoccuring cancer as an intruder, not an executioner spread to those who either have cancer or know someone that needs a positive role-model.

Thank you also for doing the cancer series this week especially with Tony Snow's reoccurence. I also realize that you lost your husband a few years ago to colon cancer and though as you and many of the emails suggest highlighting other lesser known cancers.

My suggestion is have a place on the CBSnews website dedicated to websites with possibly interactive explanations, treatment options, rates of detection, and methods for detection.

Lastly, this is an Internet age and if people want to find out "other news", search any of the news agancy websites which are updated almost instantaneously.; Reply to this comment


by godbless7 March 28, 2007 1:44 PM EDT: Dear Katie,
Thanks.One topic that needs to be covered is ERRORS in CANCER DETECTION.
Dr.Groopman told Nancy Shute in US NEWS &World report that errors in Radiology range from 20 to 30%.That is very HIGH ERROR RATE.
Likewise,New England Journal of Medicine had an article that"Rush colonoscopies Miss Growth"--Is it that some older doctors are on roller blades like #3 Surgeon who saw Dr.Groopman,rushed with judgement that he had gout--when it was Ligament tear in an elevator accident.
PLEASE COVER ERRORS IN RADIOLOGY.20 to 30% errors are unacceptable like 20 to 30% defects in cars--Japanese taught us ZERO DEFECT approach.; Reply to this comment