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Cancer centers are suffering major shortage of popular chemo drugs

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Cancer centers are suffering major shortage of popular chemo drugs

Common cancer drugs are running short due to ongoing supply chain issues, forcing doctors to make tough decisions about treating patients., a new survey shows 

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) says 90% of cancer centers in the U.S. are affected by shortages of two main drugs. 

Doctors say this isn’t the first chemo shortage they’ve dealt with, but it might be one of the toughest ones yet. 

“Some of the facilities in the United States, we understand, actually have no Carboplatin or Cisplatin available,” said Dr. Robert W. Carlson, the CEO of the NCCN.

CARBOPLATIN, CISPLATIN DRUG SHORTAGES IMPACTING TREATMENT OF US CANCER PATIENTS: ‘UNACCEPTABLE SITUATION’

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Gail Lass needed Carboplatin, but her doctor didn’t have any and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to find it elsewhere.  (Fox News)

Carlson says Carboplatin and Cisplatin are two of the most common chemotherapy medications as they treat many types of cancer, like lung and testicular cancer. 

But, right now, not every patient has easy access to them.

“I was worried, because I didn’t want this to be prolonged,” said Gail Lass, who is being treated for stage 2 lung cancer in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lass needed Carboplatin, but her doctor didn’t have any and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to find it elsewhere. Eventually, her doctor arranged for her to get the chemo at a nearby hospital.

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“Usually, one of us can get the drug, but it’s just become more of a challenge,” said Dr. Justin Favaro, a Hematologist and Oncologist at Oncology Specialists of Charlotte.

For now, Favaro says the drugs are being given to people with stage 1, 2 or 3 cancer. That’s because treatment aims to cure the cancer in those stages. Stage 4 is when other treatment options are considered.

“In stage 4, patients where they’re not necessarily curable. A small change of one drug or one regimen to another wouldn’t necessarily shorten their lifespan,” Favaro said. It would just be not necessarily the ideal treatment that we would typically use.”

A graphic showing the shortage

A National Comprehensive Cancer Network survey of 27 U.S. cancer centers shows 93% have reported a shortage of Carboplatin, and 70% reported a shortage of Cisplatin. (Fox News)

It’s estimated that Cisplatin and other similar platinum-based drugs are prescribed for an estimated 10% to 20% of all cancer patients, according to the National Cancer Institute.

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“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Carlson predicted.

DRUG SHORTAGES IN CANCER, ASTHMA, TRANSPLANT, BACTERIAL INFECTION TREATMENTS

An NCCN survey of 27 U.S. cancer centers shows 93% have reported a shortage of Carboplatin, and 70% reported a shortage of Cisplatin.

“The current estimates are that up to 500,000 cancer patients per year could be affected by the shortage of these two agents,” Carlson said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently said it would work with a Chinese drugmaker to import Cisplatin to boost the supply for now.

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Carboplatin drug being labeled

Registered Pharmacy Technician Dawn Deslippe labels a dosage of Carboplatin for a cancer patient receiving treatment at Windsor Regional Hospital in Ontario, just across the border from Detroit, Michigan.   (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

“The FDA recognizes the potential impact that lack of availability of certain products may have on health care providers and patients,” the FDA said in a statement to Fox News. 

“While the agency does not manufacturer drugs and cannot require a pharmaceutical company to make a drug, make more of a drug, or change the distribution of a drug, the public should rest assured the FDA is working closely with numerous manufacturers and others in the supply chain to understand, mitigate and prevent or reduce the impact of intermittent or reduced availability of certain products.”

Dr. Carlson says it’s tough to know when conditions will improve. 

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Water for Weight Loss? How Much You Should Drink to Shed More Weight

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump, the daughter of incoming President Donald Trump, has been known to lead an active life.

As the mother of three kids and a lover of outdoor sports, the 43-year-old is always on the move, recently adding jiu-jitsu to her mix of physical activity.

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In a recent appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, Trump shared how her daughter, Arabella, expressed interest in learning self-defense when she was 11.

IVANKA TRUMP SHARES THE FITNESS ROUTINE THAT HAS ‘TRANSFORMED’ HER BODY: ‘SAFE AND STEADY’

“I’m just so in awe of [her],” Trump said about her daughter. “She came to me and said, ‘As a woman, I feel like I need to know how to defend myself, and I don’t have a confidence level yet that I can do that.’”

Ivanka Trump plays with her daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, in the Rose Garden during a Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump responded, “At 11 … I was not thinking about how to physically defend myself, and I thought it was the coolest thing.”

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After researching self-defense options, Trump enrolled Arabella, now 13, in jiu-jitsu (martial arts) classes with the Valente Brothers in Miami, Florida – and soon the whole family joined in.

STAY SAFE WITH 4 SELF-DEFENSE TIPS FROM EXPERT RENER GRACIE: ‘NOT AN EASY TARGET’

“[Arabella] started asking me to join – I joined,” she said. “Then my two sons wanted to do what their older sister was doing. Then my husband joined … It is good for everyone.”

“It’s almost like a moving meditation.”

Trump, who is now a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, described that she likes how the sport “meshes physical movement.”

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“It’s almost like a moving meditation because the movements are so micro,” she said. “It’s like three-dimensional chess.”

“There’s like a real spiritualism to it … The grounding in sort of samurai tradition and culture and wisdom.”

During President Trump’s first term in the White House, Ivanka Trump noted that she had very little focus on fitness, only taking weekly runs with husband Jared Kushner and “chasing the kids around the house.”

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Trump shared that she was “never a gym person,” but always loved sports, which still holds true today.

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She said she enjoys skiing, surfing and racquet sports like padel tennis (a hybrid of tennis and squash) and pickle ball, which she described as “fun and social.”

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk with their children on Dec. 10, 2022, in Miami, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

‘Elevating awareness’

On the podcast, Trump said she was drawn to jiu-jitsu because it combines physical fitness and philosophy.

It also focuses more on how to extract yourself from a dangerous situation before having to harm someone who’s a threat, she noted.

MARTHA STEWART, 83, STAYS FIT AND FLEXIBLE WITH THIS ROUTINE

“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to,” Trump went on.

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“Once you have the confidence that you can sort of move out of a situation, there’s a real focus on elevating awareness.”

ivanka trump waves

Ivanka Trump waves as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for US President Donald Trump’s departure on Jan. 20, 2021. (ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Rener Gracie, head instructor of jiu-jitsu at Gracie University in California, stressed that the only truly reliable skills are those that have been “mastered into muscle memory.”

This occurs through extensively practicing self-defense methods like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are “leverage-based and don’t rely on you having a physical advantage over the subject,” he noted.

“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to.”

“And by that, I mean strength, speed, power and size — because in almost every case, the attacker is going to target someone who they feel is physically inferior to them.”

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Gracie, whose family created Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), shared that jiu-jitsu is “highly sought after” because it only takes weeks or months for someone to “develop the core skills that could keep them safe in a violent physical encounter.”

‘Transformative’ strength training

In addition to mastering self-defense skills, Ivanka Trump recently revealed a shift in her fitness routine to include weightlifting and resistance training.

On Instagram, Trump posted a video displaying different exercises with various equipment in the gym, noting in the caption that she used to focus primarily on cardio, yoga and Pilates.

“Since moving to Miami, I have shifted my focus to weightlifting and resistance training, and it has been transformative in helping me build muscle and shift my body composition in ways I hadn’t imagined,” she wrote.

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“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls. These are the cornerstones of my workout, emphasizing functional strength for life.”

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Trump added that prioritizing form is “essential” to ensure results before adding on weight.

“This ensures a safe and steady progression while maintaining the integrity of each movement,” she continued. “I incorporate mobility work within my sessions to enhance range of motion.”

Ivanka Trump workout

“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls,” Ivanka Trump wrote in an October Instagram post. (Ivanka Trump/Instagram)

“Weightlifting has enhanced not just my strength but my overall athleticism and resilience,” she added.

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Trump said she dedicates three to four days a week to strength training, including two solo sessions and two with a personal trainer.

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She also said that increasing her protein intake has also been “critical” to her progress.

“I now consume between 30 and 50 grams of protein a meal,” she said. “It works … I’ve never been stronger!”

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in miami

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are seen arriving at the beachside eatery on May 2, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

Trump also still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, spending time outdoors with her children and playing sports with friends, she said.

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“I also incorporate a couple of short (10-minute), high-intensity interval training sessions (such as sprints) each week to keep my cardiovascular fitness sharp and dynamic,” she noted.

“This balanced approach has infused new energy into my fitness routine and yielded great results.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Ivanka Trump for comment.

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Semaglutide Pills and Injections Vs. Drops: Experts Weigh In | Woman's World

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