Marina Sez
Marina Symcox, PhD is a born teacher. Trained in biochemistry, she turned her considerable intellect to understanding GIST when she developed the disease back in the pre-Gleevec era. Waiting to die in hospice care, she was snatched from the jaws of death by the first trial of imatinib (Gleevec). Once she recovered a bit, she started again to study GIST and its treatment. She became one of the founding members of GIST Support International.
Marina's clear explanations in this section are taken from the archives of the GIST Support International listserv. Her talent for creating everyday analogies to convey difficult medical subjects is remarkable.
- When you think you have it bad taking Gleevec, there's nothing better by comparison, and there's a lot worse!!
- What Milestone in GIST Research Happened in March 2000?
- Marina on Survival of Wimps or Staying on Top of Your Medical Care
- From Anatole Broyard’s “The Patient Examines the Doctor”
- Choosing your PCP
- POST Liver Surgery-BE PREPARED - for after you leave the hospital
- Telling Friends and Family and other questions
- Families and the Sociology of the Illness Experience
- Anti Cancer Books and Media
- Help on how to help other's deal with the end of life's journey
- NEVER call GIST Benign
- Subject: Fighting Cancer With a Frown
- Continuing: Study: Attitude Can't Overcome Cancer
- A Chance to Pick Hospice, and Still Hope to Live
- Property Rights to YOUR own Blood and Tissue Samples
- Mixing Drugs and Herbs
- Diagnosing GIST vs Leiomyosarcoma
- MARINA: TO MUTATIONAL TEST OR NOT TO MUTATIONAL TEST
- Marina's analogy: Adjuvant Gleevec and GIST cells crossing the street
- Comments on resistant GIST with Exon 11 Kit mutation
- Marina on Common denominator//genetic metal cleat shoes
- Marina on Common denominator/genetic metal cleat shoes
- Marina on your Immune System and Sneaky Cancer Cells
- Family GIST - Part 1
- Family GIST Part 2 - Genetic testing??? BLOOD AND GUTS
- Mesenteric Nodes on a CT
- GIST Tumors may sometimes INCREASE IN SIZE during response
- Emotions and Stress Reduction
- Marina's thoughts on Routine GIST Care
- Marina's Info on predicting which cancers will metastasize
- Marina Explains - Exon 11-Original Sin Mutations, and then more
- Marina: More on Exon 11 mutations
- Marina explains more on Exon 11 mutations and codons
- Marina: 10% of GISTS show no gene mutations in KIT or PDGFRA (WILD TYPE)
- Marina - Clear margins are no guarantee about the return of GIST
- Marina Contemplates on Biopsies
- Marina on Possible Signs of GIST returning to the Liver
- Marina Discusses CRYOSURGERY VS RFA
- Marina Continues - What about Chemo-Embolization
- Marina's Cancer Analogy: Stuck Gas Pedals and Broken Brakes
- Marina Continues..Born With or Acquiring Mutations
- Marina's Analogy on METASTATIC GIST SURGERY - The Dandelion and The puff Ball Theory
- Marina's Analogy: Locks, Keys, Hot Air and Gleevec
- Marina Continues: Locks, Keys and Dasatanib
- Marina Answers - Does a metastasis have to involve a new mutation?
- Marina Comments on Gleevec and Diarrhea
- Marina on Tumor Necrosis
- Marina explains Necrosis vs Apoptosis--the distinction matters
- Marina Ponders Adhesion Molecules and Resistance
- Marina's Tutorial on What Drives a GIST Tumor
- Marina on Primary vs Acquired Resistance
- Primary or Secondary Resistance and Increasing Gleevec Dosage
- Primary and secondary acquired mutations
- Marina on Immune System Stuff
- Marina on Metastasizing GIST after a tumor is removed
- Marina on Blood PH
- Marina on Drug Ports
- Marina Explains Protein Folding
- Marina Comments on Depression
- Marina on Detecting GIST...the Guilt Game
- Marina Explains Metastasis
- Marina on Metastasis and the Journey of Mobile Cancer Cells
- Marina's Tutorial on Bayesian Statistics and Clinical Trials
- Marina on Mutational Testing
- Marina Explains Pet Flare
- Marina Explains What MCH is
- Marina Explains CD-117
- Marina on Path reports - SMA - CD-34 - S100
- Marina Explains Calcium Deposits
- Marina Explains Terms on a Pathology Report
- Marina on To Adjuvant or Not to Adjuvant
- You may worry about Adjuvant Gleevec potentially leaving you with more aggressive disease
- How Long to take Adjuvant Gleevec
- Marina speaks about cancer cells feeding off of sugar
- Marina answers the question.."Is the average radiologist who reads CT scans, truly capable of identifying GISTS?
- Exon 17 mutations
- PDGFRA Exon 18 Mutations
- VEGF Expression
- Marina AND Dr. Mel on Blood Cells
- Marina on Taking STATINS to lower cholesterol with GLEEVEC
- Marina, Statistics, and Tracking Dosages of Gleevec
- The Wedgie Approach to Developing Drugs For Those WIth Progression
- fungus, mycotoxins
- Dastatinib and the mutation from hell. PDGFRA D42V. Exon 18
- Gleevec and wild type or non exon 11 mutations
- Environmental links to GIST, or maybe the randomness of biology and the plasticisty of biological systems...
- Exon 12 of PDGFRA is equivalent to Exon 11 in KIT
- B-RAF mutation - stories about PLX4032 and melanoma
- Further mutation testing KIT,PDGFRA then for B-Raf
- Necrotic, good or bad?
- GIST, v-kit, c-kit and cat scratch disease
- Ki-67 proliferative index
- Cancer stem cells
- explain why RECIST (response evalulation criteria in solid tumors) would underestimate response to TKI
- What the heck is ETV1?
- Marina: A GIST cell can have both KIT receptor and PDGFRA receptor present on its surface
- Marina's GIST seeding Dandelion Puffball Analogy
- Marina: Cell cycle arrest and Gleevec
- Marina Explains TUMOR GROWTH
- Marina Explains Switch Pocket Kinase Inhibitors
- Marina on Plasma Level Testing (12/2011
- Marina explains "SDH defective" GIST rather than "SDH mutant" GIST
- Marina explains a lay persons description/definition of the difference between Exon 9 and Exon 11 mutations and or how they releate to treatment
- Gleevec plus INHIBITORS
- Marina on CARNEY'S TRIAD
- Autophagy and post Gleevec mitotic counts
- Good review - article about NF-1 GIST