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Lung Cancer Patients: 17 Percent are Nonsmokers; Dealing With Cancer; New Books Investigates Bonds Steroid Use

Aired March 07, 2006 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Strength, tempered with grace, an iron will and a caring soul. Remembering Dana Reeve today as her friends and fans and family mourn her death from lung cancer at 44.
Reeve revealed she was stricken last August, less than a year after losing her famous husband, Christopher. They're survived by their 13-year-old son Will.

Dana Reeve was an ever-present aide and supporter of Christopher Reeve after he was paralyzed in a horse riding accident. She went on to chair his foundation, becoming an outspoken advocate for paralysis research, and stayed strong until the very end.

Reeve sang at an event in January, showing her talents as a former nightclub singer. Reeve also was an actress, appearing on stage and television.

Well, if you thought only smokers got lung cancer, you should know better today. Dana Reeve was a nonsmoker.

And CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports her affliction was not a fluke.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Three winters ago, Sandy Britt had a feeling that something was terribly wrong.

SANDY BRITT, CANCER PATIENT: I had noticed over the winter that I was getting one cold after the other.

COHEN: Sandy, who is 43, told her doctor she was worried about lung cancer. Her father and brother had died of the disease. She says the doctor told her not to worry.

BRITT: I could have been saved. You know, at that point, it was completely curable. And now it's not. Now I have a terminal diagnosis.

COHEN: Three years later, her suspicions turned out to be true. She was diagnosed with lung cancer so advanced, it had already spread to other parts of her body. Doctors told her she had eight months to live.

BRITT: I really believe that the reason I was ignored was that I was a young, healthy looking woman who never smoked. COHEN: Sandy Britt, Dana Reeve, part of a group you don't hear much about. Studies show that as many as 17 percent of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients are life-long nonsmokers. 80 percent of those patients are women. That's approximately 11,000 women diagnosed each year and the overall survival rates of lung cancer are grim. Six out of ten people will die within a year of being diagnosed. Eight out of ten people will die within two years.

BRITT: There's a whole subculture of us that people don't know about. And I can get lung cancer, if Dana Reeve can get lung cancer, then nobody is safe. Anyone can get lung cancer.

COHEN: Sandy says it's bad enough that she has a fatal disease, but people who don't know her well often assume she brought it on herself. But she's never smoked. Not ever.

BRITT: People don't care because they say, "Well, you know, you smoked. You brought it on yourself." It absolutely infuriates me to have lung cancer, to have a smoker's disease, when I actually hate smoking, you know. I belong to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. I do everything possible my whole life to avoid it.

COHEN: Sandy is fighting for more money for lung cancer research. Twice as many women die of lung cancer than breast cancer, but breast cancer is something that everybody knows women get. So I think it's more logical, it's more easy to accept.

COHEN: Her statistics are on target. But today, thanks to an experimental therapy, Sandy has lived three months longer than her doctors expected. But she's also writing her will.

BRITT: One to five years, if I'm lucky, I'll live five years. I mean, it could be any time.

COHEN: While she's still alive...

BRITT: You know, my mantra is, "I am a miracle. I'm going to go the distance." And, you know, I do hope and pray that I will be one of the few that actually survives this disease. I mean, I am a realist, and I have to plan for, you know, the fact that there's a good chance I'm going to die.

COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we've been taking your e-mails on lung cancer. Joining us now to answer some of your questions, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, let me ask you -- I mean, we've been talking about this all morning and through the afternoon, and we've been talking a lot about lung cancer and other cancers, a lot of the misconceptions. Are we missing anything to this point? I mean, what -- is there something that we should be talking a little bit more about that we haven't tackled yet today? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think we're bringing up some important issues here. One is that I think a lot of people don't realize, again, that lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers of all. But the real crux of the issue here is that we don't have a good screening test here for lung cancer.

We have mammograms for breast cancer, we have colonoscopies for colon cancer, PSA tests for prostate. But we don't know how to screen, really, for lung cancer. So by the time someone goes to their doctor because their cough's been lasting too long, because they've had frequent bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis, oftentimes that's too late. The lung cancer is already advanced. And that's really what the problem is here.

And I think, you know, what I'm starting to hear from a lot of people is some sort of -- sort of scratching their heads, saying, how come we don't have a better screening test? And I don't know the answer to that, but we certainly need one.

PHILLIPS: Well, I remember -- actually, she works with us at CNN now, but we worked together at another network years ago, and she did a story on those body scans. And she was a chain smoker.

And the body scan actually showed her how black her lungs were. I mean, she said she looked at this and was so appalled she quit smoking.

So is it not -- you can't get a type of body scan or some type of x-ray or MRI to see what your lungs look like?

GUPTA: Well, there certainly are tests out there that could find lung cancer in people. I mea, a CT scan, a CAT scan of the lungs would probably detect very early lung cancer.

The problem, Kyra, is that we're -- you have to distinguish between what might work for an individual person versus what might work for society as a whole. Are we ready to start recommending lung CT scans for every single American when they hit a certain age like we do with colonoscopies, for example, or mammograms for women?

The -- you know, the medical society, medical community isn't ready to make that recommendation yet because it is expensive and there are dangers, you know, from the CT scans themselves in terms of radiation and possibly finding things that are nothing that require surgery and biopsies to further delineate. But, you know, I don't know. We need to come up with a better plan, there's no question.

PHILLIPS: We have a number of e-mails. I want to throw some of these at you, Sanjay.

Carol in California said, "My husband and I each had full body scans done last year and the report did not note any 'masses' or anything else suspicious, anywhere." This is sort of ironic. I didn't actually know that this what the e-mail -- because we're just getting them in. But I asked you kind of about this. "We are both former smokers who have been smoke-free for nearly 10 years. What should we do to stay 'ahead of the curve' regarding the detection of possible lung cancer?"

GUPTA: Well, first of all, congratulations on two counts. One, is that your scan was -- it sounded like it was normal. And that you quit smoking. The biggest thing to stay ahead of the curve is certainly to not smoke again, because as much as we talk about Dana Reeve not being a smoker, I don't want in any way the message to be lost that smoking is still the biggest preventable form of -- preventable risk factor for lung cancer.

Whether or not this particular couple should get another full body scan in a few years or not is going to be a subject of debate. They -- it sounds like they can afford it. So it may not be a bad idea for them.

But again, I don't know that we're ready to recommend this generally for the entire population, these full body scans.

PHILLIPS: And also, if you quit smoking, that doesn't mean you're out of the woods. Years later it can come back, right, or develop?

GUPTA: It doesn't, right. It certainly can. And there's some pretty good data on this, Kyra.

For example, if you're a lifelong smoker and you're 50 years old now and you quit smoking, you probably halve your risk. You cut your risk in half of developing cancer. That's pretty significant.

If you're 30 years old and you've been a lifelong smoker and you quit smoking, you may be able to negate your risk altogether within a few years. So at any point in your life if you quit smoking, you certainly can decrease your risk, at least somewhat.

PHILLIPS: Louise in Lincoln, California, wants to know, "Is there any research being done with patients to determine if they have been exposed to and breathed spores of toxic mold, asbestos... pesticides or other poisons?"

GUPTA: Yes. I mean, lots of research.

I mean, look, there is a certain percentage of people -- we know for sure women and men -- about 20 percent of women who develop lung cancer were never smokers. And 10 percent of men who develop lung cancer were not smokers.

So the question is, what's happening? Is it some sort of exposure?

Actually, the second leading cause of lung cancer in this country is actually exposure to radon, which is a naturally-occurring gas that comes out of the soil. So there's been a lot of studies actually done on exposure specifically to radon. And there's been exposure to other things as well. You know, asbestos is something that we talk about leading to a specific form of lung cancer. But this is something that's pretty -- pretty widely studied.

PHILLIPS: This is kind of like a bit of a side angle, but you mentioned radon. And I remember reading a number of articles about how this in many ways -- some folks have sort of taken advantage of this fear.

For example, I remember when I was looking for a house I was told during the inspection, "You should get a radon inspection." But then other people told me, oh, it's just a way that certain individuals are trying to make money and that some of these tests that we buy don't necessarily work.

Isn't there some controversy over radon?

GUPTA: Well, you know, I'm not sure. I'm sure there's some -- some stories out there about home inspectors, or whatever, maybe somebody trying to make a quick buck off this. But the fact of the matter is that about one in 15 homes in America have radon levels that are too high, especially older homes that didn't design their homes to specifically prevent radon from infiltrating into the basements and into the homes.

People don't think about this. I mean, they don't -- they don't really pay a lot of attention to it. But you can easily measure the radon levels in your home.

And keep in mind, especially for, you know, young children and older people, this may be a risk factor for lung cancer. So, you know, to get it checked out and to possibly do things to bring the radon levels down.

PHILLIPS: CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta staying with us for the next couple of hours to answer your e-mails.

Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Any cancer diagnosis generates a lot of tough questions, and we're trying to answer as many as we can today. But you can learn more, any time online.

The American Cancer Society's Web site is www.cancer.org, or you can call them at 1-800-ACS-2345.

When we return, meet a man who survived Stage 4 lung cancer. Ed Levitt has an amazing story. He joins me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Science identifies several stages of lung cancer. One being the least serious, four the most.

Ed Levitt survived Stage 4. At one point, being told he had a month to live. That was many, many months ago.

Today, he joins me here live at the CNN Center.

Good to see you.

ED LEVITT, SURVIVED STAGE 4 LUNG CANCER: Good to see you.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Kind of take me back. How did you first find out that you had lung cancer?

LEVITT: I had a pain in my leg. I've never -- I'm not a smoker, never had a drink, never eat red meat, never had days off from work, and I was in great shape. And then I was getting off a plane and my leg started to hurt me.

And one thing led to another, and over a period I went to doctors and they said I was over -- I was working out too much for a fellow my age, which is typical. And then they did some more checking and got a small lump on my leg, and they found out I had lung cancer. And my face started drooping, and they gave me about 30 days to live, so I had to buy a plot and I had to go and pick out a coffin and take care of my will and...

PHILLIPS: It happened that quickly?

LEVITT: Yes.

PHILLIPS: I mean, they told you, just immediately, this is it, Ed, you've got one month? This wasn't over an period of time? I mean, it went -- I mean, how fast did this process go?

LEVITT: Well, actually, from the time that I was diagnosed -- from the time I got the pain until the time I was diagnosed was only a matter of about a month, six weeks. What happened was I had already made Stage 4, terminal, advanced.

My face was hanging down on one side. Inside of a couple weeks, I was told I had palsy, but it wasn't. I had tumors in my face that were pressing on nerves. I had it on my spine, I had it in my ribs, I had it in my adrenal glands and in my lungs, of course.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. So did doctors, did they give you any options at all? Or did they just say, Ed, you've got about a month and we're sorry?

LEVITT: They said go and make arrangements, there's not much we can do. So I changed hospitals. I went down to Emory locally. And thank god they're here. And they gave me chemo, which I don't want anybody to have chemo.

PHILLIPS: Yes. I've had some friends go through it. It's brutal.

LEVITT: And radiation.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely brutal. LEVITT: It is. It's worse than the -- I guess the cure's worse than the disease. And it didn't work. And they gave me a pill that the FDA was taking off the market, and miraculously, overnight, literally, my tumors shrunk up to 70 percent.

They didn't go away. They're still there. But they did shrink up to 70 percent. And that was -- I started my third year. It's been my third year and one month now.

PHILLIPS: Tell me about this pill.

LEVITT: It's a pill that's no longer available to anybody.

PHILLIPS: And why is that?

LEVITT: Because the FDA, in their wisdom, feels that it didn't help enough people. Personally, I think one person is sufficient.

PHILLIPS: Right.

LEVITT: And they said it helps mainly young Asian women. Well, I'm not a young Asian woman, but, you know, I can fake it if I have to.

PHILLIPS: I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor, Ed.

LEVITT: You have to. You really do.

PHILLIPS: You go from 30 months to live to cracking jokes about your...

LEVITT: You have to. You have to.

PHILLIPS: So -- so, OK. So, how did you find out about the drug? Was a doctor studying this drug, even though the FDA had -- it had never been approved by FDA, or it was at one time?

LEVITT: No, it was going through to be approved.

PHILLIPS: OK.

LEVITT: It had come out of trial -- it was in trial. And the doctors at the hospital, Dr. Fenucci (ph) -- and I don't mind mentioning his name, he's kept me alive all this time -- said, let's try this pill while he was looking for something else. And it started working.

But in that time, they've since taken it off the market, so it's not available, except for people who are on it. You can stay on it. And as you die, of course, it will disappear.

I don't -- I don't understand that, because as far as I'm concerned, if they take it -- if they put it back on the market -- it's already made, they've already discovered it. Why not make it available? If it helps one out of a thousand -- there's 174,000 that will die this year in the United States. So if it helps one or two, why not? I mean...

PHILLIPS: Tell me the name of this pill.

LEVITT: It's Arisa (ph).

PHILLIPS: Arisa (ph).

LEVITT: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So, Sanjay Gupta, I know you're with us, right?

Are you with us, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Yes. Can you hear me, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Yes. Can you hear me OK?

GUPTA: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Let me ask why I have Ed here, he took a pill called Arisa (ph). And doctors told him he had 30 months to live. But then there was this pill that was on trial, he started taking it, his tumors shrank, all of a sudden he started getting his health back. And -- well, he's sitting next to me right now. He was in his fourth stage of lung cancer.

Why wouldn't that be approved? Why wouldn't that still be on the market today?

GUPTA: Well, first all, let me just say, I mean, he looks terrific, and I'm glad that the pill worked so well for him.

You know, it's not my understanding that it actually has been taken off the market. I think it's still in clinical trials and been approved for some forms of lung cancer. So I'm not sure that -- we'll have to double-check on Arisa (ph) for sure.

But, you know, it's a relatively new drug that has shown some promise when it comes to lung cancer. Obviously, in Mr. Levitt's case it has done some wonders here, for sure. But we will check and find out exactly what the status of Arisa (ph) is right now.

PHILLIPS: Excellent.

I know we're going to get you hooked up so you can hear Sanjay.

LEVITT: OK.

PHILLIPS: I know you don't have an IFB, but basically he's saying that Arisa (ph), he believes it's still in clinical trials.

LEVITT: No, it's been taken off.

PHILLIPS: Oh, it has been taken off.

LEVITT: It has been taken off.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to research that. We're going to find out more about that.

Sanjay, we'll do that. We'll get on to Arisa (ph) and find out, you know, more of the details behind that, because you're raising an interesting point, especially when we're sitting here talking to you. It does bring up those questions.

LEVITT: I mean, do I look like I have cancer?

PHILLIPS: No, you're looking pretty darn good to me. And Sanjay pointed that out as well.

We're going to get you hooked up on IFB, and I'm going to ask Sanjay a question.

Now, Sanjay, you and I have had conversations about various drugs that have been on trial. Is there ever a certain amount of time that a drug has to be on trial, or is it different case by case, depending on how people respond that are taking the drug? Or is it always a set amount of time before the FDA says let's do it?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's interesting, Kyra. There's actually three different phases to clinical trial.

The first phase typically is to find out if a drug is safe. The second phase is to find out if it's effective. And the third phase is to find out if it's more effective than other drugs out there.

Now, what might fast-track a drug, for example, that might be if you're dealing with a diagnosis, a lung cancer, for example, in which there really aren't many good alternatives out there and a drug is showing some promise early in either phase two or phase three clinical trials. It might get fast-tracked so that it becomes approved a little bit more quickly for general use.

PHILLIPS: Now, I have Ed now hooked up with IFB just so we can have a little patient-doctor conversation.

Sanjay, is there anything we can talk about with Ed that would help our viewers to understand lung cancer better or what they should do, or anything you want to ask Ed about taking Arisa (ph) and his life now?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, it's interesting, Ed. I think a lot of people are sort of curious. You first said you had leg pain, is that right?

LEVITT: I had a pain in my leg, that's correct.

GUPTA: Was that because the tumor had actually spread to areas around your leg?

LEVITT: Yes. Yes, it spread throughout my whole body.

And one of the places -- the place it showed up was on my leg in form of a pain. As I say, I would exercise three hours a day, seven days a week. I mean, that was without fail.

So the doctors felt that I really overdid it for my age. They said a man of my age should not be kickboxing. I don't know why, but they said I shouldn't be.

PHILLIPS: He was, like, in the best shape of his life, Sanjay.

LEVITT: I was.

PHILLIPS: He was eating well, he wasn't smoking, drinking, eating fatty foods.

LEVITT: No.

PHILLIPS: I mean, that seems incredible.

GUPTA: In retrospect, Ed, was there anything that ever gave you a clue before that pain in the leg that something else might have been wrong?

LEVITT: Absolutely not. I didn't even -- I didn't have a doctor. I hadn't been to a doctor because I never got sick in over -- I guess the best part of 20-odd years.

I mean, I never even took an aspirin, nothing. I was fine. I had great breathing. I could run 20 flights of stairs with a 10-pound pole on my shoulders and it didn't bother me.

GUPTA: And, you know, that is part of the point, Kyra, which makes screening for this so difficult, that someone like Ed would have had no reason to actually get screened, really, for lung cancer. So how do you figure out who these people are that are not only developing cancer of the lung, but also developing a cancer that is spreading throughout their body?

It is very difficult, I think -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, and now, Ed, did you start the Lung Cancer Alliance Center or you just got...

LEVITT: Yes.

PHILLIPS: You did start this organization. Tell me why.

LEVITT: Well, I started in Atlanta. It's in -- Lung Cancer Alliance is in Washington. It's an advocacy group, and it's a very good group. And it's the only ones that are focused strictly on lung cancer.

And of course it has a very bad -- lung cancer, everybody wants to stay away. Everybody admires you, but everybody is at an arm's distance. And I just felt I could either go and enjoy my life, what I have left, or do something. And after going down into those infusion rooms, or seeing people, 100 people at a time, just at Emory...

PHILLIPS: What's an infusion room?

LEVITT: That's where you're getting your chemo.

PHILLIPS: OK.

LEVITT: And everybody's laying on these recliner chairs. And seeing young people dying and suffering. And I was suffering myself, believe me.

I felt I needed to do something. And somebody has to do something. And so I just made a decision.

And in Georgia, nobody had done anything. There was a lot of help for breast cancer, thank god, and for prostate, and all the other cancers. And that's a good thing, but...

PHILLIPS: So you were actually in this infusion center with other patients. You all are sort of looking at each other as you're having -- gosh. Tell me just the mental impact that that has, or is it a bonding experience? Is it more painful to be -- I mean, I can't imagine if you're struggling, you know, with your own situation, oh, my gosh, you wonder, is it harder or easier?

LEVITT: No, it's -- I'll be honest with you. Most people that have -- and I can't speak for around the country, but I think I can -- I know enough of them already. But most people are so lost in their disease that they have a tough time fighting to get out.

So you get somebody, a fool like me that comes in and makes a joke and sings and orders sandwiches, and everybody's sleeping and throwing up. And you get some that will talk to you, but overall, most don't talk to you. It's -- especially when you're at the end and if you're chemo's not working.

My chemo wasn't working. And it was awful. But you still -- the doctors told me, you got to have attitude, you've got to exercise and keep eating.

And I used to fall down in the street walking my dogs. I walked three hours a day with my greyhounds. And when I was on chemo, I would fall down in the streets, I would throw up on the street.

I would help myself up on the mailboxes. People would help me up, and I'd keep walking.

And you've got to get out of bed and keep walking. You're either going to die on your terms or somebody else's. You can either lie in bed and die or you can do something about it.

PHILLIPS: You might as well do something about. Well -- so I think it's Arisa (ph), I think it's a miracle, and I think it's your tremendous attitude.

Ed Levitt, great talking to you. Thank you so much.

LEVITT: My pleasure. Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: I really appreciate it.

LEVITT: I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: It was wonderful. Thank you.

LEVITT: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're talking about cancer today, a disease that has taken so many lives and touched so many people at the same time. We know you have a lot of questions, and we have a number of doctors waiting to answer them.

So e-mail us at livefrom@cnn.com. Dr. Otis Brawley, a cancer specialist at Emory University, he's going to join us in the 3:00 p.m. hour, along with another Stage 4 cancer survivor.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Another story unfolding today involves one of baseball's biggest stars and steroids. We're talking about Barry Bonds, who in recent years has chased the homerun record while running from allegations of steroid use.

A new book entitled "Game of Shadows" makes the case that he was a user, a big user. One of the authors, reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada, with the "San Francisco Chronicle," he's joining us now.

And Mark, you and I have talked about this more times than I can count. We've had interviews together here on CNN. You never told me you were working on the book. You didn't give me the scoop.

All of a sudden, we got the word. I went, "I knew it. I knew Mark was going to do this."

You had some pretty amazing research.

MARK FAINARU-WADA, "SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE": Well, thanks very much. Sorry we've been -- we were held under lock and key for what we could say, Lance and I were, but we're happy to be able to talk about it now. And it's been a really interesting process reporting the story.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about how you guys got so involved and were able to dig deeper. And more and more people talked to you, and then you landed a pretty big scoop and you were able to put this book together.

FAINARU-WADA: Well, the whole thing starts for both Lance Williams and I back in 2003 in September, when BALCO was raided. And it starts what's become known as the BALCO steroids scandal. And at that point, the "San Francisco Chronicle" here puts both of us on the story and it's basically been our lives for the past two-plus years.

And we've been fortunate enough to break a number of stories over that time. And then we had a chance to write this book and doing that added us the opportunity to do additional reporting. And the results are essentially what you're seeing now.

PHILLIPS: Well, you remember who Jose Canseco came out with his book and he named a lot of names and made a lot of allegations and it raised a lot of controversy. With regard to your book, for those that are going to want to read it and buy it, how do they know -- how can they have faith this isn't he said/she said? How do we know this is the real deal?

FAINARU-WADA: Well, I think it's an excellent question. This is the product, again of two-plus years of reporting by both Lance and myself. And much of the information about Bonds' use of steroids is rooted in documents and on the record information that he's provided to federal investigators in the course of the BALCO case.

You have about six on the record discussions regarding Bonds' use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as an audiotape that we have of his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, discussing his use.

And then we've been able to extend that to talk to other sources whose information reinforces this and helps date the use of the steroids and the performance-enhancing drugs back to prior to the 1999 season. And it gives you a little more insight into motivation as well, and why Bonds begins to use the substances he does.

PHILLIPS: Do you talk about anybody else besides Barry Bonds?

FAINARU-WADA: Well, the book is -- the book will be on newsstands on March -- or in book stores on March 27th...

PHILLIPS: Come on, Mark, give me a little something! Are we going to be surprised by other big names?

FAINARU-WADA: I don't want to get shot by Gotham, but our -- you know, I think the book is a definitive account both of Bonds' use -- and what you'll get more out of reading the book is a real broader sense of not only Barry Bonds, but the extent to which these drugs are pervasive in baseball, in track and field, in the NFL. And a much broader sense and a much deeper sense of who these characters are and what motivates people to make the choices they do.

PHILLIPS: All right, let me ask you this. Let me dig -- ask it another way. When we saw all these big names up on the Hill testifying, -- Mark McGwire, other big names -- some of those faces that we saw testifying during those hearings, will those names be in your book?

FAINARU-WADA: Well, they're in the book in the context of the congressional hearings. I mean, the book is really centered around BALCO and the BALCO case and the people who are caught up in that scandal. And I -- you know, Barry Bonds is obviously the most significant name in that, and the book provides extensive information about him and the extent of his use and the motivations behind that.

But it also touches on many of the other athletes who you saw caught up in BALCO. And also, more interestingly, I think, you'll hopefully get a sense of how the process worked, how people turn to Victor Conte and others to try to get interested in using these kinds of substances.

PHILLIPS: Did you interview Barry Bonds for this book?

FAINARU-WADA: Well, we've had extensive interviews over the course of the last two years with his attorney Mike Rains and made requests to talk to Barry Bonds for the book, as well as for stories. And, you know, Bond has steadfastly denied ever using performance- enhancing drugs. So we did talk to his attorney Mike Rains extensively for the book and Bonds himself has repeatedly denied that he's ever used the substances and declined to be interviewed extensively.

PHILLIPS: Now that this is out, the news is out, have you received any phone calls from Barry Bonds or his attorney?

FAINARU-WADA: No, we've spoken this morning, Bonds' attorney and I, and that's about the extent of it. They're learning the information in a more extensive way right now about what's in the book and what's primarily in the "Sports Illustrated" excerpt. And I would imagine that at some point along the way, you may see comment from them.

PHILLIPS: Are you worried about legal action?

FAINARU-WADA: We're not. We know that the reporting is very solid in this book and it's -- as it's been reported, the reporting's been incredibly solid for "The Chronicle." It's been vetted by lawyers throughout the process. And as I said, much of the information about Bonds' steroid use is rooted in both public and private sealed documents that are connected to the BALCO scandal.

PHILLIPS: Any reaction from Major League Baseball? Could this possibly make a bigger impact on drug testing policies?

FAINARU-WADA: I think we'll just have to wait to see. I mean, baseball moved -- has moved slowly on this process. And generally, what has -- typically what's moved them is congressional pressure. They implemented a steroid testing policy in 2002 in the wake of pressure from a "Sports Illustrated" article. Then, in the wake of the BALCO scandal, they redid their policy twice because of congressional pressure. And I think this is really a wait-and-see thing. I don't think we have any idea of what baseball will do, and I think a lot will depend on what others do.

PHILLIPS: One tidbit. I did get to see an excerpt from the book. You write about Barry Bonds depending on the substance. "Bonds used the drug in virtually every conceivable form, injecting himself with a syringe, being injected by his trainer, Greg Anderson, swallowing pills, placing drops of liquid under his tongue, and in the case of BALCO's notorious testosterone-based cream, applying it topically."

You even go into talk about these discussions that happened between Bonds and his trainer. "Bonds called for the restarting of these cycles when he felt his energy and power start to drop. If Anderson told Bonds he was not due for another cycle," the authors write, "Bonds would tell him F off, I'll do it myself." Pretty powerful conversations, pretty powerful allegations, yes?

FAINARU-WADA: Well, we think it's a very, as I said, definitive account and we have very good sources and very good people we've talked to, both providing us information about Bonds, as well as, again, documents from the BALCO case. And we'd like to think it is a definitive accounting of not only what he used, but why he used it and to the extent that he used it.

PHILLIPS: Once again, the book is "Game of Shadows." When it is on stands? March?

FAINARU-WADA: It will be in bookstores on March the 27th, and it's been published by Gotham Books.

PHILLIPS: March 27th. "San Francisco Chronicle" reporter, of course, Mark Fainaru-Wada. We've been talking with you a lot over the past month, Lance Williams also a part of this reporting in this book. Appreciate your time, Mark.

FAINARU-WADA: It's my pleasure, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, we're going to be talking more about cancer, as we continue our special dealing with all types of cancers. We're going to taking your e-mails. We have doctors on hand to answer your questions.

And also, Senator John Kerry, speaking on the Senate floor right now. As you know, he was very good friends with Dana Reeve and her husband Christopher.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: ... Dana took the time, found the courage somewhere, and the strength and the sense of purpose, that she described to me as coming directly from Chris himself, to come out on the trail and fight for what he had been fighting for.

I will never forget the grace and the strength that she showed that day and even a glow that she exuded in her love for Chris and her passion about the issue.

Let me just share, if I may, a few of the words that she spoke that day, which I found so moving, but I also find important for all of us to focus on today.

She said: "Chris struggled for nine and a half years, but it was essential to him that every day bring some kind of forward progress, either personally or globally. Despite the enormous challenges he faced each morning, he awoke with focused determination and a remarkable zest for life. Chris was able to keep going because he had the support of his loved ones and dedicated nursing staff, the belief of his fans and members of the disabled community, and because he had hope -- hope that one day science would restore some of his function.

Chris actively participated in clinical trials. He was on a strict exercise regimen and was recently in a trial right here in Ohio," she said, "to breathe on his own. Chris could breathe off his ventilator for hours at a time, thank to science and scientists taking bold steps."

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PHILLIPS: Well, great spirit, full of determination, full of grace. That's how members of the Christopher Reeve Foundation are remembering their late chairwoman. Despite the loss of Dana Reeve, they're vowing to move forward.

Our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff, is at the Christopher Reeve Foundation in Short Hills, New Jersey. Let's talk about reaction from this and also talk about the foundation.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, Dana Reeve certainly leaves behind just a wonderful legacy of the Christopher Reeve foundation. The foundation does two things. First of all it funds research into spinal cord injury, spending more than $8 million a year on that. It also funds quality of life programs around the country.

What am I talking about. Here's an example. This is from the Aurora Medical Center in Hartford, Wisconsin. The folks there who are confined to wheelchairs took a trip last year to see "Million Dollar Baby," the movie, and the Christopher Reeve Foundation paid this organization, this medical center $5,000 to help with transportation for outings such as this. Going to the movies, also a trip to go fishing last year as well. They say no fish were caught, but we had an absolutely wonderful time.

So those are the sorts of programs they helped fund. They also have a resource center in the building right behind, and in the resource center they have spectacular books you would not find in a public library. Books such as "Wheelchairs On The Go: Accessible Fun in Florida. And also a book on exotic travel for folks in wheelchairs. These are available at the resource center here. People can contact the resource center. They'll mail the books out, even send an envelope that people can mail the books back. This really was the passion of Dana Reeve, people at the foundation say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY LEWIS, CHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: Dana really embodied the spirit of the patients and their family. That was what was important to her. Chris was very busy working on pushing scientists and meeting with scientists and finding out what the next breakthrough should be. Dana, in the meantime, really understood what was happening in the family. What that meant to the mother, the children, the parents, the caregivers. And she was so sensitive to what was going on, really thought that's where she could make a difference in people's lives and she did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF:: You can access information about that resource center at paralysis.org. They also have information specialist who can answer questions for folks who need assistance in terms of logistics, travel, health information. They're very, very accessible. They've taken more than 26,000 calls during the history of center. And of course, to make donations, have a look at christopherreeve.org. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Allan Chernoff, outside the Christopher Reeve Foundation in New York, thanks.

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. No surprise there. Can you guess what's number two? it's something you may have in your house right now and not even know it. Radon gas. It's much more prevalent in some places than others. Let's learn more about this from meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's a naturally occurring substance. You get it in the ground. Basically what happens is uranium, we've all heard of that, that decays and it produces radon that can emit in your home.

How does it get there? You can't see it, you can't taste it, you don't know it's there. But it can seep in through cracks in the floors and in the walls and can get in through joint construction, gaps around your pipe, cavities inside the walls or even less common, it can get in through the water supply.

I want to show you some areas across the country that are at higher risk. Notice the red here, you can really see it across the northern tier of the country. Look down through the Rockies in this region and then across the Appalachians. The yellow areas shaded here, zone three, it doesn't mean you can't get radon in your home in this area. It's just less likely.

That includes Gulf Coast states, to Florida, and then also notice areas in the Southwest, you can see highlighted in red, at high risk. Santa Barbara and Ventura County, near Los Angeles there. Less common as you head further south to the San Diego area.

If you want more information on this there's a great Web site. I'll walk you over here and show you the addresses, www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html. There you can click on your specific state, find out more information, whether or not you're at high risk there. And there's also frequently asked questions on the list. It also describes detail of what radon is and how it gets into your home.

You can get a professional and have them test this or you can try it yourself at home, Kyra. We picked this up at The Home Depot or you can get it at Lowe's or any kind of home construction place. It only cost us $10. Make sure that it says on there that it meets all of the EPA and state requirements that you have.

It comes with these little canisters. You open them up, place them in your home and you let it sit there for four days. After four days, you just seal it back up, mail it in. There's a little extra cost. Fill out the card, make sure you record the date and time you did that and make sure you wait at least four days.

You want to put it in a part of your home that is less used, maybe, say in your basement. That's usually where you get some of the higher radon levels in your home because you don't want any ventilation, any fans or extra air coming in from the outside. So a very easy, cheap way to do it.

One other thing you want to keep in mind is that your levels of radon in your home can change from day to day so levels you get one day can be very different from what they are, say, two months down the line so you want to continue to check. The EPA does recommend no matter where you live, that you do get radon levels tested in your home.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui Jeras great information, thank you so much.

Our special coverage dealing with cancer continues. Don't go away.

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PHILLIPS: Well, when cancer strikes, it's not just the patient whose life is changed. Dealing with cancer is often a family affair. CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has one family's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE HAZEN, CANCER PATIENT: I didn't know actually, I did OK.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Denise Hazen was just when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

HAZEN: They were saying my balance is off.

GUPTA: Her battle plan: keep going, stay alive.

HAZEN: I just want to be there to experience those birthdays, the graduation, the weddings. You know? You just -- I just want to be here.

Come here, Nicholas.

GUPTA: Cancer is not the first challenge in Denise's life. Her son, Nicholas, has autism.

HAZEN: Nicholas is our little angel child, we call him. He's eight-years-old. Not those. Go to the table and get the glasses for mommy.

He does have to struggle and things are harder for him sometimes, but we're all better because of it. And that's how I approach the cancer.

What a day!

Katherine (ph) has been so terrific during this time, but yesterday was the first day that she broke down a little bit, because she does have more responsibility.

And she said, "You know, this is hard on me, too, mommy." And I said, "You know what, Katherine (ph), you're right, because I don't just have cancer, we all do. It affects the whole family."

GUPTA: And Katherine (ph) is especially at risk.

HAZEN: I have a feeling we might find some sand dollars out there.

It's frightening, because my mother-in-law was diagnosed, you know, three months after I was. So -- with breast cancer. So she has it on both sides now. She'll be very closely watched.

GUPTA: Watched very closely, because no cancer screenings are perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look clear.

GUPTA: A tumor the size of a pea has a billion cancer cells in it. By the time doctors spotted Denise's, it was the size of a peach. And it spread to a lymph node.

If breast cancer is caught early, before it spreads, the five- year survival rate is 98 percent. That one infected lymph node drops Denise's chances to 80 percent.

Today, the family wants the latest on a new cancer therapy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A friend of mine mentioned a drug called Herceptin. What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Herceptin is more of a biological agent. She's not...

GUPTA: Dr. Rivera (ph) says no, Denise can't take Herceptin. This new targeted drug shrinks tumors, prolonging life, but it only works with a small percentage of patients, those with a certain genetic glitch in their tumor.

That leaves traditional therapy: chemo, surgery, radiation. And for now, it's working.

HAZEN: Thank you. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you later.

HAZEN: OK. I appreciate everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no problem.

GUPTA: Denise holds on to her family and to survival.

HAZEN: This is my baby sister. I mean...

VICKI ECONOMOU, DENISE HAZEN'S SISTER: I didn't cry a whole lot. I don't know. I guess I was just holding it in. But I just had to have faith that she was going to be OK.

HAZEN: It's so surreal. They're putting this poison in my body to kill the cancer. And you -- you can feel it. It's cold.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a tough subject for any young parent to tackle. What to do with your kids if you get sick? Are you prepared to deal with that type of scenario? I'll speak with a family law attorney next.

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