N.E.D. is a doctor’s old shorthand for remission. It’s also the name of a rock band that’s breaking the silence surrounding gynecological cancers, conditions that some women still hesitate to mention: cancer of the cervix, ovary, uterus, vagina and vulva.
No Evidence of Disease is what an oncologist might say when there’s no sign of malignancy in a person who’s had cancer treatment. After a “clean” scan or a bone marrow test, it’s a phrase many patients love to hear. Or scream.
If you watch NED perform, you might appreciate this phenomenon. The band’s vibrancy is driven in part by its unusual relationship with the audience. The musicians are all board-certified specialists in women’s cancers. Many of their followers, or Nedheads, have been affected by cancer. When the doctors get on stage, people smile and start dancing. When it’s time for an encore, you can hear old women shouting “NED! NED! NED!”
It’s hard not to like this band.
The band N.E.D. performing (image courtesy of Spark Media)
To get a sense of NED’s music, you might check out this live clip of “Turn It Around,” a personal favorite. The woman singing, Dr. Joanie Hope, recently left her Brooklyn home and position at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital to work in Anchorage, Alaska. The northern state is generally underserved by doctors, and previously lacked a specialist in gynecological oncology.
At most any of the band's performances, you'll see patients among others getting up and dancing. A feature of many concerts is that some women go on stage with posters about their cancer stories.
Dr. John Boggess, a lead singer and guitarist, practices in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “We all love getting on stage and playing,” he told me. “We don’t have all the answers medically.” But the music helps women with gynecological cancers feel less isolated, he considered. “We create an environment where people can talk about something that’s not easy to talk about,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to show people our human side. We have fun.”
On February 4, designated World Cancer Day, I had the opportunity to see NED the movie. The New York City screening, of around five dozen held that day in the United States and Canada, was well-attended despite ice and snow. The audience included some patients, spouses and young children. According to Karen Simon of Spark Media, the producer, the film will air on public television stations including WNET. It is scheduled to run several times on the World Channel March 4 – 7, 2015 and will air on the Spanish-language channel VME later this spring.
Women share their messages on stage with Dr. Joanie Hope at an NED concert (courtesy of Spark Media)
The band started in 2008 when a group of six physicians performed at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology in Tampa, Florida. “We got together in a hotel room, and then we played for the society,” recalls Dr. Nimesh Nagarsheth, the drummer. He currently practices at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and Englewood Hospital in New Jersey.
“We were having a good time. We thought it was a one-time show,” Nagarsheth said. “We had no idea what would happen next.” The doctors began writing their own music. After 2008 the band’s fan base expanded from doctors at the conference, to patients and advocacy groups, and then to ordinary people. “Sometimes we play in regular places like bars,” he said.
Picking a name for the group wasn’t trivial. One possibility was “the Chemotoxics.” Another contender was “Stage III,” Nagarsheth told me by phone. “One night I was in my office reviewing patients’ charts, and there were three in a row with no evidence of disease. That’s when the idea came up,” he said. “I’m glad we went with NED. It's so positive,” he added.
Within a year of the band's first gathering in Tampa, the group had a deal with Motéma to produce the album, NED. Six Degrees, with 12 songs, came out in 2011. An upcoming record will include “Turn It Around,” Nagarsheth indicated.
The band’s pace is limited by the fact that its members all have full-time jobs. Their geographically separate locations don’t help, either. Dr. John Soper, who plays guitar and mandolin, lives and works near Boggess in Chapel Hill. Otherwise the group is scattered. Dr. William (Rusty) Robinson, of Tulane University’s School of Medicine in New Orleans, plays the bass guitar, harmonica and adds vocals. Dr. William Winter works for Compass Oncology in Portland, Oregon. He’s the lead guitarist.
NED is a serious band about a serious subject. In NED the movie you’ll see footage of surgery between upbeat concert sets. The documentary depicts real patients talking to their real doctors about their prognosis and decisions. It shows patients and doctors lobbying on Capitol Hill, learning and explaining why more money and research is needed to help those affected by gynecological tumors.
Awareness remains a priority in the gynecological cancer community. Nobody knows about these conditions, Boggess emphasized. “It’s an under-discussed and underfunded group of malignancies.”
Over 80,000 women are affected by gynecological tumors each year in the United States, Nagarsheth said in a Q&A session after the showing. Yet there are fewer than 800 gynecological oncologists in the country, he said. “For women who have these kinds of cancers, seeing a specialist is crucial. Survival is better when care is provided by someone who is in this field,” he said.
Cathy McCue is a NED fan. At 56 years, the Cornwall-on-Hudson New York resident started listening to NED soon after her ovarian cancer diagnosis. In 2009, Nagarsheth removed the malignancy which had spread to her liver, colon and lining around the heart. He then prescribed a long course of chemotherapy. Now, she works full-time as an elementary school secretary.
“It’s not that music is going to cure cancer. My surgeon’s skills and the treatments will do that,” she considered. “But my mind is in a better place with the music. Sometimes I’d come home after chemotherapy, and I’d be tired and washing dishes, and I’d put on the music and feel better,” she said.
McCue’s been to three NED concerts so far. “The experience is amazing,” she said. “If you go and you look around at the other people, everyone is smiling and having a good time.” It’s a great way for patients to enjoy themselves and meet. You share stories. “The best part is that you see survivors. If you’re newly diagnosed, you might be standing next to a woman who’s been through it. It gives hope,” she said.
At risk of cuteness – which is definitely not this band’s style – I’ll close with these notes: The phrase NED is music to many a patient’s ear. And maybe, No Evidence of Disease is the new Cure.
