Vitamin B17 For Cancer Treatment
For almost forty years, Vitamin B17 has been claimed by alternative medicine experts to effectively cure and even prevent cancer. Theres a lot of controversy about Vitamin B17s efficiency, let alone its real components. What is it anyway? Vitamin B17, otherwise known as Laetrile, can be found in some fruit seeds, particularly in apricot seeds. Scientists claimed that when these seeds were taken in, it can prevent you from acquiring cancer and even heal your cancer in no time.
Because of this, there had been a lot of pharmaceutical companies which developed different kinds Vitamin B17 supplements. Until now, the United States FDA havent approved any Vitamin B17 supplement because they believe it is not a safe choice for cancer prevention and healing. Why is this so? With further studies conducted by FDA, Laetrile has been found to contain Amygdalin, a plant compound which produces cyanide.
FDA didnt approve of Vitamin B17 because of the toxic effects of cyanide it contains. Some patients who have been undergoing Laetrile treatments have shown symptoms of cyanide poisoning which include nausea and vomiting, headache, dizziness, lack of oxygen in blood which causes bluish skin color, liver damage, low blood pressure, droopy upper eyelid, damaged nerves, fever, mental confusion, coma, and even death. These dangerous symptoms are the reasons why FDA does not approve Vitamin B17 supplements.
Even if this is the case, there are still some countries which produce Laetrile supplements like Mexico. Some cancer patients have been cured from their illness totally while others have diminished tumor sizes. Vitamin B17 is a promising anticancer supplement however the dangerous symptoms attached to it still leaves the public skeptical about the product.
Before taking any supplement, always remember to consult with your doctor first to avoid any complications with your current treatment procedures. Laetrile might prove to be the answer to all cancer cases but we should still beware. Theres still the urgent need to find a sure cure for cancer, one that is not life threatening.
Showing posts with label cancer treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer treatment. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Treatments For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Treatments For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. Even after treatment, some cancer cells may not die and continue multiplying. These cells may spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymphatic vessels and start the development of cancer in those areas. This stage of the cancer is called metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer can either recur, that is, the treatment for breast cancer may have completed, but the cancer cells that escaped from being killed make the cancer recur, or may happen during the course of treatment, when the cancer is so aggressive that it spreads out despite of the treatments, or, in some cases when diagnosis is very late, and the cancer has spread out, metastatic might be the very first diagnosis.
Metastasis usually occurs in bones, and organs like lungs and brains. Unfortunately, breast cancer has the highest chance of metastasizing. If you have had breast cancer, and later develop another form of cancer, in all probability, it is breast cancer recurring. The fortunate side of this is that breast cancer is very much treatable. However, if you develop breast cancer again in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it might just be a new cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer develops in almost thirty out of hundred women who have had breast cancer, which makes knowledge about it so necessary. When the cancer has not metastasized to organs like the lungs and brain, or when there is a presence of estrogen and progesterone hormones in cancer tissues, the cancer is treatable. Also, if you have already not undergone many treatments for your previous cancer, and the malignant cells show some change after therapies, your treatment can be successful.
Metastatic breast cancer, owing to its nature, requires extensive treatment. Therapies like chemotherapy, hormonal treatment, immune therapy alone with regular mammograms, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, bone scans etc. are necessary. The treatments can be purpose-specific. For treating the whole body, systemic therapies have to be implemented; for treatment of specific organs, local treatments like mastectomy and lumpectomy are done, and for alleviating pain, therapies along with oral aspirin intake are adopted.
Because metastatic breast cancer means cancer spreading to various parts of the body, complete sure is very difficult. There will come a point when you will have to stop undergoing treatment, even when your cancer is not fully cured. You have the choice of being treated indefinitely, but you have to know, the more number of therapies you take, the more the side-effects are. Also know that many women have lived fruitful lives while taking the treatment for the metastatic disease. It is hard to take decisions when your life is at stake, but it is also necessary that you do it. There is research going on for prolonging lives of people who have this disease, and that research will surely help you.
Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. Even after treatment, some cancer cells may not die and continue multiplying. These cells may spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymphatic vessels and start the development of cancer in those areas. This stage of the cancer is called metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer can either recur, that is, the treatment for breast cancer may have completed, but the cancer cells that escaped from being killed make the cancer recur, or may happen during the course of treatment, when the cancer is so aggressive that it spreads out despite of the treatments, or, in some cases when diagnosis is very late, and the cancer has spread out, metastatic might be the very first diagnosis.
Metastasis usually occurs in bones, and organs like lungs and brains. Unfortunately, breast cancer has the highest chance of metastasizing. If you have had breast cancer, and later develop another form of cancer, in all probability, it is breast cancer recurring. The fortunate side of this is that breast cancer is very much treatable. However, if you develop breast cancer again in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it might just be a new cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer develops in almost thirty out of hundred women who have had breast cancer, which makes knowledge about it so necessary. When the cancer has not metastasized to organs like the lungs and brain, or when there is a presence of estrogen and progesterone hormones in cancer tissues, the cancer is treatable. Also, if you have already not undergone many treatments for your previous cancer, and the malignant cells show some change after therapies, your treatment can be successful.
Metastatic breast cancer, owing to its nature, requires extensive treatment. Therapies like chemotherapy, hormonal treatment, immune therapy alone with regular mammograms, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, bone scans etc. are necessary. The treatments can be purpose-specific. For treating the whole body, systemic therapies have to be implemented; for treatment of specific organs, local treatments like mastectomy and lumpectomy are done, and for alleviating pain, therapies along with oral aspirin intake are adopted.
Because metastatic breast cancer means cancer spreading to various parts of the body, complete sure is very difficult. There will come a point when you will have to stop undergoing treatment, even when your cancer is not fully cured. You have the choice of being treated indefinitely, but you have to know, the more number of therapies you take, the more the side-effects are. Also know that many women have lived fruitful lives while taking the treatment for the metastatic disease. It is hard to take decisions when your life is at stake, but it is also necessary that you do it. There is research going on for prolonging lives of people who have this disease, and that research will surely help you.
Treatment Options for Colorectal Cancer
Treatment Options for Colorectal Cancer
The treatment depends on the staging of the cancer. When colorectal cancer is caught at early stages (with little spread) it can be curable. However when it is detected at later stages (when distant [[metastasis|metastases]] are present) it is less likely to be curable.
Surgery remains the primary treatment while chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may be recommended depending on the individual patient's staging and other medical factors.
Surgery
Surgical treatment is by far the most likely to result in a cure of colon cancer if the tumor is localized. Very early cancer that develops within a polyp can often be cured by removing the polyp at the time of colonoscopy. More advanced cancers typically require surgical removal of the section of colon containing the tumor leaving sufficient margins to reduce likelihood of re-growth. If possible, the remaining parts of colon are anastomosed together to create a functioning colon. In cases when anastomosis is not possible, a stoma (artificial orifice) is created. While surgery is not usually offered if significant metastasis is present, surgical removal of isolated liver metastases is common. Improved chemotherapy has increased the number of patients who are offered surgical removal of isolated liver metastases.
Laparoscopic assist resection of the colon for tumour can reduce the size of painful incision and minimize the risk of infection. As with any surgical procedure, colorectal surgery can in rare cases result in complications. These may include infection, abscess, fistula or bowel obstruction.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to reduce the likelihood of metastasis developing, shrink tumour size, or slow tumor growth. Chemotherapy is often applied after surgery (adjuvant), before surgery (neo-adjuvant), or as the primary therapy if surgery is not indicated (palliative). The treatments listed here have been shown in clinical trials to improve survival and/or reduce mortality and have been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. Adjuvant (after surgery) chemotherapy. One regimen involves the combination of infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) Leucovorin (LV) Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®) Capecitabine (Xeloda®)
Chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Commonly used first line regimens involve the combination of infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) with bevacizumab or infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) with bevacizumab 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) Leucovorin Irinotecan Oxaliplatin Bevacizumab Cetuximab
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is used to kill tumor tissue before or after surgery or when surgery is not indicated. Sometimes chemotherapy agents are used to increase the effectiveness of radiation by sensitizing tumor cells if present. Radiotherapy is not used routinely in colorectal cancer, as it could lead to radiation enteritis, and is difficult to target specific portions of the colon, but may be used on metastatic tumor deposits if they compress vital structures and/or cause pain. There may be a role for post-operative adjuvant radiation in the case where a tumor perforates the colon as judged by the surgeon or the pathologist. However, as the area of the prior tumor site can be difficult (if not impossible) to ascertain by imaging, surgical clips need to be left in the colon to direct the radiotherapist to the area of risk.
Immunotherapy
Bacillus Calmette-Gu�rin (BCG) is gaining prominence as a complementary theraputic agent in the treatment of colorectal cancer. A review of results from recent clinical trials is given in Mosolits et al.
Support Therapies
Cancer diagnosis very often results in an enormous change in the patient's psychological wellbeing. Various support resources are available from, hospitals and other agencies which provide counseling, social service support, cancer support groups, and other services. These services help to mitigate some of the difficulties of integrating a patient's medical complications into other parts of their life.
The treatment depends on the staging of the cancer. When colorectal cancer is caught at early stages (with little spread) it can be curable. However when it is detected at later stages (when distant [[metastasis|metastases]] are present) it is less likely to be curable.
Surgery remains the primary treatment while chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may be recommended depending on the individual patient's staging and other medical factors.
Surgery
Surgical treatment is by far the most likely to result in a cure of colon cancer if the tumor is localized. Very early cancer that develops within a polyp can often be cured by removing the polyp at the time of colonoscopy. More advanced cancers typically require surgical removal of the section of colon containing the tumor leaving sufficient margins to reduce likelihood of re-growth. If possible, the remaining parts of colon are anastomosed together to create a functioning colon. In cases when anastomosis is not possible, a stoma (artificial orifice) is created. While surgery is not usually offered if significant metastasis is present, surgical removal of isolated liver metastases is common. Improved chemotherapy has increased the number of patients who are offered surgical removal of isolated liver metastases.
Laparoscopic assist resection of the colon for tumour can reduce the size of painful incision and minimize the risk of infection. As with any surgical procedure, colorectal surgery can in rare cases result in complications. These may include infection, abscess, fistula or bowel obstruction.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to reduce the likelihood of metastasis developing, shrink tumour size, or slow tumor growth. Chemotherapy is often applied after surgery (adjuvant), before surgery (neo-adjuvant), or as the primary therapy if surgery is not indicated (palliative). The treatments listed here have been shown in clinical trials to improve survival and/or reduce mortality and have been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. Adjuvant (after surgery) chemotherapy. One regimen involves the combination of infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) Leucovorin (LV) Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®) Capecitabine (Xeloda®)
Chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Commonly used first line regimens involve the combination of infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) with bevacizumab or infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) with bevacizumab 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) Leucovorin Irinotecan Oxaliplatin Bevacizumab Cetuximab
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is used to kill tumor tissue before or after surgery or when surgery is not indicated. Sometimes chemotherapy agents are used to increase the effectiveness of radiation by sensitizing tumor cells if present. Radiotherapy is not used routinely in colorectal cancer, as it could lead to radiation enteritis, and is difficult to target specific portions of the colon, but may be used on metastatic tumor deposits if they compress vital structures and/or cause pain. There may be a role for post-operative adjuvant radiation in the case where a tumor perforates the colon as judged by the surgeon or the pathologist. However, as the area of the prior tumor site can be difficult (if not impossible) to ascertain by imaging, surgical clips need to be left in the colon to direct the radiotherapist to the area of risk.
Immunotherapy
Bacillus Calmette-Gu�rin (BCG) is gaining prominence as a complementary theraputic agent in the treatment of colorectal cancer. A review of results from recent clinical trials is given in Mosolits et al.
Support Therapies
Cancer diagnosis very often results in an enormous change in the patient's psychological wellbeing. Various support resources are available from, hospitals and other agencies which provide counseling, social service support, cancer support groups, and other services. These services help to mitigate some of the difficulties of integrating a patient's medical complications into other parts of their life.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
There are a Number of Cancer Treatments Available in Pittsburgh
There are a Number of Cancer Treatments Available in Pittsburgh
If you've been diagnosed with cancer, you want to find the best treatments, irrespective of what you are suffering from. If you are a woman, suffering from cervical cancer, it is very important that you find the best cervical cancer treatment in Pittsburgh.
Cervical cancer can affect women of any age, though it is more common in women at the age range of 50-55. The cervical cancer grows in the lower, narrower part of the uterus, which connects the uterus with the vagina. Though the exact cause of the cancer is unknown, researches on this disease have suggested that a sexually transmitted virus can cause the cells in the cervix to change in such a way that it eventually leads to cancer.
If you are not yet certain that you have cervical cancer, it will be a good idea to locate some reputed Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers where they will diagnose your condition. If unfortunately you happen to have cancer, you will have to find some Pittsburgh cervical cancer chemotherapy centers that offer the best treatments.
How will you be diagnosed?
Before any kind of treatment can be started, the hospital will need to diagnose your condition. The tests may include a pap test, colposcopy and biopsy, where a sample of the vagina is removed to be tested. In solposopy, a lighted, magnifying instrument is used to examine the vagina and the cervix in detail. The pap test is extremely important and must be carried out by all sexually active women, once every year. This test is performed by scraping and testing a tissue from the inside of the cervix and the upper vagina.
If cancer is detected, a few additional tests need to be carried out by the Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers so that they can determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the pelvis or any other part of the body.
Treatment of Cervical cancer
The Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers will offer you numerous approaches that can help you treat your cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you can rest a little easier knowing that you have skilled qualified professionals on your side.
If you've been diagnosed with cancer, you want to find the best treatments, irrespective of what you are suffering from. If you are a woman, suffering from cervical cancer, it is very important that you find the best cervical cancer treatment in Pittsburgh.
Cervical cancer can affect women of any age, though it is more common in women at the age range of 50-55. The cervical cancer grows in the lower, narrower part of the uterus, which connects the uterus with the vagina. Though the exact cause of the cancer is unknown, researches on this disease have suggested that a sexually transmitted virus can cause the cells in the cervix to change in such a way that it eventually leads to cancer.
If you are not yet certain that you have cervical cancer, it will be a good idea to locate some reputed Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers where they will diagnose your condition. If unfortunately you happen to have cancer, you will have to find some Pittsburgh cervical cancer chemotherapy centers that offer the best treatments.
How will you be diagnosed?
Before any kind of treatment can be started, the hospital will need to diagnose your condition. The tests may include a pap test, colposcopy and biopsy, where a sample of the vagina is removed to be tested. In solposopy, a lighted, magnifying instrument is used to examine the vagina and the cervix in detail. The pap test is extremely important and must be carried out by all sexually active women, once every year. This test is performed by scraping and testing a tissue from the inside of the cervix and the upper vagina.
If cancer is detected, a few additional tests need to be carried out by the Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers so that they can determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the pelvis or any other part of the body.
Treatment of Cervical cancer
The Pittsburgh cervical cancer treatment centers will offer you numerous approaches that can help you treat your cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you can rest a little easier knowing that you have skilled qualified professionals on your side.
The Best Colon Cancer Treatment Options
The Best Colon Cancer Treatment Options
Among the most spread cancers, colon cancer usually occurs in men and women over the age of 50. The main causes of colon cancer are related to the patient's diet: very low in fiber and high in fat and calories. By keeping a healthy life style and good eating habits, you can prevent developing cancer of the colon even before this becomes a problem. You might also want to try and check your family history for cases of colon cancer and adopt a healthier diet in order to make sure you will avoid this problem in the future.
Colon cancer treatments are varied and you can choose from a series of traditional and alternative methods of dealing with this condition. Surgery is often the number one choice - the surgeon removes the tumors on the colon, even if the cancer cells are spread beyond the colon itself. This ensures less problems in the future of the patient's life, reducing chances of bowel problems or internal bleeding. Colon cancer surgery is usually categorized in four main areas: rectum resection, radio frequency ablation, colostomy and colon resection. The surgeon will determine which method is best suited for each individual patient. Detecting cancer at a very early stage is important, as the problem can be corrected in a decisive and final manner. By using a polypectomy, the surgeon will remove suspicious polyps in order to minimize chances of the disease. Local excision may also be used in early stages, in order to remove the cancer cells. After surgery, your hospital should provide you with ongoing support in order to ensure a fast and efficient recovery.
Intra arterial chemotherapy is another treatment worth consideration. This treatment targets tumors by delivering a powerful dose of chemotherapy. Primary systemic chemotherapy is often used before a surgical procedure in order to destroy a large majority of cancer cells. Systemic therapy is usually used with metastatic cancer, while the third method, adjuvant chemotherapy, targets any cancer cells that might have been left over after surgery. All three chemotherapy procedures are delivered through the hepatic artery and are an option if the cancer has spread to the liver.
Another choice comes from chemoembolization treatment. In addition to being delivered intra arterially, this type of treatment blocks the blood flow to the areas affected by cancer. It traps the chemotherapy drugs in the area of the tumor, thus ensuring that they work efficiently and on target.
Among the most spread cancers, colon cancer usually occurs in men and women over the age of 50. The main causes of colon cancer are related to the patient's diet: very low in fiber and high in fat and calories. By keeping a healthy life style and good eating habits, you can prevent developing cancer of the colon even before this becomes a problem. You might also want to try and check your family history for cases of colon cancer and adopt a healthier diet in order to make sure you will avoid this problem in the future.
Colon cancer treatments are varied and you can choose from a series of traditional and alternative methods of dealing with this condition. Surgery is often the number one choice - the surgeon removes the tumors on the colon, even if the cancer cells are spread beyond the colon itself. This ensures less problems in the future of the patient's life, reducing chances of bowel problems or internal bleeding. Colon cancer surgery is usually categorized in four main areas: rectum resection, radio frequency ablation, colostomy and colon resection. The surgeon will determine which method is best suited for each individual patient. Detecting cancer at a very early stage is important, as the problem can be corrected in a decisive and final manner. By using a polypectomy, the surgeon will remove suspicious polyps in order to minimize chances of the disease. Local excision may also be used in early stages, in order to remove the cancer cells. After surgery, your hospital should provide you with ongoing support in order to ensure a fast and efficient recovery.
Intra arterial chemotherapy is another treatment worth consideration. This treatment targets tumors by delivering a powerful dose of chemotherapy. Primary systemic chemotherapy is often used before a surgical procedure in order to destroy a large majority of cancer cells. Systemic therapy is usually used with metastatic cancer, while the third method, adjuvant chemotherapy, targets any cancer cells that might have been left over after surgery. All three chemotherapy procedures are delivered through the hepatic artery and are an option if the cancer has spread to the liver.
Another choice comes from chemoembolization treatment. In addition to being delivered intra arterially, this type of treatment blocks the blood flow to the areas affected by cancer. It traps the chemotherapy drugs in the area of the tumor, thus ensuring that they work efficiently and on target.
Symptoms and Treatment of Mesothelioma Cancer
Symptoms and Treatment of Mesothelioma Cancer
Mesothelioma cancer is often caused by exposure to asbestos. People who have received asbestos exposure of as little as one or two months to very low doses are at risk of mesothelioma cancer. A person exposed to asbestos could develop mesothelioma after 50 years of exposure. The 2 common types of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer) and peritoneal mesothelioma (abdomen organs).
There are no immediate symptoms of mesothelioma cancer. The symptoms of mesothelioma may appear in 30 - 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancer: shortness of breath and pain in the chest.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma cancer: abdominal pain and weight loss, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia and fever.
Please note that these symptoms may be due to other reasons.
Treatment Options for Mesothelioma Cancer Following are the options for mesothelioma treatment:
1. Radiation therapy
2. Chemotherapy
3. Surgery
4. Photodynamic therapy
Radiation or chemotherapy combined with surgery may increase the survival time by double.
Mesothelioma cancer is often caused by exposure to asbestos. People who have received asbestos exposure of as little as one or two months to very low doses are at risk of mesothelioma cancer. A person exposed to asbestos could develop mesothelioma after 50 years of exposure. The 2 common types of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer) and peritoneal mesothelioma (abdomen organs).
There are no immediate symptoms of mesothelioma cancer. The symptoms of mesothelioma may appear in 30 - 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancer: shortness of breath and pain in the chest.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma cancer: abdominal pain and weight loss, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia and fever.
Please note that these symptoms may be due to other reasons.
Treatment Options for Mesothelioma Cancer Following are the options for mesothelioma treatment:
1. Radiation therapy
2. Chemotherapy
3. Surgery
4. Photodynamic therapy
Radiation or chemotherapy combined with surgery may increase the survival time by double.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Cancer Diagnosis: Strategies for Getting the Best Treatment
Cancer Diagnosis: Strategies for Getting the Best Treatment
As a patient with cancer, two of the most important decisions you will make are which treatment you will receive and where.
But diagnosing cancer is a very complex process that involves many health care professionals. In addition, the testing that is done on patients varies between doctors and specialists. And even the best health care professionals make mistakes.
How do newly diagnosed patients know they are getting the best therapy for their cancer?
Unfortunately, most patients don't get the best treatment because they are diagnosed by a doctor who is not an oncologist. Therefore, that doctor is not likely to direct them to the most up-to-date therapies available.
The first step toward getting what you need is to get a second opinion. The Institute for Advanced Study in Medicine reported that 25% of patients had their treatment changed based on a second opinion.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers are the best places to get second opinions. That's where the experts are, doctors who think about your type of cancer every day. And that's what you want.
If you aren't near a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center or Clinical Cancer Center (you can find their locations online), you can still get a second opinion. Choose a doctor who is not affiliated with your doctor, and who is at a hospital that is not affiliated with your doctor's hospital.
Another important part of getting the best therapy is to get a second opinion on your cancer by an expert pathologist. This involves getting the biopsy specimen to an outside pathologist.
Pathologists can't always precisely determine the stage of cancer, and sometimes not even the type of cancer. And, sometimes tests that could be done on your biopsy specimen aren't, simply because they aren't commonly used. But that doesn't mean these tests won't help you.
You need an expert to examine your biopsy specimens. For example, The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has an excellent reputation in pathology.
Another important thing to do when you are first diagnosed is to contact the organizations for your type of cancer. They can lead you to experts in that field. Finally, get good nutritional counseling, and if you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, try your best to stop.
As a patient with cancer, two of the most important decisions you will make are which treatment you will receive and where.
But diagnosing cancer is a very complex process that involves many health care professionals. In addition, the testing that is done on patients varies between doctors and specialists. And even the best health care professionals make mistakes.
How do newly diagnosed patients know they are getting the best therapy for their cancer?
Unfortunately, most patients don't get the best treatment because they are diagnosed by a doctor who is not an oncologist. Therefore, that doctor is not likely to direct them to the most up-to-date therapies available.
The first step toward getting what you need is to get a second opinion. The Institute for Advanced Study in Medicine reported that 25% of patients had their treatment changed based on a second opinion.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers are the best places to get second opinions. That's where the experts are, doctors who think about your type of cancer every day. And that's what you want.
If you aren't near a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center or Clinical Cancer Center (you can find their locations online), you can still get a second opinion. Choose a doctor who is not affiliated with your doctor, and who is at a hospital that is not affiliated with your doctor's hospital.
Another important part of getting the best therapy is to get a second opinion on your cancer by an expert pathologist. This involves getting the biopsy specimen to an outside pathologist.
Pathologists can't always precisely determine the stage of cancer, and sometimes not even the type of cancer. And, sometimes tests that could be done on your biopsy specimen aren't, simply because they aren't commonly used. But that doesn't mean these tests won't help you.
You need an expert to examine your biopsy specimens. For example, The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has an excellent reputation in pathology.
Another important thing to do when you are first diagnosed is to contact the organizations for your type of cancer. They can lead you to experts in that field. Finally, get good nutritional counseling, and if you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, try your best to stop.
Skin Cancer; Early Treatment Wins the Game
Skin Cancer; Early Treatment Wins the Game
Skin cancer can happen to anyone and those at risk need to be smart and seek professional advice and/or early treatment. This makes sense of course but how do you know if you are at risk? Well if you work in an industry were you are exposed a lot to the sun you could be at risk.
If you get sunburns quite easily or have very light skin you would be more susceptible. Also if you have blue or green eyes or have blond or red hair you will be slightly more at risk. One of the most obvious things to think about is if you have skin cancer, which runs in your family. If you have a lot of moles you may wish to have a doctor look at them to see if they are the type that can become cancerous. Children who have had very bad skin burns in their past could be at risk as adults.
All doctors agree on one thing and that is of all the major types of skin cancer, early detection and treatment is your best chances for winning the game. So if you see spots on your skin, which are not symmetrical and growing these need to be checked out. The CDC says that;
"The three major types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Malignant melanoma causes more than 75% of all deaths from skin cancer. This disease can spread to other organs, most commonly the lungs and liver. Malignant melanoma diagnosed at an early stage usually can be cured, but melanoma diagnosed at a late stage is more likely to spread and cause death
Skin cancer can happen to anyone and those at risk need to be smart and seek professional advice and/or early treatment. This makes sense of course but how do you know if you are at risk? Well if you work in an industry were you are exposed a lot to the sun you could be at risk.
If you get sunburns quite easily or have very light skin you would be more susceptible. Also if you have blue or green eyes or have blond or red hair you will be slightly more at risk. One of the most obvious things to think about is if you have skin cancer, which runs in your family. If you have a lot of moles you may wish to have a doctor look at them to see if they are the type that can become cancerous. Children who have had very bad skin burns in their past could be at risk as adults.
All doctors agree on one thing and that is of all the major types of skin cancer, early detection and treatment is your best chances for winning the game. So if you see spots on your skin, which are not symmetrical and growing these need to be checked out. The CDC says that;
"The three major types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Malignant melanoma causes more than 75% of all deaths from skin cancer. This disease can spread to other organs, most commonly the lungs and liver. Malignant melanoma diagnosed at an early stage usually can be cured, but melanoma diagnosed at a late stage is more likely to spread and cause death
Skin Cancer Causes And Treatment
Skin Cancer Causes And Treatment
Skin cancer the abnormal growth of skin cells most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. The two most common types are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the single most important cause of skin cancer, especially when the overexposure resulted in sunburn and blistering. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages. There are three common types of skin cancer, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises.
The three most common types of skin cancer include:
Melanoma
This is less common than the other two types of skin cancer, though it can be a lot more serious. It develops from the melanocytes in the skin and is usually seen as a pigmented lesion with an irregular shape in the skin. This is definitely the most potentially harmful cancer as it can spread to various different areas within the body. If treated early, the good news is that this type of cancer has a very high cure rate, so get to the doctors as soon as possible for your best chance of recovery!
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
This is usually seen within any part of the body which is exposed to excessive sun. Often occurring in the hands, lower lip, and the forehead, this type of cancer appears as a red bump or an ulceration of the skin which does not heal. The cancer if left untreated can spread to lymph nodes within the affected area.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal Cell Carcinoma is by far the most common type of cancer you are likely to get and it usually appears as a small bump which has a pearly colored appearance. Usually the cancer is found on areas of the body which have had excessive sun exposure. This type of skin cancer does not usually spread to other parts of the body, and will only spread to the skin around the actual cancer.
Causes of Skin Cancer
1.Ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
2.Sunburn.
3.Heredity.
4.Environment (Cloud cover).
Symptoms of Skin Cancer
1.Change in a wart or mole.
2.Red, tender, flat spot that bleeds easily.
3.Small, fleshy bump with a smooth, pearly appearance.
4.Shiny bump that may look like a mole or cyst.
5.Skin growth that looks like a wart.
6.Patch of skin that feels scaly, bleeds, or develops a crust.
Treatment of Skin Cancer
Most skin cancers can be treated by removal of the lesion, making sure that the edges (margins) are free of tumor cells. The excisions provide the best cure for both early and high-risk disease. Radiation therapy and cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) can provide adequate control of the disease; both, however, have lower overall cure rates than surgery.
Skin cancer the abnormal growth of skin cells most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. The two most common types are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the single most important cause of skin cancer, especially when the overexposure resulted in sunburn and blistering. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages. There are three common types of skin cancer, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises.
The three most common types of skin cancer include:
Melanoma
This is less common than the other two types of skin cancer, though it can be a lot more serious. It develops from the melanocytes in the skin and is usually seen as a pigmented lesion with an irregular shape in the skin. This is definitely the most potentially harmful cancer as it can spread to various different areas within the body. If treated early, the good news is that this type of cancer has a very high cure rate, so get to the doctors as soon as possible for your best chance of recovery!
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
This is usually seen within any part of the body which is exposed to excessive sun. Often occurring in the hands, lower lip, and the forehead, this type of cancer appears as a red bump or an ulceration of the skin which does not heal. The cancer if left untreated can spread to lymph nodes within the affected area.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal Cell Carcinoma is by far the most common type of cancer you are likely to get and it usually appears as a small bump which has a pearly colored appearance. Usually the cancer is found on areas of the body which have had excessive sun exposure. This type of skin cancer does not usually spread to other parts of the body, and will only spread to the skin around the actual cancer.
Causes of Skin Cancer
1.Ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
2.Sunburn.
3.Heredity.
4.Environment (Cloud cover).
Symptoms of Skin Cancer
1.Change in a wart or mole.
2.Red, tender, flat spot that bleeds easily.
3.Small, fleshy bump with a smooth, pearly appearance.
4.Shiny bump that may look like a mole or cyst.
5.Skin growth that looks like a wart.
6.Patch of skin that feels scaly, bleeds, or develops a crust.
Treatment of Skin Cancer
Most skin cancers can be treated by removal of the lesion, making sure that the edges (margins) are free of tumor cells. The excisions provide the best cure for both early and high-risk disease. Radiation therapy and cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) can provide adequate control of the disease; both, however, have lower overall cure rates than surgery.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Skin Cancer - Types-Causes-Symptoms and Treatment
Skin Cancer - Types-Causes-Symptoms and Treatment
In recent years, the incidence of skin cancer around the world has escalated and the condition now affects millions of people worldwide. The usual cause is prolonged exposure to the harmful ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. The risk is higher if anybody lives or takes vacations in areas with intense sun. The recent depletion of the ozone layer is thought to have played a part in increasing the incidence, because the ozone layer acts as a shield against harmful ultraviolet light. In addition, tanning booths, which use ultraviolet light, may cause this cancer. People who have fair skin are especially susceptible because they have low levels of melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its color and helps protect it from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
The four essential types are;
. Melanoma, a pigmented skin tumor that is quite serious and may be life-threatening.
. Basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin tumor, which is locally invasive and destructive (it destroys tissue in the immediate area), but is usually does not spread or result in death.
. Squamous cell carcinoma, which is three times rarer than a basal cell carcinoma but behaves in a similar manner.
. Bowen disease, a cousin of the squamous cell carcinoma but more superficial, involving only the outer most layer of the skin.
The typical basal cell carcinoma is an elevated round-oval, pearl-like bump with some red coloration due to fine red blood vessels going across or into it. Sometimes several small bumps form a circle. They bleed easily and sometimes ulcerate. The squamous cell carcinoma is less well defined, has uneven, poorly visualized borders and may be a scaly, crusted, red elevation with a rough surface. Bowen disease usually is a red or pink plaque-like elevation with very clear borders. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma tend to occur on sun-exposed sites of the skin.
Causes: The cause of cancer is unknown. It is thought, however, that squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are related to an accumulation of sunlight over a lifetime. People with light complexions have these tumors more often than people with dark complexions. Malignant melanoma is believed to be associated with numerous severe sunburns during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. It, too, occurs more commonly in lightly pigmented people, especially those with blue or green eyes, freckles and almost white skin. A tendency to develop melanoma seems to run in families.
Symptoms:
. Skin lesions with persistent ulceration or bleeding
. Persistent skin lesion that changes size, shape, or color (skin changes).
Diagnosis: A Biopsy should be done on any suspicious skin lesions. When evaluating pigmented skin lesions, the physician usually looks for good and bad signs. Bad signs include
. Uneven pigmentation or coloration of the lesion
. Irregular borders
. Asymmetry
. Marked elevation
. Large size (bigger than a pencil eraser)
Treatment:
Medical Treatment: It required Surgical Treatment.
Surgical Treatment: All the types described above can be treated by means of excision and removal of the tumor. Surgical removal results in a better than 90 percent cure rate for nonpigmented tumors (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Bowen disease). Alternative methods for destroying the cancer include using liquid -nitrogen freezing (cryosurgery) or scraping with a curette and burning the tissue with electric cautery (electro desiccation and curettage).
The treatment of melanoma depends upon the thickness of the tumor and the depth of invasion when examined with the microscope. When the tumor is thin and superficial, excision examination of the lymph nodes draining the skin area and chemotherapy.
Prevention: prolonged sun exposure increases the risk of this cancer, so limiting exposure to the sun is the best prevention, particularly for those with fair complexions. Most of it occurs on the head, neck and hands, so clothing (wide-brimmed hats, long sleeves) and use of sun block with a sun protection factor of 15 offers adequate protection.
In recent years, the incidence of skin cancer around the world has escalated and the condition now affects millions of people worldwide. The usual cause is prolonged exposure to the harmful ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. The risk is higher if anybody lives or takes vacations in areas with intense sun. The recent depletion of the ozone layer is thought to have played a part in increasing the incidence, because the ozone layer acts as a shield against harmful ultraviolet light. In addition, tanning booths, which use ultraviolet light, may cause this cancer. People who have fair skin are especially susceptible because they have low levels of melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its color and helps protect it from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
The four essential types are;
. Melanoma, a pigmented skin tumor that is quite serious and may be life-threatening.
. Basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin tumor, which is locally invasive and destructive (it destroys tissue in the immediate area), but is usually does not spread or result in death.
. Squamous cell carcinoma, which is three times rarer than a basal cell carcinoma but behaves in a similar manner.
. Bowen disease, a cousin of the squamous cell carcinoma but more superficial, involving only the outer most layer of the skin.
The typical basal cell carcinoma is an elevated round-oval, pearl-like bump with some red coloration due to fine red blood vessels going across or into it. Sometimes several small bumps form a circle. They bleed easily and sometimes ulcerate. The squamous cell carcinoma is less well defined, has uneven, poorly visualized borders and may be a scaly, crusted, red elevation with a rough surface. Bowen disease usually is a red or pink plaque-like elevation with very clear borders. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma tend to occur on sun-exposed sites of the skin.
Causes: The cause of cancer is unknown. It is thought, however, that squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are related to an accumulation of sunlight over a lifetime. People with light complexions have these tumors more often than people with dark complexions. Malignant melanoma is believed to be associated with numerous severe sunburns during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. It, too, occurs more commonly in lightly pigmented people, especially those with blue or green eyes, freckles and almost white skin. A tendency to develop melanoma seems to run in families.
Symptoms:
. Skin lesions with persistent ulceration or bleeding
. Persistent skin lesion that changes size, shape, or color (skin changes).
Diagnosis: A Biopsy should be done on any suspicious skin lesions. When evaluating pigmented skin lesions, the physician usually looks for good and bad signs. Bad signs include
. Uneven pigmentation or coloration of the lesion
. Irregular borders
. Asymmetry
. Marked elevation
. Large size (bigger than a pencil eraser)
Treatment:
Medical Treatment: It required Surgical Treatment.
Surgical Treatment: All the types described above can be treated by means of excision and removal of the tumor. Surgical removal results in a better than 90 percent cure rate for nonpigmented tumors (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Bowen disease). Alternative methods for destroying the cancer include using liquid -nitrogen freezing (cryosurgery) or scraping with a curette and burning the tissue with electric cautery (electro desiccation and curettage).
The treatment of melanoma depends upon the thickness of the tumor and the depth of invasion when examined with the microscope. When the tumor is thin and superficial, excision examination of the lymph nodes draining the skin area and chemotherapy.
Prevention: prolonged sun exposure increases the risk of this cancer, so limiting exposure to the sun is the best prevention, particularly for those with fair complexions. Most of it occurs on the head, neck and hands, so clothing (wide-brimmed hats, long sleeves) and use of sun block with a sun protection factor of 15 offers adequate protection.
Prostate Cancer Prognosis Helps In Deciding The Course Of Treatment
Prostate Cancer Prognosis Helps In Deciding The Course Of Treatment
If you are suffering from prostate cancer then ask your doctor for prostate cancer prognosis as it will help you in many ways as you will not only know about the extent of the disease but also know about your survival chances in the next five to ten years after completion of treatment. Every male of fifty years and above are vulnerable to prostate cancer as the chances of contacting this disease begins only after this age.
In fact, prostate cancer relates to the growth of malignant tumor or nodules in the prostate glands, which is a part of men's sexual organ. This disease is mostly diagnosed in aging men, that is men who are fifty years or above in age. Therefore, if you have celebrated your fiftieth birthday and have developed this disease then you can undergo prostate cancer prognosis to know your future survival chances.
It is true that most of the people ignore the initial danger signals given by the body. However, if you pay due attention towards these warnings given by the body then you can ward off the chances of suffering from any kind of major problem in the future. To attain a fit and healthy life forever, you should maintain an annual check up system of your body.
This check up will help your doctor to foretell about any kind of internal ailment in your body and help you to eradicate it in the initial stage with the help of proper treatment. Moreover, you will get to know about the lifestyle that you have to follow and the medication that you have to take to remain fit and healthy for your entire life span.
If you are a male and you want to get protection against prostate cancer then you can take prostate cancer vaccine, which will provide the protective shield against this disease. However, if you have any kind of family history about cancer and feel that you can inherit this disease genetically then you should take prior precaution by taking potent vaccines.
Prostate cancer vaccine tests have also proved beneficial for men who were suffering from metastatic that is the fourth stage of prostate cancer, as the vaccine has the potential to destroy the cells that produce malignant tumors in the prostate gland. Therefore, you can easily take this vaccine if you have any kind of doubt about developing prostate cancer.
Nevertheless, you should ensure that FDA approves prostate cancer vaccine that you are taking, as this will ensure that you are taking the vaccine, which has undergone proper clinical testing before coming in the market. Moreover, FDA approved vaccine will always be safe and effective as it has to pass through strict standards of measurements for ensuring that it is safe for human use.
Thus, if you want to lead a healthy and happy life and free yourself from the tension of the pain and suffering attached with prostate cancer you should always go in for the related tests. This will provide mental and financial relief to your family members as prostate cancer prognosis will help in knowing the future status, which will give you the opportunity to prepare for the future.
If you are suffering from prostate cancer then ask your doctor for prostate cancer prognosis as it will help you in many ways as you will not only know about the extent of the disease but also know about your survival chances in the next five to ten years after completion of treatment. Every male of fifty years and above are vulnerable to prostate cancer as the chances of contacting this disease begins only after this age.
In fact, prostate cancer relates to the growth of malignant tumor or nodules in the prostate glands, which is a part of men's sexual organ. This disease is mostly diagnosed in aging men, that is men who are fifty years or above in age. Therefore, if you have celebrated your fiftieth birthday and have developed this disease then you can undergo prostate cancer prognosis to know your future survival chances.
It is true that most of the people ignore the initial danger signals given by the body. However, if you pay due attention towards these warnings given by the body then you can ward off the chances of suffering from any kind of major problem in the future. To attain a fit and healthy life forever, you should maintain an annual check up system of your body.
This check up will help your doctor to foretell about any kind of internal ailment in your body and help you to eradicate it in the initial stage with the help of proper treatment. Moreover, you will get to know about the lifestyle that you have to follow and the medication that you have to take to remain fit and healthy for your entire life span.
If you are a male and you want to get protection against prostate cancer then you can take prostate cancer vaccine, which will provide the protective shield against this disease. However, if you have any kind of family history about cancer and feel that you can inherit this disease genetically then you should take prior precaution by taking potent vaccines.
Prostate cancer vaccine tests have also proved beneficial for men who were suffering from metastatic that is the fourth stage of prostate cancer, as the vaccine has the potential to destroy the cells that produce malignant tumors in the prostate gland. Therefore, you can easily take this vaccine if you have any kind of doubt about developing prostate cancer.
Nevertheless, you should ensure that FDA approves prostate cancer vaccine that you are taking, as this will ensure that you are taking the vaccine, which has undergone proper clinical testing before coming in the market. Moreover, FDA approved vaccine will always be safe and effective as it has to pass through strict standards of measurements for ensuring that it is safe for human use.
Thus, if you want to lead a healthy and happy life and free yourself from the tension of the pain and suffering attached with prostate cancer you should always go in for the related tests. This will provide mental and financial relief to your family members as prostate cancer prognosis will help in knowing the future status, which will give you the opportunity to prepare for the future.
Prostate Cancer - Do Vitamins Help
Prostate Cancer - Do Vitamins Help
Prostate cancer is the foremost common cancer among men in the United States and is a chief reason for cancer death. In recent times, many dietary risk factors are examined relating to their tie to prostrate cancer. Some researches have shown that larger intakes of dairy product, meat, fat and lower consumption of tomato product, selenium, lycopene and vitamin E have all been linked to elevated prostate cancer threat.
Until lately there was little evidence that way of life factors such as diet had any effect on prostate cancer threat. Now, a new research suggests there may be some profit in eating vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli .
Studies reveal that particular vitamins, minerals and natural products offer protection against cancer. Let's have a look at some of the most well-known vitamins, whilst presenting perhaps a few less important-famous naturally occurring products.
New studies have shown that vitamin E (found in leafy green vegetables, nuts and fortified cereals) notably beside Selenium, could have a protective part against prostate cancer. Vitamin E helps fight free radicals that play a task in the beginning of cancer and may lower a person�s risk of prostate cancer.
There have been a variety of studies to show that vitamin D, if it is deficient might add to your chance of prostate cancer. So certainly, supplements may be suggested. But you should get your vitamin D levels examined by your physician to work out exactly how deficient your vitamin D levels are and applicable suggestions may be created on how you'll supplement this.
Vitamin C besides many other benefits is also a weak diuretic, making urination easier for men with an enlarged prostate.
Some researchers reported some years ago that the usual intakes of tomato products -- particularly tomato sauce , was associated with a decreased chance of prostate cancer amongst more than 40,000 participants of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In a recent study that followed the same group of men for many more years the researchers were hoping to learn more information regarding the precise types of foods or nutrients that seem to afford the men some protection from prostate cancer.
Few things in medicine research are getting simpler the additional you inspect them, and the utilization of vitamins, minerals, and herbal and botanical supplements to prevent or deal with prostate cancer isn't any exclusion. Up to date medical research, as an example, counsel that supplements of single nutrients like vitamins B, C, and E and the mineral selenium do not, as thought formerly , forestall chronic or age-connected diseases together with prostate cancer or different types of cancer.
The one rational deduction we may perhaps make from it is to eat a healthy diet. Start with a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables (eight to ten portions of food a day); whole-grain breads and cereals; beans; low-fat poultry and meat; non-fried fish; and low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese.
Prostate cancer is the foremost common cancer among men in the United States and is a chief reason for cancer death. In recent times, many dietary risk factors are examined relating to their tie to prostrate cancer. Some researches have shown that larger intakes of dairy product, meat, fat and lower consumption of tomato product, selenium, lycopene and vitamin E have all been linked to elevated prostate cancer threat.
Until lately there was little evidence that way of life factors such as diet had any effect on prostate cancer threat. Now, a new research suggests there may be some profit in eating vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli .
Studies reveal that particular vitamins, minerals and natural products offer protection against cancer. Let's have a look at some of the most well-known vitamins, whilst presenting perhaps a few less important-famous naturally occurring products.
New studies have shown that vitamin E (found in leafy green vegetables, nuts and fortified cereals) notably beside Selenium, could have a protective part against prostate cancer. Vitamin E helps fight free radicals that play a task in the beginning of cancer and may lower a person�s risk of prostate cancer.
There have been a variety of studies to show that vitamin D, if it is deficient might add to your chance of prostate cancer. So certainly, supplements may be suggested. But you should get your vitamin D levels examined by your physician to work out exactly how deficient your vitamin D levels are and applicable suggestions may be created on how you'll supplement this.
Vitamin C besides many other benefits is also a weak diuretic, making urination easier for men with an enlarged prostate.
Some researchers reported some years ago that the usual intakes of tomato products -- particularly tomato sauce , was associated with a decreased chance of prostate cancer amongst more than 40,000 participants of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In a recent study that followed the same group of men for many more years the researchers were hoping to learn more information regarding the precise types of foods or nutrients that seem to afford the men some protection from prostate cancer.
Few things in medicine research are getting simpler the additional you inspect them, and the utilization of vitamins, minerals, and herbal and botanical supplements to prevent or deal with prostate cancer isn't any exclusion. Up to date medical research, as an example, counsel that supplements of single nutrients like vitamins B, C, and E and the mineral selenium do not, as thought formerly , forestall chronic or age-connected diseases together with prostate cancer or different types of cancer.
The one rational deduction we may perhaps make from it is to eat a healthy diet. Start with a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables (eight to ten portions of food a day); whole-grain breads and cereals; beans; low-fat poultry and meat; non-fried fish; and low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Proscar- Fabulous Cancer Treatment
Proscar- Fabulous Cancer Treatment
Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases after Heart attack by which most people die. Uncontrolled and malignant growth of cells and tissues are the cause of cancer which spreads from one part of the body to the other attacking nearby cells to spread the malignancy ultimately causing death to the affected person.
Proscar- Fabulous Cancer Treatment
Today we will discuss about a drug developed by Merck & Co. Inc. for treatment of Prostate Cancer.
Before going to the subject, let us understand what cancer is and what Prostate Cancer is.
Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases after Heart attack by which most people die. Uncontrolled and malignant growth of cells and tissues are the cause of cancer which spreads from one part of the body to the other attacking nearby cells to spread the malignancy ultimately causing death to the affected person.
Cancer can occur at any part of the body. When the lungs are attacked we call it Lung Cancer. When the skin is attacked we call it as Skin Cancer. When women Breasts are attacked we call it Breast Cancer. However there may be Breast Cancer for male persons also.
One type of Cancer which is special for male person is known as Prostate Cancer. It is the Cancer of the Prostate gland which is a male organ.
Let us now have some knowledge about Prostate Gland of a male a person. The Prostate is a chest nut type gland present in males. Male persons above 50 have the tendency of benign enlargement of the Prostate. The enlarged gland squeezes the urethra restricting urine to pass through. This problem leads to problem in urination.
Some times the problem becomes so acute that surgical removal of Prostate is required.
Some times the enlargement of Prostate may be cancerous also.
American Cancer Society has found that 75 % of Prostate Cancer is curable.
Proscar- whose generic name is Finasteride, is used to shrink the enlarged Prostate to neutralize the problem of urination. Thus surgery for Prostate enlargement may be avoided.
Proscar is a white crystalline powder which is practically insoluble in water and is oral pill to fight Prostate Cancer.
Also Proscar is prescribed by some doctors as a protection measure against Prostate Cancer.
It was found that different men have different responses to Proscar. Some times it acts very fast to give relief to urinary problem. For some, the effect may be delayed upto 6 months even a year before getting result. For some men it is not at all effective. So a doctor should monitor the effect of Proscar on a man with Prostate enlargement problem.
The medicine may be taken with a meal or between the meals.
Generally side effects of Proscar can not be anticipated. A doctor should be immediately reported if any kind of side effect is noticed or felt.
Some of the recorded side effects are decreased amount of semen per ejaculation, decreased sex drive, impotence etc.
The drug is very much effective in treating Prostate enlargement and also can be used as a preventive measure against Prostate Cancer.
Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases after Heart attack by which most people die. Uncontrolled and malignant growth of cells and tissues are the cause of cancer which spreads from one part of the body to the other attacking nearby cells to spread the malignancy ultimately causing death to the affected person.
Proscar- Fabulous Cancer Treatment
Today we will discuss about a drug developed by Merck & Co. Inc. for treatment of Prostate Cancer.
Before going to the subject, let us understand what cancer is and what Prostate Cancer is.
Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases after Heart attack by which most people die. Uncontrolled and malignant growth of cells and tissues are the cause of cancer which spreads from one part of the body to the other attacking nearby cells to spread the malignancy ultimately causing death to the affected person.
Cancer can occur at any part of the body. When the lungs are attacked we call it Lung Cancer. When the skin is attacked we call it as Skin Cancer. When women Breasts are attacked we call it Breast Cancer. However there may be Breast Cancer for male persons also.
One type of Cancer which is special for male person is known as Prostate Cancer. It is the Cancer of the Prostate gland which is a male organ.
Let us now have some knowledge about Prostate Gland of a male a person. The Prostate is a chest nut type gland present in males. Male persons above 50 have the tendency of benign enlargement of the Prostate. The enlarged gland squeezes the urethra restricting urine to pass through. This problem leads to problem in urination.
Some times the problem becomes so acute that surgical removal of Prostate is required.
Some times the enlargement of Prostate may be cancerous also.
American Cancer Society has found that 75 % of Prostate Cancer is curable.
Proscar- whose generic name is Finasteride, is used to shrink the enlarged Prostate to neutralize the problem of urination. Thus surgery for Prostate enlargement may be avoided.
Proscar is a white crystalline powder which is practically insoluble in water and is oral pill to fight Prostate Cancer.
Also Proscar is prescribed by some doctors as a protection measure against Prostate Cancer.
It was found that different men have different responses to Proscar. Some times it acts very fast to give relief to urinary problem. For some, the effect may be delayed upto 6 months even a year before getting result. For some men it is not at all effective. So a doctor should monitor the effect of Proscar on a man with Prostate enlargement problem.
The medicine may be taken with a meal or between the meals.
Generally side effects of Proscar can not be anticipated. A doctor should be immediately reported if any kind of side effect is noticed or felt.
Some of the recorded side effects are decreased amount of semen per ejaculation, decreased sex drive, impotence etc.
The drug is very much effective in treating Prostate enlargement and also can be used as a preventive measure against Prostate Cancer.
Philosophy and Cancer Treatment
Philosophy and Cancer Treatment
Around the tenth century in Europe - after the so called 'Dark Ages' - women, the original stewards of the land (men did 'animal husbandry'), were dispossessed of it by the new patriarchies of the Church and State. This male hierarchy hid the things they were most afraid of, namely the fact that it is women who hold the key to the processes and powers of life. They took them as their own, decreeing laws about how we should behave to impose control and inventing 'original sin'. Allied to this there came a prolonged persecution of women, especially any of those involved in healing. Some sources estimate about 5 - 9 million women were destroyed across Europe during this persecution. Essentially the role of women as healers and midwives was discouraged and 'home-making' and its many associated skills is still regarded as a 'worthless' career according to our primarily fiscal values based on GDP.
When a patriarchy takes over a matriarchy as a fundamental paradigm shift, one of the main things that happens is that 'healing' and 'spirituality' are separated out as an instrument of control. The world of spirit and physic were separated and became even more so during the great male 'Age of Reason' that began with Descartes and continued with Newton, the tail-end of which many are presently clinging to in desperation and a degree of applied self-interest.
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a central influence on the 17th century revolution that began modern science and philosophy. His 'Method of Doubt' was published in 1637: "I resolved to reject as false everything in which I could imagine the least doubt, in order to see if there afterwards remained anything that was entirely indubitable".
The philosophy of 'Cartesian dualism' became part of our science, where the mind and the body are seen as essentially separate. The 'self', the conscious being that is 'me' was seen as essentially non-physical. Misguidedly (it was not Descartes intention) this philosophy contributed to the mechanistic and rational philosophy of the universe adopted by our culture. Descartes was one of the first people to suggest that phenomena could be understood by breaking them down into constituent parts and examining each minutely. His view of the human body as a machine functioning within a mechanistic universe took prevalence within the 'Age of Reason'.
"Consider the human body as a machine. My thought compares a sick man and an ill-made clock with my idea of a healthy man and a well made clock".
This attention to analytical detail is still at the heart of our scientific research methodologies. As a result Western medicine has produced 'World saving' vaccines and antibiotics. It has created drugs and surgical techniques that do utterly amazing things. It has virtually eliminated all the serious communicable diseases (in the First World) such as leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, tetanus, syphilis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, septicaemia. There are very few women dying in childbirth compared to the past. Western medicine has been, and is, a triumph in the face of these problems which worried us back then the way cancer and heart disease worry us today. Even the big medical problems of the of 1930's and 40's have literally vanished.
The age of infectious disease has given way to the age of chronic disorders. The major killers today are heart and vascular disease, chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, largely incurable and increasing in incidence. The strategies that worked so well for all but eliminating acute infectious diseases just don't seem to work for chronic and degenerative conditions.
"The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions". James Gordon M.D., Washington, D.C.
Even during the time of Sir Isaac Newton the human body was viewed as an intricate biological machine. The Universe was an orderly, predictable but divine mechanism, a 'grand clockwork'. Although hundreds of years have passed, Western scientific medicine still holds the same basic philosophy, but are more sophisticated in studying biological mechanisms at a molecular level.
The first Newtonian approaches were essentially surgical. The body was seen as if it were a complex plumbing system. If it went wrong the offending piece was removed or bypassed. These days instead of using knives, drugs are often used to do more or less the same things.
Humans though are far more than walking sacks of chemicals. The animating life-force central to other medical systems is an energy that is not addressed by modern scientific methodology and there are no Western medical models that explain what it is and what it does. It is misguided by the concept that all illnesses are cured by physically repairing or eliminating abnormal cells. This is partly due to a conflict between 'Western' and 'Eastern' philosophies and has its roots in the division of science and religion along with the destruction of folk medicine in both U.S. and Europe.
Cancer cannot be treated effectively under a philosophy of reductionism. Scientific cancer research has failed to find a cure because it is looking in the wrong places with the wrong tools. Cancer needs to be understood as a 'whole' disease in relation to each individual's experience and the culture of which they are part. It has multiple causes that vary with each patient. The strategies that worked so well for tackling acute infectious diseases are inappropriate for dealing with chronic and degenerative conditions. Cancer patients can be at best increasingly 'patched up' by orthodox treatments but at spiralling health care costs.
Around the tenth century in Europe - after the so called 'Dark Ages' - women, the original stewards of the land (men did 'animal husbandry'), were dispossessed of it by the new patriarchies of the Church and State. This male hierarchy hid the things they were most afraid of, namely the fact that it is women who hold the key to the processes and powers of life. They took them as their own, decreeing laws about how we should behave to impose control and inventing 'original sin'. Allied to this there came a prolonged persecution of women, especially any of those involved in healing. Some sources estimate about 5 - 9 million women were destroyed across Europe during this persecution. Essentially the role of women as healers and midwives was discouraged and 'home-making' and its many associated skills is still regarded as a 'worthless' career according to our primarily fiscal values based on GDP.
When a patriarchy takes over a matriarchy as a fundamental paradigm shift, one of the main things that happens is that 'healing' and 'spirituality' are separated out as an instrument of control. The world of spirit and physic were separated and became even more so during the great male 'Age of Reason' that began with Descartes and continued with Newton, the tail-end of which many are presently clinging to in desperation and a degree of applied self-interest.
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a central influence on the 17th century revolution that began modern science and philosophy. His 'Method of Doubt' was published in 1637: "I resolved to reject as false everything in which I could imagine the least doubt, in order to see if there afterwards remained anything that was entirely indubitable".
The philosophy of 'Cartesian dualism' became part of our science, where the mind and the body are seen as essentially separate. The 'self', the conscious being that is 'me' was seen as essentially non-physical. Misguidedly (it was not Descartes intention) this philosophy contributed to the mechanistic and rational philosophy of the universe adopted by our culture. Descartes was one of the first people to suggest that phenomena could be understood by breaking them down into constituent parts and examining each minutely. His view of the human body as a machine functioning within a mechanistic universe took prevalence within the 'Age of Reason'.
"Consider the human body as a machine. My thought compares a sick man and an ill-made clock with my idea of a healthy man and a well made clock".
This attention to analytical detail is still at the heart of our scientific research methodologies. As a result Western medicine has produced 'World saving' vaccines and antibiotics. It has created drugs and surgical techniques that do utterly amazing things. It has virtually eliminated all the serious communicable diseases (in the First World) such as leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, tetanus, syphilis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, septicaemia. There are very few women dying in childbirth compared to the past. Western medicine has been, and is, a triumph in the face of these problems which worried us back then the way cancer and heart disease worry us today. Even the big medical problems of the of 1930's and 40's have literally vanished.
The age of infectious disease has given way to the age of chronic disorders. The major killers today are heart and vascular disease, chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, largely incurable and increasing in incidence. The strategies that worked so well for all but eliminating acute infectious diseases just don't seem to work for chronic and degenerative conditions.
"The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions". James Gordon M.D., Washington, D.C.
Even during the time of Sir Isaac Newton the human body was viewed as an intricate biological machine. The Universe was an orderly, predictable but divine mechanism, a 'grand clockwork'. Although hundreds of years have passed, Western scientific medicine still holds the same basic philosophy, but are more sophisticated in studying biological mechanisms at a molecular level.
The first Newtonian approaches were essentially surgical. The body was seen as if it were a complex plumbing system. If it went wrong the offending piece was removed or bypassed. These days instead of using knives, drugs are often used to do more or less the same things.
Humans though are far more than walking sacks of chemicals. The animating life-force central to other medical systems is an energy that is not addressed by modern scientific methodology and there are no Western medical models that explain what it is and what it does. It is misguided by the concept that all illnesses are cured by physically repairing or eliminating abnormal cells. This is partly due to a conflict between 'Western' and 'Eastern' philosophies and has its roots in the division of science and religion along with the destruction of folk medicine in both U.S. and Europe.
Cancer cannot be treated effectively under a philosophy of reductionism. Scientific cancer research has failed to find a cure because it is looking in the wrong places with the wrong tools. Cancer needs to be understood as a 'whole' disease in relation to each individual's experience and the culture of which they are part. It has multiple causes that vary with each patient. The strategies that worked so well for tackling acute infectious diseases are inappropriate for dealing with chronic and degenerative conditions. Cancer patients can be at best increasingly 'patched up' by orthodox treatments but at spiralling health care costs.
Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Ovarian cancer, a condition characterized by an overgrowth of malignant cells in one or both of the ovaries, is one of the deadliest and under-recognized cancers affecting women. Every year, there are more than 25,000 women that suffer from this deadly disease. Half of them are most likely to die within a period of five years.
Early Detection: Improves Ovarian Cancer Treatment
The sad thing about ovarian cancer is that during the early stage, there are usually no signs and symptoms that tell you about this disorder. Symptoms start to show up when the cancer is already widespread, making ovarian cancer treatment too difficult.
However, there are women who are lucky enough to detect the symptoms early on; hence, diagnosis is hastened up and ovarian cancer treatment is given immediately. Tests such as pelvic and rectal screening, ultrasound, x-ray and laparoscopy may help a doctor detect tumors in the ovaries.
At present, almost 75 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are not treated immediately due to late detection of the cancer. Experts say that when detection of the cancer is made early and when ovarian cancer treatment is given immediately, women diagnosed with the disease have 90% survival rate since the cancer can be easily treated in its early stage.
Diagnosis and Ovarian Cancer Treatment
When symptoms finally show up and the doctor suspects that a patient may have ovarian cancer, laparoscopy is conducted to confirm diagnosis. It is a direct visual examination of the abdominal cavity, the ovaries, the exterior of the fallopian tubes and the uterus using an instrument that is inserted just underneath the navel.
Upon confirmation of ovarian cancer, the doctor explores the extent of the cancer and submits the patient for surgery. The surgeon removes the growth or much of the malignant tissue. In most cases, the whole ovary or both of the ovaries and the fallopian tubes are removed as they the malignant cancer cells have already affected these areas. This kind of surgery is called salpingooophorectomy. If the malignant cells affect the uterus, hysterectomy is conducted (surgical removal of the uterus).
Surgery is usually ensued by radiotherapy, which is the use of high energy radiation to destroy malignant cancer cells in the body and shrink remaining tumors, which may later on become malignant. This procedure may be done using an external machine or a radioactive material put inside the body near the malignant cells.
The patient also undergoes chemotherapy, whereby the patient is given anti-cancer drugs to help hasten up ovarian cancer treatment. Drugs may be administered orally (through the mouth), intravenously (through the veins) or through the muscles (by means of injection of a needle.
Most anticancer drugs given to the patient have chemical compounds that are toxic to the malignant cells; thus, growth of the cancer cells is reduced or stopped. These anticancer drugs are called cytotoxic drugs. Other anticancer drugs used are synthetic forms of sex hormones such as androgen drugs and progesterone drugs.
In most instances, different kinds of anticancer drugs are prescribed in combination in order to speed up ovarian cancer treatment. However, not all ovarian cancer patients are given with the same anticancer drugs. The drugs given to a patient depends on the extent or stage of development of the ovarian cancer and her general health condition.
Ovarian cancer, a condition characterized by an overgrowth of malignant cells in one or both of the ovaries, is one of the deadliest and under-recognized cancers affecting women. Every year, there are more than 25,000 women that suffer from this deadly disease. Half of them are most likely to die within a period of five years.
Early Detection: Improves Ovarian Cancer Treatment
The sad thing about ovarian cancer is that during the early stage, there are usually no signs and symptoms that tell you about this disorder. Symptoms start to show up when the cancer is already widespread, making ovarian cancer treatment too difficult.
However, there are women who are lucky enough to detect the symptoms early on; hence, diagnosis is hastened up and ovarian cancer treatment is given immediately. Tests such as pelvic and rectal screening, ultrasound, x-ray and laparoscopy may help a doctor detect tumors in the ovaries.
At present, almost 75 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are not treated immediately due to late detection of the cancer. Experts say that when detection of the cancer is made early and when ovarian cancer treatment is given immediately, women diagnosed with the disease have 90% survival rate since the cancer can be easily treated in its early stage.
Diagnosis and Ovarian Cancer Treatment
When symptoms finally show up and the doctor suspects that a patient may have ovarian cancer, laparoscopy is conducted to confirm diagnosis. It is a direct visual examination of the abdominal cavity, the ovaries, the exterior of the fallopian tubes and the uterus using an instrument that is inserted just underneath the navel.
Upon confirmation of ovarian cancer, the doctor explores the extent of the cancer and submits the patient for surgery. The surgeon removes the growth or much of the malignant tissue. In most cases, the whole ovary or both of the ovaries and the fallopian tubes are removed as they the malignant cancer cells have already affected these areas. This kind of surgery is called salpingooophorectomy. If the malignant cells affect the uterus, hysterectomy is conducted (surgical removal of the uterus).
Surgery is usually ensued by radiotherapy, which is the use of high energy radiation to destroy malignant cancer cells in the body and shrink remaining tumors, which may later on become malignant. This procedure may be done using an external machine or a radioactive material put inside the body near the malignant cells.
The patient also undergoes chemotherapy, whereby the patient is given anti-cancer drugs to help hasten up ovarian cancer treatment. Drugs may be administered orally (through the mouth), intravenously (through the veins) or through the muscles (by means of injection of a needle.
Most anticancer drugs given to the patient have chemical compounds that are toxic to the malignant cells; thus, growth of the cancer cells is reduced or stopped. These anticancer drugs are called cytotoxic drugs. Other anticancer drugs used are synthetic forms of sex hormones such as androgen drugs and progesterone drugs.
In most instances, different kinds of anticancer drugs are prescribed in combination in order to speed up ovarian cancer treatment. However, not all ovarian cancer patients are given with the same anticancer drugs. The drugs given to a patient depends on the extent or stage of development of the ovarian cancer and her general health condition.
New Gene Tools Shed Lights on Cancer Treatment
New Gene Tools Shed Lights on Cancer Treatment
Cells in all living organisms develop a process in which their structure is continuously activating and deactivating genes through protein expression, which converts DNA sequence into the structures and functions of a cell, so statistical studies of real-time PCR have shown evidence of the efficacy of gene tools on cancer treatment.
Because cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell division, the complete analysis of primer design can shed light on determining the cause of the cells' ability to invade other tissues by unregulated growth, sometimes directly into adjacent tissue, the process known as invasion, or by migration of cells to distant sites, commonly referred as metastasis.
When normal cells transform into cancerigenous cells, real time PCR may help to determine the degree of damage to genetic information in acquired or inherited mutations to DNA within cells. Damage removes normal control of cell division, altering the data required for producing proteins through protein synthesis.
Computer programs are designed to simplify the work of selecting primer design pairs for the exploitment of polymerase chain reaction, and are useful aids for developers of gene tools and they are simply to use. They allow the input of the sequence containing the insert to be primed and other parameters that researchers need to identify suitable candidates before proceeding to real time PCR.
A bio computing service at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg has been providing bio informatics training and support to the scientist community, including the analysis of primer design considered for cancer research. Studies are based on primer length, melting temperature, percentage content in GC, and concentration of salt and DNA.
The estimate of a maximum number of unknown bases in the input sequence over which a primer is build, contributes to accurate and quantitative real-time PCR for cancer detection, hence providing the foundation for early treatment. Bio techniques of diagnose and treatment are quickly becoming easier, faster and widely acceptable by patients who are in risk of developing any type of genetic disease.
In fact, there is a real time PCR technology for cancer diagnostics, based on advances in biological sciences, which provides molecular targets for diagnosing and treating cancer, including primer design and micro arrays in conjunction with clustering algorithms, revealing cancer's molecular diversity that promises a new multiplexed taxonomy with prognostic and therapeutic significance.
Bio techniques have numerous potential applications in the laboratory, where common real time PCR accurately detected the development of cancer cells, based in proper primer design with absence of dimerization capability, secondary priming sites and lack of significant hairpin formation.
Copyright @2006, 4th Media Corporation
You have permission to publish this article electronically free of charge, as long as the bylines and links in the body of the article and the bylines are included.
© 2009 Cancer Help.
Cells in all living organisms develop a process in which their structure is continuously activating and deactivating genes through protein expression, which converts DNA sequence into the structures and functions of a cell, so statistical studies of real-time PCR have shown evidence of the efficacy of gene tools on cancer treatment.
Because cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell division, the complete analysis of primer design can shed light on determining the cause of the cells' ability to invade other tissues by unregulated growth, sometimes directly into adjacent tissue, the process known as invasion, or by migration of cells to distant sites, commonly referred as metastasis.
When normal cells transform into cancerigenous cells, real time PCR may help to determine the degree of damage to genetic information in acquired or inherited mutations to DNA within cells. Damage removes normal control of cell division, altering the data required for producing proteins through protein synthesis.
Computer programs are designed to simplify the work of selecting primer design pairs for the exploitment of polymerase chain reaction, and are useful aids for developers of gene tools and they are simply to use. They allow the input of the sequence containing the insert to be primed and other parameters that researchers need to identify suitable candidates before proceeding to real time PCR.
A bio computing service at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg has been providing bio informatics training and support to the scientist community, including the analysis of primer design considered for cancer research. Studies are based on primer length, melting temperature, percentage content in GC, and concentration of salt and DNA.
The estimate of a maximum number of unknown bases in the input sequence over which a primer is build, contributes to accurate and quantitative real-time PCR for cancer detection, hence providing the foundation for early treatment. Bio techniques of diagnose and treatment are quickly becoming easier, faster and widely acceptable by patients who are in risk of developing any type of genetic disease.
In fact, there is a real time PCR technology for cancer diagnostics, based on advances in biological sciences, which provides molecular targets for diagnosing and treating cancer, including primer design and micro arrays in conjunction with clustering algorithms, revealing cancer's molecular diversity that promises a new multiplexed taxonomy with prognostic and therapeutic significance.
Bio techniques have numerous potential applications in the laboratory, where common real time PCR accurately detected the development of cancer cells, based in proper primer design with absence of dimerization capability, secondary priming sites and lack of significant hairpin formation.
Copyright @2006, 4th Media Corporation
You have permission to publish this article electronically free of charge, as long as the bylines and links in the body of the article and the bylines are included.
© 2009 Cancer Help.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
New Cancer Treatment Promises Hope
New Cancer Treatment Promises Hope
Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC) with Mitomycin C after Cytoreductive Surgery for Patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis - a long, technical term for modern medicine in the fight against cancer.
I had the rare opportunity to speak with Dr. Perry Shen of Wake Forest University. As I listened, he explained how this groundbreaking treatment is extending the lives of patients suffering from Peritoneal Carcinomatosis. *(Peritoneal membrane surrounds and lubricates the surface of organs within the abdomen; eg., colon, gallbladder, spleen, ovaries, intestines, liver, etc..) Because Advanced-stage Peritoneal carcinomatosis (cancer) and disseminated peritoneal lymphomas are often resistant to current chemotherapy treatment, medical researchers out of Wake Forest University have engaged in the study and treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis since 1991.
Dr. John Spratt first began describing using interdominal heated therapy in 1980, and found that this particular method worked well in conjunction with chemotherapy. By giving chemotherapy interdominally with much higher concentrated heat, (41 degrees Celcius - or around 105 degrees Fahrenheit) through tumor-removal surgery, the heated medicine showed an increase in its effectiveness; thus, decreasing tumors. (1. Cytoreductive surgery consists of the removal of all gross tumors and involved organs, peritoneum, or tissue deemed technically feasible and safe for the patient. Any tumors adherent or invasive to vital structures that could not be removes were cytoreduces using the cavitational ultrasonic surgical aspirator.)
Overall survival rates were improved of 109 Patients (with peritoneal carcinomatosis) treated between December 1991 and November 1997. (2. Clinicopathologic factors that independently predicted improved overall survival rates.)
A one-time treatment, IHPC lasts approximately 1-2 hours, but standardly, a 2-hour treatment is utilized by Wake Forest University. Initially, patients are cooled to a core temperature of approximately 34 Degrees C to 35 Degrees C. Once cooled, peritoneal perfusion inflow and outflow catheters are placed peroutaneously into the abdominal cavity. With temperature probes acting as moderators, the abdomen is gently massaged throughout perfusion to enhance drug distribution to all peritoneal areas. Because tumor tissue is more responsive to heat than normal tissue (due to intrinsic thermosensitivity) IHPC improves the chemosensitivity of tumor cells to Mytomycin C(MMC).
With an average life expectancy of 3-6 months after diagnosis of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, patients are gaining new hope as IHPC treatment is extending life by as much as 15 months; and a few selected patients' lives have even been extended to 28-30 months.
IHPC is currently utilized by oncologists throughout 8 centers Nationwide, with treatment of an average of 40-50 cases annually. According to Dr. Shen, one study was performed in Europe of a randomized differential of Systemic (traditional) Chemotherapy as opposed to IHPC, and found favor towards Intraperitoneal Heated Chemotherapy. Dr. Shen optimistically explained that more cases could be substantially helped if caught in early stages. (3) Dr. Perry Shen is the Assistant Professor in the Department of General Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
As with all medical breakthroughs, the health hope of mankind rests in the hands of researchers and medical communities across the globe. While modern technology is steadily improving overall life expectancies, it is also important to remember that if we choose to live healthier, happier lives - prevention is key. In closing, I commend Dr. Shen and his medical research staff for the advancement and hopeful promise of enhancing patient's lives through committed research and human compassion.
Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC) with Mitomycin C after Cytoreductive Surgery for Patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis - a long, technical term for modern medicine in the fight against cancer.
I had the rare opportunity to speak with Dr. Perry Shen of Wake Forest University. As I listened, he explained how this groundbreaking treatment is extending the lives of patients suffering from Peritoneal Carcinomatosis. *(Peritoneal membrane surrounds and lubricates the surface of organs within the abdomen; eg., colon, gallbladder, spleen, ovaries, intestines, liver, etc..) Because Advanced-stage Peritoneal carcinomatosis (cancer) and disseminated peritoneal lymphomas are often resistant to current chemotherapy treatment, medical researchers out of Wake Forest University have engaged in the study and treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis since 1991.
Dr. John Spratt first began describing using interdominal heated therapy in 1980, and found that this particular method worked well in conjunction with chemotherapy. By giving chemotherapy interdominally with much higher concentrated heat, (41 degrees Celcius - or around 105 degrees Fahrenheit) through tumor-removal surgery, the heated medicine showed an increase in its effectiveness; thus, decreasing tumors. (1. Cytoreductive surgery consists of the removal of all gross tumors and involved organs, peritoneum, or tissue deemed technically feasible and safe for the patient. Any tumors adherent or invasive to vital structures that could not be removes were cytoreduces using the cavitational ultrasonic surgical aspirator.)
Overall survival rates were improved of 109 Patients (with peritoneal carcinomatosis) treated between December 1991 and November 1997. (2. Clinicopathologic factors that independently predicted improved overall survival rates.)
A one-time treatment, IHPC lasts approximately 1-2 hours, but standardly, a 2-hour treatment is utilized by Wake Forest University. Initially, patients are cooled to a core temperature of approximately 34 Degrees C to 35 Degrees C. Once cooled, peritoneal perfusion inflow and outflow catheters are placed peroutaneously into the abdominal cavity. With temperature probes acting as moderators, the abdomen is gently massaged throughout perfusion to enhance drug distribution to all peritoneal areas. Because tumor tissue is more responsive to heat than normal tissue (due to intrinsic thermosensitivity) IHPC improves the chemosensitivity of tumor cells to Mytomycin C(MMC).
With an average life expectancy of 3-6 months after diagnosis of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, patients are gaining new hope as IHPC treatment is extending life by as much as 15 months; and a few selected patients' lives have even been extended to 28-30 months.
IHPC is currently utilized by oncologists throughout 8 centers Nationwide, with treatment of an average of 40-50 cases annually. According to Dr. Shen, one study was performed in Europe of a randomized differential of Systemic (traditional) Chemotherapy as opposed to IHPC, and found favor towards Intraperitoneal Heated Chemotherapy. Dr. Shen optimistically explained that more cases could be substantially helped if caught in early stages. (3) Dr. Perry Shen is the Assistant Professor in the Department of General Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
As with all medical breakthroughs, the health hope of mankind rests in the hands of researchers and medical communities across the globe. While modern technology is steadily improving overall life expectancies, it is also important to remember that if we choose to live healthier, happier lives - prevention is key. In closing, I commend Dr. Shen and his medical research staff for the advancement and hopeful promise of enhancing patient's lives through committed research and human compassion.
Natural Cancer Cure
Natural Cancer Cure
It takes a lot of courage to face cancer and it takes even more courage to search for an alternative and natural cancer cure for your dis-ease. Although scientists are breaking new ground every day and discovering new treatments and even cures, often these treatments are either very expensive, just simply unavailable and most often have terrible side affects that are extremely difficult to tolerate. This is why people just like you search for a natural cancer cure every day.
One of the first steps when faced with a terrible dis-ease such as cancer is to cure your mind. Most people now are very well aware of how powerful their mind is and the incredible affects it can have on your entire body as well as the incredible self-healing powers it can have on your entire body. Scientists are discovering more and more just how powerful our mind truly is, and the new-age/self-help movement has known and preached the power of the mind for a long time. It's only now that scientists are actually starting to validate scientifically what the new age movement already knows.
When faced though with a terrible dis-ease such as cancer, people like yourself are looking for instant cures and help and preferably natural with little side affects. Self Hypnosis actually offers you a viable natural cancer cure. Although hypnosis on its own cannot cure cancer, hypnosis can instantly begin to change and help your mind. With your mind operating in total peak performance, it gives your body and any other treatments you are using the best chances of success.
You can easily begin to use the benefits of hypnosis right in the privacy of your own home with a mp3 hypnosis download. As well you are able to listen to the hypnosis session over and over to get its full benefit. Begin your natural cancer cure search today by bringing a new frame of mind to your treatment.
It takes a lot of courage to face cancer and it takes even more courage to search for an alternative and natural cancer cure for your dis-ease. Although scientists are breaking new ground every day and discovering new treatments and even cures, often these treatments are either very expensive, just simply unavailable and most often have terrible side affects that are extremely difficult to tolerate. This is why people just like you search for a natural cancer cure every day.
One of the first steps when faced with a terrible dis-ease such as cancer is to cure your mind. Most people now are very well aware of how powerful their mind is and the incredible affects it can have on your entire body as well as the incredible self-healing powers it can have on your entire body. Scientists are discovering more and more just how powerful our mind truly is, and the new-age/self-help movement has known and preached the power of the mind for a long time. It's only now that scientists are actually starting to validate scientifically what the new age movement already knows.
When faced though with a terrible dis-ease such as cancer, people like yourself are looking for instant cures and help and preferably natural with little side affects. Self Hypnosis actually offers you a viable natural cancer cure. Although hypnosis on its own cannot cure cancer, hypnosis can instantly begin to change and help your mind. With your mind operating in total peak performance, it gives your body and any other treatments you are using the best chances of success.
You can easily begin to use the benefits of hypnosis right in the privacy of your own home with a mp3 hypnosis download. As well you are able to listen to the hypnosis session over and over to get its full benefit. Begin your natural cancer cure search today by bringing a new frame of mind to your treatment.
Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment - Asbestos Kills
Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment - Asbestos Kills
Mesothelioma cancer is a disease that results from exposure to asbestos related substances. Asbestos usually consists of fibres that can enter the body through the mouth, or the skin, and, subsequently, enter the lungs, or blood stream.
Mesothelioma cancer has become more widely documented in the last 5-10 years, due to the fact that symptoms of asbestos cancer can take between 20 to 40 years to manifest. Mesothelioma cancer is hard to diagnose, as the symptoms do not tend to manifest themselves until the later stages of the disease. Symptoms of mesothelioma lung cancer include shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and other secondary illnesses such as pneumonia.
Asbestos cancer most often develops in men between the ages of 50 to 70 years who were exposed to high levels of asbestos in the workplace. Asbestos was mainly used in manufacturing industries such as automotive and ship building as well as in the construction industry. The use of asbestos was only recently banned in the 1990's.
Mesthelioma lung cancer has been found to be the most common form of mesothelioma cancer and it develops in the lining of the lung (pleural). Mesothelioma cancer can also develop in the abdominal area (peritoneal) and around the heart (pericardial). There is a greater chance of malignancy in abdominal asbestos cancer. For a more detailed explanation of mesothelioma cancer, visit http://www.lung-canceradvice.com
Mesothelioma lung cancer can be detected through a CT scan which enables it to be sometimes diagnosed earlier than the other two types of mesothelioma cancer. The type of mesothelioma cancer treatment will depend on the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed, the age of the patient as well as personal preferences. The disease can be divided into four separate stages. The stage in the disease process that is reached will determine the method of mesothelioma cancer treatment. At the first stage when the tumour is confined to the lining of the lungs, surgeons may try to remove the entire tumour surgically. Once the tumour has invaded the surrounding body tissues in the later stages, it is not curable.
Conventionally, the more advanced stages of mesothelioma cancer are treated with either radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy x-rays to destroy cancerous cells and shrink tumours Chemotherapy, on the other hand, uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. The aim of these mesothelioma cancer treatments is to prolong the patient's life as the disease cannot be cured in the more advanced stages.
In addition to these conventional mesothelioma cancer treatments, there are also various experimental treatments currently under investigation which offer new hope.
Immunotherapy: This form of biological therapy for mesothelioma cancer treatment uses the patient's own immune system to attack the cancerous cells. Clinical studies have shown that the immune system is able to distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells, and can therefore be used to destroy those cancerous cells.
Gene Therapy: This form of mesothelioma cancer treatment is very much still in the developmental stages. The process involves injecting a specific gene straight into the tumour. This gene renders the cancer cells sensitive to the antiviral drug glanciclovir which under normal circumstances is not effective against these cells. The glanciclovir is then able to destroy all the cancer cells without harming the healthy tissue cells.
Drug Therapy: The drug Alimta is the only chemotherapy drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)for the treatment of patients with malignant mesothelioma lung cancer . This new and exciting drug has been demonstrated in clinical trials to reduce symptoms and increase the life expectancy of patients.
Photodynamic Therapy: Photodynamic therapy involves the use of light to destroy cancer cells. The patient first is first administered a photosensitizing drug that only collects in cancerous cells. Fibre-optic cables are then inserted in the body in order to focus light of a certain frequency on the tumour. The light stimulates the photosensitizing drug to produce toxic oxygen molecules that destroy the cancerous cells.
These experimental mesothelioma cancer treatments, although still in the developmental stages, offer cancer victims the prospect of a better and longer life. With the likelihood of an increase in the number of people diagnosed with asbestos cancer, further research into other forms of mesothelioma cancer treatment is vital.
Mesothelioma cancer is a disease that results from exposure to asbestos related substances. Asbestos usually consists of fibres that can enter the body through the mouth, or the skin, and, subsequently, enter the lungs, or blood stream.
Mesothelioma cancer has become more widely documented in the last 5-10 years, due to the fact that symptoms of asbestos cancer can take between 20 to 40 years to manifest. Mesothelioma cancer is hard to diagnose, as the symptoms do not tend to manifest themselves until the later stages of the disease. Symptoms of mesothelioma lung cancer include shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and other secondary illnesses such as pneumonia.
Asbestos cancer most often develops in men between the ages of 50 to 70 years who were exposed to high levels of asbestos in the workplace. Asbestos was mainly used in manufacturing industries such as automotive and ship building as well as in the construction industry. The use of asbestos was only recently banned in the 1990's.
Mesthelioma lung cancer has been found to be the most common form of mesothelioma cancer and it develops in the lining of the lung (pleural). Mesothelioma cancer can also develop in the abdominal area (peritoneal) and around the heart (pericardial). There is a greater chance of malignancy in abdominal asbestos cancer. For a more detailed explanation of mesothelioma cancer, visit http://www.lung-canceradvice.com
Mesothelioma lung cancer can be detected through a CT scan which enables it to be sometimes diagnosed earlier than the other two types of mesothelioma cancer. The type of mesothelioma cancer treatment will depend on the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed, the age of the patient as well as personal preferences. The disease can be divided into four separate stages. The stage in the disease process that is reached will determine the method of mesothelioma cancer treatment. At the first stage when the tumour is confined to the lining of the lungs, surgeons may try to remove the entire tumour surgically. Once the tumour has invaded the surrounding body tissues in the later stages, it is not curable.
Conventionally, the more advanced stages of mesothelioma cancer are treated with either radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy x-rays to destroy cancerous cells and shrink tumours Chemotherapy, on the other hand, uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. The aim of these mesothelioma cancer treatments is to prolong the patient's life as the disease cannot be cured in the more advanced stages.
In addition to these conventional mesothelioma cancer treatments, there are also various experimental treatments currently under investigation which offer new hope.
Immunotherapy: This form of biological therapy for mesothelioma cancer treatment uses the patient's own immune system to attack the cancerous cells. Clinical studies have shown that the immune system is able to distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells, and can therefore be used to destroy those cancerous cells.
Gene Therapy: This form of mesothelioma cancer treatment is very much still in the developmental stages. The process involves injecting a specific gene straight into the tumour. This gene renders the cancer cells sensitive to the antiviral drug glanciclovir which under normal circumstances is not effective against these cells. The glanciclovir is then able to destroy all the cancer cells without harming the healthy tissue cells.
Drug Therapy: The drug Alimta is the only chemotherapy drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)for the treatment of patients with malignant mesothelioma lung cancer . This new and exciting drug has been demonstrated in clinical trials to reduce symptoms and increase the life expectancy of patients.
Photodynamic Therapy: Photodynamic therapy involves the use of light to destroy cancer cells. The patient first is first administered a photosensitizing drug that only collects in cancerous cells. Fibre-optic cables are then inserted in the body in order to focus light of a certain frequency on the tumour. The light stimulates the photosensitizing drug to produce toxic oxygen molecules that destroy the cancerous cells.
These experimental mesothelioma cancer treatments, although still in the developmental stages, offer cancer victims the prospect of a better and longer life. With the likelihood of an increase in the number of people diagnosed with asbestos cancer, further research into other forms of mesothelioma cancer treatment is vital.
Melanoma, Skin Disease and Skin Cancer Treatment - You Need to Read This
Melanoma, Skin Disease and Skin Cancer Treatment - You Need to Read This
Skin cancer like melanoma is potentially fatal. Hence, it is imperative that skin cancer treatment is begun early. Skin cancer treatment may take on the conventional form or it may be along the lines of alternative medicine. Cancer treatment is progressing rapidly by the day and new treatment methods are in the pipeline.
Conventional skin cancer treatment encompasses a range of methods, like:
Surgery
Surgery is the oldest form of treating skin cancer. This treatment involves the removal of the tumor and some adjacent healthy tissues in order to stem the cancer spread. For some surface-based cancers doctors and surgeons have found skin peels like the TCA skin peel have been very effective (see the link below for more info on TCA peels for home use).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy aims at skin cancer treatment by introducing specific cancer-combating drugs in the body. These drugs kill the cancer cells by hampering their development and regeneration. To counter the side effects, chemotherapy is being molded along new lines.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses x-rays to kill the cancer-causing cells. This therapy can be applied to any part of the body. New radiation techniques like External Beam Radiation aim at focusing the radiation to the cancer cell and away from healthy tissue.
Immunotherapy
Biotherapy or immunotherapy aims at treating skin cancer by enhancing the body's immune system with doses of tumor vaccines, interleukin-2, or interferon-alfa. It involves fewer side effects than other methods.
Hyperthermia
The cancer cell is known to be sensitive to heat. Local hyperthermia is one method of cancer treatment where the whole body or the concerned area is subject to high temperatures to destroy or weaken cancer cells.
Photodynamic Therapy
A relatively new cancer treatment, Photodynamic Therapy, involves the injection of Photofrin so that when the cancer cell is subject to a laser beam, the drug is triggered into action. This treatment is relatively painless and entails less risks and side effects than other treatment forms.
Steering clear of these harsh methods are the alternative forms of cancer treatment like:
Nutritional Therapy
Here the cancer patient is put on an individualized diet in accordance with the specific dietary preferences and requirements to counter the ravages wrought by the disease and the treatment.
Pain management
Pain management aims to alleviate pain and distress either through drugs, surgery or psychotherapy.
Naturopathy
It is "back to nature" in the realm of cancer treatment, with natural therapy. Naturopathy is an herbal treatment, which furthers your body's innate ability to heal itself, combining a range of processes.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Another new form of cancer treatment is Psychoneuroimmunology. It believes that mind can wield enough control over the body to stimulate a healing process. Thus, this form of treatment engulfs a range of nutritional and medical issues to aid during the bodily healing and emotional and cognitive therapies like stress management and humor sessions to empower the mind.
Spiritual Support Therapy
Another popular form of skin cancer treatment is Spiritual Support Therapy, which takes care of the patient's spiritual well being and a regimen of exercises and massages that forms the Physical Therapy, designed to abate stress and pain.
Skin cancer treatment is most effective when cancer is diagnosed early and the physician embarks on the best form of treatment.
Skin cancer like melanoma is potentially fatal. Hence, it is imperative that skin cancer treatment is begun early. Skin cancer treatment may take on the conventional form or it may be along the lines of alternative medicine. Cancer treatment is progressing rapidly by the day and new treatment methods are in the pipeline.
Conventional skin cancer treatment encompasses a range of methods, like:
Surgery
Surgery is the oldest form of treating skin cancer. This treatment involves the removal of the tumor and some adjacent healthy tissues in order to stem the cancer spread. For some surface-based cancers doctors and surgeons have found skin peels like the TCA skin peel have been very effective (see the link below for more info on TCA peels for home use).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy aims at skin cancer treatment by introducing specific cancer-combating drugs in the body. These drugs kill the cancer cells by hampering their development and regeneration. To counter the side effects, chemotherapy is being molded along new lines.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses x-rays to kill the cancer-causing cells. This therapy can be applied to any part of the body. New radiation techniques like External Beam Radiation aim at focusing the radiation to the cancer cell and away from healthy tissue.
Immunotherapy
Biotherapy or immunotherapy aims at treating skin cancer by enhancing the body's immune system with doses of tumor vaccines, interleukin-2, or interferon-alfa. It involves fewer side effects than other methods.
Hyperthermia
The cancer cell is known to be sensitive to heat. Local hyperthermia is one method of cancer treatment where the whole body or the concerned area is subject to high temperatures to destroy or weaken cancer cells.
Photodynamic Therapy
A relatively new cancer treatment, Photodynamic Therapy, involves the injection of Photofrin so that when the cancer cell is subject to a laser beam, the drug is triggered into action. This treatment is relatively painless and entails less risks and side effects than other treatment forms.
Steering clear of these harsh methods are the alternative forms of cancer treatment like:
Nutritional Therapy
Here the cancer patient is put on an individualized diet in accordance with the specific dietary preferences and requirements to counter the ravages wrought by the disease and the treatment.
Pain management
Pain management aims to alleviate pain and distress either through drugs, surgery or psychotherapy.
Naturopathy
It is "back to nature" in the realm of cancer treatment, with natural therapy. Naturopathy is an herbal treatment, which furthers your body's innate ability to heal itself, combining a range of processes.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Another new form of cancer treatment is Psychoneuroimmunology. It believes that mind can wield enough control over the body to stimulate a healing process. Thus, this form of treatment engulfs a range of nutritional and medical issues to aid during the bodily healing and emotional and cognitive therapies like stress management and humor sessions to empower the mind.
Spiritual Support Therapy
Another popular form of skin cancer treatment is Spiritual Support Therapy, which takes care of the patient's spiritual well being and a regimen of exercises and massages that forms the Physical Therapy, designed to abate stress and pain.
Skin cancer treatment is most effective when cancer is diagnosed early and the physician embarks on the best form of treatment.
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