Medical science has taken great strides forward. However, the vulnerability to many diseases like cancer, remain. Thus, billions of dollars are spent on researching alternative cancer cure treatments every year through out the world. Alternative cancer cure encompasses methods, natural and otherwise, that go beyond the traditional realm of surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

Physical Touch method
Amidst the varied alternative cancer cure methods, Manual Healing or the Physical Touch method is widely known.

Reiki
The Japanese observation of Reiki is another alternative cancer cure methodology, which also works along similar lines. A Reiki master can unclog your congested energy pathways to relieve you of the pain of the disease and the treatment.

Chiropractic
Chiropractic provides a remedy for musculoskeletal disorders by working on the spine and the neck. Chiropractors believe that this boosts the immune system by restoring the bodily balance that had gone haywire due to cancer.

Massages
Massages, though not proven effective as a cancer cure, provide relief from pain and discomfort.

Nutritional Therapy
Amongst the other kinds of alternative cancer remedy, Nutritional Therapy is the most widely publicized. It has been medically proved that some food prevent and can even cure some cancer forms like breast cancer. In fact, recent discoveries point out to the cancer-combating agents present in fruits like pomegranates and red berries.

Naturopathy and Homeopathy
Naturopathy and Homeopathy are grounded on similar lines. Both therapies believe in achieving bodily harmony, which in turn rouses the self-healing process, which can relieve the symptoms of many forms of cancer like prostate, colon, liver or skin. The core difference in these two cancer remedy methods lies in their modus operandi.

While Homeopathy is almost like vaccination, wherein trace amounts of cancer-inducing agents are introduced in the body in an attempt to trigger a defense mechanism to combat the disease, Naturopathy is actually an amalgamation of various methods like Homeopathy, usage of herbal substances or electrical treatment to achieve the requisite bodily balance.

Other upcoming alternative treatments include:
While many alternative cancer treatment methods agree to the use of natural processes, some like the oxygen and ozone therapies profess the injection of oxygen and ozone to retard the growth of cancer cells and even have them transmute into normal cells.

Recently gaining ground in the dominion of alternative cancer treatment methodologies is the Bristol Approach, combining physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual therapies, aimed at corporal and mental well being.

Its underlying philosophy shares ground with many holistic lines of treatment. These empower the mind to control the bodily processes. The Bristol Approach also incorporates numerous self-help techniques to aid the cancer patient during this treatment period.

The synergistic effect of these alternative cancer cure methods is far greater than when used in seclusion. The alternative treatment is doubly effective when used in conjunction with some conventional mode of cancer remedy.

Has the medical established been overlooking what could be a very effective cancer cure protocol.
Is it possible that the cure for cancer or at the very least an effective cancer treatment for some reason has not been pursued by mainstream medicine? What if qualified PhD researchers have validated its efficacy?

After many decades of pursuing a cancer cure, why is it that we still don't have a treatment protocol that works in the vast majority of cases?

We probably do have that treatment protocol! The tragic reality of cancer research is quite simply this. It seems that those with the money to invest in cancer research rightfully expect a significant return on that investment based on the fact that cancer research is a very costly undertaking. That expectation is reasonable enough, because people with money to invest have an expectation that they will earn a decent return on their investment.

What if a cancer cure had been discovered but if it had no likelihood of returning any payback on the investment. Would you invest additional money to put it through the necessary clinical trials? The answer really is very simple. People in the business of finding cures for cancer are really in the business of finding cures for cancer that can return a hefty profit to their bottom line.

Cancer treatment is a "HUGE BUSINESS" which by definition means a meaningful return on every dollar invested. If it were you, would you continue to market a product that works some of the time but it has hefty returns? Or would you market a product that works most of the time but has zero returns and would effectively put you out of business?

I have no idea what your answer is but I know what their answer is likely to be. Better to make lots of money and save a few cancer patients rather than make no money and save a lot of cancer patients.

Common sense will tell most of us that if we could put a man on the moon in 10 years then it stands to reason that we should have far better treatment protocols that would result in an effective cancer cure after 70 years of clinical research.

We probably already have that cancer cure or at the very least a treatment protocol that turns cancer into a chronic disease as opposed to a death sentence. It is our individual responsibility to determine what researchers have figured out over the last 70 years that could save our lives. But, for whatever reason mainstream medicine and organizations that conduct clinical trials have decided that it is not in their collective best interest to promote because the return on their investment just isn't worth it.

Do your homework and don't let your lack of knowledge leave you in a situation where you think you have no good options or real hope for a cancer cure!

We all want our children to go onto college and get a great education, but the ever daunting task, of how does one pay for this besides the use of college loans. One route are scholarships. Believe it or not there are a variety of scholarship programs that your child may qualify for, we list some of them here.

Regardless of how you feel on the imigration subject, one thing is for sure Mexicans are now doing their part of helping fellow Mexicans back in their home country, to stay, there get a good education and hopefully build up the country, or at least so says a recent report in Newsweek. The scholarships are organized and run by the non-profit organization Grupo Indaparapeo. The funds help college scholarships for Mexico`s youth, giving them money for books and transportation that, according to the report, "the Mexican government is willing to match."

If it is sports scholarships that peak your interested you`ll be happy to hear of a recent report in Sports Illustrated where, "high school football players specializing in placekicking is on the increase." The report continues to say that, "Universities are beginning to hand out more scholarships for talented placekickers, leading to the surge of interest in the position." Joe Lemire or Sports Illustrated his findings show of one such individual who took advantage of this offer. "Blair Walsh received offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, and Georgia following his junior year performance," claims Lemire. "In contrast, Chris Sailer was one of only a dozen high school kickers and punters to receive a scholarship in 1995."

So maybe your child is not the next great athlete coming out of high school, but without a doubt has the grade to get an academic scholarship. Look into ones that are in the mainstream as noted by the Chronicle of Higher Education. In their March 2007 issue they list private donations and funding for education and research. According to the article, "The William Randolph Hearst Foundation in New York city endowed two scholarships, one at Bethune-Cookman University and the other at Oberlin College." They also mentioned that "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey donated to the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque to establish a national center for health policy." They also mentioned private donations for scholarships noting that, "Mariann MacDonald donated to the University of Pennsylvania to create a professorship in breast cancer care at the Abramson Cancer Center."

Not all scholarships present themselves in such a way that are black and white. As always discuss options and opportunities with counselors at your child`s school as well as individuals in the proper departments at the colleges or universities your child may attend.

The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen. It is connected to the duodenum, the upper end of the small intestine. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious of cancers. It develops when cancerous cells form in the tissues of your pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the pancreas. Each year about 33,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with this condition, and more than 60,000 in Europe. Depending on the extent of the tumor at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis is generally regarded as poor, with few victims still alive five years after diagnosis, and complete remission still extremely rare

Signs and Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. Unintended weight loss is a common sign of pancreatic cancer. Weight loss occurs in most types of cancer because cancerous (malignant) cells deprive healthy cells of nutrients, and this is especially true in pancreatic cancer.

As the cancer grows and spreads, pain often develops in the upper abdomen and sometimes spreads to the back. Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and weakness.

Jaundice is caused by a buildup of bilirubin (a substance produced in the liver) that causes a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Jaundice may also cause brown urine and clay-colored stools. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are generally vague and can easily be attributed to other less serious and more common conditions. This lack of specific symptoms explains the high number of people who have a more advanced stage of disease when pancreatic cancer is discovered.

Treatment for Pancreatic cancer
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. You may receive radiation treatments before or after cancer surgery, often in combination with chemotherapy. Or, your doctor may recommend a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments when your cancer can't be treated surgically.

Surgery may be done to remove all or part of the pancreas. Sometimes it is necessary to remove a portion of the stomach, duodenum, and other nearby tissues. This operation is called a Whipple procedure. In cases where the cancer in the pancreas cannot be removed, the surgeon may be able to create a bypass around the common bile duct or the duodenum if either is blocked.

Endoscopic stent placement: A stent (flexible tube) is placed in the bile duct to drain the bile into the small intestine or outside the body as needed. This is done when the tumor is blocking the bile duct and there is a build up of bile to prevent further build up.

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells. Short-term side effects might include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, and mouth sores. Because chemotherapy can damage the bone marrow, where new blood cells are made, blood cell counts might become low.

Pancreatic Cancer Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis
Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas, a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of the stomach. Pancreatic cancer occurs most commonly in men between the ages of 35 and 70, it is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality (behind lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer). Pancreatic cancer is usually an adenocarcinoma and it usually arises from the pancreatic duct cells which make up the major part of the pancreas.

Cause of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is caused by damage to genes, but it is not known exactly why this damage happens. Evidence suggests that it is linked to exposure to carcinogens such as; cigarettes, food high in fat and protein and food additives. Possible predisposing factors are chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus and chronic alcohol abuse.

There is some evidence that people who don't eat many fresh vegetables and fruits are more at risk from pancreatic cancer. Being overweight may cause a small increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer. Some industrial chemicals called chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents have been linked to pancreatic cancer, although they are unlikely to be a major factor. Other chemicals and exposures that have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in some studies include pesticides, radiation, nickel, chromium and iron.

The average age of onset of pancreatic cancer is between 70 to 80 but heavy smokers and heavy drinkers present with pancreatic cancer an average of seven to 10 years earlier than the rest of the population.

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer
The most common are weight loss, abdominal or low back pain, jaundice and diarrhea. Other more general effects include; fever, skin lesions, depression, anxiety and a premonition of impending death. Ascites ( fluid retention in the abdomen ) can be a sign of pancreatic tumors.

Diagnosis
It is very difficult to diagnose pancreatic cancer as the pancreas is so deep within the body and symptoms vary depending on the exact location of the tumor in the pancreas and which cells or function of the pancreas is affected by the tumour or cancer. Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it is a leading cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer specialists believe that anyone over 50 who develops diabetes and has unexplained weight loss should be investigated for other pancreatic disease. Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and a painlessly distended gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer and may be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones.

Treatment
Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and location of the cancer as well as on your age, overall health and personal preferences. The first goal of pancreatic cancer treatment is to eliminate the cancer, when possible. Pancreatic cancer is relatively resistant to medical treatment and the only potentially curative treatment is surgery. Radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer can palliate pain but does not affect the patients survival.

Gemcitabine was approved by the US FDA in 1998 after a clinical trial reported improvements in quality of life in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Management of pain and other symptoms is an important part of the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Prognosis
Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early and the median survival period from the time of diagnosis until demise is arguably the worst of any of the cancers. The best predictors of long term survival after surgery are a tumor diameter of less than 3 cm, no nodal involvement, negative resection margins, and diploid tumor DNA content.

Due to difficulties in diagnosis, the aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer and the limited systemic treatments available, the five-year survival rate for patients who have pancreatic adenocarcinoma is only about 5%.

The type of surgery recommended in any given case of breast cancer has significance for postoperative therapy. Breast cancer surgery may be less extensive or radical where the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body; the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy may then be more aggressive. Breast cancer surgery recovery time depends on the procedure involved.

More commonly, the cancer is localized. The patient’s options may, in consequence include: surgery only, surgery with radiation, surgery with chemotherapy, surgery with a combination of these treatments; or radiation or chemotherapy without surgery. However, breast cancer surgery recovery time would differ depending upon the kind of surgery they had.

If the lesion is malignant, the surgeon proceeds with the mastectomy. Depending upon the seriousness of the case and the procedure recommended by the surgeon and the pathologist, the operation may be a simple mastectomy, a radical mastectomy, a modified radical mastectomy, or any of a number of other forms of breast operation.

In the United States, until recently, radical mastectomy was the usual procedure for breast cancer treatment. Today at least seven different types of mastectomy, some more widely accepted than other, may be performed namely: lumpectomy, simple mastectomy, modified-radical mastectomy, halsted-type radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, super-radical mastectomy. All may be recommended in different cases depending upon the type of cancer, its invasive potential, or ability to spread, and other factors.

Most patients have deep concern about many aspects of breast cancer surgery recovery time, including the cosmetic effects. The rates of survival appear to depend as much on timely use of pre and postoperative radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy as on the type of operation.

Breast Cancer Treatment Options: Facing Your Fears And Moving Ahead
After breast cancer diagnosis, time is of the essence to ensure recovery. Digest the news; then start learning, so you're comfortable with your informed choices for breast cancer treatment.

Building Your Team
Before choosing surgery, you build a breast cancer treatment team. You need surgeons, oncologists, anesthesiologist, and radiologist. Breast surgeon - recommends and performs breast surgery such as mastectomy or lumpectomy under general anesthesia, and a sentinel node biopsy.

Oncologist - also recommends which surgical option is best. Recommends chemotherapies and follows treatment.
Anesthesiologist - usually on hospital staff, unless you want to choose your own.
Radiologist - performs the sentinel node biopsy (where 2-3 lymph nodes in the armpit or breast are surgically removed) is also on hospital staff.
Plastic surgeon - performs reconstruction if you want it, during or well after mastectomy.
Radiation oncologist - manages radiation therapy. Wait till after surgery to find.

First Breast Cancer Treatment: Surgery
Lumpectomy - usually recommended when there is a single, small lump. The lump and the margin around it are surgically removed under general anesthesia.
* Advantage: You have a small scar, usually.
* Disadvantages: You undergo radiation therapy afterwards; because radiation can cause lumps, you may have more biopsies in the future.

Mastectomy - removes breast tissue, comprised mainly of fat, under general anesthesia. Surrounding tissues are undisturbed.
* Advantages: You need no further biopsies on that side; you probably avoid radiation therapy if cancer is detected early.
* Disadvantages: You have asymmetry, and this may temporarily affect sex life or self-image. With psychological adjustment or reconstruction, these disadvantages can disappear.

Breast reconstruction - during/after a mastectomy using techniques such as DIEP, where abdominal fat and skin are transferred to the chest, to shape a new breast. This is not cosmetic surgery; it's part of treatment.
* Advantages: feeling and looking restored; getting a tummy tuck and a breast lift on the other breast.

Breast Cancer Treatment After Surgery
The oncologist considers the information from the various tests. The oncologist stages the cancer, and recommends various breast cancer treatments. The oncologist can refer you to a psychologist or support group to allay anxiety about treatment.

Radiation therapy - usually started after recovery from lumpectomy. It is precisely administered to the breast (and perhaps lymph nodes) in order to kill cancerous cells, while avoiding damage to the rest of the body.
* Short-term side effects: fatigue, breast soreness, redness, swelling.
* Long-term side effects: breast shrinkage, tanning, lumpiness.

The chemotherapy visit usually is outpatient, lasting 1 to 6 hours. Some drugs are taken orally at home, sometimes as a permanent regime.
* Side effects: hair loss, nausea/vomiting, nerve or muscle pain, infection, weight gain, fatigue, difficulty sleeping.

Hormone Therapy - taken orally at home; both treats and prevents recurrence in some cases. Exercise, diet and lifestyle changes help recovery significantly.

Survival After Therapy
With 2 million breast cancer survivors in America, breast cancer is beatable. Breast cancer treatment requires internal fortitude to reach recovery. You emerge with relief, gratitude and hope.

If you think you are not prone to prostate cancer, think again. You might end up dying of prostate cancer like the many other prostate cancer sufferers out there have died... unless you constantly do a test to nip it in the bud the minute you are aware of it's existence.

You see, most people think they are immune from having prostate cancer or any other type of cancer. They think it's for the "other guy" or the "other person", but the fact is that prostate cancer or any type of cancer - be it breast cancer, lung cancer, etc - is no respecter of persons and can affect just about any person.

The only way to be sure you don't have prostate cancer and to detect it in good time if you do have it, is to undergo constant test for the cancer. Don't stay for too long without going for a prostate cancer test, especially if you are above the age of 40 and 50. It's always recommended for men in this age range to constantly test for prostate cancer because it's mostly if it's detected in good time that the chances of survival are high. And yes - with prostate cancer, the saying holds true - "prevention is better than cure".

So, instead of you to sit and think that prostate cancer can't happen to you, you should take the time to constantly engage in tests to be sure you are free.

Finally, whether you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer or you are scared stiff of the possibility of having the condition, the good news is that it's no longer a death sentence as it used to be in the past. There are now very effective solutions to prostate cancer that can help keep the victims alive.

How a Prostate Cancer Test Can Save your Life
Although prostate cancer is considered a disease of the elderly man, it has been known to inflict its damage on men in their early 30s. Heredity seems to play a factor especially in younger patients.

If you're a man over 50, you should consider a yearly Prostate cancer PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. It's a simple a blood test that can help doctors catch the very early cases of prostate cancer.

Let me caution you that an elevated PSA result can be caused by a variety of factors and does not necessarily indicate prostate cancer. These other causes include BPH or benign hypertrophy or enlargment of the prostate, and also elevate the PSA test results. Even Prostatitis and Lower Urinary Tract symptoms can show elevated levels of PSA.

The prostate specific antigen test is like any other simple blood test. Blood is drawn by a phlebotomist and sent to the lab for analysis. A normal result from a PSA test, doesn't guarantee that your free from cancer, nor does a higher than normal result mean you DO have cancer.

A PSA Count of between 0 - 3.9 nanograms per milliliter of blood is generally considered normal. Levels higher than a 3.9 ng count may indicate there may be a prostate problem which could be anything from a swelling or inflammation, infection or cancer.

It's critical that you follow your doctor's lead in regard to dealing with the Prostate Specific Antigen test results. To complicate matters even more, PSA levels can also increase with age. Oh and the relative size of your prostate also plays a factor in interpreting the results.

The point of this is the strongly encourage you to have an annual prostate exam and PSA blood test.

Please do not assume a high PSA reading means that you have prostate cancer. All a high PSI level reading indicates is that there "may" be a problem. Here's a few very good reasons why you should consider getting an annual PSA blood test

1. Your doctor is much better able to detect potential prostate cancer even though you have no symptoms.
2. Early detection means a much higher chance of successful treatment and cure
3. The PSA blood test is simple and is recognized as a major contributing factor in the continued drop of prostate cancer deaths

So what we know as patients about the PSA test is that it's not perfect and cannot clearly identified the presence of prostate cancer. All the tests provides is an indicator of a potential benign or cancerous prostate problem.

We also know that the term 'normal" in dealing with the PSA test result is subject to interpretation due to many factors. This is why it's critical that your doctor interpret the results. The PSA test indicated a normal antigen level in about 20% of the cases in men who had early prostate melanoma.

Even with an imperfect test however, it's recognized that the PSA is a good indicator and tool in our arsenal to fight this deadly disease. Note that a Harvard study done in 2005 indicated that those men having a yearly PSA test and monitoring of PSA levels were almost 3 times less likely to die for prostate cancer than those who didn't bother with the PSA Finally, according to the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ), is the introduction 20 years ago of any use of the PSA test, deaths from prostate cancer have fallen by one third. Prostate cancer if caught in its early stages is treatable and curable.

Breast cancer has been deemed as the most common type of cancer among women today. There are many documented cases of men experiencing this condition as well. Normally, this specific type of cancer is related to normal changes that occur within the breast of a female on a monthly basis. While these changes are normal, it is important to understand that the growth, or tumors, that can develop may prove to be cancerous. It is also important to remember that not all growths in the breast area are cancerous.

Cancerous growths that occur as a result of breast cancer can quickly spread to other locations throughout the body. This is why medical professionals stress the importance of conducting basic self-examinations of the breast on a monthly basis. If this disease is discovered in the early stages of development, there are a few basic treatment options available. If it is discovered in the later stages, there is still hope for successful treatment. Here, you will learn about these treatment options.

There are a few basic breast cancer treatment options. The first goal, naturally, is to eliminate all traces of breast cancer in the body. The second is to ensure that the effective steps have been taken to reduce the possibility of the cancer returning. The determination of the treatment normally depends on the extent of the cancer, as well as the areas of the body that are affected.

Surgery is a common treatment option when it comes to breast cancer. Medical professionals will examine the type of cancer that is being experienced, as well as the progression of the disease before suggesting surgery. If a person is suffering from a growth in the breast area that is cancerous, they may need to participate in a surgery that works to save the breast. This type of breast cancer surgery results in the lump, growth, or 'cancer' to be extracted from the breast while the breast is kept in place.

Many individuals who experience breast cancer may have a large amount of cancerous cells in the breast itself. Many professionals who deal with this type of breast cancer will suggest a 'mastectomy'. This is a surgery that requires the entire breast to be removed from the body. This is normally performed in the advanced stages of breast cancer.

Many medical professionals have found that by providing a person who is infected with breast cancer various types of hormones, the cancer is stopped. This is a very productive treatment when it comes to preventing this type of cancer. As a matter of fact, if an individual has breast cancer surgery, most doctors will implement the treatment of hormone therapy in order to ensure that the cancer does not return. If you suffer from this type of cancer, it is important to discuss this option with your physician.

Radiation is also a common treatment for breast cancer patients. This is an important procedure for sufferers because of the fact that this treatment can effectively eliminate the amount of cells that are cancerous in the body. Many times, this procedure is most commonly used after an individual has had breast cancer surgery. This treatment will work to destroy any lingering breast cancer cells after surgery has been concluded.

As you can see, there are a number of treatment options available for those who experience breast cancer. If you suffer from this devastating disease, it is important that you learn as much as you possibly can about the condition.

You should work closely with your doctor to ensure that you experiment with a treatment that will be most effective for your specific needs when it comes to breast cancer. Most treatment methods are effective, and many will recover from the disease successfully.

Breast Cancer Treatment - Exploring The Two Most Popular Alternatives
Every year, more than 1.2 million people are told they have breast cancer. Very rarely, even men will develop this disease. Breast cancer is second only to heart disease as the leading killer of adult aged women in America. Thanks to recent advancements in medical science, being diagnosed with breast cancer doesn't have to be the death sentence it once was. It is now possible to detect and get breast cancer treatment.

Breast Cancer Treatment Stages
Breast cancer treatment depends on how advanced the cancer is. TNM Staging is commonly used worldwide to judge what treatment is necessary. Judging the tumor, or tumors, the nodes and if it has transferred to a different part of the body, also known as metastases. Once these items have been evaluated, the doctor will decide on a course of treatment.
The two main types of cancer are high grade and low grade. High-grade cancer is when there is a large risk of the cancer coming back even after surgery. In this case, chemotherapy will be prescribed once the patient has healed from surgery. Some cancer specialists may opt out of surgery if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body beyond the breast. The early stage is defined when the cancer has not spread to other places in the body outside of the breast. Depending on how far the cancer has gone, there are several types of surgical options open for breast cancer treatment.

Conservative Surgery
The most common type of surgery for breast cancer treatment is called conservative surgery. This is when the surgeon removes the diseased tissue from the breast, being careful not to take too much healthy tissue. While he is removing the cancer, a small amount of healthy tissue is removed as well. If the lab reports that it is 'clear' or 'healthy', the surgeon knows he got all the cancer.

Care and Treatment for Post Breast Cancer Surgery
Hormone therapy is one of the post-surgery options you have. When the tumor is determined to be sensitive to estrogen, this is the common treatment. The higher the tumors estrogen receptor level, the more benefits will come from hormone therapy. Another option for post surgery breast cancer treatment is chemotherapy. Depending on the size and how aggressive the cancer is, this may be used before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the most commonly used breast cancer treatment. This treatment uses drugs to destroy any cancer cells it finds. These are called anti-cancer drugs. Some chemotherapy drugs are given on their own, some are offered in combination chemotherapy doses. There are over fifty drugs used when giving chemotherapy treatments. The type of treatment received depends, again, on how far the caner has spread and where in the body it was first found. When receiving chemotherapy, it is given in short doses, followed by periods of rest. Chemotherapy is very hard on your body and can make the patient very sick. Recovery periods are essential to the overall health of the patent. While the chemotherapy kills the cancer cells, it will leave the patient weak. Resting periods give non-cancerous cells the chance to recover. While chemotherapy and surgery are the main ways to treat breast cancer, there are various treatments available. Research is always your best tool so you know your options when it comes to treatments and surgery. Cancer treatments are getting more successful all the time. If one type of breast cancer treatment doesn't work for you, another may.

Breast cancer treatment options are now more advanced. Constant research has definitely helped a lot in giving cancer patients another life to live. Some of the treatments today include chemotherapy, hormonal treatment (anti-estrogen), radiation, and surgery. These treatments are usually used together depending on the extent of the disease. It can be very confusing on your part to choose the best treatment option to cure your cancer and it would be best if you have a little knowledge about some of these procedures.

The treatments are categorized as follows:
1. Regional or local treatment – this treatment is only limited to the area where the tumor was found. It also included treating local or adjacent lymphatics.
2. Alternative treatments – there is still no proof that alternative treatments can cure cancer but many people are choosing this option. This usually includes holistic therapies and the use of natural medicines.
3. Systematic treatments – these treatments are focused in preventing metastases or if it has already occurred, the treatments are aimed at eliminating the spread.

Over the years, surgery has been the most popular treatment for cancer. Radical mastectomy left patients with deformed breasts but today’s mastectomy is not as drastic and is very much different. Lumpectomy is a therapy which conserves the most part of the breast which is not infected. In this method, only the tumor is removed. Radiation treatments are given afterwards to eliminate and cleanse the remaining tissues. The radiation can prevent recurrence.

In radiation therapy, gamma rays are used to target the cancerous cells. This method is often used after surgery because its main function is to prevent recurrence of breast cancer.
Another method is hormone therapy. Certain cancers develop when there is presence of estrogen. This therapy uses anti-estrogen hormones to lower the estrogen levels and prevent cancer cells from developing. Tamoxifen is the most common anti-estrogen drug used in the therapy. Chemotherapy is also another method to treat breast cancer. Cancer varies from one individual to another. This method is given to patients with high grade, great tumor size, and affected lymph nodes. However, chemo is usually given together with surgery, radiation, and surgery.

These are the breast cancer treatment options available to patients. These conventional treatments are often lengthy and expensive. When undergoing a series of treatments, the individual can also undergo psychological therapy so that they can have a better outlook in life.

Breast cancer patients often find it hard to cope with their situation because they are dealing with a dreadful disease. To be able to choose the best breast cancer treatment options, you have to know the differences between these treatments and the risks involved. The treatments work effectively when the cancer is detected immediately but advanced stages can still be cured although the survival rate is only 20%. By thorough examination, breast cancer can be detected early; after that, the right treatment can now be employed to get rid of the cancer cells.

Traditional And Natural Cancer Treatment Options
While there's a whole gamut of cancer treatment options available; which is the best one to use depends upon the type of cancer as well the stage that the cancer has reached. Though the prevailing trend is to resort to more traditional cancer treatment options, cancer patients are not restricted to them. There are a variety of alternative and natural options (some new, some old) for treating cancer.

Traditional Cancer Treatment Options
Traditional cancer treatment options are often referred to as cut, poison and burn (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation).

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, which involves the use of chemical agents or drugs to destroy cancerous cells, forms the core treatment of malignancies. These drugs work by targeting fast-growing cells and the type and combination of drugs depends upon the type of cancer. Though chemotherapy has been proven to be effective, it can give rise to a host of side-effects including hair loss, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of appetite, anemia or low red blood cell count, neutropenia or low white blood cell count, mouth sores and shortness of breath.

Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy ionizing radiation from varied sources including x-rays, gamma rays, protons and neutrons to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells. It is used almost half of all cancer patients; either by itself or in combination with other cancer treatments. External-beam radiation therapy, which involves using radiation that is emitted from a machine outside the body is more common than internal radiation therapy, in which a radioactive material is implanted in the body near the tumor or cancer cells.

Surgery
Surgery often entails a biopsy, which is done for diagnostic purposes. The kind of surgery depends on which part of the body has been affected by cancer as well as the extent of the cancer. In breast cancer patients the options could include lumpectomy, in which only the lump is removed; segmentectomy, in which part of the breast is removed or mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed.

Alternative Cancer Treatment Options
Traditional cancer treatment options form only art of the story. An increasing number of health professionals are now exploring alternative cancer treatment options that encompass the whole individual.

Nutrition Therapy
Maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes foods rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene, is the best way to provide your body with the nourishment it needs to fight cancer. Proper nutrition helps minimize nausea and fatigue that are the main side-effects of traditional cancer treatments and are a critical component of the healing process.

Buah Merah or Red fruit, found primarily in the Indonesian island of Papua, has very high levels of anti-oxidants, beta-carotene and tocopherol and offers hope to all cancer patients. Beta-carotene and tocopherol have strong anti-carcinogenic properties and help by boosting the immune system and retarding the growth of cancer-causing cells. Buah Merah also contains Omega 3 and Omega 9 as well as linolenat, oleat, dekanoat and linoleat acids; all of which act as active medicinal compounds and also help in the prevention of diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

Naturopathy
Naturopathy is a system of treatment that focuses exclusively on using the healing powers of nature such as sunlight, water and air. Naturopathy is by and large a holistic kind of treatment and includes homoeopathy, ayurveda, therapeutic nutrition, hydrotherapy or botanical medicine.

Pain Control
Though, to a certain extent medication can be used to manage pain, Acupuncture is gaining popularity as a means to control the pain experienced by cancer sufferers. The pain could be brought on by the cancer itself or as a side-effect to the cancer treatment. Prevalence and severity of pain depend on the extent, location and type of cancer as well as pain threshold of the person afflicted by cancer.

It removes harmful material from the blood, produces enzymes and bile that help digest food and converts food into substances needed for life and growth.

How can cancer involve the liver?
The cancer can arise from the liver itself (primary liver cancer) or it can spread to the liver from a primary tumour at another site (secondary, or metastatic, cancer).

In the UK, secondary liver cancer is about 28 times more common than primary liver cancer. Each year there are about 70,000 patients in the UK with secondary liver cancer and about 2,500 with primary liver cancer.

Liver cancer can arise in two ways:
• Primary liver cancer (most commonly hepatocellular carcinoma) originates in the liver.
• Metastatic liver cancer results from the spread (metastasis) of cancer from other areas of the body.

What is primary liver cancer?
Primary liver cancer starts in the cells, bile ducts, blood vessels or connective tissue of the liver. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that started somewhere else in the body and spread to the liver (called secondary liver cancer or metastatic liver cancer).

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. The liver has two parts, called lobes – the right lobe and the smaller left lobe.

Causes
Your liver is a football-sized organ that sits in the upper right portion of your abdomen, beneath your diaphragm and above your stomach. Your liver processes most of the nutrients absorbed from your small intestine and determines how much sugar (glucose), protein and fat enter your bloodstream. It also manufactures blood-clotting substances and certain proteins. Your liver performs a vital detoxifying function by removing drugs, alcohol and other harmful substances from your bloodstream. What are the main treatments for liver cancer? Surgery for primary liver cancer. Surgery for liver cancer is the best treatment we have if the cancer hasn't spread.

There are two main options
• A liver transplant
• Surgery to remove the cancer from your liver

Liver transplant
Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is more likely to develop in people with chronic cirrhosis. Your specialist may suggest a liver transplant if you have cirrhosis of the liver because of previous liver disease, infection with a hepatitis virus or from drinking alcohol.

Other Treatments
Your specialist may suggest one of the following treatments to help control liver cancer
• Percutaneous ethanol injection
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Chemoembolisation
• Cryosurgery or cryotherapy

New Treatment Targets Liver Cancer
In the interventional radiology suite, physicians use Selective Internal Radiation Therapy to treat patients with inoperable liver cancer.

Physicians
at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center are performing a new treatment for inoperable liver cancer known as Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT). SIRT is a non-surgical outpatient therapy that uses microscopic radioactive spheres, called SIR-Spheres®, to deliver radiation directly to the site of the liver tumors.

Some Very Effective Cancer Treatments
More than half of patients that suffer with any form of cancer are treated with the use of radiation.

While other treatment methods are very effective in killing, stopping or otherwise disabling cancerous cells, radiation uses ionization to kill the cells and shrink tumors. The desired result of radiation treatment is to shrink tumors and relieve the symptoms associated with different kinds of cancers to save healthy tissue in the process.

Chemotherapy is another cancer treatment that works to destroy cancerous cells by preventing the cells from growing and spreading. Although some healthy sells may be harmed by the use of this method they are quite capable of repairing themselves following treatment.

Chemotherapy uses a combination of drugs that affect the hormones already present in your body. These drugs have a boosting affect on the bodys immune system that aid in fighting the foreign cancerous cells. These drugs can destroy the cells altogether or change the way the body reacts to the cells formations. Use to both control and cure the cancer chemotherapy also relieves symptoms that cancer can cause, like pain which inevitably help the patient to live more comfortably.

Surgery stands as a sometimes-necessary cancer treatment that cannot be avoided. One type of surgery used in the treatment of cancer is cryosurgery, which is a surgical technique for freezing and then killing the cancerous cells. Some cancers like liver cancer and prostate cancer benefit best from treatments that attack cancers that are contained in one area. Cervical cancer and other cancers where precancerous or non-cancerous conditions exist benefit most from this type of cancer treatment.

Other treatment methods include the process of eliminating the blood supply that feed tumor growth. Cancer treatments that use high-intensity light and still others that treat the formation of tumors with heat are less widely known by the general public but are used widely alone and in conjunction with other treatment methods.

One such treatment that uses laser light to remove cancer growths is most often for cancers on the surface of the skin or on the lining of internal organs. Laser therapy eliminates the chance of excessive bleeding and prevents damage to healthy tissue and has a lower chance of infection than other more invasive surgeries for cancer.

On the other hand, a hyperthermia treatment exposes the tissues to very high temperatures that kill cancerous cells. This form of treatment is always used with other forms of treatment such as radiation and chemo.

Cancer treatment that act as angiogenesis inhibitors are being tested and researched as they will aim to prevent the formation of blood vessels that feed the cancerous cells and allow them to continue to grow.