Cancer Centers

4 Things You Can Do to Deal With Metastasis

2012-02-10T03:19:00.000-08:00

By Nelson Berry

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. It affects thousands of people; and it doesn't choose any age, gender, or ethnicity. Because of the very bad prognosis, a lot of patients-and their families and friends-are finding it hard to deal with. But it becomes much worse when they learn about metastasis.

Metastasis means that the cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body, usually those that are near the primary tumor. When metastasis occurs, it means that the cancer is already in its advanced stage, and the survival rate is much lower.

It's not surprising therefore if 80 percent of those with metastatic cancer lose their hope for living a much longer life. But the truth is there are still things you can do to extend life, if not live it to the fullest.

If you're suffering from metastasis, take note of these tips:

1. See your doctor as regularly as possible. You want to monitor the progress of your illness. There are already several cases where metastasis had already occurred, and yet they still lived for a number of years because they had learned how to control the spread of cancer cells. But you can only do that if you deal with your doctor on a regular basis.

Normally, you'll be asked to undergo a series of tests to see if there's any improvement. The tests can also be utilized to determine any possible complications later. Depending on the metastatic cancer, you may be asked to go through tests at least every three months.

2. Take your medications. If you have been unfaithful with your medications, then now is the best time that you don't. The different medicines that you take are very important to halt, if not to slow down, the spread of cancer to various parts of the body. The medications can also help relieve of any symptoms or signs that may develop because of metastasis. The kinds of drugs you take will depend on what type of cancer you have. The dosage, meanwhile, will be according to the severity of the metastasis.

3. Join support groups. It's a lot harder to deal with the illness alone. You need to get a lot of support, especially from those who are sharing your experience. There are plenty of support groups that you can participate in. In fact, a lot of health care facilities already have their own in-house groups to help their patients manage their illness more effectively. By just being there, you'll realize that you're not alone in your battle.

4. Relieve yourself of the stress. Stress is one of the biggest enemies of cancer. When you're stressed, your immune system goes down. You will lose your ability to fight the cancer spread. There are different ways on how to manage stress, and one of these is through affirmations or subliminal messages.

Make it a habit to spend at least 15 minutes of relaxation. While doing so, listen to subliminal messages and affirmations that may carry the following messages:

I live life to the fullest.
It's quality of life I seek.
Cancer doesn't define me.

An Asbestos and Mesothelioma Statistic

2012-02-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

It's 4.45 in the morning, pitch black outside. The alarm clock goes off - the most hated sound at the start of the day. He hits it out, half asleep. Trying to get out of the oh-so-comfortable slumber, all he can think of is how he's going to need a bit more time to get up. 5 minutes, tops! A minute later, a second alarm goes off, tearing him out of his inertia all over again. Sensing it's going to be futile to continue fighting his time, he surrenders to his time-keeper & slowly rolls out of bed.

His wife dozes peacefully, he glances at her a moment - they have been married since high school & he's in still in love with her. Through the painful times, when their world seemed to collapse, he learned to love her even more. He's grateful for having her in his life, but hardly acknowledges it. A tired smirk grows out of the corner of his mouth as he gets up, goes to the bathroom & gets ready.

Half an hour later, he fetches his lunch box from the kitchen, grabs his gear & locks the door as he leaves his home. 'I hope that crazy leakage finally gets fixed today!' he thinks, as he hops into his truck, backs out the driveway & heads to work. A pipeline burst at one of the shafts near the lift, flooding the central area at the top. Getting in & out of the mine has since become a pain. He's been supervising at an asbestos mine, at mid-managerial level, just shy of 13 years now. He's been working in it, overall, for 30 years.

The time is now 6.00 am & he's just arriving outside. As he puts his hard hat on & walks towards the mine, his foreman meets him, sarcastically jokes about how he didn't get any last night again, then briefs him about the day. He takes a look at the roster, sifting through the pages of the activity log. 'Tunnel 6 approaching 80% completion'

'Whoa! If the guys keep it up at this rate, we'll complete the project 6 weeks in advance.' he thinks to himself. 'Way to go, boys!'

Before he walks up the stairs to his office behind the main entrance, he looks over to his left & notices something he's not happy about at all. The central area is still flooded up & now leaking down the lift.

'Those contractors are in for it!'

Inside his office, he drops his gear in the closet, sinks into his office chair & begins collating last week's records on tunnel 5's output. He's been leading all project management since he was a foreman & despite his vast experience & nearly unblemished track record over his career, he still gets nervous whenever he's running a project. It's the same butterflies in his tummy he hasn't been able to get rid of, over the years. They've probably been responsible for his high performance, he reckons, so he's not particularly bothered.

3 minutes go by & a tiny heap of reports have already piled up in front of him, on his heavily, document-littered desk; he still needs a few more before he meets up with his team, then phone the agency to break hell on the lousy contractors. Pictures of his daughter, when she was a child, hang behind him, on the wall. Portraits of his wife & son pose beside him. How time flies! Just yesterday, it seemed, he was throwing his daughter up in the air, as she always loved; now she's about to graduate from college, with a major in cybernetic engineering & $23,000 debts. And his son, now a freshman on full scholarship at a leading private university, doesn't stop calling & texting about the girl he's newly fallen for, whom he's this time convinced is the one.

Got it! The last pair of reports he'd been looking for. At the bottom of the pile as always, when you're searching for something. Now, off to brief the guys. He shuts his office door but suddenly feels dizzy & an incredible pain in his chest - like a heavyweight boxing match for the world title, trying to break out of it. He feels feverish at the same time & is, inexplicably, getting out of breath. The day hasn't even started & he usually only feels like this, half way through. It's been a couple of months now like this, but he's been shrugging it off as a normal thing that comes with age. At 59, he is entering a new phase in life & kissing his prime years goodbye.

It's at the point, where he almost gets off the stairs, that he notices how pale his hands are, after wiping sweat from his forehead. Barely able to breathe, he blanks out within a few split seconds & falls head-first to the ground, all the way from the last three steps of the staircase.

The next thing he realizes is that he's lying on a bed, without the usual sounds & noise in the atmosphere. 'The day couldn't possibly be over! Where did everybody go?'

Groggy, he opens his eyes, to notice he's actually not even at work anymore. He's in a private room that looks like a hospital. It's filled with machines, medical equipment, a large window behind him on the left... & his wife sitting next to him, holding his right hand. He really is in a hospital... yet has no idea how he got there!

A doctor then comes in & talks to his wife. She tells her she would like to keep him a while longer, for observation & to run a few tests. His wife becomes agitated & his right hand is now squeezed. 'What's wrong with him?' she asks the doctor, in a crackling voice. 'We don't know yet. At this point, it's too early to say. The tests will narrow down diagnostics & confirm what will have to be done.' the doctor replies. She continues, 'Your husband has been running a high fever, his pale skin suggests, among other possibilities, anaemia. Because he's a miner, we're not going to rule out possibilities of developing rare forms of cancer that can be caused from inhaling asbestos.'

'My husband has been working in the mine over 30 years! He couldn't have any such thing!' the wife exclaims. The doctor looks at her a bit surprised about her naïveté, then tactfully rebuts 'Alright, but such diseases, if they are present, do take a very long time to fully develop.', then pauses before she carries on. 'Well, like I said. We'll like to keep an open mind & run all necessary diagnostics as a precautionary measure... just to be sure! The tests will include but may not be limited to X-rays & CT/MRI scans. If all goes well, he should be out within a week!'

The miner closes his eyes again, in thought. 'Seven whole days! That should take the leakage off my back & drive some other clown crazy!'

The doctor leaves the room & he begins to relax more. His chest still feels tight, but the boxing match is over for now. It was a probably a draw! 'That fall should have taken me out. I feel like parts of my head are in a coma!' he mumbles. His wife, meanwhile seated next to him again, looks up to him in shock. 'You're lucky to even be alive! The foreman found you on the ground, lying face down from the stairs. The 1st Aid struggled to get you back until the ambulance came & this is the 1st thing coming out of your mouth?' she blurts out. She rapidly becomes so angry, her eyes fill with tears. She gets up, sharply turns away from him as she drops his hand in disgust, walks away from his bed, towards the door, leans her head back with both hands & breathes in deeply, then exhales, once. Great! Now, he's ticked her off. He closes his eyes again, returning to his thoughts. 'Fire in the hole! 3... 2... 1...'

She turns back to him, 'If I were given a moment for every time I have put myself out there for you whenever you were in need, I would get two consecutive lifetimes to make up for myself, you ungrateful,... ungrateful,... you...!!'

He senses he's going to have to diffuse the situation quickly or else the volcano will erupt! He gathers his strength, achingly leans forward and thereafter mumbles, 'Darling... I had no idea.' He stretches out his hand, 'Come on honey... I'm sorry!' His voice drenched in pain. She returns to her seat, wiping her cheeks, he lies back on his pillow & slowly exhales for a couple of seconds. 'Sheesh! If I keep this up, I'll take myself out!'

They hold hands again.

A few days go by & the couple is still together in the hospital room. The swelling on his head from the fall has reduced & his fever is gone. His chest doesn't feel too great but he's sure it'll be fine. They just finished having lunch & are discussing how much time he'll take off before returning to work. The door opens, it's the doctor. They greet each other. His wife is not able to hide the smile on her face. She's made her mind up today that they'll be leaving, so she's only expecting good news from the results. The doctor converses with the miner & checks how he's feeling, while in the meantime another doctor walks in. A tall man, holding a large folder. The wife can't make out what's inside it but can recognize an X-ray sheet, peeking out. Instantly, without even trying to doubt herself, she concludes that it's turned out to be more serious than she first thought. Her mood free falls quicker than the '08 market crash. She struggles to keep a hold of her emotions again, sucking her lips in.

The doctor introduces the tall gentleman, 'This is our resident diagnostics officer here at Memorial Hope.' The officer politely nods at the couple, they nod back. She goes on, 'After several hours of examining with the best medical team in the area...' she pauses, then continues, 'I'm afraid we've come to the conclusion that your condition is far more serious than initially anticipated.'

The miner slowly gulps what must feel like an oz of saliva, in fear. He's as tough as can be & has taken his fair share of hits in life & kept going, but was honestly of the opinion they were, thank God, over. 'Wait!' he thinks. 'Don't thank him yet!'

The doctor then announces monotonously, 'Our results conclusively confirm that you have Mesothelioma, a terminal cancer that is affecting your lungs. It has already spread to more than half its area. At this stage, you won't have more than 8 months left!'

Immediately, the miner pants hard, then in the pain to speak, shouts to his wife, 'Get me a bin!'

His wife, already burst up tears, grabs the paper bin from the corner & holds it in front of him. He flings his head just over the ledge & throws up right into it. His wife pats him on the back, throughout. 'I'm really sorry! There's nothing we can do. We have put together a treatment plan that you will be undergoing, which includes ingesting medication to ease the pain.' the doctor says, trying to allay the despair in the hopelessness of the situation. The resident diagnostics officer, blushed with anguish, hunches down to his colleague & whispers, 'This may not be such a good time to show the results, right?'

The doctor, obviously irritated by what she had just heard, gestures hurriedly with her hand that he leave, then consoles the couple.

A few minutes & a bin full of fresh vomit later, the wife, now whimpering uncontrollably, mutters, 'We just finished puh... paying our mortgage. Our kids are taken care of... we were looking forward to a holiday cruise! Wha... wha... what are we supposed to do now?', then cries heavily, all over again. This time being embraced by the middle-aged doctor. The wife sits down next to her husband when she gets a hold of herself again & clutches his hand, TIGHT! The miner responds, almost whispering, 'In all of my life, I never thought this would happen to me. It's always the other guy!' while looking out of the window.

It's a bright, sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect to have a picnic, stroll through the park - smell the roses!

At that moment, an eagle lands onto the ledge, outside. Both the doctor & the miner momentarily notice the bird, a bit taken aback. The eagle looks through the window into the room, as if lost & unable to find what it had come to see. Then, unanticipated, the miner & the eagle both lock eyes & observe each other for a moment! The eagle then flies away.

The miner is left with a subtle impression. A couple of seconds later, he turns back. He clears his voice calmly, fighting tears from his eyes as he looks at the doctor, then begins, 'Tell me doc... What can we do over the next period? Less than a year ain't a mighty long time!' He holds his face & finally breaks down to let the tears run their course. Joining his wife, who has been quietly sobbing all along. The doctor, now clearly affected by her patient's misfortune, despite her professional experience, takes a step to his bed.

'Find an attorney! Sue the pants off your employer! It's a long shot taking it up through the union & you don't enough time now anyway!' She stops abrupt, conscious of possibly being insensitive. 'I don't know how to say these things... just fight for your right through a good Mesothelioma lawyer. File a lawsuit that will make up for everything you've lost.'

She turns to the wife & squeezes her hand in sympathy, then looks on to the miner & says, 'You're in my prayers!', then leaves the room.

It's been four days since the diagnosis. The couple are out of hospital, the miner is with his wife at a prominent law firm, in the larger, neighboring town, 40 minutes drive away from home. They have been referred to the firm by the doctor, who personally inquired for a really good attorney from her 'friends at the top' of Memorial Hope Hospital. When she found one & contacted the lawyer, she pleaded that he handles their case pro bono, as a personal favor to her. In the phone call she said, 'They're really good people. Life can be so cruel sometimes. It's a crying shame what happened to them, a real tragedy!'

The couple just finished telling the lawyer their story. He's sitting at his desk, across them, in his corner office overlooking the metropolis skyline. He has been listening intently, without ever interrupting. All through the narration, he had been nodding, while twisting his Mont Blanc pen around his fingers. The miner's wife, who's meanwhile become cynically disposed to life itself, stares at the lawyer from her chair, almost menacingly. Her eyes are dreary but alert. It's evident she has been crying profusely over the past couple of days. The creases beneath her eyes are contoured deeper into her face & she now looks 10 years older. The miner himself is still pale, but now as composed as he usually is. There used to be a youthful vigor about him; that's all gone. Nowadays he appears frail; a shadow of his former self. Like a man his age, working in the service sector, or so.

The lawyer discreetly clears his throat. His face looks like he's in heavy brainstorming. Gently, he lays his pen in front of him. 'What has happened to you is a case of extreme worker negligence. You have been working in hazardous conditions, from which you were not personally protected in adequate measures, over your 30 year career. A rare disease which you could have been prevented from developing, now severely affects you & is in its final, terminal stages.' he says. 'This leaves you with leverage over your employer, to seek the maximum compensation for your losses, both health-wise & financial.'

Then he stops for a moment. The miner's wife, who in the past week has lost all of her natural optimism & become severely bitter from the cards life has played her, opens her eyes noticeably wider, despite her skepticism. The lawyer proceeds, 'There are four ways to go about this, one of which will be the most realistic method to get us to succeed in our legal proceedings. You have to understand that because your disease has developed so late, the other options may not have as great a chance to win your case as the actual one. Think of it like trying to accelerate a car from standstill, in the second gear or even third, if possible, when the highest & most effective amount of torque comes from the first gear.' The miner nods his head in understanding, knowing exactly what he means.

'Mesothelioma lawsuits are complex & every case is unique & cannot be generically given a one-size-fits-all solution. Cases can be broadly categorized in four areas, though. Product liability, professional malpractice, worker compensation & wrongful death. From what your doctor has already told me, in addition to your elaborate statements, I recommend we sue for worker compensation. It is the most befitting litigation in your circumstance so, to give you an example, it will be proven that the mining group would have exposed you to asbestos, illicitly during your job. The company will therefore be fully responsible for your tragic incident & will be made to pay a very high sum in compensation. If a strong case is made, which we will put forward, the management executives will have nowhere to run to, because even if they file for bankruptcy, federal injunctions could be pulled to effect the complete payment. It's bulletproof! And as a personal guarantee... I've been working in this field for 25 years. I understand it from the inside out. My reputation precedes me in the industry. I have strong ties with unions, agencies & health-care providers nationwide. I'm not saying this as an audition to you. I'm saying it because I want you to know who you're dealing with,... and what it means when I say that I'm going to personally make sure that you both get your entitled compensations to the maximum we can squeeze out of them. I'm going to do everything I can. Let's suck them dry... off the record!' The miner manages to reveal a relieved smile. His wife becomes elated, gets emotional again & rushes for some tissue out of her handbag, while she strenuously grips herself together again. With all the crying she has been doing ever since, you'd think she would have become good at it by now!

The miner reaches over & rubs her back. The lawyer had seen it all, but in all the years he had been working with asbestos victims, he's never been able to get over the raw nature of pure human emotion - the grief, the anguish he's experienced in every case. Every single one. Every one had a profound story to tell. None of the clients could truly understand WHY but they all shared one thing in common; they had all been afflicted by an ordeal so catastrophic, that simply none of them ever thought it would happen. But it did & that had become their reality.

The lawyer himself is doing fine. He owns a Carrera & a 5-bedroom, countryside villa in the high-brow parts of town. Business is good & he's been securing his retirement annually with well cared for investment portfolios. His wife, a former national beauty pageant finalist, owns & runs a thriving cosmetics retail chain, which spans across 3 countries. They have no kids. He's in his mid-sixties. He's developed a thick skin from weathering the failures & riding out the successes in the industry. Nonetheless, all his material wealth never totally insulated him from the powerful emotions of simple despair. Every time his clients 'had a moment', it psychologically scooped a chunk out of him as well. And no success can protect you from that! Like inhaling passive smoke: It sucks the life out of you in trickles, exponentially confirming your death sentence... by cancer.

Empathizing with the wife, the lawyer reaches into the bottom drawer of his mahogany desk, brings out a box of luxury tissues & hands it to the miner's wife. 'We thank you sir, we really appreciate your help!' the miner says as his wife grabs a handful of tissue out the box & tries to stop a seemingly unrelenting flow of tears. 'This is just a difficult time for us. We're faced with so much,...' the miner swallows, inhales & exhales once, then continues in his ailing voice; one that's had the joys of a long life evaporated from overnight, in large amounts. 'We don't know where to go from here, so we're just putting everything to God.' A shallow smile briefly surfaces on his face. 'He'll be our support!'

The lawyer adds, 'Given the extraordinary circumstance surrounding you, your doctor urged me to be lenient on your legal fees & I agree. I have therefore determined to represent you, as promised... pro bono!'

The miner flashes his eye-brows as his eyes light up. He clearly cannot believe what he had just heard. His wife, half way in control of her tears now, chips in with a slightly cynical undertone, 'He must be supporting us already!' as she chuckles, while her husband, keeping his eye-brows raised, smiles at her. The lawyer too, but in a defensive, guarded demeanor. 'God bless you, sir!' the miner says. His wife in a monologue speaks semi-melancholic, 'In the depths of your tribulations & miseries, an angel often appears...' Looking out the windows, she begins to hum melodically & drifts into an absence - her new found way of dissociation.

The lawyer presents the miner the contracts & goes over them, while regularly glancing at the miner's wife who seems to make no efforts to return to 'reality'. Her humming in the place she's at is just about good enough for her. She'll stay there a while, if only for a moment. It will summon the strength she needs in herself to continue living out this nightmare. A moment at a time. The miner signs in the spaces where the lawyer's index finger moves to. When he finishes, they both rise & shake hands while the miner's wife, dismayed snaps out of her spell. What could actually be worse: That place or reality?

She gets up while grabbing her husband's arm, braves a brief smile to the lawyer, without shaking hands with him. The couple make their way out of the modern office complex that houses several law firms, consultancies, an accounting firm & an S.E.O. marketing company. All that swarms around are people in suits & business skirts, walking in & out of the entrance in a frenzy... followed by a couple of casually dressed, obvious geeks. Arm in arm, the senior pair closely hold each other, while they slowly walk through the parking lot to their truck. They gently enter the vehicle; his wife pulls out the keys & ignites the truck. It's an old Durango. They reverse out the parking space & make their way home.

A week later, a worker compensation lawsuit is filed against the mining group by the couple's lawyer. Five days later, the hearings begin, as promised. The lawyer forwards a powerful case against the defendant. The miner at first was at the opening of the case, but subsequently stopped appearing due to his treatments supervised by his doctor at Memorial Hope. His children were now also present with their parents throughout the medical schedule. They were told the news when their parents felt they had everything 'under control', much to the anger of their daughter. A week into his treatments, the miner stopped responding to medicines administered & deteriorated rapidly health-wise. At this point, he swiftly became hospitalized again. His family, not missing a single event, cried in torment through it all. Two days later, he passed on. His family mourned privately for days & buried him at the end of that week. If God rests on that day, they decided, he will too! They say when you die, your life flashes before you. It seems to be no different when someone you love dies, too. All you keep on seeing are pictures of every little, precious time you shared with that special person throughout your life together. Like they fill your mind up & all you see are real images & living memories of that person, in one gigantic, virtual reality simulation in a vivid, high-definition, cinematic experience in 3D.

During the legal proceedings, a further lawsuit was charged against the mining group. It was the litigation of 'wrongful death'. The family appeared at every court date throughout their inexplicable grief. After a period of four months, the jury, by unanimous decision found the defendant guilty on all charges & ordered them to pay an astronomical sum to the plaintiff's family, as well as to incur the legal fees of the entire case, in full. When the lawyer embraced the widow, her daughter & son, he said 'This case may have set a record in payouts from Mesothelioma litigation but it will never fill the canyon of loss you feel in your hearts. I just hope the river that flows at the bottom of it, will be a piece of mind you will reach to, once your pain is dispersed!'

The widow faintly looks up to him & replies 'Pain? The real judgment was already passed when my baby died.'

As she grabs her handbag & moves in front of her kids, she carries on 'We have already become sentenced to pain. We have just became its warden now... because money never takes away the pain of the loss of a loved one, but it may ease it.' As she slowly walks out of the courtroom corridor, her daughter, now the tallest in the family, wraps her arms around both her mom & her little brother.

Outside the courthouse, a small group of local reporters have amassed & haste towards the family upon first sighting. A barrage of questions are asked simultaneously while camera lights are flashing & an electronics store worth of microphones, phones & audio recorders are shoved in the family's faces, which visibly upsets the daughter as she tries to keep her cool. A security guard from the courthouse springs to their rescue & backs the reporters off. A question a journalist yells, behind the 6"6ft sturdy frame of the security guard, sounds, 'Do you feel you have been given justice?' At that point, the daughter, who can't control herself anymore, from the gross insensitivity of the press to their situation, stops, turns to the reporters & shouts 'Justice? What do you care? You'll get your story anyway! And the crimes will continue to be committed by other organizations that will make ten-fold in turnover of what is paid in our 'record' compensation. Another person gets infected & the cycle continues.' She breaks down into tears now & screams angrily, 'WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT MY DAD? HE'S JUST ANOTHER ASBESTOS & MESOTHELIOMA STATISTIC!'

(Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features herein are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if I use one of these terms.)

Specialist Listings contains resources on mesothelioma & how current affairs & contemporary history affect people who suffer from it. It contains an up to date account of litigation experts on mesothelioma/asbestos-exposure cases, many of whom have impeccable reputations & impressive track records in their respective niches. More importantly, it provides a voice for people who have been affected by any of such diseases & strives to make their plight a lot more understandable to the vast majority of otherwise healthy people, so that more positive actions can be effected for the betterment and healing of cancer-inflicted people's lives. Bookmark Specialist Listings now at http://specialistlistings.blogspot.com.

By Dotun Adewunmi

What Is Pleural Mesothelioma?

2012-02-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium, a membranous lining that surrounds the internal organs. The mesothelium that encloses the lungs is called the pleura; so pleural mesothelioma is the term used to refer to this cancer when it affects the lining of the lungs. The pleura is actually the most common location for this cancer to take hold. This is because the contaminants that cause the disease (usually asbestos fibers) enter the body through the airway and lodge in the lungs. However, it is important to note that pleural mesothelioma is not lung cancer.

Symptoms

Painful breathing, shortness of breath, constant, painful coughing, and chest pain are all common symptoms of the disease. Unexplained weight loss, fever, trouble swallowing, lower back pain, and a hoarse voice are additional issues that may occur with this cancer. Malignant mesothelioma can be present in the body for many decades before causing symptoms. When health problems do start to become evident, they may be mistaken for other illnesses. These are two reasons that this cancer is usually far advanced before it is detected.

Diagnosis

Since mesothelioma is most often caused by asbestos, a patient's history of exposure will be reviewed early on to determine the likelihood that the symptoms are being caused by this form of cancer. After a physical examination, several tests may be done to find out if mesothelioma is present. Chest X-rays, a CAT scan, and a PET scan are a few examples. An MRI and/or a pulmonary angiography are sometimes used for further confirmation of a diagnosis.

If abnormal results are detected that might indicate mesothelioma, a biopsy will need to be performed. This may be done using a fluid sample from the pleural lining or with a sample of the pleura itself. The larger the sample taken, the more accurate the results of the biopsy tend to be. Gene pattern analysis and other advanced tests may be performed on the tissue sample to determine exactly what type of cancer is present.

Treatment

The recommended approach for treating mesothelioma depends on how far the cancer has spread and the patient's overall health. Radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery may be the best option for some situations. A few individuals are even candidates for lung transplantation. In other cases, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms such as pleural effusion (fluid buildup around the lungs). There are many clinical trials underway to find more effective treatments for each stage of mesothelioma. These include advanced options such as immunotherapy and gene therapy.

Lawsuits

Many patients who are diagnosed with this cancer file a lawsuit with the assistance of a personal injury lawyer. The goal is to obtain mesothelioma compensation that will cover medical bills and compensate the victim for the pain and suffering caused by the disease. Family members may also choose to file a wrongful death suit following the death of an ill loved one who has died from mesothelioma. Because this disease is commonly diagnosed in elderly patients after the cancer has started spreading, the long-term survival rates are generally very poor.

By Shane Lima

Find Out More About Mesothelioma Cancer And How To Prevent It

2012-02-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

There are many well known forms of cancer, such as lung, breast, and liver. One type that not too many people have heard of, is called Mesothelioma Cancer. Just like almost all other kinds of this horrifying disease, this variety is also almost always fatal. But, unlike the other types of cancer, this one could have been prevented in virtually every patient that has ever caught it, if they only knew a little bit more about the subject.

That is really sad, isn't it? All of these people died, and it was only after it was too late, that they came to understand how they could have saved their lives. If you are reading this, please be sure to pass along the information in it to anybody that you know who might be in a high risk category.

In almost every instance, Mesothelioma Cancer is caused by coming in contact with a substance called "Asbestos". At the time, asbestos was taught of a fantastic man-made invention. It was used in a very wide variety of products, including toys for children.

The reason it was so prevalent in so many manufactured items, was that it was cheap to produce, an outstanding fire retarder, and a first-rate insulator. It was used for a few decades until the scientist noticed that many people that came in contact with it, also came down with Mesothelioma Cancer.

After a little bit of more research into the matter, they were able to conclude that it was the asbestos that was actually causing the cancer. Today, asbestos is no longer being manufactured, and it use is outlawed in most civilized countries. However, there have been reports that it is still being made in some underdeveloped nations.

Most of the products it was used to make no longer exist, that is all except one. It was used as a construction material in buildings that were put up during this time frame. If you happen to live or work in a structure that was built a few decades ago, unless it has been renovated and all of the asbestos removed, there is a very strong chance that it is still in the building.

Asbestos is such a deadly material, that even breathing in a few breaths of air that has its particles in it, could be enough to bring on Mesothelioma Cancer. It is especially dangerous for either maintenance or construction workers, that work in areas that they do not know that it's present.

Under any and all circumstances, it should not be removed or handled by anybody that is not a specialist in the field. The people that work with it have to wear special clothing that protects their entire bodies from ever coming in contact with it, in addition to protective masks and eyewear.

Mesothelioma Cancer is a disease that in most instances can be prevented, as long as you do not come in contact with it, or breathe the air that contains asbestos particles. If you know somebody that this article pertains to, please pass along this very valuable information, because it just might be able to save their life someday.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Cancer! How to Cure It or Avoid It!

2012-02-07T03:18:00.000-08:00

By Josef Bichler

This question is often asked, cancer were does it come from? How does it happen? It's unlikely that it been sourced from outer space or from another planet; far from it, cancer is created right here on our planet earth, by us the human genius. There are 4 out of 6 people who in some shape or form touched within family circle or close friends by this death threatening disease which is continuously increasing its momentum and is like an octopus surging with its tentacles for more fresh food.

Cancer is manmade; we are responsible for its creation, we are the ones that let it happen for cancer to play havoc in our daily life's, and let its momentum increase without slowing down or stopping it.

All this started some years ago when food became more commercialised and processed, as well as take away and fast food became the thing in society for a new easy-lazy lifestyle. Than the new none exercise gadget's came on the market, remote controls for TV, garage doors etc: Don't walk to the corner store a short distance away, we drive the car, plus many other electronic gadgets to make life easier for us but certainly not healthier. On the longterm effect of this kind of lifestyle will or can bring any kind of sickness or change for the worse to our health. This revolution started maybe 40 to 50 years ago and is anything but healthy for us.

Healthy philosophy, the real home truth debunks the myth that our food is safe, let's look and expose the very real risks we and our families take by eating certain food on a daily base. Unfortunately most of us do not realize how important and effective lifestyle changes are to improving our health or treating the disease and most if not all of it to be done without drugs, the natural way.

The other thing, depleted soil over some decades has taken its toll and the quality of our food has been lost, therefore certain organically grown fruits and vegetables have a far higher quality and higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, iron, protein, than normally grown foods. We often wrongly assume that the healthy food is more expensive than any other but in most cases it is just the opposite, we also must get our priority in order, remember our health is priceless, do not compromise on it. People seem to have money for all their leisure's in life although when it comes to health issues or to improve-maintain as such they look at the dollar sign and anything for health seems to expensive, maybe later in their lives give it all to the doctor to become drug reliant where quality of live diminishes trough drugs and often the wrong ones.

Cancer cure the natural way according to some statistics has a success rate between 80 to 95 % as a comparison with drug treatment only 45 to 55 %. Plus the fact, if a cancer patient dies after 5 to 6 years with drug treatment this is also included as successful; it is also surprising that conventional cancer programs still do not address diet and the need to avoid sugars.

There are certain things we must be aware of avoiding cancer in the first place, it is of most importance to avoid all sugary, fatty or processed foods. Cancer absolutely flourishes on sugary foods, this includes all sodas, soft drinks, sport drinks, diet drinks; although the label often says reduced in sugar, don't believe it, they are all loaded with artificial sugars and fructose which speed up cancer growth. In 2002 a new artificial sweetener came on the market called Neotane it is widely used in drinks and food products, and is even more toxic than others and not shown on any labels. Most people are not aware of those dangers; these are only a few to mention of the hidden toxins in our food.

Diet and lifestyle changes are the most important steps for better health. Accomplishing or confirming good health takes discipline, persistence and determination, to continue good health your diet is the number one issue. We are what we eat, we become what we eat.

To stay healthy or improve one's health it is essential to receive all the minerals, vitamins, antioxidant's daily of which the body requires. The most economical way and simplest way to do this is a supplement. Caution: not just any supplement, it has to be the right one, a proven one that does the job.

Why Asbestos and Mesothelioma Cancer Should Be Spoken in the Same Sentence

2012-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

There are many ways that a person can die today. One of the worst ones ever, was when a father was taking his family to Disney World on a vacation. While they were walking around the park a tree branch fell on his head and killed him. What a way to die, but this is not about terrible ways to die, it is about two words that should be connected at the hip, which are "Mesothelioma Cancer" and "Asbestos".

Almost the entire population of the world has come together to find a cure for cancer. Trillions, not millions, or billions have been spent on the project, with very few positive results to show for it. With any luck, someday the extremely intelligent doctors and scientist that are working on this mission will eventually come up with something that works.

People that smoke cigarettes or use other forms of tobacco, know that they are at a greater risk of getting throat or lung cancer, than if they did not engage in these activities. Individuals that drink large amounts of alcohol, know that there is a possibility that someday they will contract liver cancer.

However, the people who come in contact with asbestos, have no idea that there is a very strong likelihood that someday they will come down with Mesothelioma Cancer. Even worse, a great deal of them do not even know what asbestos is, or have even heard the word spoken a single time in their entire lives.

But, if you lived back in the 40's or 50's, you would have been well aware of the marvelous manmade material that was going to change all of our lives. Back then, it was thought of as some kind of "Wonder" substances since it had so many superb qualities that made our lives better. Because of this, it was used in almost every kind of product that is imaginable. Fortunately, most of those items no longer exist.

But, that does not mean that asbestos is still not all around us, if we happen to live or work in the wrong place. It was also used extensively as a building material, because it was cheap, and it was an excellent fire retardant and insulator.

This substance is so dangerous and deadly, that even inhaling a few particles of it could end your life. It is the primary cause of Mesothelioma Cancer, which is an especially vicious form of this lethal disease.

Although, it is now illegal to still use asbestos in anything at all, it is still quite frequently found in old structures and there still are people dying because of it.

It is strongly recommended, that if somebody who you work with, or lives in the same building as you do happens to get Mesothelioma Cancer, that you do everything possible to protect yourself and your family. Almost assuredly, the person that caught it happened to breath in air that contained minute amounts of it, and if you live or work close to them, the very same thing could happen to you.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Why Construction Workers Need to Be Very Concerned About Mesothelioma Cancer

2012-02-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

If you, a family member, or a friend is a construction or maintenance worker, the form of cancer called Mesothelioma, should be of special concern to you. This especially applies to you if you work primarily in old buildings, or in the north eastern part of the United States.

However, this warning is not limited to construction workers in the US only. Anybody that is employed in this field that ever steps foot in an old building, needs to be very aware of the dangers involved in this activity.

The reason old buildings are such a common cause of Mesothelioma Cancer, is that there is a substance called asbestos that was widely used in the construction process decades ago. At the time, it was sought of as a kind of an out of this world manmade product, because it had so many fantastic characteristics.

It was an exceptional insulator and a very powerful fire retardant. In addition, at the time is was an extremely inexpensive building material to use, so it was put in almost every building that was built until the scientist discovered how deadly it was.

What makes this such a big issue today, is that nobody really knows how many buildings it is in, where they are located, or where it is situated within the buildings. It is possible for asbestos not to cause any health problems at all in a particular building if it's completely covered by concrete, or it does not have access to air.

But, once the air is able to reach it, the dust in the area can contain its particles that a person could breath, which could eventually lead to death. Now that you know all of that, it is very easy to determine that both construction workers, and maintenance people need to educate themselves on this very fatal material.

They need to be able to recognize it immediately, and warn their co-workers about it. When it is discovered, there have been very specialized and strict procedures that must be followed if it is to be handled safely.

The employees that will eventually remove it from a building will wear protective clothing and masks to ensure none of the substances gets on them. In addition, the building is entirely sealed, so that during the removal of it, none of the asbestos can leak into the air, where it could cause a person to come down with Mesothelioma Cancer.

This is such a deadly material, that even housewife's that only washed their husband's clothes, have developed this cancer, and died from it. Even inhaling a very few particles of it, can lead to catching this horrifying health condition.

If you are either a construction worker, or are employed to do regular maintenance in old buildings, you really need to go out of your way and learn everything that there is to know about asbestos. A person that comes down with Mesothelioma Cancer, is in very serious danger of losing their life. This is not something to be taken lightly, because if you do, it will be too late for you when you do come in contact with it.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Why Mesothelioma Cancer Is So Different Than Almost Every Other Type of Cancer

2012-02-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

Virtually everybody reading this article will have heard of cancer previously. When you go to see your doctor, pretty much the last thing you want to hear, is that you have cancer. Most of us, associate it with a death sentence. Mesothelioma cancer is also a very deadly form of cancer, but in one very important sense, it is really different than almost all other types of cancer.

when a person is diagnosed with prostate cancer, in most instances, they will ask their physician how they got it. The doctor will usually reply, there are many reasons people get it, but we cannot tell you exactly how or why, you happened to come down with it. In fact, this is true with most forms of cancer today.

There is evidence starting to circulate that eating too many processed forms of foods and maintaining a western style of diet contributes to it. But, until further research is done to confirm this suspicion, it is still only a good guess.

if you were to ask almost any smoker if they knew they were risking dying prematurely and catching cancer, they would almost all tell you "yes". Then if you were to ask them why they do it, most of them would tell you that they are addicted to tobacco. At some point in their life, they made the conscious decision to start smoking.

so, if you get cancer today, you either choose to do some kind of activity that increased the possibility of you getting it. Or, the doctors pretty much have no clue why you got it, and another member of your family did not.

That is precisely where and how mesothelioma cancer is different from almost every other form of this terrifying disease. You see, the people that got it, did not get it for no reason at all. The doctors know exactly why most people contracted it. The patients that have died from it, did not choose to do something that increased their risk of coming down cancer.

The people that contracted mesothelioma cancer, as sad as this is to say, simply lacked knowledge. All that had to be done to save most of their lives was to attend a half hour training seminar on the subject, and their entire life could have been different.

most of the people that get it either work, or live in buildings constructed in the 40's or 50's. Back then there was a substance called "asbestos", which was very widely used as a construction material during this period. Simply breathing a few tiny particles of it in the air, is enough to start the disease incubating.

If you live or work in an older building, it is highly recommended that you do everything you can to learn about asbestos. You especially need to know how to recognize it, and when you do, stay as far away from it as possible. In most cases, mesothelioma cancer can be totally be prevented by never coming in contact with asbestos.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Maitake Supplements - Cancer Write-Up

2012-02-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

By David Widson

Today we are getting into Maitake supplements cancer specifics.

Countless cancer sufferers are worried about the immune system harm that occurs from popular cancer therapies such as chemotherapeutic drugs and also radiation treatment. Bone marrow destruction is one of the big concerns when using some of the major types of first line chemotherapy.

Our bone marrow is where our white blood cells are produced. Those new white blood cells eventually change into a variety of specialty immune system cells. And these immune cells are what help us defend from catching the cold, getting the flu and also support to control and eradicate abnormal cells which come about in our body.

For those that are healthy and full of energy, they aren't constantly uneasy about their immune cell's activity or bone marrow situation. Because many people have an immune system that is destroying all virus and microbial invaders in a smooth and meticulous way.

On the other hand, cancer patients must live within a totally different reality. For them, a problem of immune cell depression could be one of the most serious problem in their life.

While taking strong chemotherapeutic drugs or radiation, the white blood cell count shouldn't drop too low since the risk of critical infection is possible. Kinds of fungal infections may cover large places of the body inside or outside. Things like the flu have the strength to put cancer sufferers with a lowered White blood cell count into emergency situations. Antibiotic resistant bacteria which occur in many medical institutions are a bigger danger to a patient challenged with cancer.

And that is why cancer sufferers need to boost the immune system and guard it as well as they can. Then how can we protect and boost our immune system?

That is the important question that oncologists, doctors and cancer patients have tried to answer for decades. You are about to find out the answer to this necessary question.

Yet before The answer is revealed I'd like to cover another point very first. Very first let's talk about the immune cell termed the Macrophage. Those Macrophages make me think of amoebas, with arms stretching out and consuming everything in the way. Another major function of Macrophage is sending cellular signals to other ass kicking immune cells. The outside of the macrophage have receptors that can be bound to only by particular molecules. When the receptor is bound, the macrophage releases a signal which begins a cascade of events that cause the activation of aggressive cells such as Natural Killer (NK) cells and T cells.

Almost as if our immune system is a kind of bio-computer, that can only run its complex program once a secret password is entered. Macrophage cells need the password in order to begin the immune system's cascade of events to achieve maximum activation.

Precisely what's the compound that unlocks the immune's activation? The answer to to binding and boosting is present in the cell walls of a special mushroom. And the name is Maitake (Grifola frondosa).

The Maitake mushroom is ranked the most yummy of all the edible mushrooms. The smell, deep flavor and recognizable shape of the Maitake make it unique and an essential ingredient in many high level restaurants. Plus it contains the key to activating the whole vitality of our immune system.

It's a 1,3 linked beta-glucan that has branches connected in a 1, 6 position. This beta glucan is not like any other 1, 3 1, 6 beta glucans due to its large molecular size, unique degree of 1, 6 branching, and helical shape. Once you take this Maitake beta-glucan, it is then absorbed by the lower intestine and has chance to then stimulate the immune defenses by interacting with a macrophage.

Now let's discuss how to pick the best Maitake mushroom extract, which can actually offer the immune boosting that you need. You can find dozens of Maitake supplements for sale out there. After comparing the scientific publishings with the existing Maitake products for sale, I've found that the majority of them are lacking on some essential factors.

The immune stimulating abilities of Maitake supplements was discovered in Kobe, Japan by the internationally known scientist, Dr. Hiroaki Nanba. Dr. Nanba and his team of researchers have released almost 15 years of scientific research showing Maitake mushroom extract is an effective immune system activator and worthwhile for those who are challenged by cancer.

Most importantly, from their studies, it appears that taking Maitake extract while taking chemotherapy for cancer minimizes the negative side effects and also increasing the efficiency of the chemotherapeutic medicines on the tumors. Which is a double positive. American studies also confirmed the shielding effects of this Maitake extract on bone marrow, from the dangerous effects of chemotherapy. Clearly the research analysis is strong and the mechanism is becoming clearer.

An necessary point is about the patent that Dr. Nanba certified both in America and japan, to protect his research discovery so no person would be able to compromise its purity and You need to know about Professor Nanba's patent protection on the Maitake extract he discovered, to make certain that other people don't alter or make a less effective version of it. No matter which fraction or extract you choose, double check that it is protected by Patent #5,854,404.

The fact is only one factory in the world that produces The scientifically proven Maitake mushroom extract. It is cultivated and extracted in Japan to the highest quality and safety standards in the world. So only trust our well being to the patented products which have Dr. Nanba's patent number clearly printed on the supplement container. The on with extensive research done on it.

Before even thinking about purchasing a Maitake extract, you've got to know one more thing. The dose or concentration needs to be matching to the specific dose fixed by the well known cancer center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They have carried out Phase I/II trials on women who had completed breast cancer treatments. The point was to determine the optimum dose of the patent protected extract and to validate the safety of these doses.

They discovered the optimum dose to take daily to start at 5 mg of Extract for every kilogram of your body weight. For instance a person who weighs 50 kg should have 5 milligrams /kg, so 5 x 50= 250mg every day as the optimal dose for boosting your immune system.

Ok, now we know which type of Maitake mushroom extract is the real thing with scientific proof (Patent # 5,854,404). And we also know the optimal daily amount to take (five milligrams per kilogram of body weight), as discovered by major American cancer center's clinical trials. All we need to do now is to find a company which offers such a product, and is Patent 5,854,404 compliant and can supply at the optimal daily amount of 5mg/kg of body weight.

I looked into every Maitake production the market and ended up extremely disappointed! Not a single company sells a Maitake supplement with these two essential requirements of Professor Nanba's patent plus the optimal dose.

I repeat, no company marketed the right dose.

How come?

Now I was bloody determined to discover why nobody would offer the Maitake supplement that cancer patients desperately need. Honestly, I was angry that all of the companies promised to help immune system activation yet only provided a very little fraction of the concentration proven by science in clinical trials.

If you discovered this, I'm guessing you'd probably be very upset too.

If it were you, could you imagine dealing weak supplements to cancer patients who are depending on you for immune stimulation and protection? This is an issue of survival. Cancer patients need strong immune potentiation, period.

To find the solution to this issue, I went on a trip across the world in to the deep and snowy mountains of Niigata, Japan and paid a visit to the one and only company that grows and makes this Maitake mushroom extract. Following the meeting, I got the reason about no other company who could sell the correct dose. I've signed a secrecy contract to have this meeting, so it's not possible for me to explain the exact information. Yet I'll reveal the major reason contributing to the main problem.

The special patented mushroom extract is very expensive. Not a single company can pay the high price to put the required number of milligrams in a daily serving. Now you know. But knowing the problem does not actually solve it.

I then had the feeling of personal responsibility for the cancer sufferers and anyone who desperately need an immune boost. Then I made a vow to break the pattern of all other Immune support supplement companies. My mission is to bring this Maitake extract everyone who needs it, at the best dose and at a reasonable price tag.

I understand that the competition will make more money than me given that they only give a few milligrams while I pay for hundreds of milligrams for my customers. But I don't care that other companies has more profit than me because the moment customers experience the effects of taking the perfect daily dose, they will never go back to the other weak supplements.

Which do you want, tiny number of milligrams that are overpriced or would you like the scientifically proven quantity which can support your immune health the maximum?

You Do Not Catch Mesothelioma Cancer By Mistake

2012-02-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

Anybody that has ever been close to somebody that happened to contract cancer can testify to what a horrifying experience it is. Most of the time, when a person gets cancer the doctors cannot tell them exactly why they got it, or why other members of their family did not. However, that is not the case with mesothelioma cancer. When an individual contracts this often deadly form of cancer, it could have been prevented if only they were more knowledgeable about the subject. That is exactly the information you will find below, and with any luck it just might save a life someday.

Most people that use tobacco based products are fully aware of the fact that they are significantly increasing their odds of coming down with all sorts of different types of cancer. These include lung, mouth, and throat to only mention but a few. These people knew the odds, and accepted the risk. Rather it was the smartest thing in the world to do, well that will be left for another discussion.

The consumption of large quantities of alcohol also brings with it a number of very dangerous health risk; and liver cancer is one of them. Once again, these people accepted those risks and made their decision to keep on drinking.

it is quite a different situation for people that get mesothelioma cancer though. Circumstances that were in their control, but which they lack the necessary knowledge about to change or prevent, is what caused them to come down with this fatal disease.

just like smoking or drinking are well known to cause certain types of cancer, a substance called "asbestos" is known to cause mesothelioma cancer. The big difference is the people that smoke and drink understood the risk they were taking, where as the people that come down with mesothelioma cancer did not.

asbestos is a manmade material that was used in literally 1,000's of products back in the 40's and 50,s. For the most part it is no longer manufactured, but that does not mean that it is not still present in our society.

One of the primary purposes that it was used for was as a building material. So, if you live or work in an older building that was built during the years mentioned above, there is a very strong likelihood that the building has asbestos in it somewhere.

if no one that you are aware of that lives or works in these buildings has ever caught mesothelioma cancer, consider yourself fortunate. Asbestos can be sealed inside of the walls or concrete for decades, without causing any damage to the humans that frequent the structure.

However when the air comes in contact with it that changes everything. Anybody that spends even the smallest amount of time in one of these buildings is at risk of contacting mesothelioma cancer. For a person to catch it and eventually die from it, all they have to do is to breath in a few particles of the substance which could start a chain reaction. If you happen to live or work in a building that was constructed during the time frame that the use of asbestos was prevalent, it is advised that you have that building thoroughly inspected by the epa, local building inspector, or occupational safety and health administration (osha).

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Most People Who Get Mesothelioma Cancer Could Have Prevented It

2012-02-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

All the stupid things we do in our lives, that we know are stupid when we are doing them, but we are just too hard headed not to do them. Then comes along the one thing that ruins our life completely, which if we only knew what we were doing, we would of not done it. If any of the above makes sense, you will find out why the patients that have contracted Mesothelioma Cancer could have saved their life, if they only knew what to do, and what not to do.

It is so so sad really, if the people that have come down with this horrendous health condition only knew what to look out for, and what to avoid, they would of never got it in the first place. Mesothelioma Cancer is really different from almost every other type of cancer when it comes to this.

When a person gets pancreatitis cancer, in most instances the doctors have no idea how they got it. If a person gets lung, mouth, or throat cancer and they were a smoker, they knew the risk associated with this habit, and they accepted it.

But, when a person gets Mesothelioma Cancer, if they only had just the tiniest bit of knowledge, it could have been avoided completely. In most cases, it is caused by coming in contact with a material called "Asbestos". This substance is a manmade item that was once thought of as a fantastic invention, until it was determined that it caused cancer.

It was used in almost an unlimited number of products until it was outlawed. However, there have been reports that it is still being manufactured and used in certain undeveloped parts of the world where there is not any regulation against it.

Today, the vast majority of the people that come in contact with it either live or work in a structure that it was used as a building material to help construct. It was an excellent insulator, and a very good fire retardant, so it was widely used as a building material back in the 40's and 50's.

Many of the people that catch it today happen to be construction or maintenance workers that ply their trade in these older buildings. If only their supervisors or employers had trained them on the dangers of asbestos, many of these terrible cases could have been prevented.

If you, a family member, friend, or a loved one happens to work in the type of environment that is mentioned above, it is recommended that you do everything possible to educate yourself on asbestos. You need to know how to recognize it, and what to do when it is found.

Under no circumstances should it be handled by anybody that is not a specialist in the field. Mesothelioma Cancer and asbestos are no laughing matter, if you think you have come in contact with it, you really need to see a highly trained cancer physician absolutely as soon as possible.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

2012-02-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

DNA analysis (i.e., molecular genetics) can be used in evaluating lung cancer, and can reliably separate lung tumors into their morphologic categories of squamous, large cell, small cell, and adenocarcinoma. Gene expression profiling (GEP) may have even more utility in the assessment of patients with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and similar histology.

Several investigators have attempted to subclassify these tumors by correlating GEP patterns with clinicopathologic variables.

A series that included 41 lung adenocarcinomas identified three prognostically separate subgroups. The genes involved in this classification included thyroid transcription factor, hepsin, cathepsin L, vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), and the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).

In another report of 139 lung adenocarcinomas defined four distinct subclasses. Tumors expressing neuroendocrine-type genes had a significantly less favorable survival than those lacking such characteristics. The genes that defined the neuroendocrine cluster adenocarcinomas included dopa decarboxylase, achaete-scute homolog 1, and the serine protease kallikrein 11.

Others used GEP to predict outcome from surgery in 67 patients with resected stage I adenocarcinoma. A specific group of genes distinguished high-risk from lower risk groups, with significantly different survival. Among the 50 genes comprising the risk index were erbB2, VEGF, S100P, cytokeratin 7 and 18, and fas-associated death domain protein.

In another series of 125 patients from Taiwan with surgically resected NSCLC, 16 genes were identified that correlated with increased or decreased survival. Further RT-PCR validation assay confirmed the microarray findings and showed that survival was significantly associated with five of the 16 genes (DUSP6, MMD, STAT1, ERBB3, and LCK). The five-gene signature was further validated in microarray data from patients of Western population and was an independent predictor of recurrence and overall survival for patients with surgical resection of NSCLC without any adjuvant therapy. This GEP profile is being used to select high risk patients for adjuvant chemotherapy in prospective clinical trials.

Lymphoma - Gene expression profiling (GEP) by means of DNA microarrays is an evolving approach to classification, diagnosis, and prognostication of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL).

As an example, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a clinically heterogeneous disease in which approximately 40 percent of patients with advanced stage disease respond well to combination chemotherapy and are long-term survivors. Using GEP, DLBCL has been subclassified into three distinct molecular subgroups, germinal center B-cell-like (GCB), activated B-cell-like (ABC), and other (type 3), that appear to be derived from different stages of B-cell differentiation, utilize different oncogenic mechanisms, and differ clinically in their ability to be cured by multiagent chemotherapy.

Patients whose tumors express genes characteristic of germinal center B cells (GCB) have a significantly better outcome from chemotherapy than those whose gene expression is more typical of activated B cells (ABC). In one series for example, a clustering algorithm applied to 58 patients with DLBCL receiving cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy separated patients into two groups with very different five-year overall survival rates (70 versus 12 percent).

Although most of the early studies used fresh frozen tissue sections, similar results have been reported with GEP performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material. No formal head-to-head comparisons of GEP from fresh versus archived materials have yet been performed.

GEP has also been used to develop a more precise molecular diagnosis of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, a clinically unfavorable entity that cannot be reliably distinguished from other types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. These tumors do poorly with CHOP chemotherapy alone and may need more aggressive therapy than used for standard DLBCL.

Finally, GEP has the potential to reveal new therapeutic molecular targets. As an example, the ABC subtype of DLBCL is characterized by constitutive activation of the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway; interference with this pathway selectively kills these lymphoma cells. The ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway and the NF-kappaB axis are intimately involved in the control of apoptosis. Inhibitors of this pathway (eg, proteasome inhibitors) can induce apoptosis in human leukemia cells that ectopically express the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. One such agent, the synthetic dipeptide boronic acid bortezomib, is a potent promoter of apoptosis in several human tumor cell types.

Summary - The rapidly evolving field of DNA microarray analysis and gene expression profiling has wide-ranging implications for the molecular classification of tumors, refinement of prognostic estimates, and prediction of response to therapy. Despite its exciting potential and significant recent advances, this field remains relatively new, and it is premature to conclude that microarray data can be used as a sole means of classifying cancers or predicting outcomes of treatment.

Among the specific challenges that must be met are the need for larger studies with appropriate validation, standardization of methods and establishment of guidelines for the conduct and reporting of studies, and the formation of repositories and registries where research institutions may deposit data for comparison with independent works involving the same malignant disorder. Finally, DNA microarray-based tests must demonstrate utility in prospectively designed clinical trials before this technology is considered a routine part of clinical evaluation. These studies may eventually establish a new treatment paradigm in personalized cancer therapy in the future.

Dr. Richard Graydon, http://www.medauthor.com, trained as an Oncologist, holding both M.D. and PhD degrees, andspecializes in molecular genetics and cancer research. His education and experience have provided him analytical and clinical skills for keen insight into diagnosis, treatment, and care of cancer patients. See http://www.medauthor.com for further information

By Richard Graydon, M.D.

Dealing With Bone Cancer With Affirmations

2012-02-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

By Nelson Berry

Bone cancer is perhaps one of the most painful types of cancers you'll ever go through. It can make you immobile. The pain can last for hours or day, and it affects your entire body. It's not surprising for people to go into depression and anxiety, even take their own lives, just to end their suffering.

But know that any kind of cancer is not a death sentence. With the development in health care, many are now living their lives well even if they are suffering from bone cancer. You can too, and you can begin by using affirmations.

The Effects of Affirmations

It's all in the mind-that's what a lot of people say, especially to those who are undergoing through some emotional or physical pain. For someone who's sick of bone cancer, that could be too hard to believe in, but the truth is there's a connection between the mind and the physical body.

To fully understand this, we take, for example, affirmations or subliminal messages. These are the kinds of messages that go deep into your subconscious mind, a mind component that is hardly tapped unless you're in a relaxed state. However, it's powerful enough to influence how your conscious mind processes things.

Your bone cancer may be causing you to think of all negative thoughts. You keep telling yourself, "I am definitely dying," "There's nothing I can do anymore," "My life is completely useless," or "I am totally lost." The more you think of these, the more you feel sad and anxious. These thoughts can also increase your stress level.

Now you think that stress just lowers your energy. It does more harmful effects than that. One of its biggest impacts has something to do with your immune system. When stress is high, your immunity goes down. If you're sick, you really cannot afford that since you need your immune system to fight along with you.

You can then use subliminal messages to change your current mind-set. Instead of thinking of these negative thoughts, you might say the following:

I can still live my life to the fullest.

I am not defined by my cancer.

I boost my immune system with these positive thoughts.

What would happen if you replace those negative thoughts with these? Wouldn't your perception change too? You would feel less depressed. You can better cope with stress, and you develop faith not only in your medications but also in the people around you, particularly your doctors. You would be more open, making it easier for them to treat you.

You would also feel motivated or inspired. As long as you're still breathing, then there's hope for a life filled with good things.

How to Create Affirmations

You can definitely come up with your own affirmations or subliminal messages. You can then place them anywhere-within your home, office, or car-so you will always be reminded of them. However, it's still advisable to depend on the subliminal messages developed by experts. They have devised a way on how to make it easier for you to absorb the messages and train your subconscious mind to accept them more quickly.

Mesothelioma Cancer Is An Extremely Rare and Fatal Form Of This Horrifying Disease

2012-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

Today, there are many well known types of cancer, such as breast, lung, throat and a few others. There is another form of this deadly disease that not too many people know about, which is called Mesothelioma Cancer. It is just as deadly if not more so, than the most recognized types of this health condition.

Mesothelioma Cancer attacks the protective lining that covers many of our body's organs. Most of the time the people that come down with it came in contact with a substance called asbestos. It was widely used many decades ago in numerous kinds of products, and one of the main ones was in the construction industry, as an insulator and fire inhibitor.

This form of cancer often attacks the internal chest wall or the outer lining of the lungs. As terrible as this sounds, most people that come down with this disease did not need to, if they were better informed and educated on how harmful it actually is. You can catch Mesothelioma Cancer simply by breathing in dust or particles that contain asbestos.

It is very prevalent in old buildings, even to this day. If anybody that you know who either lives in your same building, or works where you do, happens to contact Mesothelioma Cancer, you need to be extra "special" careful, and take immediate action to safeguard yourself and your family.

This is a tell tale warning sign that they have come in contact with this deadly material. It is advised that you instantaneously have both your work and home thoroughly examined for this matter. If the people that you work for do not feel it is necessary to have their premises inspected, you can contact the local building inspector or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) yourself. They will keep your name confidential, so you do not need to be worried about your job.

In addition, you need to try and figure out if there were any other places that your acquaintance frequented, that you also go to a great deal, and try to determine if that was the source of the problem. In the vast majority of the cases, a person does not get Mesothelioma Cancer without coming in contact with asbestos.

This is why, if you are close to the person, work with them, or live in the same building or area as they do, you need to take every preventative measure possible to protect yourself and your loved ones. Simply breathing in this substance a single time is enough to start a chain reaction, which could eventually lead to death.

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Cancer are certainly something to be feared and highly respected. Today, there are many construction companies working around the clock trying to remove it from as many structures as possible, as quickly as possible. But, even with all of the time and effort being spent on this critical project, people are still dying at alarming rates because of this once thought to be extremely safe and one of a kind manmade material.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Discovery Why Coming In Contact With Asbestos Can Lead To Contracting Mesothelioma Cancer

2012-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Anybody that has ever had a friend, family member, or a loved one come down with any type of cancer knows fully well that it is a horrifying experience. Even if they were thankfully and fortunately eventually cured, it still does not diminish the effect that it had on everybody that was involved in the event. Mesothelioma Cancer is a type of cancer that is typically caused by coming in contact with a substance known as, asbestos.

Asbestos was a commonly used building material up until a few decades ago. It is still in millions of buildings in the US and around the world. It is very difficult and expensive to fully remove from a structure. The construction workers doing the work need to wear special clothing and masks, in addition to needing to be washed down each time they get out of their gear.

Because of the extraordinary garments the workers are required to wear, they get very hot and can only work for very short periods of time. In addition, the contractors that are supervising the work, are required to undergo a specialized type of training and get unique licenses to even operate in this field. Those are only a few of the reasons that removing asbestos is very costly and quite time consuming, there are many more.

If you suspect that the building you either work in, or where you reside has asbestos in it, you need to immediately contact the proper authorities to have it checked out. In most cases, but not all instances, the local building inspector should be able to do the job for you.

Asbestos is extremely dangerous and deadly, even workers at laundries where people only brought in their clothes to be cleaned have contracted Mesothelioma Cancer, and died from it just washing clothes. Many construction workers are simply not well trained enough to recognize it, and know that they needed to take special precautions when dealing with it. Because of this lack of understanding, many of them have died from form of cancer.

This is especially true for plumbers that repair and provided maintenance for old buildings. Asbestos was used as an insulator and thought to be fire resistant. Because of these traits, it was often used to wrap around water heaters, so that they functioned better in the winter.

Unfortunately, many self taught plumbers did not learn of this until it was too late, and they came down with Mesothelioma Cancer. There are many other examples of employees that worked in the maintenance field, who also had these same types of experiences.

If anybody that you are associated with does similar type of work, and the buildings they work in were built a few decades ago. It is advised that they become extremely educated on the subject. Asbestos is not a substance that you should be handling at ALL, if you are not well trained to deal with it, and wear special protective clothing. Even the smallest amount of time being exposed to it can result in Mesothelioma Cancer, which is certainly not something anybody would want to ever have to endure.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Mesothelioma Cancer Patients Do Have Treatment Options Available To Them

2012-01-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma Cancer is a very rare and extremely deadly form of cancer. In most cases the people that contracted it came in contact with a manmade substance called asbestos. This material was widely used in many products only a few short decades ago. It is still prevalent in many older buildings that were built during that period. When somebody happens to contract cancer, they usually do not know where to turn, or what their treatment options are. Below, you will find out about the few things that a person can do if they do come down with this horrendous disease.

Most if not all of us, have heard of a form of cancer treatment called "Chemotherapy". It is very widely used today with varying rates of success. It does cause certain side effects, which are hair loss, vomiting, weight loss, physical fatigue, and nausea. It can be administered in the form of a pill or an injection, and often causes the patient to get quite sick, before they recover from the cancer.

Palliative Therapies treatments work by draining the surplus fluids out of a patient's body by using suction and a needle. After it is completed, the doctor might recommend following up the treatment with a drug of some type, that will stop the fluids from accumulating in the future.

In certain instances a doctor could recommend surgery for an individual that has Mesothelioma Cancer. The main types of surgery performed under these circumstances are called Pneumonectomy and Pleurodesis, Thoracentesis and Extrapleural, Pleurectomy/Decortication, and Pneumonectomy. It depends on the form of Mesothelioma Cancer that you have, which will determine which surgery is performed.

Another widely used treatment for people that have this disease is called radiation therapy. It is often the preferred treatment, since it allows the physician to target only the effected cells, and not damage any of the healthy cells. Only one treatment can continue to destroy the infected cells for up to a one year period.

Above are the most widely used treatments designed to extend the lives of the patients that have come down with Mesothelioma Cancer. Presently, there are no known cures for the cancer, just like most other forms of this deadly disease. However, doctors and scientists are always working on better ways to treat the patients, as well as trying to find a cure for it all together.

Of course, for the people that already have it, any hopes of cures in the future just might come too late for them. What makes this form of cancer so disheartening for so many, is that in the majority of the cases it could have been prevented if the people who got it, only knew what to look out for.

That was of course, not coming in contact with asbestos in anyway. If you or a loved one happens to have come down with Mesothelioma Cancer, there is still hope, and you should seek immediate treatment from the most highly qualified specialist you can find.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

By Jason Bacot

Cancer Care: How to Take Care of Yourself With Less Dependency on Medications

2012-01-29T03:12:00.000-08:00

By Nelson Berry

Thanks to much better education and scientific breakthroughs, dealing with cancer is much easier these days than in the previous years. Usually, treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can slow down the spread or help you go into remission for several years. There are also medications you can take to control the signs and symptoms of the illness.

Most of all, there are some ways on how to manage the illness and take care of yourself without becoming too dependent on drugs and other treatment procedures. Here are some of these ideas:

1. Get a lot of rest. One of the common signs of cancer is fatigue or lethargy. You feel tired a lot of times. You have no appetite for everything. That is why you need plenty of rest when you are sick. It is time for you to cut back on your number of working hours. If not, you should reduce your commitments by delegating tasks. By resting, you give your body a chance to heal itself as well as to reserve whatever energy you have for something more important.

2. Reduce your level of stress. You also need to control your level of stress, in general. Stress affects all aspects of your life: physical, mental, and emotional. It often leads to hormonal imbalances and the improper functioning of the various neurons in the body. In case you have not noticed, you get easily depressed or suffer from panic attacks when you are under too much stress.

Stress can also weaken your immune system. If you are sick of cancer, immunity plays a very huge role. You want it to function strongly so you'll have a formidable defense system against the disease.

3. Meditate. Meditation is highly recommended to people who are suffering from cancer. For one, it boosts the immune system. It can also help in reducing the spread of cancer cells, as these types of cells don't thrive in an alkaline environment. One of the ways to make your body alkaline is by increasing the amount of oxygen in the body through proper breathing.

Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually meditation can be of great use. It brings you to the present. The action of concentrating on your breaths helps you be more aware and in tune of the now than of the future or of the past. It then ushers appreciation to your present life, what you are at that moment. Second, it clears your mind from a lot of clutter.

Using Subliminal Messages or Affirmations

In all these tips, you can utilize subliminal messages or affirmations. These are very powerful phrases and sentences. They can change the way your mind thinks by feeding your subconscious with positive statements.

Every time you are at rest or in meditation, you can listen to subliminal messages downloads that may contain the following:

My life is at peace, and I am happy.
There are plenty of things I am grateful for.
I appreciate the blessings of the present.
The future can take care of itself.

Mesothelioma Litigation - Miracle Treatments For Mesothelioma Sufferers

2012-01-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

The treatment of mesothelioma is done using various options all of which aim at the removing or suppressing of the malignant mesotheloima cells. Modern improvements have occurred in the treatment of the disease. These have mainly been in prognosis into newer chemotherapies coupled by multimodality treatments. It is important to note that treatment of the malignant cells at an early stage is essential since this enhances better prognosis. However, cure for this cancer is usually rare. The malignant cells have certain clinical behaviors which affects the malignancy. These factors range from the continuous mesothelial surface which favors local metastasis through exfoliated cells, invasion of other cells hence the random growth within the underlying tissues and the period between exposure to asbestos and disease development. There are three important factors to be considered in the disease prognosis which include:the age of the patient, health status,and the histological subtype. The epithelioid responds better to treatment and has a higher survival rate as opposed to the sarcomatoid histology.

The treatment options present include:

Surgery

This is mainly used where mesothelial cancerous cells are present. They may lead to the formation of growth which are surgically removed through excision. It is not effective if used alone but can be combined with other procedures for example chemotherapy in order to improve the median survival rate. The most common procedure in operation is pleurectomy which involves the removal of the chest's lining. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is the lesser common where the lungs, chest lining, pericardium and the hemi-diaphragm are removed.

Radiation

It is given before the operation as a consolidative treatment. This is often to patients who can withstand radical surgery and have localized disease. Radiation therapy is conducted hand to hand with chemotherapy and when done after surgery may lead to an extended life expectancy in different patients of up to 5 years. It is commonly applied to the chest drain insertion area to restrict track tumor growth along the chest wall. This is a curative approach an dis now commonly used in treatment.

Immunotherapy

This treatment option has yielded mixed results in the cure of mesothelioma. Some of the cells are susceptible to in vitro lysis of LAK cells but patients under this treatment have had massive side effects. Therapy through the use of interferon alpha are more encouraging since it has led to 50% tumor mass reduction in 20% of the patients with few side effects.

Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Here, the surgeon removes much of the tumor and then a chemotherapy agent is directly applied. This agent is heated at temperatures of 40 and 80 0c in the abdomen and is perfused for between 1 and 2 hours then drained. Heating increases the drug penetration into tissues and also destroys the malignant cells more than the normal cells. This procedure allows one to administer high drug concentrations into the affected surfaces.

Multimodality Therapy

This technique was developed on the need to reduce the bulk of the tumor and hence improve survival of the patient. Both extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy are used and the indications of their use are unique. Size of the tumor influences the choice of operation. In the former, the underlying lung is spared and is performed on patients within the early stage. Here the intention are to remove the whole tumor as opposed to extrapleural pneumonectomy which is more extensive. It is performed on patients whose tumors are more developed and can not tolerate pneumonectomy.

By Dave Berger

Mesothelioma Litigation - Are You A Victim Of Asbestos Exposure And Don't Even Know It?

2012-01-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma is a unique and a rare form of cancer. It is commonly referred to as malignant mesothelioma. It usually develops from the mesothelium, which is a protective lining covering most of the internal body organs. These malignant cells believed to cause Mesothelioma are abundantly found in the sac and linings of the chest. This is referred to as the pleural mesothelioma because it occurs in the chest area. It may also occur in the abdomen also referred to as the peritoneum. This version of mesothelioma is much less common and is known as the peritoneal mesothelioma.

The latter cells may also affect the pericardium leading to the most rare form of mesothelioma known as the pericardial mesothelioma. In this case, the sac surrounding the heart is usually affected.

Mesothelioma cells are usually of two types namely epithelial and sarcomatoid. Both types of cells can be present in the body but this is usually not common. Sarcomatoid cells are rare and compute to only 15% of the cases usually reported. It usually occurs as a result of poor prognosis.

What causes mesothelioma has been a puzzle but this has been unlocked by technological innovations and continued research. Rarely does mesothelioma originate from benign and non-malignant cells.

Intake of asbestos through breathing has been the main cause of mesothelioma. A high percentage of people with malignant mesothelioma have been involved in jobs where they inhaled asbestos. Exposure to the dust and fiber originating from asbestos has been highly associated with the disease. This is common with workers over the age of 40 years who have had a long duration of exposure to the latter conditions.

Asbestos has been used as a common insulator although its use has been on the decline after these revelations. Men have been the mainly affected since they work in hard labor and this is synonymous with industrial and chemical remnants having asbestos. Many people in their household environments have also suffered from the exposure of asbestos within their localities. This is usually dangerous since most or these people affected have no knowledge of this happening.

Exposure to asbestos can also be through washing the clothes in most cases of a family member who has worked with asbestos. This puts the one at the risk of catching or developing mesothelioma. Inhaling the constituents of asbestos mentioned above leads to some of them reaching the air sacs hence penetrating into the pleural lining. Environmental exposure may lead to swallowing of the fibres. If swallowed, they reach the abdominal cavity contributing to peritoneal mesothelioma. These fibers and dust harm the mesothelial cells eventually causing mesothelioma.

Contrary to the belief that most people have that smoking may induce the latter disease, it has been noted that there is virtually no association between mesothelioma and smoking. However, smoking as a habit has the effect of increasing greatly the risk of other asbestos induced cancers. Zeolite, a chemical related to asbestos has also been seen to cause incidences of mesothelioma upon exposure to body cells. Lastly, exposure to specific types of radiation has also been known to cause mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a devastating cancer that could have been avoided in most cases. To learn more about the disease, its causes and your legal rights, please go to Mesothelioma Litigation Lawyers

By Audrey M. Hardy

Smoking, Cancer, and Chemotherapy

2012-01-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

Adverse Effects Tobacco Has ON The Brain:

Like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, nicotine increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which affects the brain pathways that control reward and pleasure. For many tobacco users, long-term brain changes induced by continued nicotine exposure results in addiction, a condition of compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative consequences. Studies suggest that additional compounds in tobacco, such as acetaldehyde, may enhance nicotine's effects on the brain. Studies indicate the adolescents are especially vulnerable to these effects and may be more likely than adults to develop an addiction to tobacco.

Cancer:

When people think of cancers caused by smoking, the first one that comes to mind is lung cancer. Close to 90% of lung cancer deaths are in men, with about 80% in women caused by cigarette smoking. There are several other forms of cancer.

· They include the oral cavity
· Pharynx
· Larynx
· Esophagus
· Bladder
· Stomach
· Cervix
· Kidney
· Pancreas
· And acute myeloid leukemia
· Head and neck
· Tongue
· Lip
· Mouth

Lung Cancer-The Big One:

The association between tobacco use and lung cancer stands as a classic in public health. On average, smokers increase risk of lung cancer between 5 and 10-fold and in developed countries, smoking is responsible for upwards of 80% of all lung cancers. Using American data 24% of men who smoke can expect to develop lung cancer during their expected lifetime.

Lung cancer remains a disease with a dismal prognosis. Although one-year all-stage survival is reported to have increased from 32% in 1973 to 41% in 1994, five year survival has remained unchanged at 14%.

Chemotherapy- One Form of Treatment for Cancer:

Chemotherapy is in general a way of treating cancer. People diagnosed with cancer undergo this therapy for their treatment. It is the most popular way of treating cancer worldwide. Chemotherapy is applied to treat leukemia and lymphoma.

Under chemotherapy, use of chemotherapy drugs or medicines is made to kill the cancer-causing cell or reduce their growth. Chemotherapy drugs are known as cytotoxic drugs.

Whenever a person is diagnosed as suffering from cancer, the possibility of he or she undergo some form of chemotherapy treatment is seemingly inevitable. The only question is how the cancer will be administered.

Chemotherapy treatment takes place in cycles. These cycles normally run between three to four weeks consecutively. Between the cycles, there are intervals of around the same time. The thinking behind this in conventional medicine is to allow the healthy cells to recover and reproduce, and the cancerous cells to die. The chemotherapy course of treatment is completed when the doctors are sufficiently sure that all the cancerous cells have been removed from the patient's body.

The dosage of chemotherapy administered is calculated by measuring the height and weight of the patient. Using this method, the doctors and tailor a program "tailor made" for each patient. However, the dose levels can be reduced or increased based on reactions experienced by the patient and routine tests carried out.

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By Leslie H Vanover

How to Help a Mom Cope With Cancer

2012-01-26T03:10:00.000-08:00

By Nelson Berry

It's not only the cancer patients who have to go through a lot of pain and suffering all throughout the illness. It's also difficult for their loved ones, especially for the kids, especially if they feel that they could not do something.

If your mom is suffering from cancer, then it's important for you to know that you don't have to feel so hopeless. There are a lot of things you can do to ease the suffering and help her manage the illness more effectively.

You can do the following:

1. Know more about it. When you're armed with the right knowledge, you have a much better idea on what to do. You can ask questions from her doctor, talk to other patients and survivors, read articles online and in health magazines, or join message boards. You can even ask for tips from families and friends of other patients.

2. Be with her when she takes tests. Going through a series of tests and doctor discussions can be time-consuming, exhausting, and traumatic for your mom. Imagine experiencing several examinations and waiting for the results a few days or weeks after. But you can make it a lot easier for her by just being there. You can provider her emotional and physical support so she doesn't have to feel so scared. You can be there to comfort her if the results are bad and celebrate with her when they are good.

3. Monitor her too. You can act like her own doctor at home. You can watch the food she eats, encourage her to exercise and take her medications and vitamins, as well as check for any signs and symptoms associated with her illness. You can maintain a journal or a log book where you can write down all your observations and tasks.

4. Communicate with her often. If it's impossible to be with your mom all the time, then at least reach out to her as often as you can. Ask her about how her day was and how she's managing. It's essential your mom feels the love and support even if you're not physically around.

5. Take care of the chores. With cancer, there will be good days and bad days. There will be times when your mom cannot really handle any of her usual responsibilities. Just the thought of not being able to take care of the chores can be depressing for her. You can lighten the load by doing the tasks for her. Give your mom a time to relax and heal herself.

Take Care of Yourself Too

You cannot be there for your mom if you are also physically and emotionally weak. It helps a great deal if you can join support groups for families of cancer patients. This way, you have an outlet for your sadness and confusion.

You also need to increase your confidence and hope by listening to subliminal messages downloads. Affirmations like "I can take care of my mother" or "I have a lot of love to give" can surely give you plenty of hope.

What Is Mesothelioma? Types and Treatment Options

2012-01-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which affects the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin membrane which covers the heart, lungs and other internal organs. You normally get this disease from being exposed to asbestos fibers at some point in your life.

Types of mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form is pleural mesothelioma which develops within the mesothelium. Pleural mesothelioma will develop in the pleural membrane which is the lungs lining.

Breathing in asbestos fibers is the cause of pleural mesothelioma. Upon entering the lungs, the asbestos fibers will work their way into the lungs pleural membrane. Once in there, the body will find it almost impossible to get rid of them. Over a period of several decades, the asbestos fibers will cause the pleural cells to change. These changes may lead to the lungs becoming scarred and, eventually, tumors forming.

Once the cells of the pleural membrane turn cancerous, they will continuously divide, leading to a reduction in lung capacity and causing fluid to buildup between the layers of the pleural membrane.

Because pleural mesothelioma is usually not caught until the later stages of the disease, the prognosis for the patient is normally poor. But, if the disease is caught in the early stages, then the patient's prognosis as well as the life expectancy will be much improved.

Peritoneal mesothelioma
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma - this is a very rare form of cancer which strikes the peritoneum (the cell walls surrounding the abdominal cavity. The peritoneum lubricates the abdominal cavity which allows the surrounding internal organs and body structures to expand and contract. Peritoneal mesothelioma is very rare with fewer than 500 people contracting this form of cancer each year.

Several decades after asbestos fibers are breathed in or ingested; cancer will develop in the patient's abdomen. Modern tests can diagnose whether or not a patient has peritoneal mesothelioma. Despite the fact that it is not usually diagnosed until it is in the later stages, there are still some treatment options.

Although some patients may qualify for surgery and other curative treatment options, other patients may simply choose palliative measures. Most patients with peritoneal mesothelioma survive for less than a year. However, with the proper treatment, life expectancy could increase. A mesothelioma specialist can help patients find the best treatment options for their cancer, which might improve the patient's prognosis.

According to some studies, the average life expectancy of a man diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma is 7 months, although a few men have survived for almost 100 months. Women usually survive for approximately 9 months after being diagnosed, with a few women surviving for a maximum of 49 months. Patients whose mesothelioma was caught early and with less severe symptoms naturally have a better prognosis.

Mesothelioma treatment options
When it comes to treating cancer, doctors focus on killing the malignant cells and saving the healthy ones. There are several ways to do this.

Doctors will utilize chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation or a combination of all three as the most effective way to treat mesothelioma. The treatment that will be recommended is dependent on several issues:

The type and location of the mesothelioma
How big are the tumors?
How much the cancer has metastasized?
What stage the cancer is in.
The patient's age
The patient's overall health

Several types of doctors will be involved in treating the cancer such as an oncologist or cancer specialist, a radiologist, and a pulmonologist or lung specialist. It can take time to figure out the precise location and variety of the cancer, but determining these factors will enable the oncologist to prescribe the most effective mesothelioma treatment.

By Harrold Creighton

An Empty Room, Full of Hope

2012-01-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have lung cancer...

Although, if I asked you to enter a room filled with twenty-five random people and pick out the person with cancer, I don't think that you would be able to pick me out at first glance. From across the room, I would like to think that I look like the average guy in his forties.

So let's put you to the test, should be easy right, there is bound to be someone, man, woman or child who is bald, that's the way you tell, right? Sorry not in this crowd. You'll need to look for clues as you make your way through the room.

As you cut through the heart of the room, looking us all over before you make a decision, you begin to observe all the things that make us individuals and thus unique and identifiable.

For instance the woman on my left with the short brown hair, dressed in a conservative manner, black skirt just below the knee, slight run in the back of her nylon just above her ankle on her left leg, (she will not become aware of this fact until this evening when she's feeding her cat) the fact that she left the house like that will drive her to tears. Receptionist by trade, her one office rebellion, she sometimes would leave a button on her blouse intentionally un-buttoned in hopes that her boss might give her a second glance.

To my right stands a young man in jeans and a tee shirt eagerly watching his cell phone awaiting a message of vital importance regarding either world peace or the location of tonight's party.

To his right, a man in a three piece suite, looking at his watch obviously late for something obviously avoid, he wears his anguish on his face. The lady in red to his right holding her purse tight meets your eyes dead on in defiance. The older couple next to her holding hands, the man in front with the torn jacket but happy eyes. The young lady in her twenties who won't look you in the eyes but has been working hard to catch the attention of the young man across the room who is staring at his phone. Different races, different back rounds, different ages.

We all look...well for lack of a better phrase, normal. Even the guy with the awkward sun tan on the right side of his neck looks,....wait a minute, upon closer examination that's not a sun tan, it's a burn ( You could be on to something).

As you continue to look around at the faces and manners and details that make up twenty five individual lives, you subtly and deliberately begin to move in my direction. Not looking directly at me more keeping me in the corner of your eye as if direct eye contact would send me hurdling over the lady sitting cross legged on the floor and bolting out the door like a spooked deer on a cold autumns day.

Different faces, from poorly kept beards to poorly applied lipstick and you have found me, at least you think. There is the guy with the limp on the North side of the crowd and the lady with the cough somewhere in the crowd. Also the young mother and child combo that you haven't clearly seen yet.

You now are just a few feet in front of me and you have decided that now is the time to size me up. You are now sure about the burn which runs down the side of my neck but not sure of the cause and the random scares on my face you chalk up to a life well lived but no different than anyone else in the room. Other then thinning hair there's nothing else.

You turn away and start to move toward the coughing, registering me as a possibility but not for sure.

I could let you wander around for hours trying to find the cancer victim/survivor but I'm gonna help you out(cause that's the kinda guy I am).

When we think of cancer we attribute the number one "tell" as baldness. A loss of hair do to radiation and chemotherapy. On the same token, in most instances hair loss is a temporary side effect and although traumatic, a small price to pay for life.

I have lost my hair twice but just like Lassie, it always comes home. Unfortunately, the return of one's hair doesn't signify that your cured only that your moving forward.

Here are the rest of my tell tale signs. Anyone who has gone through treatment will have one, all, or their own special variations of the following.

First, The radiation burn down the side of my neck and face is a permanent reminder of the radiation treatments I received twice a day. So you get a point for spotting that.

If I had left the second button of my shirt unbuttoned, you might have noticed the small blue dot located in the upper center of my chest. This is an alignment tattoo, there is a matching one just a few inches lower, together they form the "Blue Badge of Courage", that you receive prior to beginning radiation therapy. These two marks are the reference points for the administering of radiation into your body.

If you had asked me to take my shirt off, you would of come face to face with the various scares that run up my left torso and onto my back, reminders of the end of a months stay in the hospital. You would have to have a conversation with me to realize that the man who used to host hour long meetings is now limited to five to ten minutes of conversation before his voice begins to crack and fade.

You would have to live with me to understand the effect of a flight of stairs or sometimes putting on a pair of socks in my life.

You would have to be very close to me to realize that my short term memory sometimes, how shall we say it, "takes an untimely coffee break" or how sometimes I lose focus during a conversation and wander off into my own little world.

Everyone who goes through treatment will have their own side effects or maybe no side effects at all. That is the individuality, the personal relationship, you develop with cancer.

So how do you feel you did? You looked around the room, but what did you truly see? In your defense, you only were allowed to see the obvious, the run in the stockings as it were.

If you were able to see behind the obvious here are some of the things you might have found. By the way, welcome to the room number twenty six.

Looking back to our cast of characters, let's start with our impatient friend in the three piece suit. In actuality he is late for a meeting at the bank in a desperate attempt to save his house he, along with seven other people in our room own one of the 30% of mortgages that are "underwater" (I believe is the right phrase) in the United States. The look on his face is because he realized long before he set out this morning that he would receive no mercy where he was heading and would soon end up being notified by a sheriff deputy or better yet, a newspaper ad that he had lost his families house to foreclosure.

As for our friend in the black skirt with the hungry cat, she cries tonight because she's left wondering if the small run in her stocking was the reason that she once again did not get hired. She is losing hope because she hasn't worked since the corporate downsizing a year ago, although she noticed that the company that let her go has just announced another record quarter of profits. She along with Three other people in the room represent the actual unemployment rate of 15% in America today.

Me, I represent the 40% of people who will or do have cancer. I am not going to point out the other Nine people in the room who are going to be joining me in this statistic but you have looked them all in the eyes today.

Last but not least the young mother and child. Her daughter had developed a cough a few days back that has now escalated into something worse. She is on her way to a walk in clinic praying that she can be seen even though She and her daughter are amongst the 16% or 52,000,000 uninsured Americans out there. There are at least three others in the room that currently have no insurance whatsoever and although I said I wasn't going to do this, I'm going to let you in on a secret one of those three people are going to be inflicted by cancer this year. If that person follows suit with 75,000,000 other Americans this year they will defer seeing a doctor or pursuing the treatment they need do to a lack of insurance. That number is going to continue to get worse due to the number of Americans who have now bled or soon will, their savings accounts or racked up mass amounts of credit card debt to pay for their health care premiums, and as soon as they can no longer make the monthly payment, will be cast aside by a heartless insurance industry.

Well will you look at that, 10 with cancer,4 unemployed, 8 losing houses, 4 uninsured. 10+4+8+4= AMERICA

As I look around my empty room where my twenty five imaginary Americans dwell, I picture them in my mind and try to find the common ground. The thing that makes us one and the same. I believe it to be this.

We as a culture, as Americans, have an optimism about us that allows us to say, "No matter how bad this gets", "It's going to get better." We hold onto the belief that there's a job waiting around the corner, that there's a chance that that the bank will have a change of heart, that cancer will be cured and that the government will do the right thing and provide healthcare to everyone regardless of race, color,creed or financial status.

We believe that eventually the good guy is going to win and the people with only self interest along with the people who defend and support them will be asked to change their ways or be forced out of town by (using a term so many out of touch politicians use) "The average Americans."

The common ground... "We The People" are survivors.
All percentages used are from various articles found on the internet.
If you question them, Do your own homework and write your own article.
It's still a free country for now.

Tim Giardina is the co-founder and President of the GFLCCO as well as a current small cell lung cancer survivor. The GFLCCO is developing a World Wide network of supporters with facts and information regarding lung cancer, lung cancer treatment, proper diets and exercise and alternative medicines and treatments as well as valuable links to a deep pool of resourses for patients and their families.

The primary function of the GFLCCO is to support Scientists by funding research for a cure. If you would like to learn more about the GFLCCO, need information or support or would be interested in reading more of Tim's work, please visit us at http://www.gflcco.com.

We are a non profit organization that also relies on the support of others to carry on with our work, if you find our site useful, your support would be greatly appreciated.

By Tim Giardina

Burkitt Lymphoma

2012-01-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

Burkitt Lymphoma is a rare form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The majority of its victims are children, although it does at times show up in adults. Although they are essentially considered to be the same disease, there are two forms of this Lymphoma, one which is known as the African version, officially known as Endemic Burkitt Lymphoma and which medical studies indicate is connected with Epstein Barr Virus and the form that is found in the rest of the world which seems to have no immediate connection with the Epstein Barr Virus although in some cases the Epstein Barr Virus may be present in one of the parents. This last is known as Sporadic Burkitt Lymphoma. In the Endemic Lymphoma, the jaw is most often that part of the body which is attacked while in the Sporadic Lymphoma it is more often the abdomen which is attacked and very rarely the jaw or mouth area.

While this is an aggressive, life threatening form of cancer, it also is one which does respond well to modern forms of chemotherapy. The majority of its victims are cured and the disease rarely returns or seems to bring about other forms of cancer.

Medical professionals feel that their studies indicate this Lymphoma is in most cases connected with some form of immunodeficiency, including HIV infection. It also has been shown to attack people who have experienced some sort of transplant, for which they have deliberately had their immune systems surprised in order that their bodies will accept the transplant.

One aspect of Burkitt Lymphoma which one might not tend to associate is anorexia. It is important that a person inflicted with this Lymphoma maintain a healthy diet. Medical professionals suggest that rather than trying to stick to a regular system of meals, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner, a person with this Lymphoma eat smaller meals but eat them more frequently. They should avoid junk food and eat foods that appeal to them. It is also recommended that they eat foods rich in calories.

Medical professionals also recommend that people with this Lymphoma get regular exercise.

Symptoms of Endemic Lymphoma are swellings which show up in the lymph nodes, in the jaw, neck, groin or arm pits. Symptoms of Sporadic Lymphoma usually start in the belly area.

Burkitt Lymphoma is a formidable enemy, but that doesn't mean that its victims are defeated to start with. As in any battle, it is necessary to fight your opponent and often victims of Burkitt Lymphoma become overcomers of Burkitt Lympoma.

For more information about Burkitt Lymphoma please visit our site http://www.howcurecancer.com.

By Brijesh Ghelani

Pancreatic Cancer: 4 Tips to Manage the Illness

2012-01-23T03:08:00.000-08:00

By Nelson Berry

Here's the truth: a lot of people die from pancreatic cancer. Though it's not as common as breast, colon, or lung cancer, it still claims many lives. It is one of the hardest types of cancer to diagnose. By the time it is discovered, it has already spread to the liver, kidney, lungs, and other vital organs. It is also not easily detected since it's quite hidden.

The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is poor, but that shouldn't stop you from fighting the battle and living your life to the fullest. Here are some tips on how to still live a good life despite the illness:

Know more about it. As they say, with knowledge comes power. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the illness, and they can make you more worried and sadder. It's time to know the truths. Learn about the illness comprehensively from your doctor. You can also ask as many opinions as you like. Read cancer journals and books, especially those that talk about pancreatic cancer. Look for survivors and patients and ask them of their own experiences. Never be afraid to inquire if there are things you don't understand.

Join support groups. Though you can always count on your friends and family members to be with you, it's still different if you get support from people who are also suffering from the illness. They have more understanding and knowledge. There are a lot of support groups you can join in. If you don't know where to begin, you can ask for suggestions from your health care provider or health care facility. There's a chance that they have their own network. Support groups are mostly composed by survivors and patients, though there are others that open their organizations to families and doctors. This way, they too can learn more about the illness and the ways on how they can help.

Allow your friends and family to help. A lot of patients go through depression during the early stages of the disease. There's always the question of "Why me?" and the fear that they may not last for a very long time. Because of this, they tend to shut down themselves from others.

Now is the time that you need help the most, so don't prevent yourself from getting one. Allow a loved one to be with you when you go to a doctor and obtain some tests. Let your partner take care of your medications or give your friends a chance to set up fund drives for you.

Affirm yourself. Depression, stress, and anxiety are just some of the many negative emotions you're going to experience because of pancreatic cancer. But they can also be detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional help. By cultivating them, you are reducing your chances of battling the illness.

But how do you effectively cope with them? You can make use of subliminal messages. The different affirmations can boost positive thoughts and invoke messages like "I can do this" or "I should never give up." You can listen to subliminal messages downloads as often as you can.

Fighting Leukemia With a Capsule

2012-01-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

NTense is a food supplement which combines different powerful medicinal plants. The product became popular worldwide which led to the creation of a newer, more enhanced, version called N Tense-2. N Tense-2 is said to be an alternative cure for different types of cancer, including leukemia.

Components of NTense-2 proven to cure leukemia include Bitter melon, Espinheira Santa, Mullaca, Vassourinha and Cat's Claws.

Bitter melon is a fruit-bearing vine. As its name suggests, bitter melon fruits are extremely bitter and are warty in appearance. Natives used the plant to cure measles and diabetes. Furthermore, it can be used to treat leprosy, eczema, sores and larger wounds. Taking in bitter melon also aids in eliminating parasites inside the body. Studies showed that all parts of the plant posses hypoglycemic properties which function to lower blood sugar beneficial for diabetics. Fruit extracts of bitter melon also aids in stabilizing insulin secretion and combined with the seeds, the fruit can eliminate excess fats in the body. Bitter melon has been considered clinically as a cure to diabetes mellitus only until further studies have revealed its possibility to cure leukemia, melanoma and liver cancer.

Espinheira Santa is a small tree that grows to five meters. It has green leaves and bears berries. Espinheira Santa fruits are oblong-shaped and contain one or two black seeds. The plant is often used to ease arthritis pain and extract of its leaves is taken in to cure stomach disorders such as ulcer and gastritis. Aside from leukemia, it can also inhibit tumor growths for adenocarcinoma, lymphoma and melanoma.

On the other hand, Mullaca is a shrub commonly used for treating hepatitis B and bacterial infections. It also aids in strengthening the immune system. Extraction of the whole plant can be used to cure leukemia. Components of the plant kills the cancer cells directly while at the same time enhancing the function of the immune system; thus, keeping the body active and healthy.

One of the most effective anti-cancerous plant ingredients of NTense-2 is Vassourinha. Vassourinha is an herb that grows only to half a meter high. It is commonly found in tropical countries and produces tiny, white flowers. Sadly, many people consider it as a weed.

Chemical tests conducted on vassourinha revealed that the plant contains many phytochemicals, some of which are only found in the plant. Vassourinha phytochemicals include scopadulcic acid and betulini acid exhibit antricancerous properties.

Scopadulcic acid can eliminate different kinds of cancer tumors while betulinic has shown anti-cancerous and antiviral potentials. The cytotoxic property of betulinic acid has been observed in melanomas and leukemia. Its curative effect on HIV is also currently being studied.

The cat's claw herb is a common ingredient in traditional medicine. It is often used to treat inflammations and is said to be effective in correcting bone irregularities such as osteoporosis. In the field of women's health, cat's claws have been studied as possible treatment for breast cancer. Researches also showed that cat's claw inhibited the mutation of some leukemia cells and killed the other damaged cells upon onset of application.

NTense-2 as a treatment for leukemia and other types of cancer is still under further study. However, seeing these plants and their curative properties, one cannot really question the high demand for NTense and the increasing market for NTense-2.

For more information about Leukemia please visit our site http://www.howcurecancer.com.

By Brijesh Ghelani

Hematology and Oncology Specialists Offer Treatment for Leukemia and Lymphoma

2012-01-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hematology and oncology are fields of medicine that diagnose, treat and prevent diseases of the blood and cancer as well as research them. Some diseases that are treated by doctors who specialize in hematology and oncology in Louisiana include leukemia and lymphoma.

Leukemia occurs when cancer attacks the tissues within the body that form blood. This can include the lymphatic system and the bone marrow. This disease usually begins in leukocytes or white blood cells. Although leukocytes function to fight off infection by growing and dividing in an orderly manner as the body requires them, those who develop this disease have large numbers of uncharacteristic leukocytes that do not perform properly, which are produced with bone marrow. Leukemia, depending on its type, can strike anyone at any age. There are types that mainly affect children and there are certain types that only affect adults. Normally this form of cancer is due to a mutation of DNA within blood cells. If this mutation occurs, cells begin to grow and divide at a rapid speed and while other healthy cells die off, these mutated ones continue to live. As time goes by, the mutated cells begin to overcrowd healthy cells, which result in the signs and symptoms of leukemia. Treatment depends on the type of leukemia as well as other factors. Among the common types of treatment that are used on patients with this disorder include radiation, chemotherapy, medications that target the cancer, biological therapy that assists the immune system in helping to find and fight the leukemia and stem cell transplants, which replace unhealthy bone marrow with healthy bone marrow.

Lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the lymphatic system, which is normally responsible for fighting off disease. Lymphatic systems contain the spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow and the thymus gland. Cancer can affect the entire system including all of these organs as well as other organs in the body. Hodgkin's disease is one form of lymphoma that attacks the lymphatic system. This occurs as cells within the lymphatic system begin to abnormally grow and gather in the organs of this system. As Hodgkin's disease progresses, the body's ability to ward off infection becomes inhibited, resulting in the development of tumors. Because the lymphatic system is located throughout the body, this form of cancer can spread through the lymph nodes to many areas of the body. Although this form of cancer was once considered a fatal disease, with advancements in diagnostic technology and advanced treatments, Hodgkin's disease is now very treatable.

Author writes about a variety of topics. If you would like to learn more about find hematology & oncology in Louisiana, visit http://www.lifescript.com/doctor-directory/index.aspx.

By Christine M Harrell

Leukemia: A Blood Cancer

2012-01-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Leukemia, as being defined, is a bone marrow disorder which occurs when there is an abnormal increase of white blood cells, one of the blood cell types which main function is to fight against invading bacteria and viruses. When this blood cell abnormality arises, it can bring two harmful effects to the body.

    * This leads to improper maturity of the white blood cells (WBC) as they develop. As a result, it deteriorates body's immune system as it weakens the ability of WBC to fight against infections.
    * This may pack the bone marrow resulting to no room for platelets and red blood cells which also have essential functions to the body.

Two Types of Leukemia

    * Acute Leukemia

This needs immediate treatment as this rapidly increases the progress of the malignant cells. This the common form usually experience by children who have leukemia.

    * Chronic Leukemia

This does not always require immediate treatment as it develops the cancer cells gradually. However, regular checkup is advised to control the symptoms of the disease. This form is commonly experience by the older ones and is seldom cured.

Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia

Leukemia has imprecise symptoms but patients may experience some of these symptoms.

    * Headaches
    * Unexplained loss of weight
    * Bleeding from nose and gums
    * Bone pain with unknown causes
    * Skin rash
    * Fever, night sweats, chills and other flu-like
    * Easy bruising
    * Blood in urine
    * Fatigue
    * Stomach fullness
    * Frequent viral or bacterial infections

What causes leukemia?

According to studies, there are several factors which cause leukemia.

    * Chemicals

Carcinogens are chemicals present in food which can trigger the cancer cells.

    * Viruses

Leukemia is believed to have been caused by some viral infections.

    * Genetics

Leukemia is a hereditary ailment which tends to occur in some families.

How to treat Leukemia?

There are several treatment options on leukemia. These include:

    * Chemotherapy
    * Surgery
    * Bone marrow transplant
    * Biological therapy
    * Radiation therapy
    * Innovative treatments

By Kimberly Ann Omandam

Ellagic Acid and It's Effect on Your Health

2012-01-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

By Murray Fjeld

Since the 1970s studies have proven that ellagic acid is helpful in preventing cancer, however, there hasn't been much talk about it. The studies that were done found that the ellgaic acid runs through the body seeking out cells that show cancer and basically prohibiting them from becoming full-blown cancer. The studies that were done over the years from the 1970s have proven the same results time and time again. The most notable results found to be in cervical cancer cells, skin cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. All of which are cancers that end the life of many people each and every year.

Ellagic acid can be found in a number of foods, however, the most prominent being in the Meeker Red Raspberry. Other foods like strawberries and walnuts do not seem to do the same amount of damage to cancer cells as the raspberries do. However, it is important to note that all of the studies that have been completed are those that deal with live human cells in the lab, there has been no use of these ellagic acids on a human person that has cancer. But, the results of these preliminary studies are hopeful and they have given many of those in the medical field hope of finding a way to stop cancer in its tracks before it progresses to something more worse.

So if this ellagic acid is so good at preventing cancer from multiplying and becoming a reason for death among those that have these cancer cells, why doesn't more people know about this? That is the main question that people ask. No doctor is going to prescribe something to someone that has not been tested and tried for years. Which is one of the reasons why the use of ellagic acid is not approved yet. However, there are constantly studies that are being performed in labs to ensure that the acid is safe for use, and in time we may see the drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to the Hollings Cancer Institute in South Carolina, healthy cells have a normal life cycle of 120 days before they die. This process is called Apoptosis, which is natural cell death. The body replaces these dying cells with healthy ones. Cancer cells do not die, instead they multiply by division, making 2 cancer cells, then 4,8,16,32 and so on. Ellagic acid cases the cancer cells to go through the normal apoptosis process without damaging healthy cells. Until then, more people will undoubtedly start eating more raspberries in hopes that they will decease their risk of having cancer. And with the studies that have been done, this could be a plan that more people should follow with the results that have been rendered.

Hotchkins Lymphoma - Is There Hope? Yes!

2012-01-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

The hotchkins lymphoma disease is a dangerous type of cancer, which spreads very slowly. The symptoms of the hotchkins lymphoma are very uncomfortable and make it very difficult to live with this type of cancer. Fortunately, this type of lymphoma can be reversed with a very high success rate, provided that you follow the right principles and educate yourself.

When it comes to this type of cancer, doctors often follow routine protocol and make more harm than good to patients. There is a lot of new research in this field, which makes it easier and easier to cure the cancer. As we all know, there is currently no 'official' cure for cancer. That means that there is no 'magic pill', which works every time, not that cancer can't be cured. That may sound controversial, and it is. By far, the most effective way to deal with hotchkins lymphoma is to enable your own body to get rid of the disease on its own. That is accomplished by supplying it with the proper tools for the job, so that your body can identify which cells are cancerous and which are not.

Cancer cells are constantly produced in the body, and it has no problem dealing with them. In a certain percentage of people, however, the cancer cells become 'different', and the body can no longer identify them as harmful. That process can be reversed, and that's the most promising new cure for cancer. If you have lymphoma you probably know that you have a long time left. That does a lot of harm to many people, because as a result they just become comfortable and keep waiting for a 'magic pill' to be developed. That is not going to happen, and there are many effective cancer cures already. It is very important that hotchkins lymphoma patients educate themselves when it comes to the disease. There are many people who claim to have found a cure, but they have actually accomplished nothing. But there are also effective ways to enable your body to fight the cancer, and you should be focusing on them.

The most effective way to naturally reverse lymphoma can be found here: http://www.squidoo.com/lymphoma1

By Henry Conner

Lymphoma Cancer Survival Rate - Is There a New Cure?

2012-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

The lymphoma cancer survival rate depends greatly on many factors. Typically, the survival rate is given in percentages during time frames. That is not an accurate prognosis, and you shouldn't be looking at it. Research is constantly conducted in the field of lymphoma and currently there is a very effective new way to put the cancer in remission.

The survival rate depends on the type of lymphoma. On average, 50% of lymphoma patients get cure, either by chemotherapy, or by spontaneous remission. Since now we have the new natural treatment option, the future survival rate of lymphoma patients will depend largely on how many people learn about the new treatment option. Chemotherapy has many side effects, and is generally speaking ineffective for treating lymphoma cancer. The lymphoma is one of the slowest spreading cancers, but it is also the one with the most profound symptoms, which makes it extremely difficult to live with.

Statistics show that most patients get cured of lymphoma cancer during their 4th-7th year of being sick. Now we know that the reason for that is spontaneous remission. We also know that 'spontaneous' is synonymic for 'idiopathic'. That means that the person usually did something very specific to rid themselves of the cancer, they are just not aware of it. Lymphoma gets cured by the body, and it is the only mechanism in existence, that can cure cancer. External intrusive procedures do not work. In rare cases, surgery can be done to remove cancerous tumors, but that is not effective when it comes to lymphoma. Generally speaking, the information on cancer is very controversial, because medical companies are trying to promote their products, which rarely work and often require daily administration. That is an effective business model, but the end result is nonexistent and people keep living with the cancer.

One of the most useful things is looking at stories of people who suffered from lymphoma, but got cured without apparent reason. When you look at countless such cases, certain patterns emerge and that can be used as the base of a new cure. That is exactly what researchers recently did, and its the reason why the melanoma cancer survival rate depends mostly on how informed people are of the new cures that can be used.

Here is the most effective natural approach to put lymphoma in remission, which anyone can easily apply: http://www.squidoo.com/lymphoma1.

By Henry Conner

Lymphoma - Symptoms And Prevention

2012-01-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

Diseases like tumors, sarcoma, melanoma, and lymphoma have threatened many human lives. When we look on any type of cancers we will find many experts are doing research to find out the best cures for the patients. Besides this there are experts in prostate cancer and in acoustic neuroma that have been successful in introducing some form of treatment but still there is much more progress required to treat the large number of patients. Let us move to the disease of Lymphoma, which has become one of the common causes of fatalities these days. Hopefully those suffering from this condition will get some basic help.

What is Lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a type of building up disease which disturbs the cycle of lymphatic system. Lymphatic system is a part of immune system, a system which helps our body to fight against bacteria and viruses. When the system gets disturbed, the disease starts to spread because there is no other way to fight back the bacteria and constant virus attacks inside the body. It is a kind of disease which when spreads in any part of the body starts to decay that section. It is really a cursing disease and has put many lives to suffer.

Often we come to hear about the "Lymph Nodes". This is the section where lymphoma tends to attack. These nodes are swollen at the time we are carrying any bacterial infection. A time comes when the cells in this section start to develop and their rapid growth curse the section. The final stage of this development results in Lymphoma.

Causes & Symptoms:

With the research, the experts have not declared any definite causes for the diseases as every patient is having his or her own symptom for the disease. However, there are some general risk factors which can give you a bit sign but still there is a deep diagnosis required to testify the suspected patient.

Age:

There are two age groups who are found with the disease. The first percentile is reported in old people, who are above the age of 60. In children it is recorded in the kids who have a weak or pre-mature immune system.

Already disturbed or weak immune system:

The person with a weaker immune system can easily come under the influence of Lymphoma. A weak immune system itself invites this disease after that it spreads rapidly.

Inherited:

Lymphoma can be inherited. If anyone had the same syndrome in his or her family, then it increases the likelihood for the disease to come back to the person.

Other diseases of stimulation:

There are some diseases which also invites the urgency of Lymphoma. The most common are HIV Aids and hepatitis C.

Prevention:

As the disease does not have any confirmed symptoms, the choices of prevention are also very limited. According to the experts' advice, you can prevent yourself by eradicating the risk factors. There are some automatic risk factors which you cannot avoid, like inheritance factor. But you can avoid some risk factors which are in your hand like avoid smoking etc.

By Stewart Wrighter

The Role of Cancer Support Organizations

2012-01-17T03:04:00.000-08:00

By Avinash Bikumalla

Fighting cancer using community tools

It has been claimed that cancer is indeed a personal battle. The victim attempts to overcome the challenges of the condition regardless of where they are based. On the other hand it might be argued that cancer is indeed a community disease. If you have a patient in the home then the respective routines of all the people involved will be affected. It is a life threatening condition regardless of how the pitching is made. The patient might react with anger and despair at various times. The role of the community is to give them support during this very difficult period. The cancer support system will be able to provide some advice on the sidelines but they are not at the heart of the storm. There is no doubt that this condition challenges many family and community relationships. Stress is often associated with the constant care of a patient in excruciating pain.

Family members need to be given the outlets to express their hopes and fears. The number of patients is rising and therefore a clear strategy is needed to provide them with services that assist in palliative care. There is also an impetus to look at the development of a cancer forum with the express aim of bringing together different experiences. It is possible that the participants will learn something about the condition and the way that it can be effectively managed. Counseling is a core function when dealing with cancer patients. It is preferable that this counseling is delivered on a local basis rather than a national basis. The local issues are best resolved on a local basis. This is not to say that a parochial approach is required in cancer management. Rather it is an effort to bring care services closer to the patient.

Funding issues and cancer care

The lack of funding can be a serious problem for institutions that are attempting to provide support to cancer patients. There are very many priorities within the healthcare system such that cancer care can sometimes get a raw deal. Economies that rely on a health insurance sector will know that cancer is considered to be a "pre-existing condition. That means that patients are very unlikely to get coverage. The insurance industry sees this as a real threat to their profits and they will work to remove the participation of various patients with this problem. It is up to the state to ensure that these issues are managed effectively. They can put regulations that provide tax breaks for cancer institutions as well as helping to train new counselors. Hospice treatment must not be left to become a pet project for charitable organizations. It is far too important to be left to chance.

Melanoma - A Syndrome With Severe Affects

2012-01-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

The medical experts who deal with lung cancer and Pancreas cancer have been working as a team to bring a common understanding in curing such types of cancers. There are different tumors which are also a part of their active research but they are still striving hard because there is a long way to go. Actually the major reason of these developing diseases is the unhealthy life style of people.

People today are addicted to unhealthy diet, smoking, drugs; alcohol and even improper cleaning have brought them in a state where they are under constant threat of hazardous diseases. Among those diseases, there is a very populated disease called as Melanoma. In this disease, a tumor develops in the tissues of skin. It is a very dangerous disease which causes swelling of the section where it appears.

Let us discuss how this disease spreads and what the possible measures to control it are:

Melanoma Defined:

It is a very hazardous skin disease which can take a person's life if the treatment is not effective. There is a dark coating which comes across the area where the tumor begins.

Melanoma is a skin tumor which arises from melanocyte cells. When the cells start to develop, they give birth to a dark pigment called melanin. The dark shade on the skin comes from melanin. Here is when the skin starts to decay and in severe conditions can reciprocate the skin's normal condition. That is why experts call it a pure skin disease which damages the cells of the skin and in worst conditions it can even penetrate into the flesh of the body.

Types of Melanoma:

The melanoma is classified into four major types, which are as follows:

Spreading melanoma: It is a black and brown shaded melanoma which is more common in Caucasians. This can appear in any age and the appearance of this mole is plain and flattered.

Protruding melanoma: It is a stick out melanoma which is sometimes found with bluish and sometimes with reddish blue color on the body. In rare cases it has no color.

Malevolent melanoma:

This is a skin coating of brown which is damaged by sun rays. It is found in the young people with fair and soft skin. The shape of the disease is irregular and sometimes it has a flat appearance.

Acral melanoma:

It is found in different peripheral body parts like fingers and toes. The dark shade with a greenish black coat appears inside the nail. This type is found in most of African-Americans.

Treatment:

The damaged cells which are grown by the disease can be removed through the surgery. It depends about the sternness of the disease that how much the cells have damaged the skin and the portion inside. If the lymph nodes are also disturbed, the treatment becomes a bit more difficult because the melanoma is impossible to control.

If the disease has damaged the lymph nodes, than there is no other cure than removing the lymph nodes.

By Stewart Wrighter

Leukemia - The Most Misunderstood Cancer

2012-01-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Most people perceive Leukemia as being cancer of the blood. This is partly true, but it is a lot more than that. It actually starts in the tissue that produces blood, resulting in abnormal white cells. These don't die as normal blood cells do, and swamp the normal red and white cells and also the platelets, making these cells difficult to do their jobs. These abnormal white cells are actually called Leukemia cells and if they carry on crowding out the normal cells and platelets cause the untimely death of the sufferer.

There are two main kinds of Leukemia, each defined by the way it develops and the speed with which it progresses. These are chronic and acute, which progress slowly and rapidly respectively. In the early stages of Chronic Leukemia, the abnormal cells are still able to work alongside the normal cells, albeit at a reduced rate. As there are no early presentable symptoms, this type is generally diagnosed at a routine health check. In the later stages, when the abnormal cells have reached a critical point, suffers may notice that their lymph nodes are swollen or repeated infections. The abnormal cells in Acute Leukemia can't do any of the work of the normal cells, and they can increase at an alarming rate. These two kinds of Leukemia are then split into further types depending on where they present themselves. The types that appears in the Lymphoid cells are Lymphocytic, Lymphoid or Lymphoblastic. The Leukemias in the Myeloid cells are Myelogenous, Myeloid or Myeloblastic.

There is still no proven reason why some people develop Cancer and those with he same lifestyle don't. Although many have theories it is still a medical mystery. Smoking is widely regarded as a major cause of Cancer, in this case acute Myeloid Leukemia, but there are many non smokers who develop it, and many smokers who don't. Inherited diseases are also thought to play a part, and there sometimes seems to be a family link with Cancer, but unfortunately it still seems to be a lottery as to who will develop Cancer and who won't. It is a fact that many who would be classed as high risk will never develop a Cancer during their lifetime, and this is what is so scary about this ferocious disease.

There are many different kinds of Leukemia treatment, mainly depending on the type. Your age also plays a factor in the treatment, and whether or not the Leukemia cells were present in the fluid produced from a spinal tap. The main treatments are targeted therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant and radiotherapy. As with all Cancers, early diagnosis is vital, something that can be very difficult in Chronic Leukemia.

We should all do what we can to stay fit and healthy so that our bodies continue to do their job effectively, but sadly there are no guarantees that we won't develop Leukemia at some stage. Research is constant and treatment continues to improve, but all we can really do is hope that none of us develop this cruel disease.

By Roberto Sedycias

Four Types of Malignant Tumors

2012-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Cancer may be malignant or benign. By way of the varieties of cells that form the tumor and by the trait features of those tumors, they are classified as carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas and leukemias. Several types of illustrative examinations are there to confirm, which types of disease a patient possesses. We will deal about these four types of tumor types one by one below.

Sarcomas: They will form only mostly in the connective tissues of the human body. Sarcoma has a special characteristic feature of spreading and invading any of the organ in the body. They generally occur in the blood vessels and lymphatic tubes, as they are formed by the connective tissues. Apart from these areas, sarcomas also form in the tissues of muscles, tissues of fibers, bones, bone cartilages, tissues of fat, and so on. The best examples of sarcomas are Ewing's sarcoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. These both types of tumors are of malignant sarcomas and are deadly in nature.

Carcinomas: These types of tumors mostly form in the tissues that contain epithelium. Skin in the body contains epithelium on it and covers the core organs of the body. These types of tumors are deadly and life-threatening neoplasm (new development) in nature. They commonly occur on the outer skin of the penis, urinary organs, around prostate glands, and ureters, core parts of the small intestines, and the interior part of the nose.

Leukemias: These tumors arise in the blood, especially in the white blood cells, and so they are called as leukemias or blood cancer. Blood originates in the bone marrow wherefrom blood passes to the other organs of the body through blood vessels. When leukemia tumor arises in the bone marrow, blood generates more white blood cells, and this abnormality is found when the blood test was done to the patient. These white blood cells are immature in nature.

Lymphomas: These types of tumors are also formed in the blood cells called lymphocytes on the lymph vessels and the glands of the lymphatic system. Lymph system is the autoimmune system of the body. These tumors commonly are life-threatening in nature.

Benign cancers are curable in nature; on the contrary to this malignant cancers are life-threatening and complicated in nature. Early detection and correct regimen of radiation, drugs, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy are essential needs of cancer disease. Many cancer treatments are costly. Cancer treatments are of two types, such as palliative and curative. Palliative treatments are given to the end-stage patients just to give them physical comfort and peace of mind. Curative measures are given to the patients with progressive and initial stages of disease.

To know more about this subject, please visit the link http://free-online-cancer-info.blogspot.com/

By Sasi Krishna

The One Minute Cancer Cure - Treatment for Cancer The Natural Way

2012-01-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

By Robert L Coleman

Suffering from cancer is painful and even more so because may a times the victim does not get cured and is left to die. What if you had a one-minute cure (which costs only 1.5 cents a day to self-administer) that could get rid of virtually any type of cancer?

I know you're probably thinking, "That just can't be true! How could one simple remedy possibly cure all types of cancer? Well, you have reason to be doubtful. I know I was. But if you're willing to suspend disbelief for an instant, you're about to learn the most amazing health secret anyone could ever possess. Your life could actually depend on this interesting information. You must cash in on the first opportunity to find out about the one minute cancer cure therapy before this information is banned by various pharmaceutical companies.

Doctor Otto Warburg, a Noble winner, stunned the globe when he revealed that cancer is caused by inadequate oxygen level in the body. In fact, his researches revealed that if you deny a cell 35% of its required oxygen for 48 hours, the cell is liable to become cancerous. That is why cancer is so widespread in our modern society -- because most people suffer from oxygen deprivation. Clearly, the primary physical cause of cancer is linked to oxygen deficiency. When any human body is abounding in oxygen, all cancer cells are eliminated because they cannot endure a high-oxygen atmosphere.

Natural remedies to cure cancer emphasizes on providing more oxygen to the cells of the body. The one minute cancer cure therapy is based on the theory of increasing blood flow in the cells of the body by increasing the hemoglobin and oxygen dissociation. Let us find out the process in which it functions. This natural cure to cancer works by increasing the levels of oxygen in the cells and tissues of the body. Any kind of pathogens cannot exist in such an environment due to their anaerobic nature. Therefore, they get eliminated.

One minute cancer cure method according to researchers is amazingly effective and that too without any side effects. Among all the other treatments to cancer, this new cure to cancer has been selected as one of the best natural cures for cancer because it works on the idea of increasing oxygen inside the body.

Oxygen cannot cure disease unless it is delivered to the cells and tissues of the body.

Most humans are unable to obtain suitable amounts of oxygen in their tissues and cells due reasons like poor air quality, oxygen-depleting actions and poor breathing habits. Moreover, the human body is unable to carry oxygen to the cells.

If the disease has to be eradicated by oxygen, then it must reach not only to the lungs and not only to bloodstream, but also to the cells of the body. That is why other oxygen-based therapies like food or supplements rich in oxygen, oxygenated water or healing procedures releasing oxygen in the bloodstream are not always recommended in treating cancer.

While oxygen based therapies can supply oxygen to the body, they don't involve a useful mechanism for breaking oxygen free from hemoglobin molecule. Therefore, oxygen based therapies may not deliver oxygen to the tissues and cells. One minute cancer cure therapy is an exception and does this in an effective way. This simple therapy includes natural oxygenating substance that stimulates movement of the oxygen atoms from bloodstream to cells.

Chronic Adult Leukemia The Cause of Low Platelets

2012-01-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

Are you a Leukemia patient suffering from low platelets? Are you also searching for non-toxic methods that will help increase your low platelets caused by a form of leukemia? Well there is hope that what I am about to share with you will be of great benefit to you. So keep reading and do not miss this.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia are the most common forms of leukemia in adults. The lymphocytic type being the most common of the two. Both types are discussed briefly in this article.

Leukemia patients may develop low platelets for different reasons. First the disease attacks the bone marrow where platelets are produced. Second, the medications that treat the disease can cause suppression of platelet production.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

CLL is a progressive form of leukemia. Most persons suffering from this type of leukemia do not present any form of symptoms whatsoever until the disease has advanced to stage four. It is during this stage IV of the disease that treatment is started. This is the stage in which thrombocytopenia ( low platelets ) starts. So you can say that low platelets in CLL is a sign of advanced disease.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Also known as Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia or CML seems to be more aggressive than Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

CML has three phases:

1. Chronic phase: This is the phase where non-specific symptoms may be present with minor indications of severe disease. Some of these symptoms may be fatigue, a sense of feeling sick, anemia, chills at night etc. These symptoms may last from months to years
2. Accelerated phase: It is in this phase that a low platelet count can occur. Also all symptoms especially anemia tend to get worse.
3. Terminal phase: In this phase the disease tends to advance rapidly spreading to other areas such as bone, brain, lymph nodes etc and is usually fatal.

Both types of Leukemias can be low platelet causes at different stages. Natural herbs, dietary and life-style changes can be of great help in reducing some of the effects that these diseases have on your platelets.

The natural approach is not a substitute of your treatment but an adjunct healthy approach to support your body and immune system and especially to keep your platelets as normal as possible and a preventative way of avoiding the use of strong medications and surgery (splenectomy or taking out of the spleen - this surgical procedure is done more with CML sufferers).

If you are suffering from Low Platelets due to Leukemia then you need to visit my site at for a totally natural approach to this problem at: http://conquerlowplatelets.com/leukemialowplatelets

By Louis Cruz

A Brief Guide to Lymph Node Cancer

2012-01-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Did you know that about 5% of all cancers are composed of lymph node cancer? Also known as lymphoma, this condition affects both men and women, commonly within the age range of 15 to 54. Between the sexes though, men are more likely to have it. Lymph node cancer is also known as lymphoma. This pertains to the cancers that start in the lymphatic tissues. The lymphatic tissues include the lymph glands (or nodes), adenoids, tonsils, spleen, bone marrow, and the vessels, which connect them. Although a lot of cancers spread to the lymphatic system in the long run, lymphomas are different because they originate from the system itself.

The two main categories of lymphomas are Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Hodgkin's Lymphoma

This lymphoma is characterized by the presence of the malignant cells known as the Reed-Sternberg cells. It affects about 3 in every 100,000 Americans; mainly between the age range of 15 to 40.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

This type of lymphoma is slightly more common than the first type especially among kids who are below 15 years old. It is typified by the malignant growth of a specific white blood cell or lymphocytes.

High Risk People

Some people have higher risk in developing lymphoma. They are often the ones with serious immune deficiencies or those who have undergone immunosuppressive medications after going through an organ transplant. Those who have also gone chemotherapy or radiation treatments may also have a higher risk in having the condition later in life.

Diagnosis

Lymph node cancer may be diagnosed by the doctor during a routine check up or when you set an appointment to have some swollen nodules checked. Your doctor will conduct a thorough physical exam on you as well as blood and imaging tests. If you have inflamed lymph nodes for no obvious reason like an infection, he or she will observe the nodule if it will continue to grow. If despite after taking antibiotics, the node remains swollen, the doctor would likely perform a biopsy. This can affirm or deny the presence of lymphoma in your system.

Treatment

Once the doctor diagnoses you with lymph node cancer, he or she will immediately recommend the most effective treatment that you must go undergo. As cancers have stages, the treatment course would depend on how advanced your case is. The methods available for fighting lymphoma are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, and biological response modifier therapy.

By Bricen Avery

In Which Ways Do Chemotherapy Work?

2012-01-11T03:01:00.000-08:00

By Jason B. Warren

Many people these days get cancer and one of the most used treatments is chemotherapy. I will use breast cancer treatment as an example in this article.

What is chemotherapy?

It is the use of certain anti-cancer drugs which destroy the cancerous cells in the body. The aim is to nullify the cancerous cells, whilst causing minimum damage to health issues.

What types of chemotherapy exist for breast cancer?

Generally there are 2 types:

* Pre-surgery to shrink the cancer.
* Post-surgery treatment, mostly given if the doctors think there are chances of the cancer coming back.

There are also some combined therapies which are used to limit toxicity to achieve better results.

How often do you get treatment?

Many of these treatments are given dependent on different factors, for instance the character of the tumor, the age and health of the patient, and the lymph node status. Normally the patients are outpatients, meaning they don't have to stay in the hospital every day. The total treatment lasts between 4-8 months, in which the drug is administered by injection with a few weeks rest in between each session.

What drugs are used?

There are many different drugs used to treat breast cancer. Often these drugs are also used in combination with each other to try to reduce the possibilities of side effects that can occur after the treatment.

Are there any side effects of chemotherapy?

In general, patients over 65 have increased possibilities of side effects after treatment. These side effects are mostly treated with other medicines. Most side effects only appear during treatment, and after some months will disappear.

What are the benefits?

Chemotherapy greatly reduces the risk of cancer reoccurring. Therefore, the higher chance you have of cancer reoccurring, the greater the benefit of the chemotherapy. That is not to say it is not beneficial to patients with a low chance of re-occurrence. Each case is different, so seek further advice to see how chemotherapy could be beneficial for you.

5 Views on Leukaemia - Its Cause and Treatment

2012-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

1. Medical

According to two of the most prestigious medical diagnosticians, Professors Whiting and Sutton, Leukaemia is usually characterized by the presence of immature white blood cells accompanied by severe anaemia.

The symptoms seen during the course of this complaint are: - haemorrhages into the skin and mucous membranes, - oral ulceration, - fever, and - occasional enlargement of the lymph glands and spleen

If a subject presents these symptoms they can assume that they have what is medically recognised as Leukaemia.

2. Chiropractic

According to James N. Firth, who is recognised as an authority on chiropractic diagnosis, Leukaemia constitutes a condition in which; - there is a great increase in the number of white blood cells, - enlargement of the spleen, lymph glands and bone marrow

While the chiropractic diagnosis is very similar to the medical diagnosis the chiropractor recognises that there are spinal subluxations present in the liver, spleen, kidney and lumbar areas of the spine and these should be adjusted towards normality.

The discoverer and developer of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer does not mince matters when he advises the practitioner to adjust the 7th dorsal vertebra and even goes so far as to say that the adjuster should stand on the left side of the patient and adjust towards the right shoulder.

Surely such specific instructions would indicate that Palmer had some experience in the treatment of this complaint.

3. Osteopathy

The osteopath accepts the general diagnosis of blood diseases as made by the medical profession but as might be expected, adopts a more scientific, positive and optimistic stance in relation to treatment.

Dr A.T. Still, the first osteopath advised that the cause of the nerve irritation must be found and removed before the channels (arteries, veins and lymph vessels) can relax and open sufficiently to admit free passage of the fluids being obstructed.

4. Natural Hygiene

According to Dr James Neuhauser, Leukaemia is; - cancer of the blood in which the body produces too many white blood cells - the first sign may be bone pain, joint pains and blood in the urine

And... in his opinion there seems to be "no recourse." (This latter statement seems to be a confession that he does not know how to reverse this disease).

This is, of course, in line with the opinion shared by most hygienists, including Dr Herbert M. Shelton, that cancer is an irreversible pathology.

5. Nature Cure

In 1883, Louis Kuhne, one of our earliest naturopaths, said that in order to effect a radical cure of every disease: "We must proceed to transform the chronic condition into an acute one. By means of this crisis the body will be enabled to expel the foreign matter which is causing the complaint."

Nature's Solution to all Disease/Symptoms

1) Remove Causes

We should remove as many obstructions as possible.

These may be chemical, mental or mechanical. Chemical obstructions are removed by a rational adjustment of the food intake and cessation of the intake of harmful drugs or remedies. Physical obstructions may be removed by way of Chiropractic/Osteopathic or via Naprapathy. Mental obstructions should be attended to via a positive mental health program.

2) Provide a Healthy Environment

We should provide the optimal biological needs such as sunlight, fresh air, pure water, exercise, relaxation and mental poise.

3) Rest

When the Healing Crisis occurs, we should fast until the body indicates that it has done as much as it can under the prevailing circumstances.

Kevin Hinton is a renowned Natural Health Educator & Advocator who has assisted a broad range of people to reinvigorate their lives through common-sense Natural Health practices.
He is a trusted advisor to many in the corporate world in Australia and North America who recognize the life-improving value of Natural Health habits.
His experience in the field reveals that adopting practical Natural Health habits usually helps drive success in other areas of life.
Visit Kevin at: http://www.hintonhealth.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=79and sign up for a FREE world class newsletter.

By Kevin Hinton

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia - A Very Scarce Disease

2012-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia is a cancer that is named for Jan Waldenstrom, the Scandinavian Doctor who first discovered and learnt about the disease in the early 1940's. The type of cancer is non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and it is a very rare disease with some papers stating numbers of between 1000 & 1600 diagnosed cases of Waldenstrom's occurring in America every year.

what causes Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia like many other cancers is unknown although it is believed that a change in DNA could be a cause. In spite of this lack of certainty on the causes of Waldenstrom's there are thought to be factors which increase the likelihood of developing the disease. the majority of cases of waldenstroms macroglobulinemia occur in those over the age of 50 and the average age of occurence is 61. Incidence of the disease is almost twice as much in men than women. The condition is also inherited which means that those with family who have Waldenstrom's or a type of lymphatic cancer are more likely to contract the condition.

An first diagnosis of Waldenstrom's is complex because there is usually an absence of symptoms early on. Usually the first indication of Waldenstrom's comes from routine examinations showing atypical results. These irregular results could be a high level of Igm within the blood stream or hyper viscosity which is another indication of the illness. Diagnosis could also be made if swollen lymph nodes are found. This is the same as if a Bigger than usual Spleen or liver is discovered. A bone marrow biopsy can also be used to diagnose Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia.

Waldenstrom's forecast is very diverse between victims. Because the disease is very unfrequent there has not been a huge amount of research to estimate the correct survival rates of victims with the ailment. The International Prognostic Scoring System for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia aims to assess the long term impact of Waldenstrom's. Five to nine years is the generally accepted survival period of those that have been diagnosed with Waldenstrom's although owing to that there are very few initial symptoms, some sufferers can live with the disease for a number of years before getting diagnosed.

The sign of illness or problem of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia start in the white blood cells. They cause these blood cells to become abnormal and they enlarge within the organs or bone marrow like the spleen/liver. These abnormal white blood cells compound and therefore reduce the amount of other blood cells such as the red blood cells. When people have a low level of red blood cells they suffer from anaemia which causes them to feel drained and weak. Waldenstrom's also reduces the amount of healthy white blood cells which reduces the bodies ability to fight off flu, germs and other infection. These symptoms are often not seen in the early stages of Waldenstrom's with most symptoms not becoming apparent until the illness is reasonably advanced.

In the advanced stages of the illness, symptoms are varied between sufferers. Alot of the symptoms are the same as those of other non-Hodgkin lymphomas which include, swollen lymph nodes, fever, tiredness and weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes, fevers, fatigue and weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes, fevers, tiredness and loss of weight and swollen lymph nodes, fevers, fatigue and weight loss, tiredness, weight loss and enlarged lymph nodes, fevers, tiredness and weight loss lymph nodes lymph nodes.

Another symptom is hyper-viscosity or clotting of the blood which occurs because Waldenstrom's causes an overproduction of Igm. This thickening of the blood causes issues with both circulation and the nervous system. If circulation to the brain is affected which may cause symptoms similar to a stroke. Circulation problems can also lead to Raynaud's phenomenon which causes a tightening of blood vessels which delays the movement of blood throughout the body. This can cause circulation to the extremities of the human being, the hands and feet, to get cut off.

By Darryn Wilson

Is Lymphoma Curable?

2012-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Since there are many different lymphomas, the curability of each case will vary. When lymphoma is caught in an early stage, the cure rate is higher. However, the overall cure rate for all lymphomas, in both men and women, are quite high.

Cure Rates Based On Stage Of Detection

Localized (Still in one location, has not metastasized) - Accounts for 38% of all cases; 5-year survival rate is 82.1%

Distant (Metastasis has occured) - 45% of all lymphoma cases are of this variety. 59.9% is the 5-year survival rate.

Regional (has spread to the regional lymph nodes - 77.5% is the cure rate and this type accounts for 19 of all lymphoma cases.

Unknown (Unstaged) - 67.5% cure rate accounting for 8% of cases.

There are a plethora of types of NHL (Non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and the possibility of cure is dependent on the specific diagnosis.

Prognosis can also be different even in the same sub type of NHL.

Even in an individual who has a well-categorized case of lymphoma, the survival rate and time can be hard to guess.

Is lymphoma curable for anybody?

Cure rates depend greatly on many factors.

Thus, the answer is yes and no because it depends on what type of lymphoma one has, what lymphoma stages it may be in, the lymphoma grade, the general health of the patient, response to treatment and of course a dash of luck.

For people with quick growing lymphomas types (for example, diffuse large B cell lymphoma), the lymphoma can be potentially resolved with combination chemotherapy. However, for those individuals who respond poorly to treatment or have an early relapse, the lymphoma can be deadly in a rather short period of time. The slowly growing lymphomas are incurable with regular chemo, yet patients can live with them for years and years.

Much of deciding how to treat a specific lymphoma is based on simply observing the patient closely to see how the disease progresses so that an appropriate course of action can be prescribed.

Lymphoma Treatment

Is Lymphoma curable with chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, bone marrow transplants, etc?

Typically, one or a combination of these treatments will be used, depending upon the factors discussed above. The symptoms of lymphoma in women will vary greatly but will not necessarily provide an indication of the level of advancement of the cancer nor the potential curability of the disease. Generally speaking, lymphoma has a better than 50% cure rate and this is certainly something to be grateful for.

By Tomas Schuman

Cancer Registrar: Meet Your Cancer Data Expert

2012-01-08T02:59:00.000-08:00

By Michele Webb

Cancer Registrars are the cancer data experts working behind-the-scenes in healthcare organizations. Little is known about them because they focus their expertise and energy on required data collection, reporting, and internal collaboration with physicians, administrators and other members of the healthcare team. Cancer Registrars review the medical record information and identify, code, and classify demographic, clinical and treatment information as it is entered into a specialized database. The American Cancer Society projects that more than 1.5 million new cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2010, so this represents a significant contribution to healthcare by these experts each year.

The history of cancer has been documented as far back as 2500 B.C. In the United States it was 1956 when the American College of Surgeons required a registrar as a component of an accredited cancer program. It was not until 1993 when many of the states mandated cancer as a reportable disease. While the law requires physicians and healthcare providers as the responsible parties for reporting, cancer registrars are designated by the physicians and healthcare organizations to perform the tasks to meet these requirements.

Cancer Registrars receive specialized training in the scientific, clinical and pathological disease processes including diagnosis, treatment and lifetime follow-up of the cancer patient as well as healthcare privacy, confidentiality and security measures. Each registrar must have extensive knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, cancer diagnosis and treatment methods, and tumor staging. Recent advances in genetics, personalized medicine and biological therapies are also part of the registrar's knowledge base. Topping this off, the registrar must also be familiar with statistical and epidemiological uses of registry data, such as treatment outcomes and survival statistics, so that they may accurately prepare reports on trends and incidences of cancer for use in research and publications.

Healthcare facilities accredited by the Commission on Cancer and American College of Surgeons are required to have at least one certified cancer registrar, or CTR, to manage and oversee the registry operations. In 2012 new standards will require that all registrars who abstract, or perform the coding and classification tasks in the registry, must possess a valid CTR certification. This signifies that the individual is knowledgeable in the current best practice techniques and has received specialized training in the coding and classification methods used to ensure that high quality cancer data is made available.

While you may not see a cancer registrar in your doctor's clinic or in the hallways of your healthcare organizations, you can rest assured that they are working diligently behind-the-scenes to collect accurate, complete, and timely information. Cancer Registrars are continually collaborating with the physicians and healthcare team to monitor the delivery of high quality patient care. They provide informatics support, as required by law, for use by physicians, scientists, and government agencies to study outcomes and effects of treatment, develop new treatment methods and, ultimately, to find a cure for cancer.

The job outlook for cancer registrars in 2010 and beyond is excellent! Learn how to jump-start your new career as a cancer registrar... Click here to learn how you can become a cancer data expert.

Symptoms of Lymphoma in Women

2012-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Symptoms of lymphoma in women are generally the same as for men.

Lymphoma often develops quietly and with few symptoms so it may take a while before you may realize that there is something very much the matter.

Following is a list of the typical symptoms of lymphoma in women and symptoms of lymphoma in men alike.

One thing to keep in mind is that these lymphoma symptoms can be symptoms of any of a large number of conditions that are generally harmless.

For this reason, it's wise to consult with your doctor if you experience any of them.

1. Enlargement of the Lymph Nodes

This is the most characteristic lymphoma symptom and can be the only symptom that one experiences.

It's very important to note that a lot of different things can cause an enlargement of the lymph nodes and it does NOT necessarily mean you have lymphoma!

Typically, the lymph nodes of the groin, armpit and neck will swell but cause no pain.

Humans have 500+ lymph nodes in the body which are basically "forts" of immunity.

When they swell, it is often indicative of the body initiating an immune response against some type of microscopic invader.

You may notice these lumps in the course of your daily routine, such as when showering or applying creams, etc.

The symptoms outlined most often only indicate a possible lymphoma if they are discovered in addition to swollen lymph nodes.

2. Losing Weight

Typically, sudden weight loss will occur over a period of several months with no good reason.

Weight loss can range from a few pounds to up to 20 or so.

3. Running a Fever

A random fever that keeps occurring for no good reason (i.e., is not connected with a flu, cold, etc.) is usually an indication to go see your physician.

Symptoms of lymphoma can be confused with symptoms of other illnesses and, in fact, a lymphoma that causes fever accompanied by lymph node swelling is frequently mistaken for a flu or something similar.

Additionally, in those afflicted by a Hodgkins type lymphoma, a quintessential type of fever termed Pel-Ebstein fever can develop.

4. Night Sweats

Excess sweating at night may find you waking up soaked in your own sweat.

5. Pruritis (Itchiness)

Lymphoma cells can secrete certain substance which cause the entire body to be itchy, a condition known as pruritis.

6. Lack of Appetite

Individuals with lymphoma can experience a drop in their usual appetite which can also cause weight loss, one of the other symptoms of lymphoma listed above.

7. Fatigue and Listlessness

Cancer cells hijack the body's energy resource that would otherwise be utilized by healthy cells, causing a drop in energy levels.

8. Swelling

Depending upon where a lymphoma grows (and it can occur in any organ of the body), it may compress and block off veins, effectively limiting blood supply and causing swelling.

Site-specific lymphomas produce rather widely varying symptoms.

A lymphoma of the brain may cause pains in one's legs while a lymphoma in the stomach can cause stomach pains.

General Symptoms of Lymphoma in Women and General Symptoms of Lymphoma in Men

The first and most obvious sign of lymphoma is adenopathy, aka lymphadenopathy, which is a painless swelling of the lymph nodes.

Swollen lymph nodes by themselves, however, are NOT necessarily an indication of lymphoma.

It requires medical testing to confirm or negate the diagnosis.

Symptoms of lymphoma can come in many varieties, dependent upon the location of the lymphoma, the stage of growth, size of tumor, etc.

Symptoms linked with bone marrow issues such as becoming anemic (having a low red blood cell count) are uncommon in the beginning stages of a lymphoma but often are seen later in the game and often as a result of treatment.

MALT (Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphomas affect any mucosal site, the stomach being the most common one. Alterations in bowel movement and stomach pains can be indications.

As far as the stomach lymphoma goes, if it is a result of infection with the H. Pylori bacterium, antibiotic treatment can cause the lymphoma to regress in 70%+ of cases.

How To Report Your Symptoms To A Doctor Effectively:

Describe the intensity of your symptom on a scale such as "This hurts about a 7 out of 10?.

For visually observable symptoms, show them to the doctor and also explain how they started off and looked like initially.

Explain when you first experienced your symptoms

How long have you been experiencing this symptom?

Is the symptom constant or does it come and go?

Describe any medications or dietary supplements you take/did take starting from the time symptoms manifested.

Do the symptoms change depending upon body positioning, time of day, etc.?

Do certain foods trigger the symptoms?

Be as descriptive as possible. The more accurate and specific the information you give, the more your doctor will be able to pinpoint the nature of your problem (if you have any!) and the better he/she will be able to treat you and advise you.

By Jon Michael David

Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Brian's Story: A Highly Curable Cancer

2012-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

BRIAN'S STORY

Brian was a 20-year old college basketball star who was in excellent condition and had no history of health problems. He grew up in a tough neighborhood with a single mother who raised him to be a fine young gentleman. He was awarded a basketball scholarship to state college, where he became the league leading scorer during his junior year. When his mother came to visit for a game late in the season, she noticed that Brian's neck appeared much larger on one side than the other. The next day, she convinced him to see the college physician who felt multiple enlarged lymph nodes in his right neck extending from the angle of the jaw down to just above his collarbone. The doctor ordered a CT scan of the neck and chest that confirmed multiple abnormal lymph nodes in the right side of the neck as well as the center of the chest. Brian was referred to a general surgeon who removed one of the larger lymph nodes in his neck during an outpatient surgery. This excisional biopsy revealed Hodgkin lymphoma.

Following his diagnosis, Brian was sent for a bone marrow biopsy which was negative. He also underwent a PET/CT scan that confirmed abnormal activity in the right neck and chest in multiple lymph nodes. Brian was referred to a medical oncologist who recommended treatment with ABVD chemotherapy. He received 4 cycles which he tolerated very well, with only moderate fatigue. A restaging PET/CT scan revealed no residual abnormal activity. He was seen by a radiation oncologist who recommended low dose involved field radiation therapy (IFRT) after chemotherapy which was delivered over 3 weeks. Other than a mild sore throat, Brian tolerated RT quite well. He was seen every 3-6 months by his medical and radiation oncologist for alternating follow-up visits. Brian has been free of disease for 7 years.

BASICS

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is much less common than non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), though it may be diagnosed in children as well as the elderly. If the disease is localized, then the 5-year survival is over 90%. Even patients with more advanced HL have a 5-year survival rate of 75-80%

RISKS & CAUSES

People who have history of a first degree relative diagnosed with HL are at a significantly increased risk of developing the disease themselves. In addition, patients who have Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection early in life appear to have an increased risk of HL later in life. There appears to be a correlation with patients of low socioeconomic status also.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

The vast majority of patients with HL will come to the doctor with the complaint of an enlarged lymph node or multiple lymph nodes that won't go away. Most frequently the node will arise in the neck, but may also be felt in other common lymph node areas including the axilla (under the arm) and the groin. Doctors should also ask questions regarding unexplained weight loss, fevers, or drenching night sweats, the "B symptoms" that are classic for lymphoma. Although they are only present in a subset of patients, B symptoms tend to predict for more advanced disease. Rarely, patients may present with diffuse itching or flushing of the skin when drinking alcohol as an initial sign of HL.

DIAGNOSIS

Like NHL, the preferred method of biopsy for HL is complete surgical removal of an enlarged lymph node (excisional biopsy) whenever feasible and safe. There are multiple subtypes of HL including: nodular sclerosing, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte rich and lymphocyte depleted. Yet another subtype, called nodular lymphocyte predominant HL, appears to be biologically different from the others, but also has an extremely high cure rate.

STAGING

Standard laboratory evaluation should include complete blood count, serum chemistries including kidney and liver function, blood levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), the latter two of which have been shown to predict for more advanced disease when elevated. As with NHL, the Ann Arbor staging system is used. This system is based on the number and sites of involvement in lymph nodes and other organs, as well as the presence or absence of B symptoms. Imaging should include CT of involved areas including neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis. Wherever available, PET/CT is extremely useful for staging, radiation therapy (RT) planning, and assessing response to treatment. Bone marrow biopsies are indicated for patients with advanced disease including those who present with B symptoms. Other factors that may negatively impact outcome include male sex, age older than 45, low serum hemoglobin, high white blood cell count, low albumin, and stage IV disease.

TREATMENT

Like NHL, HL is treated with a combination of chemotherapy drugs. In the case of HL, four drugs are utilized most commonly in the United States: adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine. The acronym for the combination is ABVD. Treatment of tens of thousands of patients over the past few decades with ABVD has shown consistently excellent results.

Patients with early stage HL generally receive 2-6 cycles of ABVD. Restaging imaging is obtained after 2-4 cycles to guide further treatment. PET restaging is predictive of outcome. The combination of ABVD followed by involved field radiation therapy (IFRT) yields an excellent chance for cure.

Common acute side effects of ABVD include fatigue, nausea (usually well-controlled with medication), mild anorexia, decreased blood counts, and hair loss. Uncommon but serious late side effects following treatment include heart damage from adriamycin, lung damage from bleomycin, and nerve damage from vinblastine. Chemotherapy does put patients at a slightly increased risk for development of future cancers, most commonly leukemia or NHL.

Since low doses and fairly small treatment areas are currently utilized for IFRT, side effects are much less than decades ago when the doses were higher and treatment areas were larger. Common acute side effects of IFRT include mild fatigue, possible partial alopecia (hair loss), and sore throat or difficulty swallowing, depending on the area treated. There is a risk of pneumonitis (inflammation of the lung) characterized by low-grade fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath with exertion, that occurs classically 1-3 months after RT. The 5-10% of patients who develop lung inflammation usually have resolution of their symptoms within 3-4 weeks after start of steroids. Long-term, despite the low doses and small RT fields, there remains a small risk of developing a radiation-induced cancer years after treatment. Patients should be encouraged to quit smoking prior to RT. Teenage girls and young women who require RT to the chest should begin annual mammogram (and usually breast MRI) screening within 7-10 years following treatment or at age 40, whichever comes first.

Advanced stage HL is treated most commonly with systemic chemotherapy alone, again predominantly ABVD in the U.S. Cure rates are about 70%. Patients may receive 6-8 cycles of ABVD, with restaging PET/CT performed after 4-6 cycles to assess response. The role of consolidative IFRT for these patients is controversial.

Dr. Maguire's home reference book for the public, "When Cancer Hits Home," has received excellent reviews from cancer survivors and experts alike: http://www.amazon.com/When-Cancer-Hits-Home-Prevention/dp/0615391117.

To learn more or read Dr. Maguire's blog, visit: http://patrickmaguiremd.com/

By Patrick Maguire

Childhood Leukemia - Detecting Leukemia in Your Child

2012-01-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Speaking of cancer it is human silent killer. It will attack uncontrollably if its number (cell) multiplies rapidly.

Once they form massively it gives negative effect on usual operation of the adjoining tissue. At this point of time there must be action on treating this problem. If this would not be treated well cancer cell would pass-through bloodstream reaching some body parts. This is what we call metastasis which is already very hard to control or to be cured.

We all have cancer cells scattered all over our body parts and no one spared of that silent killer. Young and old people can have it especially if our body immune system got weakens that could lower our resistance. Cancer problem on young generation are far more different than on older generations. The same medical procedures in fighting for it but different form when you look at it under the microscope. The chances are, younger generation responded better than the older one in terms of treatment.

Childhood and Adult Patients

Cancer is common on older people compared to younger people. Most likely mortality rate is higher on older people against younger ones. If we rate the chances of survival, 70% for the younger people and 30% for the elders. Sometimes it would goes up to 90% depends then on different types of cancer.

Reasons of Having Childhood Cancer

Cancer is not transmissible unlike AIDS. Disturbance to a cell's genes is one reason of cancer development.

On older people, one factor that contributed cancer is unhealthy lifestyle coming from different vices, carcinogen intake, too much sun exposure and a lot more. The reason of having childhood cancer is not yet known. There must be some reasons for this kind of cancer on our young generations but scientist never discovered yet what the cause is really.

Different types of Childhood Cancer

Leukemia: most common type of cancer on younger generation. There are more white blood cells than normal blood cells. These abnormal cell or leukemia developed earlier before reaching into maturity.

Different kinds of Leukemia

• Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): The most common type victimizing usually children/young people. It would strike on bone morrow - which is our blood manufacturer. One common treatment is by Chemotherapy -a kind of drug that kills cancer cells. Another one is by radiotherapy - a high energy wave, like an x-ray. Survival rate of this kind of medication is greater than 70%.

• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Is less most common on younger generations though it can also be treated with chemotherapy and stem cell replacement. Chance of surviving is between 50% and 60%.

• Brain Tumors and Spinal Cord Tumors: This kind is second most common type of leukemia on affecting our younger children. In most cases casualty is greater than surviving from any form of medications because this is very hard to manage and be cured. It needs surgery as the first line of treatment and it depends on where the part of the central nervous system brains tumor grown-up. A series of chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions could inevitable happen as a sort of follow-up medications. There are few who would survive depending on the status of the tumor (stages 1, 2, 3,) and the type of tumor.

RIGHT PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

I am Nathaniel J. dela Pena, a natural born Filipino and residing at Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines. I am an Article Writer and a Blogger for quite sometimes now. I had submitted lots of my work at different Article Directories. To name the few; Triond, ArticleBase,Bukisa, Wordpress, Ezine, Blogspot and more..

Most of my blogs were posted on Blogspot.com
Here are few of my submitted blogs:
http://therealtruthaboutcancer.blogspot.com/
http://myunbelievablefriend.blogspot.com/

By Nathaniel Dela Pena

IMRT Radiation: What Is It?

2012-01-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

By Ramesh T Kumar

IMRT radiation, which is also called Intensity modulated radiation therapy, has revolutionized cancer care by giving the ability to radiation doctors to deliver radiation to the target area while minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissues.

Prior to the introduction of IMRT radiation, radiation doctors utilized a technique called 3 dimension treatment planning technique. This involved delivering a calculated amount of radiation through two or four different directions aimed at the area of the body containing cancer. The radiation beam was shaped to conform to the contour of the target as seen from each angle of entry of the beam. But there was no way that the beam would conform precisely to the target area and at least a part of a vital structure located close to the target volume would receive the same amount of radiation as the target. This limited the ability of radiation doctors to deliver higher, more effective doses of radiation to the target volume. This was especially important in such situations as prostate carcinoma where the dose to the adjacent part of the rectum caused horrendous long term side effects such as bleeding, stricture and frequent bowel movements. Sometimes these side effects required surgical procedures to correct the problem. Other areas where 3 D treatment planning and delivery caused problems was in the treatment of cancers in different areas of the head and neck. Poor ability to control radiation to the salivary glands, spinal cord and other vital structures resulted in long term disabling side effects and poorer rate of control of these cancers.

IMRT radiation came into main stream practice in the treatment of cancer because of the entry of powerful computers into the medical field. The radiation doctor now had the capacity to outline very precisely the target volume and the surrounding normal structures and dictate to the computer the amount of radiation that he would allow for each of these areas and the volume of these organs that were allowed a certain amount of radiation. The treatment planning computer would now go through multiple calculations sometimes lasting for hours while modulating the intensity of radiation through each entry point into the patient. Modulation of the beam is performed by the movement of metallic leaves that go in and out blocking and unblocking the exit of radiation from the head of the radiation machine. Thus, different areas of the target volume would get different intensities of radiation from each beam entry. The sum result of multiple beams entering the patient from different angles would result in radiation dose literally painted very precisely over the target volume while giving the radiation physician the amount of radiation that he has allowed to vital organs located close to the target.

In simple terms, 3 D treatment planning and delivery is the same as carpet bombing an entire block in a city while IMRT radiation is the equivalent of a smart bomb that would hit precisely the exact building in that block while leaving the adjacent buildings relatively unscathed thus sparing innocent lives while annihilating the bad guys in the target building.

IMRT radiation technology is utilized to treat cancers located deep within the body, are irregular in shape and are adjacent to vital structures. Good examples are prostate cancers, head and neck cancers, pancreatic cancer and tumors in the brain among several others.

Patients who are exploring radiation therapy as an option in the treatment of their cancer will do well when they are fully informed. They should not hesitate to ask their cancer radiation doctors regarding the age and the technology utilized to treat them.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - Symptoms to Watch For

2012-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma begins when a lymphocyte, usually a B cell, becomes abnormal. The abnormal cell then starts to divide to replicate itself. The new cells divide repeatedly making more abnormal cells. These abnormal cells don't die when they should, and don't protect the body from infections or other diseases. The buildup of extra cells often forms a growth or tumor.

Some symptoms to look out for are night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, fever, chest pain, coughing, weakness and fatigue that does not disappear, swelling of the abdomen or feeling of fullness. Sometimes these symptoms are not cancer related. If symptoms persist beyond two weeks, you should consult a doctor. Your doctor will do a physical exam to check for swollen lymph nodes in your neck, the doctor also checks for swollen spleen, and liver.

A blood test will show whether there is an increase in white blood cells, a decrease in platelets, and other cells and substances such as lactate dehydrogenase, which lymphoma can cause a higher level of LDH in the underarms and groin.

A chest x-ray will be performed at this time as well, along with a biopsy. The only sure way to confirm lymphoma is by a biopsy. The doctor may order a excisional biopsy ( an entire lymph node) or an incisional biopsy (part of a lymph node). Removing the entire lymph node is best which can then be examined under a microscope.

There are many types of lymphoma, the most common types are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma.

Lymphoma is classified by how fast they grow. Indolent or low-grade lymphomas grow slowly, and cause few symptoms. Aggressive or intermediate-grade and high grade are fast growing and spreading lymphomas. They cause severe symptoms, and indolent lymphomas can quickly turn into aggressive lymphomas. It is always good to get a second opinion and advice about treatment.

My experience about this deadly disease through watching my mother wasting away and finally passing from it was disturbing to say the least. This type of cancer does not spread itself in the brain, but it does affect the brain. Although my mother also had dementia as well as lymphoma her long-term memories stayed quite clear. Her short-term memory was more affected.

Near the end of her aggressively spreading lymphoma she slept most of the time. Although this disease took the life of my mother, her spirits were high, and she never complained about the pain she was in, and it was severe pain. She was a Christian woman who practised her faith up to the end of her life.

Catharine Parks writes from true life experiences. She is a published author and invites you to escape into the world of life experiences seen through the eyes of humor, or life's downfalls, the escapades of pet heroism, or the titillating paranormal experiences that have affected her life and those around her.

Sit back in your favorite chair, relax and stop by her website to read her articles and short stories at http://catharineparks.blogspot.com/

By Catharine Parks

Products We Use That Help Eliminate Side Effects

2012-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

I would like to start by saying this is in no way meant to solicit you to buy the products we used for our little Emma. I am writing this to give you insight into what we did and what worked for all the side effects we were told would be part of her treatments.

Here is our story. On July 2, 2010, my wife took Emma (who was 4 ½ at the time) to a doctor's appointment because she looked a bit pale and we noticed a few spots on her neck that were not normal. Our doctor called a pediatrician and they advised us to get blood work done as soon as we could. This happened at our local hospital at 4pm and by 6pm we were back at the hospital where we were told that she had high risk B-cell ALL (an extremely high white blood count). Our lives changed in an instant as you are all aware. By 9pm, my wife and daughter were on their way to BC Childrens Hospital to start her treatments immediately.

For work, my wife and I operate a home based business as Independent Herbalife Distributors (an International company in the Health and Wellness industry). I am telling you all this to show a few things. This disease has no prejudice as it will afflict anyone; young, old, healthy or ailing. Emma has never had any major ailments and very few simple colds ever since she was born. We started her on natural children's supplements, and she voluntarily started having a morning shake every day. This turned out to be a good thing because while she was in the hospital, she did not want to eat "real" food but we were able to keep her strength up with the good nutrition in the shakes. Of course we made sure with the doctors that what we were giving her was not conflicting with any of the medication she was getting.

Secondly we were able to keep working as our business is done on the internet, over the phone and other simple methods, which meant we did not have to take time off our "jobs" or leave them altogether to be with Emma during this time. We have heard about so many others that had financial hardships and job issues because of this. After speaking with other parents of children at the hospital and clinic, as well as others from our church that had children with the same affliction, we made the decision to have all Emma's treatments done where the care is the best, at BC Childrens Hospital. This meant that we needed to move off the island which was a tough but necessary move. Again we were able to do this with very little disruption to our business (which means our income as well), while always being available for Emma.

So here is what we have been doing for Emma over the past 9 months - I cannot believe it has been that long already - and what has been happening. Every morning she has a Herbalife meal replacement shake made from ½ cup water and 1 cup milk. As lack of appetite is one of the side effects, we needed to make sure she was getting the appropriate nutrition for the day and as these provide it, we were glad that she would still have them. Another good thing is that while she is on steroids, she does not gain as much weight due to cravings caused by them. This shake has also given her a lot of energy which the doctors are very impressed about. Another side effect is nausea and constipation. For this, she is having Herbal Aloe Concentrate - which comes in regular or Mango flavor which she goes between depending on her tastes which changes when she has chemo treatments. This is a liquid that you drink which protects and heals your insides as well as prevent other internal issues. During one hospital visit, she was getting a high dose of Methotrexate and they decided to give her a stool softener and against our better judgment, we agreed. She developed blisters and burns on her bum due to this so bad that they prescribed Morphine for the pain. We increased the doses of Aloe, applied Vaseline and kept her clean, and within three days it was all cleared up. The doctors and nurses continue to be amazed at Emma's lack of side effects and at how well she handles her procedures. She is active and normally has a smile on her face, however she has the odd days where she gets tired and moody due to the drugs.

My suggestion for all that are either going through treatments or have someone they love going through, that they find themselves these products: A healthy meal replacement shake that tastes good and has a good amount of nutrients for the day. You need to keep your strength up and proper nutrition is key to this. A liquid Aloe product that you can take as it will settle your stomach and help prevent nausea and constipation. The aloe will also help with mouth sores that can accompany the chemo tablets you take at home. We are willing to answer any questions concerning what has worked for us as well as any other nutritional questions you might have, just send me a message at mbarts2009@gmail.com and my wife and I will get back to you.

With a degree in Business Marketing, a background in senior level management, I have learned a lot about people and what it takes for a business to succeed in different markets. Through all my experiences, I have done extensive customer service work, performed a lot of individual and group training as well as a large amount of different types of marketing. I would like to share my thoughts, ideas and comments to give you something to think about.

By Mark A. B.

Learning To Live With A Leukemia Diagnosis

2012-01-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

There are numerous symptoms of leukemia which you might notice after being diagnosed. Having said that, many people are not sure if they should be worried if they notice new symptoms. It's generally recommended that you call your leukemia doctor when you notice things like frequent fevers, night sweats, as well as being tired for no reason and they persist for more than a couple of weeks.

Other issues you might notice happening for two weeks that should tell you to call your physician include swollen glands or new lumps in the neck, groin area, as well as under an arm. If you notice you are starting to bruise quicker or start bleeding from your gums, then those are also signs.

Watchful waiting refers to a time period when a leukemia doctor regularly checks on a patient but is not doing anything to treat them. It can also be called surveillance as well as observation. The point of the period is to figure out whether or not you will develop any symptoms. For older adults, it can be a choice for treatment.

During the period, medical and blood tests will be taken as well as scans during standard doctor appointments. In certain cases, watchful waiting can actually give better results than aggressive early stage treatment. The truth is, many people that are suffering from chronic lymphocycic leukemia live for a reasonable amount of time with no treatment. When you are considering other leukemia types, watchful waiting will never be recommended.

Right after being diagnosed with leukemia, you may want to know who you can see about symptoms. Quite a few health professionals are capable, so you can go to any of them. These people include nurse practioners, family medicine physicians, physician assistants, internists, and also pediatricians. The leukemia doctor that will actually diagnose you will be a hematologist or a medical oncologist.

Dependent on the type of leukemia you could have, your choices can vary. Should you be dealing with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, you will likely go through a period known as watchful waiting. In that time, the goal is usually to see what occurs with your symptoms. If you see things such as night sweats, frequent fevers, rapid weight loss, or swollen glands, you will need to call the doctor.

No matter whether you have currently been diagnosed with leukemia or you think you might have it, it's a good plan to find out who to see next. For people who haven't been diagnosed, you will be referred to a specialist that will be able to conclusively detect whether or not you are dealing with it. These kind of professionals include medical oncologists and also hematologists.

Once you have been diagnosed, you will be able to get the help of others and won't be limited by just seeing a leukemia doctor. You'll be able to call a physician assistant, pediatrician, family medicine physician, or possibly a nurse in case you notice your signs and symptoms getting worse or lasting for over a couple of weeks.

There are treatment options when it comes to leukemia, and www.nebraskamed.com can help. The best www.nebraskamed.com information can be discovered with a little research.

By Scott Smoot

Bone Cancer Survival Rate - Know Your Chances

2012-01-02T02:56:00.000-08:00

By Mert Ozge

Each and every one of us has a systematic body that provides different functions for the different needs of the body. Our entire body is covered with the integumentary system that protects the internal organs from being easily damaged or harmed and a given posture or support by the skeletal system. The bones of our body don't just give movement, these skeletons of ours produce red and white blood cells and store minerals needed by the body as well. Our bones are connected via cartilages so that we could easily bend and do movements. Our bones like any parts in the systems of our body are not immune to various diseases as well. The fatal disease, cancer of the bone, can affect even the healthiest person in the planet without him knowing it. Bone cancer survival rate, at its final phase, is just 8 percent.

Bone cancer survival rate in the first stage are at 84.5 percent. Comparable to other cancer stages, the survival rate for this type of cancer are slightly lower than a first stage breast cancer but higher than one liver cancer. Usually bone cancer is more often detected among children and adolescents than adults or people in the later stages in life. Usually when bone cancer is detected among adults these are due to the passing of malignant cancer cells which have expanded from another system of the body and have affected the bones as well. Another type of cancer that may start from the bones is multiple myeloma. This occurs when the malignant cancer cells start from the bone marrow cells inside the bones of our body.

There are several ways for specialists to know if you have this malignant type of cancer. One must undergo a series of tests to determine if a person has this type of disease or not. Tests are not limited to XRAYS, CTSCANS or MRI's which provide a detailed look in how your body looks from the inside. If a bone tumor is identified by the doctors, they will then provide an in-depth analysis for possible solutions to the person with the bone cancer tumor. Once the tumor is removed from the body, it is the examined to determine whether it is cancerous or not. Everything done in this stage is set to further increase the bone cancer survival rate of the person involved. For the sooner the medication the better chance the person will survive.

Some Lymphoma Symptoms

2012-01-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

Lymphoma is a kind of cancer that affects the patient's lymphatic cells. These are part of the immune system. Naturally, it is a serious medical condition. Someone that has this cancer may show lymphoma symptoms. Do keep in mind, however, that a person could have this malignancy without displaying any of the symptoms mentioned here. Also, what you read on this page isn't a complete list -- nor is it, of course, intended to be used in place of advice from a doctor.

Anemia

The condition known as anemia may develop as one of the lymphoma symptoms. While anemia can refer to multiple situations, in many cases it is an instance of fewer than normal red blood cells in the individual's blood. This can medically occur in multiple ways: whether by a lack of sufficient production of them, by their destruction in high amounts, or by a the loss of a significantly high amount of blood. These, at least, are the three main ways in which it can occur.

Aside from lymphoma, other medical causes of anemia are also possible. For instance, it may be due do a deficiency in vitamin B12. In this case, the condition is labeled as the pernicious form.

Shortness of breath

A person who has lymphoma may also experience breathlessness as a symptom. This is far from the only medical cause, however. Congestive heart failure is another possible reason. It can also occur in instances of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is where chronic bronchitis and emphysema are present at once. Asthma is also a reason behind shortness of breath. Pneumonia and many other medical reasons can also be behind it. There are various diagnostic methods that can be used to look for or rule out possible causes, with a chest X-ray being one of the possibilities. There may be particular treatment methods that are aimed at this cause, if it is found.

By Josh K.

Burkitts Lymphoma

2011-12-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

Burkitts lymphoma is an exceedingly rare type of cancer. Less than a thousand cases are diagnosed yearly in the United States of America.

However, in some other parts of the world where it is endemic, such as certain parts of central Africa, Burkitt's lymphoma is very common among children.

Burkitt's lymphoma is a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) cancer that affects B lymphocyte cells. There are 3 distinct varieties of this disease:

-Immunodeficiency-related: This form of the condition occurs most often in HIV patients and similarly immunocompromised individuals such as recent transplant recipients. The condition may signal the onset of AIDS.

-Sporadic: This variant of the disease is found outside of the African continent. It is akin to endemic Burkitt's lymphoma and is associated with immune system compromise.

-Endemic: This form of the disease is the so-called "African" form and is responsible for the majority of malignant cases in central African children. This form of the disease may affect several areas but most often impacts the jaw, ovaries, breasts, kidneys, facial bone. The Epstein-Barr virus, which is the virus responsible for mononucleosis is closely associated with Burkitt's.

The symptoms of Burkitts lymphoma may include painless, swollen lymph nodes (this is characteristic of lymphomas in general), hardening and/or rapid growth of the lymph nodes. Pain in the abdomen is another possible sign.

This disease can be diagnosed by a variety of modes such as:
-X-ray of the chest
-Blood Count
-Spinal fluid analysis
-Lymph node and/or bone marrow biopsy
-CT and/or PET scan

Treatment of this disease usually involves intense chemotherapy. The earlier that chemotherapy is started, the better the outlook as this is a particularly aggressive form of cancer. However, some cancers which grow rapidly such as Burkitt's, respond more quickly to treatment. This can actually harm the patient through a process called tumor lysis syndrome, in which the body is subjected to the byproducts of the breakdown of cancer cells which may cause any of a host of serious complications such as severe electrolyte disruption and renal failure.

Combination chemotherapy may be supplemented with radiotherapy, dietary interventions, nootropics, supplements, exposure to natural sunlight (for vitamin D). Surgery is often indicated for the removal of tumors and a bone marrow transplant may be necessary in the case that the bone marrow is affected.

The prognosis of Burkitt's lymphoma depends upon the risk-factor of the patient. Caught early (low-risk or low/intermediate risk), combination chemotherapy which has produced survival rates in the 90% range. These figures decline significantly for higher risk cases; ~70% for high/intermediate risk and ~30% for high risk. The total 5 year survival rate for adults with Burkitts lymphoma is about 50 percent.

By Jonathyn David

Treatment Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Hanging On To Life

2011-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Acute myeloid leukemia is a heterogeneous cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This tumor occurs as a result of an over production of immature white blood cell which is called myeloblast.

The name of the disease is gotten from the blood cell produced in excess. The immature white blood cell produced gets into the bone marrow and it's over production hinders the production of the normal blood cells.

The main cause of the display of these symptoms is as a result of the loss of normal function of blood by these myelobast. Since they are immature and reduce the mature and proper functioning blood, their function as blood cells is greatly reduced. One of the functions of blood affected in acute myeloid leukemia is fighting against infection.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia are easily infected due to reduced immunity against infection. Another very common symptom in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia is anemia. Anemia is as a result of reduced production of normal red blood cells and platelets. Anemia is usually severe with different levels of severity seen in different patients. Acute myeloid leukemia has other symptoms like being easily bruised and having swollen gum, bleeding of the nose, fever, skin pallor and even shortness of breath.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in a newly diagnosed patient consist of chemotherapy ( the type of chemotherapy used is age dependent) aimed to quickly induce total remission, when this is achieved, further therapy is then aimed at cure of the disease (by eliminating any undetected residuals of the leukemic cells). Therefore the treatment process is divided into two stages.

The first stage is the stage of induction. The goal of this therapy is to get complete remission by reducing the quantity of the leukemic cells in the bone marrow and circulating blood to an undetectable level. The commonly used complete remission induction is a combined chemotherapy of cytarabine and anthracycline. Cytarabine is administered intravenously with dosage of 100 - 200mg/m2/day for one week. Anthracycline consists of daunorubicin is administered intravenously 45-60mg/m2 on day1, 2, and 3.

When induction therapy is completed, the bone marrow is examined. If blast cells are more than 5% with up to 20% cellular cells, induction therapy is performed again with dose similar to the first but cytarabine is given for 5 and antracycline 2 days. But after the second therapy if there is no positive result stem cell transplant is considered, though this is only possible in patient younger than 65 years.

The second stage is post remission or consolidation therapy, which is aimed at cure of patients with acute myeloid leukemia after the leukemic cells becomes undetectable. In this therapy treatment is based on the patient's condition, this therapy involves an additional intensive chemotherapy of 3 to 5 courses. Patients with high risk of cytogenetics are given allogeneic stem cell transplant. Patients who stem cell transplant is not suitable for, are treated with a combination therapy of histamine dihydrochloride (ceplene) and interleukin 2.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia has shown good prognosis in the time past especially if diagnosis is made early ant treatment is started immediately.

By Dave Morrison

Omega 3 and Cancer: Preventing the Big C and Help When You Are Treating It

2011-12-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

By Talise Allan

For years, scientists have been researching the effects of supplements on cancer. One area they have focused a lot of attention is on fish and cancer, specifically as it pertains to breast and prostate cancer. In studies around the globe, the link between omega 3 and cancer is very clear.

Preventing Prostate and Breast Cancer
The most commonly-researched contributing factor to cancer seems to be diet. It's not surprising if you're confused about what's okay to eat and what isn't! We hear all the time to avoid soy, drink soy milk, eat soy tofu, steer clear of soy protein powder, eat red meat, avoid red meat... what to do?

One of the most-often studied contributors is fat, specifically dietary fat.

As research becomes more and more focused, it's clear that not all fat is the same. When researchers began studying fish oil fat (omega 3s, in the form of EPA and DHA), it became clear that this was in fact a superstar fat: not only does it not cause cancer, but in fact these poly-unsaturated fats can help to stop the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells.

How does it work for breast cancer? Well, an excess of omega 6, the linoleic acid omega, can decrease the production of 2-hydroxyestrogens, which are anti-carcinogenic. Omega 3 and cancer don't get along, however, and supplementing women in test studies has proven that increasing omega 3s in their diets helped them produce more of these 2-hydroxyestrogens, keeping women's estrogen levels balanced and safe.

Similarly for prostate cancer, the defense mechanism seems to be strengthening your body's resistance cells by getting enough EPA and DHA omega 3.

Tracking These Results Around the Globe
Scientists have followed this phenomenon around the globe: turns out that places that used to have low incidences of these cancers, such as Japan, have rising incidences that can be attributed almost directly to a more 'western' diet: that is, a diet higher in omega 6s, that throws off the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in our bodies.

Avoiding the Risk
How can you avoid getting too much of omega 6 in your diet? Avoid the following foods, which create free radicals in your body and lead to cellular damage:

* Safflower Oil
* Margarine
* Corn Oil
* Mayonnaise
* commercial baked goods, especially those with hydrogenated vegetable oil or shortening

By limiting your exposure to these foods, and increasing your intake of oily fish or fish oil, you can fortify your body against cancer.

The Latest Research

In addition to the latest research on omega 3 and cancer prevention, studies released just last week have found a definitive link between supplementing chemotherapy patients with this fatty acid and helping to prevent muscle loss and weight loss.

One of the most common side effects for chemotherapy patients is a loss of muscle mass and weight, and this can make them even more fatigued than the medications alone. This prolongs cancer recovery time.

By adding a regular fish oil supplement, patients were able to maintain or increase muscle mass and gave them a better chance at recovery in a timely manner.

Why don't we hear more about omega 3 and cancer? Simple. There's not much money in fish oil, and it can't be patented. Pharmaceutical companies are our main source of healthcare information these days because they have the budget to reach us and reach our doctors. Take some time to educate yourself about other treatments, though, like fish oil, and you'll see you're not helpless when it comes to preventing cancer.

Myeloid Leukemia Definitions, Classifications And Symptoms

2011-12-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

Myeloid leukemia is a group of diseases whose characteristic changes are seen in the bone marrow and blood, where tumor cells infiltrate the blood system; sometimes these cells even spill into the circulating blood other tissues. The concept of myeloid leukemia is from the action of immature white blood cells being produced in excess and therefore inhibiting the production of the normal blood cells. These cells are called myeloid cells; they by their action in the blood disturb the function of the blood cells.

This leukemia has both tumors which are kept untreated to those that are diagnosed and treated immediately, ranging from rapid fatality to those which are slow in growing. Therefore on the basis of their treatment course they are divided into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

AML is seen more in men than in women and more prevalent in people older than 65 than in people of younger age. CML is also greater in men than in women but its incidence always increase slowing and the people's age increases and gets to the peak of occurrence in mid forties from where there is rapid rise in CML occurrence. Anyway the incidence of CML decreased slightly in the past two decades.

The etiology of myeloid leukemia is depended on the type, AML is related with risk factors such as hereditary (other resident blood disease in the family history; DIC) exposure to occupational chemicals, intense exposure to radiation which may be as a result of therapeutic reasons and even some drugs, but there is nothing relating the cause of ML to viral infection in any way.

While the etiology of chronic myeloid leukemia has no distinct relation with cytotoxic drug effect and there is also no evidence connecting it with any viral infection, but cigarette smoking by studies has shown to increase its progress into severe crisis, therefore living with Chronic myeloid leukemia and smoking becomes dangerous. Only large dosage of radiation has any adverse effect for CML formation.

The symptoms of ML are also depending on the type, whether it is AML or CML. For AML patients are presented with some nonspecific symptoms which begin either slowly or abruptly and the symptoms are leucopenia or leucocytosis, thrombocytopenia. These symptoms are usually due to anemia in such patients. Other symptoms of are fatigue, anorexia and weight loss and easily getting bruised with excessive bleeding.

While in CML the symptoms are at first insidious therefore it is difficult to diagnose a patient based but symptoms, such patients are usually diagnosed during normal medical checkup, or others come to the hospital with complaints fatigue, weight loss, symptoms relating to splenomegaly such as early satisfaction during eating, left upper quadrant pain, infections, thrombosis or sometimes bleeding.

When chronic myeloid leukemia progresses symptoms worsened with bone and joint pain, significant loss of weight which will require increasing the dose of the drugs used for treatment. Chemotherapy is used as treatment of myeloid leukemia but when this fails bone transplant is done.

By Dave Morrison

What Is Lymphatic Cancer (Lymphoma) and Its Treatment Effects?

2011-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Lymphoma is the cancer of lymph nodes. Like all cancers, it is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the vicinity of lymph nodes. Lymph nodes can be viewed as stopping points of lymphatic system. Lymphatic system basically carries fighting soldiers to whatever areas of your body whenever the body area is invaded or requires help to fight foreign intruders. The lymphatic system is a network of 'highways' starting from below the chin to the back of the neck, to underneath the armpits and then to the groin area and connects to the spinal cord.

Lymphoma develops as lumps at the node areas, typically behind the neck, armpits and groin areas. Not all lymphomas grow in detectable areas. Once a lump develops careful monitoring is required. Whenever a lump occurs, it can be caused by

1) viral infection, which can be easily cured by a course of antibiotics and usually last only a week or two,
2) Tuberculosis, which detected at early stages can easily be cured, and which will require more specialized medical care and treatment,
3) Cancer, which can only be confirmed by a biopsy. If there are several lumps that have been growing for some time, it is vital to get the lumps checked out by a Hematologist. Hematologists are specialized doctors dealing with blood disorders. Lymphoma is considered as a blood disorder. For other types of cancer, one would go to an oncologist.

Other noticeable signs are cold sweats at night, lost of appetite, drastic weight loss and lethargy. Sometimes these signs do not appear as in my case except for the lumps on base of the neck.
Like many other cancers, lymphomas are quite complicated and have different types and subtypes but generally lymphoma can be divided into two broad categories, namely Hodgkins and Non-Hodgkins. Hodgkins lymphoma is much more curable and the prognosis is very good.

Conventional treatment applies for Lymphoma - surgery and radiation - if the cancer is fairly isolated typically only in stage 1 (more on staging later). Chemotherapy followed by radiation for cancer that is not so widespread in the body. If the cancer is in a fairly advanced stage as in stage 3 and 4, then a full course of Chemotherapy treatment is required, as was in my case.

Staging in lymphoma is different from other types of cancer. Stage 1 is cancer found on one part in one section of the body either above or below the diaphragm. If the cancer has appeared in more than one place on same side of the diaphragm, then it has gone to stage 2. Stage 3 means the cancer has spread to the abdomen and groin areas above and below the diaphragm. Stage 4 means that the cancer has been detected in the bone marrow. Stage 3 is already considered advanced stage.

Once a biopsy has confirmed that a tumour is cancerous, a CT scan is usually performed to stage the cancer. In lymphomas, a bone marrow tap is usually done to check if the bone marrow carries the cancer as well. CT scans are also performed at regular intervals during Chemotherapy to determine the treatment's efficacy. If the current treatment is not effective, doctors will switch to another Chemotherapy regimen. At the end of the treatment, a final CT scan and PET scan are conducted to confirm absence of cancerous cells. The words "No cancerous cells detected" are the sweetest words one can ask for.

Chemotherapy treatment can last between six to eight months and a month more to recuperate from the onslaught of Chemotherapy. Most people will give up work to focus on the treatment. As in my case, Chemotherapy was once every two weeks. The first week immediately after Chemotherapy is the worst.

Most of the time, I was too weak to keep awake. As time passed, strength returned and by the second week, I could manage a short walk. After that the whole process starts all over again.
Towards the end of the Chemotherapy, the body would have been pretty badly savaged by the Chemo poison. One often lands up feeling very different after Chemotherapy, and it takes months to get back toany normalcy. The speed of recovery from Chemotherapy really depends on one's physical and mental strength.

Chemotherapy, as it is often called - "It is a marathon"

Th Ong has fought cancer and won. He shares his story and his research to prevent cancer in the first place. He gives his book OnTopOfCancer for Free on the internet at http://ontopofcancer.blogspot.com

By Teonghooi Ong

Symptoms of Leukemia: Spotting Them Before It's Too Late

2011-12-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

Leukemia is a type of cancer that is very common nowadays. It does not choose who it attacks: men, women, children, adults, Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Hispanic - we are all at risk. According to the latest survey conducted, almost 44,000 people will be diagnosed with leukemia by 2010. It is now 2011. However, with developments that we have had in the aspect of health and medicine, the outcome of leukemia is looking bright. There is now a significant increase in the survival rate - a little over 50 per cent. That might not be a very big number for you, but compared to the 1970s when they only had a 14 per cent chance of survival, 50 per cent is almost like being disease-free. Won't you agree?

Surviving leukemia would largely depend on the severity of the disease by the time it gets diagnosed. As you could deduce, an earlier diagnosis of leukemia would give a better prognosis as compared to a late detection. Knowing which symptoms to look out for would be a great help in getting the earliest treatment possible. The following would be the most common symptoms of leukemia:

• Fever and recurrent infections. The reason behind this is that in leukemia, you do not have mature white blood cells to combat foreign bodies. You do not have a good defense system to protect you from invading viruses.

• Fatigue. Leukemia is a condition where there is a massive production of abnormal white blood cells. These cells would take up a lot of space, thus impeding the production of other types of cells. Since the production of red blood cells is decreased in the process, oxygen delivery to your various systems would also be decreased. This is what's causing fatigue.

• Bleeding and/or easy bruising. Bleeding, when associated with cancer, is painless. The same goes with bruising. A normal bruise would be tender when touched. Bruising, as related to leukemia, does not have any pain at all. Platelets, the ones responsible for clotting, are decreased in leukemia. This causes the bleeding and the bruising.

• Petechiae. They are tiny, rash-like spots found on the skin. Unlike rashes, though, petechiae are not itchy. This is caused by the rupture of capillaries and a decrease in platelet count.

• Pain. All types of cancer have pain. In the case of leukemia, it is bone or joint pain. This should not be confused with symptoms of bone cancer, though. The pain in bone cancer is caused by the compression of nerves due to tumor growth. In leukemia, the pain is caused by the overcrowding of blood cells in the bone marrow.

There are many other symptoms of leukemia, but the aforementioned would be the most common of the lot. If you experience any of those mentioned above, consult with your doctor immediately. If you get treatment early in the disease, there is a chance that the cancer cells might be eradicated and you would be one of the few survivors who would live to tell your story about battling with death.

By Danica Susan

Cancer Cures?

2011-12-27T02:52:00.000-08:00

By Sybille Jones

There are many treatments that claim to cure cancer. Maybe they do; maybe they don't. You have to be the one to decide.

Listed are some of those unusual protocols that just may help in your quest for better health and perhaps a cure.

* Cancer Diet: Going strictly vegetarian or eating very little meat has met with some claimed cure. Alcohol, sugar, coffee, processed foods and junk foods are eliminated as they have a tendency to produce more acid in the body. You will want to aim for a more alkaline state with a reading of seven. That is the physical aspect needing care. Along with that comes the need to address any emotional issues as that will also be a part of the healing process.
* Budwig Diet: Eating the right fats with sulfuric proteins is a means of getting more oxygen into cancer cells thus dealing them the death blow. This is done with cold pressed flaxseed oil along with cottage cheese and lots of sun. No doubt for the Vitamin D effect. An herbal remedy also included is drinking Essiac tea which is highly recommended by holistic healers.
* Cesium Chloride: This therapy should be done using a professional as your potassium level will need to be constantly monitored. Alkalinity is created within the body, which allows the cancer cells to be weakened, promoting additional oxygen throughout the cells.
* Apricot Kernels: These kernels are a source of Laetril, which has since been banned. Apricot kernels can be ordered through the use of the Internet and are relatively inexpensive.
* Bicarbonate of Soda: Using baking soda along with "sugar water" IV may trick the cancer cells into accepting the soda. The body becomes alkaline very rapidly. Some have tried to take baking soda with molasses as a means of a cancer cure.
* Gerson Therapy: This method involves slow speed juicing and coffee enemas to cleanse the liver. Hoxsey Bio-Medical Clinic uses this treatment along with healing herbs.
* Ozone Therapy: This is usually done at a clinic, especially when lung cancer is involved. Food grade hydrogen peroxide is legal but should be used with caution. This therapy is a way of applying oxygen to the cancer cells to destroy them.

No matter what treatment therapy you choose, your decision should be made after thorough research, which should include heart-to-heart talks with medical professionals, since their recommendations can be invaluable and even life saving.

What Are Some Of The Blood Cancer Types?

2011-12-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, there are many people who get cancer each year and have to deal with these types of illnesses. One type of cancer is blood cancer. Many people wonder what are some of the blood cancer types that people become sick with. Find out what some of the blood cancer types are.

One of the first common types of blood cancer is Leukemia. This unfortunately targets parts of your body that help you form your blood. There are a variety of types of Leukemia but all of them hurt your ability to produce healthy white blood cells. Because people with Leukemia lack white blood cells, typically the complications come from an inability to fight infection versus the cancer itself. Unfortunately, this is one of the more common cancers in children.

Lymphoma is another type of cancer that people get. This is a cancer of the lymph system which sometimes is referred to as Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease. What happens is that the cells within the lymphatic system start to not form correctly. Eventually it's difficult to fight infections making the person very sick. There are also forms of lymphoma that are called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which effects the while blood cells instead.

A third type of cancer is Multiple Myeloma. This type of cancer is very dangerous simply because it will effect the plasma cells in the blood. Generally the signs of this type of cancer is difficult to spot until someone has already had some serious infections because the body can't fight them off too well.

You need to be aware that there are multiple versions of each type of these cancers. Some are acute as they appear and harm the body quickly while others will not be so severe and gradually build up unless dealt with. If you need more information on a specific type of cancer, you can talk to your doctor getting all the information you need about a very specific type of cancer.

No matter what, the best advice we can give you is to start treating your cancer as soon as possible. The more time you give the cancer in your blood to evolve, the harder it will be to get rid of it in the end. Blood cancer is not a terminal disease per say, but if you do not start treating it immediately, it may very well be!
We wish you the best of luck with treating the cancer in your blood or avoiding same.

By Halfdan Timm

How to Diagnose and Treat Lymphoma Cancer?

2011-12-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

The lymph system is a tubular structure branching out to all the parts of the body and is vital to fight infections. Lymph is a colorless fluid that contains white blood cells (lymphocytes) and is carried by the lymph system.

There are various types of lymphoma cancers and hence, answering a question, how to diagnose and treat lymphoma is a great challenge. The most common type of lymphoma and the term that is used interchangeably is Hodgkins disease and the rest of the types are known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Diagnosis:

Although, there are several symptoms of lymphoma cancer, but they may be similar to any other illness, making it difficult to suspect the diagnosis of lymphoma.

Some symptoms are:

    * Swelling of the lymph nodes
    * Fatigue feeling
    * Weight loss
    * Recurrent fever
    * Night sweats

Once a patient experiences symptoms, he/she may consult a physician, who may carry out the diagnostic procedure to confirm the disease. The diagnosis will be based upon:

    * Thorough physical examination of the patient
    * Inquiry about the complete personal and family history
    * Physically examining the lymph nodes for any abnormalities present
    * Biopsy test to confirm about the malignancy present in the lymph nodes
    * Chest x-ray to verify any enlargement of the lymph nodes in the chest
    * Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) or Computer Tomography (CT) scan
    * Ultrasound examination

After the diagnosis is done and the lymphoma cancer is confirmed, then the patient may further undergo a few tests to detect the exact stage of the disease.

Cancer Treatment:

    * Radiation Therapy - Powerful x-rays or any such radiations may be used to treat the lymphoma cancer. The radiations are directed to kill the abnormal cancerous cells either by internal or external radiation therapy. However, pregnant women are not eligible for radiation therapy until delivery.

    * Chemotherapy - This therapy uses anti-cancer drugs to destroy the malignant cells in the lymph system. The therapy may be administered through mouth, intravenously or placing directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. Although, chemotherapy may be observed in pregnant women, close watch is required to see any danger to the fetus.

    * Vaccine Therapy - This is a new treatment technique used to treat lymphoma. This technique aims at strengthening body's immunity to fight the cancerous cells. The medications used are directed to restore the immune system and boost its defense against the malignancies.

    * High-dose chemotherapy in combination with stem cell transplant is another treatment option lately being considered. The technique is to replace the destroyed blood-forming stem cells in the patient with the donor stem cells.

Lymphoma cancer is type of cancer that affects the lymph system of the body. There are around 35 and more types of this cancer. Hence, how to diagnose and treat lymphoma cancer is a challenge for medical professionals. Like any other cancer, early detection and prompt treatment are vital.

By Alina Kapur

Cancer Rates Observed To Be On The Rise

2011-12-24T02:50:00.000-08:00

By Eric Cambridge

Cancer is one of the most common health conditions that affects our entire country. There are many different types of cancer that exist however there are some that are more common than others. One of the most common types is lung cancer. The actual cause of this condition may vary but there is general consensus that smoking is the leading cause of such a health condition. When one is actually diagnosed with this their next step is to visit with their physician in order to determine the right way of trying to treat or control the condition. One of the methods that has been prescribed as of late by physicians is the use of a nebulizer. A nebulizer is a medical device that is used to deliver respiratory medication in vapor form for easy absorption by the body.

Nebulizer devices have been around for decades but as of late they have changed quite significantly. The modern nebulizer devices are completely portable and can be taken wherever that the person desires to go. So for example, if a person is suffering from a respiratory condition they can actually take their device with them while they are traveling in order to take their prescription medication in vapor form. Physicians have been recommending using such a device for lung cancer because of the fact that it allows for quick absorption by the body when it is breathed rather than ingested through a typical way of taking medication. The actual medication that should be taken or the treatments that should be administered with the use of the device really depends on the doctor who is helping the patient with their condition.

In either case, the use by the actual patient is not only painless but also very fast and effective. It only takes a few minutes until the prescription is ready to be taken via mist form. Time is a very important aspect because for many of the health conditions that are out there there does exist a lot of pain and rather severe symptoms. As a result, the ability to administer the medicine whereby it can go to work rather quickly is quite necessary and does in fact add to the overall treatment effectiveness. As the actual pharmaceuticals evolve and change in order to better treat those living with this health concern, the device can accommodate them all as in the end the ability to deliver them in mist form is very much in demand.

Who Is at Risk of Developing Colon Cancer?

2011-12-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

KNOWING YOUR RISK
When pondering the top culprits that contribute to the most deaths occurring from cancer, rarely does one consider the colon. Though in all actuality colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer related deaths in the United States with nearly 50,000 per year. This is a staggering number but, fortunately, it has decreased dramatically over the years (2002 had almost 150,000 deaths due to colorectal cancer), and with public awareness and early screening chances of survival are encouraging.

Who is at risk of developing colon cancer and what can help to prevent it?

Although colon cancer can strike anyone, there are certain ethnic groups, genetic factors, and lifestyle behaviors that do increase one's risk for colon cancer. Some of them can be prevented, and some can't, but what is important is being educated and open with your doctor to keep your risk as low as possible.

ETHNIC BACKGROUND
African Americans have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer in the United States. Jews of Eastern European decent have the highest frequency of colorectal cancer in the world. The reason for this is unknown.

AGE
Since 9 out of 10 people who develop cancer-causing polyps do so after the age of 50, this is current recommended age to have a first colonoscopy. There is a certain genetic condition, which predisposes a person to excessive polyps and an extremely high risk for cancer. These individuals should begin being screened at puberty.

PERSONAL HISTORY OF POLYPS OR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD)
If you have had a previous screening, which was positive for polyps, then you should be screened more often. Your Gastroenterologist will determine how often this should be done. Individuals who suffer from IBD can have an increased risk of developing abnormal cells in the tissue of the colon. These abnormal cells can lead to a higher risk of cancer.

FAMILY HISTORY OF COLON CANCER
Statistics show that incidents are higher if a first-degree family member has had colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps, but studies fail to show whether this is a genetic link, or possible similarities in lifestyle and environmental factors.

LIFESTYLE
A number of health issues and lifestyle choices have been strongly linked to one's risk of colorectal cancer. Certain comorbidities, such as diabetes, have been linked to colorectal cancer, as well as, lifestyle choices that can be controlled, some being:

    * Smoking
    * Heavy alcohol use
    * Diets high in saturated fats
    * Inactivity/lack of physical activity

It is important to let your doctor know if you have any symptoms that could indicate a problem, such as, blood in the stool, changes in your usual bowel movements, or any sudden weight loss. These are just some of the risk factors associated with colorectal cancer. Some can be controlled, while others must be monitored. Either way it is important to follow what guidelines your doctor recommends. Although colorectal is one of the most common cancers, it is also one of the easiest to prevent and, when caught soon enough, treat.

By Jill Rickerson

Anal Cancer and Kerry's Story: Beware of HPV

2011-12-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

KERRY'S STORY
Kerry was a 42-year old female executive who was in excellent health. She was married but had no children and had never been pregnant. She was a non-smoker with no past medical history and no family history of cancer. Specifically, Kerry had no history of sexually transmitted diseases and she was HIV negative. When she noticed blood on the toilet paper after her bowel movements, she first thought that the problem was due to hemorrhoids. However, after two weeks, the bleeding increased and was accompanied by pain and itching around the anus. She went to her primary doctor whose exam revealed a 2 x 2 inch mass at the anal sphincter. Her doctor did not feel any abnormal lymph nodes in her groin. He referred her to a colorectal surgeon who performed a colonoscopy. That examination confirmed the mass seen by her primary doctor but no other lesions. Biopsy revealed a squamous cell carcinoma, anal cancer.

After her diagnosis, Kerry's surgeon sent her for a PET/CT scan which revealed abnormality only at the anal mass. There was no distant activity to suggest metastatic (distant, incurable) spread of her cancer. Her surgeon referred her to a radiation oncologist and medical oncologist. They recommended radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy delivered together (concurrent chemoRT) which she underwent over a period of 6 weeks. Kerry was treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in order to minimize RT dose to critical organs including the small bowel and bladder, while treating potential microscopic cancer cells within the lymph nodes in her pelvis and groin and the anal tumor. She received concurrent mitomycin and fluorouracial chemotherapy by IV infusion as an outpatient. Kerry had expected side effects of treatment including severe irritation and redness of the skin in the groin and anus, but she did not require a break during IMRT. She had significant fatigue that kept her out of work during most of her chemoRT. She had some loose bowels which were well controlled after adjusting her diet. Near completion of her treatment, there was no evidence of any tumor remaining. She recovered from the side effects of treatment over about six weeks. Kerry has seen one of her cancer doctors every three to six months for the past five years and she remains cancer free!

BASICS
Although it's one of the least common cancers of the GI tract, there are still about 5000 cases of anal cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year. There are more women than men diagnosed. The average age at diagnosis is around 60 years old, but it can occur in patients in their 30s and 40s. If the disease is localized, which is the case for 50% of patients, then the cure rate is roughly 80%.

RISKS & CAUSES
The majority of patients who are diagnosed with anal cancer don't have a clearly defined risk factor. However, factors that increase the risk of developing anal cancer are associated with the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This virus is the same kind that causes genital warts. Certain strains of the HPV virus are associated with a high risk of developing anal cancer as well as cervical cancer and some types of throat cancer. Activities that put people at risk for HPV, like receptive anal intercourse, also put them at risk of later developing anal cancer.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Patients often present to their doctors with complaints of anal pain or bleeding. Many patients ignore or downplay the symptoms, often initially attributing them to hemorrhoids. While most people who have these symptoms don't have anal cancer, persistent pain or bleeding should always prompt medical attention. Less commonly, patients will complain of itching or a painless mass in the groin. A lump can develop in the groin as a result of anal cancer spreading to lymph nodes and causing them to enlarge.

DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of anal cancer is usually made by biopsy of the anal mass or area of ulceration. Generally, this procedure is performed by a medical GI specialist or surgeon. These doctors are able to directly look into the anal canal and rectum by proctoscopy (or the entire colon by colonoscopy) with special instruments after they deliver medications to minimize discomfort. Biopsies are performed during these procedures, after sedation and/or injection of numbing medicine. Most anal cancers (80%) are squamous cell carcinomas. A thorough evaluation of someone suspected of having anal cancer should also include examination of the pelvis, particularly both groins. If lymph nodes are enlarged, then they may also be biopsied. Many enlarged lymph nodes are only inflamed, with no evidence of cancer. Blood tests that may be ordered include complete blood count, tests of kidney function, and possibly HIV testing, depending on the patients' risk factors for the virus.

STAGING
The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system is used to determine if anal cancer is localized (early stage) or has spread to other sites (advanced or late stage). Early stage disease is limited to the anus, while advanced disease refers to cancers that have invaded nearby organs or lymph nodes in the pelvis or groins. Imaging studies should include CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis and a chest X-ray at minimum. Staging may also include a PET/CT scan. This imaging test allows the radiologist as well as the treating cancer specialists to see if the anal cancer has spread to involve lymph nodes in the groin or pelvis, or metastasized to other sites in the body such as the liver or lungs.

TREATMENT
The standard treatment for anal cancer doesn't involve surgery, which comes as both a surprise and a relief to many patients. Since most anal cancers invade the sphincter that controls defecation, surgery to remove such a cancer would require removal of the sphincter and creation of a colostomy. Therefore, surgery is generally avoided in favor of treatment that will keep the anal sphincter intact. An exception would be very early cancers of the anal margin, on the skin outside the anus.

Concurrent chemoRT is the standard treatment for the majority of patients with anal cancer, to obtain the best chance of cure with sphincter preservation. RT delivered over roughly 6 weeks with concurrent IV fluorouracil (5FU) and mitomycin-C (MMC) chemotherapy provides patients the best chance for cure. RT is delivered in daily fractions using either 3D conformal RT or IMRT. The latter technique may be used in order to minimize the amount of normal bowel and/or genitalia receiving full-dose RT (& therefore minimize side effects).

The main side effects that are possible during RT to the anus and pelvis include skin reaction that may be severe around the anus and creases of skin at the groins, as well as bowel irritation and diarrhea. Most patients will have these acute symptoms resolve within 1-2 months following completion of treatment. Extremely rare (<1%) but serious side effects include bowel obstruction or fistula (a hole between the anus and bladder or urethra). 5FU may also cause bowel irritation, diarrhea, irritation in the mouth or lips, poor appetite, and fatigue. Uncommonly, skin or nail discoloration or severe peeling of the hands and feet (hand foot syndrome) or other major side effects can happen. In rare cases, heart problems including heart attack can occur. MMC may cause decrease in blood counts, mouth sores, poor appetite, and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting, and urinary irritation may also occur. Rarely, life-threatening lung or kidney damage can occur.

Dr. Patrick Maguire's home reference book for the public, "When Cancer Hits Home," has received excellent reviews from cancer survivors and experts alike: http://www.amazon.com/When-Cancer-Hits-Home-Prevention/dp/0615391117.

To learn more or read Dr. Maguire's blog, visit: http://patrickmaguiremd.com/

By Patrick Maguire

Benefits of Exercise Include Reducing Cancerous Polyps in Bowel

2011-12-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

A colon polyp is a growth on the colon (large intestine), and you can have more than one of them. Flat polyps can be smaller and tougher to see, and are often more likely to be cancerous. Polyps are more likely if you eat a lot of fatty foods, smoke, drink alcohol, shun exercise and therefore weigh more than you should. A colonoscopy is typically the test your doctor will use to check for any polyps, and unless there are indications otherwise, you'll be urged to have this screening at age 50.

According to this latest study, those who did exercise on a regular basis had a 16% less chance of having bowel polyps and were 35% less likely to have large polyps. Known technically as adenomas, polyps are growths found in the bowel that aren't cancerous themselves, but have the capacity to become cancer if given enough time. This represents only a fraction of polyps but researchers do believe most bowel cancers start with a polyp.

Research experts point out that the work shows a clear association between being regularly active and a lower chance of bowel cancer. And while there are a few likely explanations, it's not clear why the link exists, only that it does.

Doctors know that exercise is super helpful to the body in many ways, including...

- Lowers insulin levels and boosts your body's reaction to hyperinsulinemia
- Makes the immune system function more effectively
- Keeps your weight in the healthy range
- If you exercise outdoors, you also take in beneficial vitamin D

At least 30 minutes of moderate level activity a day - any activity that results in you being slightly short of breath is what you're after.

In both the United States and United Kingdom, cancer of the bowel is number 3 in the lists of the most common form of cancer.

According to Cancer Research UK most bowel cancers come from polyps, and that one in four of us have at least one by the age of 50, about half have developed them by 70. If you're worried about your own bowel cancer risk, be sure to get the screenings that your doctor recommends.

Some persistent myths about bowel cancer include...

- It's more common in men - in fact, this cancer is just as common in women as in men.
- It can't be prevented - it can, and is, when polyps are found (and removed) early.
- African American men and women are safe - in fact they die at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group.
- Age plays a part - over 90% of cases are found in people 50 or over.
- It's deadly, so why get tested - in fact this form of cancer is highly treatable, and if found early, the 5 year survival rate is a whopping 90%. It's the delay in testing for cancerous polyps in the bowel that's truly deadly.

A new report finds that if one of the benefits of exercise is that you're 33% less likely to have cancerous polyps in the bowel. The work includes 20 earlier studies that examine the relationship between exercise and the growth of large polyps. The researchers believe they've produced the highly accurate figures that show low levels of exercise are linked to polyps.

By Kirsten Whittaker

Who Cares For The Care Givers?

2011-12-21T02:48:00.000-08:00

By Gerald W White

What a joy it is when another story of a "miracle" remission comes in. So much so that we could easily fall into the trap of forgetting about the cases where the outcome was not joyful and the patient died, usually after a long and protracted ordeal. Unfortunately, the number of these unfortunates dying each day of cancer in the US is roughfully the equivalent of the lives lost in one of the World Trade Center towers. This means that a multitude of loved ones are left to cope with grief and sorrow black as night. When the patient was still alive, he/she was the focus of attention for many. Not so the caregiver. After the flowers and the initial casseroles, it is amazing how quickly the world goes about it's way leaving the erstwhile caregiver to grieve alone.

Grief does not seem to enjoy the status of a reckognized disease and that is a pity for it can likewise be deadly. I know for I have been there. The joy of my conquest of deadly renal cell cancer was to be lost in the death of my wife to ovarian cancer. It was all over so fast. First the discovery, then the 2 weeks of anxious uncertainty followed by a medical mistake that killed her in four days. We lacked 6 months making it to our Golden Wedding anniversary. I found myself in the grip of forces far worse than any encountered in my own cancer fight. I had the worst portions of grief, anger and a primitive desire for revenge all trying their best to destroy me. I am not exaggerating when I say that the grief came nearer to killing me than the cancer ever did.

There have been many excellent works on grief. The best seem to be by those who have truly experienced it. I was recently intrigued by an old familiar Bible story. This may be found in the eighth chapter of the book of Luke starting with verse 26. It deals with Jesus experience with casting out devils from a man wildly possessed. This story captures the imagination and has been at the root of many best selling secular books and movies. Now I am going to tamper with this story with a flight of imagination that I can assure the reader is neither inspired nor intended to offend. I merely want you to follow me through an analogy that does not seem too far from the truth. We are told initially that this deranged man was living in the tombs. Now this seems odd behavior for any place and time. Could it be that the possesion is derived from unrequitted grief that has led to unbearable guilt? Grief is a natural and necessary human emotion. It has even been reported that tears of grief differ in content slightly from tears of joy, in that there are low level toxins released in grief. Grief can lead to a virtual shut down of the immune system, a loss of seratonin and ultimately clinical depression which can include erratic behavior and even suicide. Worse yet, guilt can set in without a rational cause. I expect that if guilt were removed from the human situation, the evil one would be unarmed! We do not know what burdens of guilt, doubt or loss of self esteem may have brought the demoniac of the story to that condition. Evidently he did see Jesus as a ray of hope and threw himself at his feet although at first unwilling to let go of the legion of demons troubling him. The best we are told that his neighbors could do for him was to bind him in chains. No indication of comfort anywhere in the story, much like the story of Job's "comforters". Could it be that a judgemental community had fed this poor chap's guilt feelings over the loss of a loved one to the point of driving him over the edge? Curiously enough, these same neighbors, instead of hailing Jesus for the miracle, demanded that he leave the country for they were taken with great fear. What was the basis for this fear? I should think that this should have been the occasion for great feasting and rejoicing. Perhaps the fear of further loss to the swine growers economy. Perhaps it went even deeper from a fear of being exposed for the way they had treated their poor grieving neighbor.

I can tell you for a fact that in my loneliness my self accusations of guilt multiplied to the point where I was very nearly a basket case. I was fortunate in getting proper medical help just in time. Others have not been so fortunate. If any of you reading this are presently in the throes of grief, I wish you would take heart and realize that there is a very real hope for a return to happiness. Although it took almost four years I eventually found happiness in a wonderful lady who had, like me, known this grief black as death. Life is wonderful for us and we now count our blessings as we rejoice in each new day. I would never have imagined that such an outcome was possible.

I discovered along the way that it was not necessary for me to get "over" my dear wife's untimely death. To do so would have meant giving up the treasured memories as well. No, it was only necessary to get "through" it and that we have both, thankfully and with God's help, done. I now have realized just what it means to have the love of two wonderful women in my life. Fortunately, a beneficent and all knowing God answered my prayers for death. The answer was "No", for He had something far better in mind for me. Although it was severely curtailed for a while, I found new meaning in my work with cancer patients that I would never have known had I pulled that trigger. It has been said that there are three "T's" necessary for dealing with grief. These are tears, time and talk. It is not only alright to cry, it is necessary. The passage of time, provided it is moving with purpose and direction is a great healer.

Talk, with the right persons, can do wonders. Along that line, talk can also be very destructive. I decided to yield to the suggestion that I attend a grief counselling session at local church. The leader ignored the obvious and greeted me with the question so typical of our times, "How are you doing?". This hit me as outrageous under the circumstance whereupon I said "If I were doing worth a damn do you think I would be here?". I turned and left and never came back. Whatever went with "It is so good to see you", "We are so glad you could join us" or just simply "Welcome to our little group". I hope I never hear "Don't you wish you could live it over so you could have done differently?". God alone knows how many time I have accused my self with that one. I must have thought of a thousand things that I could have done that would have changed the outcome. Worse yet is, "It was God's will that your loved one lay on a bed racked with pain and died a horrible death". I could no more believe that than I could believe that it was God's will that a drunk driver would crash into a van load of innocent children. God's ways are not our ways, God's thoughts are not our thoughts and God's mind is higher than our minds wrote the prophet Isaiah. If you will but look for those wonderful words of comfort contained in the scriptures, you will find a God far larger than you ever imagined and the peace of mind to help you through the worst of times.

To the grieving caregiver presently caught up in the throes of grief and self accusation, I send my best wishes for peace of mind. Do not waste your time dwelling on things you might have done differently. It is not likely that there was a single thing that you could have done differently to alter the outcome. Remember instead what a comfort it was to your love one just knowing you cared. If you want to lay blame, then lay it on a monstrous, son of a bitch of a disease that we all need to work together to vanquish from the face of the earth. The truth is, you never did anything all that wrong. I suggest you consider putting what you learned to good use. Make lemonade out of this lemon. You now have all the right qualifications. You will find a great need for you in the fight and it won't be far from your doorstep. You have no idea just what an angel of mercy you can be to a suffering neighbor, not next month or next year, but in the here and now.

I expect that God has a special reward stored up awaiting the caregivers and they won't have to wait until they die to start enjoying it. As to exactly who does care for the caregivers, why not let it be you? You have the very real prospect of losing your grief in the act of helping others deal with theirs.

High HDL Cholesterol Can Reduce Colorectal Cancer Symptoms From Taking Hold

2011-12-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

Important news on colorectal cancer symptoms. If you have high HDL cholesterol levels (good cholesterol), you might also have a reduced risk of colorectol cancer according to a new study.

If future work confirms this finding, those with low HDL (good) cholesterol levels should make changes to cut their chances of developing of colon cancer according to researchers.

Doctors know that lowering bad (LDL) and increasing the good (HDL) cholesterol lowers your risk of heart disease. This work gives you yet another reason to watch those numbers - staying free of dangerous colon cancer.

In this work, the experts compared 1,238 subjects with colorectal cancer to the same number of healthy controls. Of the participants who had cancer - just under 800 had colon cancer, with around 450 diagnosed with rectal cancer.

The team looked at blood samples and diet-lifestyle questionnaires filled out by the participants and found that subjects with elevated levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, along with another blood fat known as apolipoprotein A (apoA), had the lowest chance of developing cancer of the colon. There was no impact on rectal cancer rates.

For every 16.6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) rise in good cholesterol, colon cancer risk was reduced by 22%, while a 32% increase in apoA brought the chances of colon cancer down by 18%. For a small number of participants followed for over two years, only the HDL levels were associated with a reduced risk of cancer of the colon.

This particular relationship is independent of other markers in blood that are tied to cancer. Things like inflammation, insulin resistance and free radicals. But is it the HDL cholesterol or some other biological factor that comes with good cholesterol that's responsible for the reduction in risk?

The reduced follow up period, only 3.6 years, is considered a limitation of the research, though the study has been well designed according to experts who had no part in the research, and is the largest ever of good cholesterol and risk of cancer of the colon.

Cancer of the colon starts in the large intestine (known medically as the colon) or at the end of the colon, the rectum. The American Cancer Society points out that colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer related deaths in the U.S.

Nearly all colon cancers start out as benign polyps that develop into cancer over time. The good news is that finding the cancer early, at the polyp stage when it's small and hasn't had chance to spread, is a key to a complete cure.

The team speculates that good cholesterol's anti-inflammatory properties might be the reason for the finding, but understand that more work is needed. If other studies bear out this finding, it may be that HDL levels become useful in assessing a patient's colon cancer risks.

If you're worried about your own risks of developing colorectal cancer symptoms, the best recommendations are to try and achieve high HDL cholesterol levels by stopping smoking, being more active on a regular basis, get your weight under control and limit your intake of both red/processed meats and alcohol.

By Kirsten Whittaker

Live in Gratitude, Go With The Flow

2011-12-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

A few weeks after our family reunion in Moloka'i in July of 2009, my niece Francine went to the doctor for a routine treadmill test. Two days later, she was on the operating table having massive open heart surgery. After nearly six hours of surgery, where they actually stopped her heart to repair it (with the help of a bypass machine), I was allowed into the ICU to see her. She was still semi-unconscious, but she took my hand while I stood over her bed. She squeezed it as firmly as she could, sending me the message that she was OK and the ordeal of the surgery was not going to crush her spirit. Her courage was truly inspiring.

In the weeks that followed, she adapted to the new lifestyle and diet of an open heart surgery survivor. Just like her survival from thyroid cancer five years earlier, she faithfully followed the doctors orders, happy to have the chance to keep her life going despite the physical setbacks. But six months after her heart surgery, the cancer returned, this time, more serious. Rectal cancer is one of the most painful cancers and usually requires a colostomy, where an opening to the colon is made through the front of the abdomen, where feces are eliminated into a bag.

Another successful surgery, another new lifestyle change. Undaunted, within weeks, she is fully functioning again, determined to be involved in the lives of her four children and her dedicated husband, Steve. Because rectal cancer is notorious for spreading to other parts of the body, her doctors decide to put her through six months of grueling chemotherapy. Francine takes it like a "trooper", always with a smile on her face and a cheery disposition. She expects to go back to work when it's over. She takes the last treatment during the holidays and just after the New Year (2011), the doctors give her a report on her progress.

But the news is not good. Despite the aggressive chemotherapy, a significant tumor has formed in her lung. Her doctor says they can continue chemo to slow down the progress of the tumor, but there is nothing they can do to cure her. This is devastating news to all of us. We run the full gamut of emotions: angry, sad, fearful, depressed. She calls each person who is close to her and we share a moment together. She gives us the freedom to render our opinion and listens carefully to our thoughts. But we are clearly stunned. We lack words and direction. We wait for Francine to gather herself because we're going to take our cue from her.

At 47 years old, she is the oldest of the grandchildren. She is mature beyond her years and her trademark has been love and compassion driven by boundless energy. She's been blessed with a loving husband and partner and together they have overcome all types of adversity to raise four fabulous young adults (ages 17-24) in a household so close they routinely choose to hang out with each other over partying with their friends. Francine has been able to bring happiness and joy to others by simply focusing on what she "has" and not lamenting over what she doesn't have. She spreads her "attitude of gratitude" to everyone because she's been graced with that gift regardless of her circumstances.

She knows the odds and the reality of her situation but she chooses to be grateful. She is grateful because she understands that happiness in life is connected to seeing and appreciating the gifts that are part of our daily lives. That's a universal "given" that most people understand. The piece that Francine has that most people don't, is she is willing to change her perspective to see the gift. When cancer took her thyroid, she accepted taking medication for the rest of her life. When open heart surgery changed her lifestyle, she embraced it instead of resisting it. When rectal cancer saddled her with a colostomy bag, she bought a new wardrobe. When lung cancer threatens to end her life, she planted a garden. Perception is reality and that allows her to live each day like the richest person on the planet.

You'll never find a grateful person who is unhappy. And you'll never find a peaceful person who is unable to accept the reality of their life.

The happiest people live in gratitude and go with the flow.

Benson Medina has been writing, teaching and speaking the field of self-development for over 30 years. His professional career includes sales, training, marketing and program development for several national companies.

He authors several blogs including "Good to Grow" ( http://www.bensonmedina.blogspot.com ) and can be found on Twitter and Facebook. He lives in Honolulu and markets self-development programs from his website at http://www.bensonmedina.info

By Benson Medina

Colon Hydrotherapy: Frequently Asked Questions

2011-12-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States? It may seem surprising and a bit devastating, but is very true. eMedTV, a medical informational resource, confirms this fact in one of its findings. Looking at the gravity of this disease, the American Cancer Society had predicted that approximately 148,610 people would be diagnosed with colon cancer and 55,170 of them would die of it in 2006. Whether this prediction proved true is a different issue, but what is more important here is to find a way to prevent this problem. Colon hydrotherapy is a clinical procedure that is recommended by most health experts to improve colon health. Patients who have undergone this therapy have reported a noticeable recovery from their colon related ailments.

Colon Hydrotherapy: Which Conditions Lead to Colon Cancer?
Conditions that may not look very grim initially may ultimately lead to a deadly disease called colon cancer. These conditions include:

    * Recurring constipation
    * Blood in stool
    * Diverticulitis
    * Irritable bowel syndrome
    * Diarrhea

Colon hydrotherapy is an effective way to treat all these health problems. If due attention is paid at the earlier stage, colon cancer can be kept at bay.

How Does Colon Hydrotherapy Work?
Colon hydrotherapy is a medical procedure to irrigate and revitalize your colon. It is usually performed by a certified practitioner who has undergone special training for this procedure. He makes use of sterilized or disposable medical equipment to pass 5-10 gallons of purified warm water into the colon through the anus. All toxins, trapped gases and accumulated waste are removed from your colon through this process and thus you feel deeply relaxed and rejuvenated.

Is Colon Hydrotherapy Painful?
Many people feel worried before this therapy, since they believe it to be a painful process. However, there is nothing that causes pain. Plenty of water is passed into your colon through the anus and then passed out using massage and other stimulation techniques. So, there is no piercing or any kind of discomfort. In fact, at the end of the therapy, you feel more refreshed. In rare cases, people report of some pain, which is generally the result of hesitation and tension. A professional therapist will not only make the whole procedure a lot easier for you but can also make you comfortable with his pre-therapy counseling session.

Can Colon Hydrotherapy Result in Constipation or Diarrhea?
Sometimes people report of constipation or frequent bowel movements following colon hydrotherapy. These conditions are the result of poor colon health. A very weak colon is unable to make regular bowel movements even after a few sessions of this therapy. For this, the colon requires to be strengthened and healed properly. Very rarely, diarrhea is experienced after this therapy. This is because extra water is induced into the colon, which makes the stool softer than usual. However, this is not a serious situation and does not last more than 3-4 days following colonic treatment.

Colon health is a priority for detoxifying the body, encouraging weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

By David Gonsalves