Statistics already published for 2010 show that more than one and a half million women worldwide were diagnosed as having some form of cancer. Out of this number, twenty five percent have been shown to have breast cancer - a really scary and horrendous one in four women.

The remaining seventy five percent represent all the other forms of cancer, of which there are many. Some of them are well known, such as skin cancer and lung cancer, while there are also some very obscure forms of this often fatal disease. Some have high cure success rates, while others do not respond well to the various treatments available.

It is therefore of the utmost importance that we women take great care of our bodies because, as we all know, we are the backbones of our families. We are wives, mothers, friends, cooks, cleaners and more, all rolled up into one strong human being who take the best possible care of our husbands and children. Even if we do not feel 100% well, we get up and do what has to be done; and it is for this reason that we need to get to know our bodies - so that we will know at the very outset if something is not quite right. Call it women's intuition.

The 2 tests that women can do at home to check for breast cancer are:

    * Test #1 is the easiest test - and one which has been proven to be highly successful - is that of self examination of one's breasts. You should do this once a month while lying on your back of a firm surface, such as a bed. Starting at your nipples and working in ever increasing circles, palpate or press your fingers into the breast tissue, almost as if you are playing the piano. Do this in the middle of your menstrual cycle, between your periods, so that any lumpy tissue associated with your period will not give you any cause for concern. By making a habit of doing this self examination every month, you will get to know your own body and all its lumps, bumps and idiosyncrasies. Should you ever feel something unusual that was not there last month, or if you think that a certain bump has grown larger, you should make an appointment with your doctor at soon as possible.

    * Test #2 is to check your nipples and is just as easy as test number one. Check to see if there is any discharge which may ooze (permanently or sporadically) from your nipples. Another test which is an indicator of breast cancer is if the nipple begins to turn in and is 'absorbed' by the breast instead of standing out proudly.

Remember, breast cancer is curable if detected in its early stages and mortality rates are increasing year on year. You stand every chance of surviving this awful disease and being there for your family for many years to come - but only if you take immediate action.

By Greg Garner

In many cases, early stage prostate cancer surgery treatment is recommended as the first course of action. If you had detected your prostate cancer early, then the operation is a fairly simple procedure. Only the cancerous section of your prostate gland is removed.

However, on ocassions, prostate cancer surgery treatment does not go according to plan. This happens when your cancer is found to be in close proximity to nerves or the urethra, and so long-lasting side effects are a possibility. You will need to consider these issues before agreeing to the treatment.

If the nerves that control the penis become damaged during your treatment, then impotence may develop and this will seriously affect your future sex life. Two other possible consequences of prostate cancer surgery treatment are incontinence and urinary leakage. Incontinence is when you have very little control over urination while urinary leakage is where you can control when you urinate but you dribble a little either before or after voiding your bladder. Prostate cancer surgery treatment is a painful procedure and in the days following the operation you will feel very uncomfortable and may have to rely on nurses and loved ones to help with toileting. This however is a very small price to pay for being cancer-free.

There are a number of types of treatment for prostate cancer available and the one you choose will be specific to your case. You need to discuss your options with your oncologist before choosing a treatment. Your oncologist should be well equipped to offer all the information you need to make an informed decision.

More often than not the entire prostate gland will be removed so that there is little chance of the cancer returning at a later date. The surrounding lymph nodes will also be removed as this is the first place that the cancer will have spread to and by removing them the surgeon is effectively removing all chances of the cancer subsequently spreading around the body.

A radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate gland however the surgeon can enter the body through the abdomen or through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus. In some cases, where the cancer is confined to a specific area of the prostate gland, key-hole surgery or laparoscopy may be an option so that only infected sections of the gland need to be removed.

Your decision on the specific prostate cancer surgery treatment will depend on the extent of your cancer and your individual preferences. It is crucial that you discuss your decision over with your loved ones.

Finding Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
With prostate cancer estimated to affect as many as 1 in 6 men, any new research developments that may affect treatment are extremely noteworthy. Because the risks of having prostate cancer increase dramatically with age, every generation is in a race against the clock to find the most effective treatment methods, or prevention methods, possible.

Recently a medical study on men with prostate cancer introduced very interesting news that contradicted some previously held beliefs in the medical community. Some physicians have withheld potentially curative treatment in older men because of a concern about side effects of radiation or surgery. Other physicians have used hormone therapy as a means of delaying cancer progression instead of offering potentially curative treatment.

This new study by Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, however, suggests that drug treatment alone does not improve survival rates of men taking it, and might actually be hindering their improvement. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July.

The prostate cancer information generated by this article studied about 20,000 men, including Medicare patients, whose prostate cancer had not spread to other areas of the body. The study took 6 years to complete, as information was gathered and the men were studied. All study participants were over the age of 66, which means that the data drawn from the study is particularly relevant to older men, but not necessarily accurate for younger men. Average age of a study participant was 77.

Researchers found that the typical treatment of testosterone-blocking drugs might have more drawbacks than benefits. The testosterone-blockers are meant to keep cancer cells from growing, but also have side effects such as bone loss, impotence, and increased risk for diabetes and heart disease. Ultimately, a treatment plan of the testosterone-blocking drugs alone, in older men, didn't appear to be effective.

For men considering Georgia prostate cancer surgery, this study does not influence the need for curative surgery or radiation. Often the antihormone drugs can be very effective when they are paired with surgery or radiation. To maximize the effectiveness of a cancer treatment plan for Georgia men, prostate cancer might require surgery or radiation, rather than drug treatment alone.

Researchers theorized that many men felt they were improving their health by taking the drugs without surgery or radiation, because it was a better course of action than doing nothing. For older men looking for information about Georgia prostate cancer treatment, the study offers an important topic to bring up with their doctors. For Georgia men, prostate cancer treatment might require surgery, rather than the simpler approach of a drug treatment.

With the continued research and studies being done, advances in Georgia prostate cancer treatment are continually being made. At this point in time, however, drug treatment alone doesn't seem to be an effective method in the fight against prostate cancer.