Author: Elizabeth L PerkinsLung cancer may be treated by a variety of therapies including surgery, but chemotherapy and radiation treatments are used extensively to treat the disease whether surgery takes place or not.ChemotherapyChemotherapy involves drug medication which is designed to kill fast growing cells in the body - cancer cells are fast growing and it is this uncontrolled growth which causes tumors to develop. Unfortunately, the...more
Author: Elizabeth L PerkinsMany patients find that they have lung cancer either because they present symptoms such as persistent coughing and wheezing, sometimes coughing up blood or pain the chest and stomach. This usually prompts further investigation of the chest, typically calling for an x-ray (which may also occur as part of a routine health check) and the testing of sputum samples.At this point more investigations will be called for...more
Author: Elizabeth L PerkinsLung cancer may be treated by a variety of therapies which are frequently used in combination to provide an optimal outcome for the patient. Surgical resection is the process by which the tumor is surgically removed, and this is usually recommended when the cancer has not metastasized (or spread) beyond the lung into other parts of the body.There are several options for performing a resection which may involve minimally invasive surgery or a full operation. Which technique is used will depend on a variety of factors, notably the size and stage of the cancer and whether the tumor can be accessed by the surgeon.A thoracotomy is performed by the surgeon making an incision through the chest wall and a median sternotomy is performed by entering the chest cavity through the breastbone. Both of these methods are commonly employed in lung cancer surgery but they do involve considerable patient discomfort and extended stays in hospital with a longer recovery period.Alternative surgical procedures include an anterior limited thoracotomy (ALT) which involves a small incision to allow entry, again through the front of the chest. It should be stressed that the...more
Physicians typically use two tests to screen men for prostate cancer. The first testis the digital examination during which the physician uses a gloved finger to conduct a physical examination of the prostate gland. Any findings that the gland is enlarged, hard, or has one or more nodules, could be a sign of cancer. The second test is the PSA...more
Author: Elizabeth L PerkinsMost lung cancers are termed "carcinomas", which are tumors caused by uncontrolled reproduction of epithelial cells; these are the cells which form the linings and surfaces of most of the bodies organs and internal structures. There are two main types of carcinoma which are classified according to the size and...more
Author: Elizabeth L PerkinsEarly stage lung cancer (Stage I & II) is usually treated by surgical intervention and a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Stage II cancer may treated by surgery in certain instances, though generally later stage cancer is treated by chemotherapy alone or by combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment - it is possible for tumors to be shrunk in size so a re-staging of the patient is warranted and surgery becomes a viable option.The process of removing the cancer tumor is known as "resection", or the cutting away of the cancer mass and suspected diseased tissue. There are a variety of surgical options available but the standard techniques are:Thoracotomy - an incision is made through the chest wall; andMedian Sternotomy -where the surgeon cuts through the breastbone to access the chest cavity and the lungs.As both of these techniques involve considerable recovery periods and pain for the patient, alternatives have been devised to provide access to lung cancer tumors and allow for less discomfort for the patient;Anterior Limited Thoracotomy - known as "ALT" is performed on the front of the chest and involves a much smaller...more
Author: frank diazTumor, OvarianOvarian cancer occurs when a cancerous tumor is in a woman’s ovary.Women desperate for the condition of being pregnant can be setting themselves up for melanoma if they take fertility medication. Mary Rossing, PH.D....more
Author: AnnYes, that's me a survivor, a cancer survivor. I think that in many ways we are all survivors of one sort or another. We have all gone through our own trials and tribulations in our lives. It is my hope that this "journey" may help those...more
Author: John ParksIf you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos fibers (which are commonly found in construction materials), you should read the following information concerning a rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma. Once symptoms appear,...more
Author: Market WireGUILDFORD, UK and BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - January 7, 2010) - IDBS, the leading worldwide provider of research data management and analytics solutions to R&D organizations, today announced that European ScreeningPort GmbH has...more
There are many facts you wont be told about cancer because the less you know about it the easier it will be to manipulate you into to their system of toxic treatments. A patient whos ignorant of these facts will blindly follow authority without...more
Author: Ryan DalliIn the UK and North America, breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer that can affect women. Breast cancer amounts for 30% of female cancers in the UK and approximately 1 in 9 women in the UK will get breast cancer at...more