Cancer Treatment Reviews

To successfully treat breast cancer therapies must be designed individually and strategically in order to outsmart the disease and restore a patient’s health. The problem is that many treatments are so invasive and aggressive that they can destroy the health of the patient along with the disease. However, new developments in breast cancer treatment are showing promise as less invasive options that can help a patient fight cancer and protect the integrity of their health at the same time.

New Targeted Radiation Therapies Kill Cancer Cells and Protect Healthy Tissue

Radiation is the standard form of care after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) for women under 70 years of age, and there are several options that are being studied and are currently available in some facilities. Intra-operative Radiation (IOP), for example, is a technique that applies radiation to the affected area during surgery. The radiation is focused directly on the surgical field and spares surrounding healthy tissue. This is a highly desirable option, as it can replace the typical 5-6 weeks of post-lumpectomy radiation usually recommended, but not every individual is a candidate.

Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI) is another approach being developed that uses small catheters that are inserted into the cavity left by the lumpectomy procedure. There are several systems being used with different variations in equipment and technique. This is a form of brachytherapy, which uses radioactive seeds to deliver the radiation. Five days of this technique replaces six weeks of whole breast radiation, greatly limiting the exposure of healthy tissue to radiation. This can be a significant advantage, particularly for women with left -sided breast cancer, as the usual whole breast radiation technique can impact heart tissue as well as the lungs, ribs and skin.

Freeze Cancer in its Tracks

Cryotherapy is a technique that uses a probe to freeze the abnormal and surrounding tissue, and has been used for many years in treating cervical dysplasia and prostate cancer. Application to breast cancer lesions is a new development for this therapy, but it has the potential to become a less invasive option than surgical removal for treating early breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center conducted a study last year using mice with breast cancer lesions and found that rapid freezing not only killed the tumors, but generated an immune response that helped stop further spreading. This result ultimately led to improved survival when compared to surgery. Cryotherapy treatment for breast cancer is currently available in a limited number of centers throughout the United States. Read the full story

Being diagnosed with colon rectal cancer is a stressful time for anyone. Colon rectal cancer occurs when there are malignant cancer cells that develop and grow in the tissues of the colon. The colon is part of human’s digestive system. Having a healthy digestive system is important to ensuring our overall sense of well-being. It is the hub where wastes are removed promptly out of our body and it is responsible for processing and absorbing all the crucial nutrients, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water and minerals.

Not everybody falls into the high-risk group of patients who develop colon rectal cancer. Some people are more at risk than the others. The factors include someone who is at or over the age of fifty, someone who has a family medical history of colon cancer, a personal history of suffering from ovarian cancer, rectal cancer, endometrium or breast cancer, and a history of having polyps in the colon. Polyps are small pieces of bulging tissues in your colon.

Other risk factors include hereditary conditions such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis. A medical history of ulcerative colitis which is finding ulcers in the lining of the large intestine or Crohn disease will also predispose you to colon cancer. Knowing these factors help us keep an eye on the health of our colon and make us more aware of the symptoms to watch out for.

Early diagnosis can often mean more effective treatment against colon cancer. So do not delay seeing a doctor if you notice a drastic change in your bowel habits, bloody stool, severe constipation, diarrhoea, thinner stool, sudden fatigue, vomiting, severe bloating and gas pains that just do not seem to go away. One of the reasons why you should always consult a doctor immediately after noticing these unusual and abnormal symptoms is because many of these symptoms are often also associated with other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease. Read the full story

Cancer is a disease that can affect any part of the body. Though it affects different areas, it has several characteristics that are common to all of the diseases. It starts with the occurrence of malignant cells in a specific area. It comes with several stages and as these stages advance, there is a high possibility that the malignant cells are going to spread to other parts.

In breast cancer, the disease can begin in any part of the breast. It can be on the milk duct lining or on the breast tissue. Either way, these malignant cells can multiply and spread not only on the entire breast area. The time that the cancer metastasizes, this is where secondary cancer comes in. Aside from the primary cancer, there is another form, one that has been an after-effect of the first one, only that it has advanced. Just like the primary cancer, it requires treatment in order to prevent it from causing further damage.

Metastatic breast cancer is type that has advanced its stage. Breast cancer, in a some cases, can be treated right away and the patient has a good chance of recovery. If it advances its stage, that’s when metastatic breast cancer occurs. It is originally primary breast cancer but since the cancer has progressed, there are other surrounding organs that have been affected.

The selection of metastatic breast cancer treatment must be based on two things. The first one must be to help prevent further spread of the cells and stop it from causing damage. It must work to completely control the cancer cells. The other one includes treatment for the other symptoms that might come with the cancer by reason of its advancement. Read the full story