As we are all aware, Lung cancer is the leading cause of death amongst all cancer types. In men and women specifically, it is behind breast and prostate cancer in most diagnosis for each of the sexes respectively. Lung cancer is on the rise. There are more and more people smoking, starting at an early age, and then also environmental concerns with smog, pollutants, and asbestos. Once daignosed with lung cancer the odds are against...
If you go to my Vault page (or click the word Vault and it will take you there as well), at the bottom of the article you will see a small link for an update for the week of Aug 27th to the Aug 31st, 2007. If you click on it, it will take you to a new page with picture and an update on the progress on the Vault. It is actually beginning to...
Another tool that is used in radiation therapy is a machine called Cyberknife. Cyberknife is a newer technology that allows a robot to treat a patient with a high dose of radiation to the cancer area. This is what the Cyberknife looks like: It also has a small accelerator structure inside the top of the machine. It is placed on a robotic arm that can move very quickly in any direction. This robot is the same...
Due to technical difficulties, today's blog is still being worked on. Later on this evening I will update the Vault page with new pictures. Very cool. They have made some major progress on the forming of the walls. This will begin the cool portion. I am excited to show everyone. Todays topic on the main page will be Cyberknife. Trying to get the video to work. So I will post it on later this evening. Also I...
When it comes to radiation therapy there are a lot of different ways in which one can receiver their treatments. It can be from an external source that is made by a machine or it can be an internal source that is emitted from a natural substance. There is a new machine on the market that was developed at the University of Wisconsin in the Comprehensive Cancer Center by a team of medical physicists (this the...
I have been working in the cancer field for almost ten years now. I have heard a lot of myths or rumors, and this is yet another one. There is nothing scientifically shown nor is there any data driven studies done that have proved aluminum or anything in deodorants to cause cancer, let alone breast cancer. We all have to remember that in order for a product to be placed on the market, it must first...
Another topic that comes up quite often in the realm of cancer care is radiation. A little over half, or almost 60% of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy as part of their initial course of treatment. A lot of people here the word radiation and cringe. Most people think of radiation in terms of the A-Bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have always been taught to limit our exposure to radiation because it can be harmful...
One of the best ways to detect cancer at home is by following the American Cancer Societies guidelines for self breast exams. If you are unsure of how to complete one on yourself, they do have information that you can call and have them send to you. You can also request it from their website: www.cancer.org Begining in a woman's 20's, they should begin doing breast self exams. Women should become aware of how their breasts...
A lot of people know someone who has had, or have at least heard of chemotherapy. Some people call it medical oncology. Some of us know that it causes our loved ones to lose their hair, or get sick, or make them feel tired. But do you really understand what chemotherapy is? Well let's see if I can shed some light on it. Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with drugs ("anticancer drugs") that can destroy cancer...
I was thinking long and hard over the last couple of days, trying to decide what my first real topic should discuss. I was thinking about blogging about Her2Nu, BRCA1 or BRCA2, perhaps genetic counseling, but then it dawned on me, why not start with the most basic thing? Why not start with actually talking about cancer and what it is. Most of us know someone that has cancer, or perhaps have even had a loved...