Cancer Treatment Research

Cancer up until now has no definite cure. When people hear about this dreaded disease, they usually think that the best treatment would be chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses chemicals to kill micro-organisms or cancerous cells. In some cases, chemotherapy can successfully help prevent the spread of cancer. However, there are also some side effects that you must consider before you decide to undergo this treatment method.

Benefits of chemotherapy

Chemotherapy lessens the chances of cancer relapse and death from the disease. This treatment also prevents the cancer cells from spreading to different parts of the body, as the process involves killing cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is said to be the best treatment for cancer patients, though success is not an absolute guarantee for all.
Dangers of chemotherapy

Chemotherapy has adverse effects on the patient. This may cause depression of the immune system, resulting in fatal infections. The treatment also reduces the number of platelets in the blood, which causes bruises and bleeding. There is also the danger of risking your organs such as your heart, liver, kidney, and inner ear to damage. Complications may occur during the treatment. If this happens, the patient would be placed in so much danger. As mentioned earlier, the results may vary per patient condition. If you have a weak immune system, the possibility of developing complications and suffering from other health risks is higher.

Undergoing chemotherapy has its advantages and disadvantages. There are cases when cancer treatment becomes successful and there are also cases when the treatment speeds up the organ failure of the patient. The cancer patient should have a strong immune system to handle such treatment. Before he or she decides to undergo chemotherapy, the possible side-effects, as well as alternatives for treatment, should first be discussed with the doctor.

More populary known as the AACR, the American Association for Cancer Research is the oldest intutition dedicated to furthering cancer knowledge, causes, treatment, prevention and cure. The AACR was founded in 1907 and now has more than 27,000 members spanning 80 countries.

Short history of the American Association for Cancer Research

Headquarters based at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the AACR was started by eleven physicians and scientists. Its motto states "Accelerates progress toward the prevention and cure of cancer by promoting research, education, communication and advocacy". Along with its six publications, the AACR has been able to provide roughly $23million to support various meritorous projects since 1993.

Current projects

Ongoing services of the Association include Cancer Survivors Network that allows survivors to offer support for cancer victims. Chatrooms and discussion boards are also in existence to allow people to meet more members of the Cancer Surivivors Network.

AACR is a brilliant institution created for the benefit of thousands of people worldwide. The impact it has on the people worlwide is not only evident but greatly effective, especially when it comes to the financial needs of the victim. However, perhaps the best thing about AACR is the fact that it allows victims to stregthen their menthal health through meetings with survivors. Either way, AACR has been and will continue to be a vital part of finally defeating cancer.

It’s a disease that is every woman’s nightmare, particularly because the risk of getting it is higher than with males. Breast cancer is one of the more widespread kinds of cancer, and affects more than 200,000 women in the US.

Breast cancer 101

Usual symptoms of breast cancer are fluid excretions other than milk coming out from the nipple, nipple tenderness or lumps forming in the breast or underarm, and changes in shape, size, and appearance of nipple or breast (this can include changes in texture, or if a nipple suddenly becomes indented). Watch out for these symptoms especially if you have any of the risk factors, such as previous chest radiation treatments, benign breast lumps or excessive alcohol use. Be especially wary if cancer runs in your family.

Be constantly vigilant by performing self-exams on your breasts, scheduling check-ups with your doctor, and having annual mammograms (for ages 40 and up). Breast cancer is basically undetectable in its initial stages, so it’s better to be prepared.

Recent developments for breast cancer detection and treatments

As scientists and doctors come to understand the disease more, more developments in detection and treatment are also being released. For treatment, there’s mastectomy and breast conservation therapy (BCT). Mastectomy involves removing the whole breast and nipple, while BCT removes only the tumor and a margin of the surrounding tissues. Usually, after BCT comes radiation therapy so that all remaining cancer cells will be eliminated.

For detection, scientists have developed the usual mammography to digital mammography, giving sharper images for a more accurate diagnosis. There’s also computer-aided detection, ultrasound imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging. One more advanced detection technology scientists are looking into is molecular-based detection, which can gauge a person’s risk of having breast cancer through genetic and biological markers.

Breast cancer may have no cure yet, but scientists are surely on their way on helping alleviate the pain the big C’s victims are facing.