Cancer Therapy

Cancer has become prevalent and one of the most feared ailment of the 21st century. It seems that more and more people are being targeted by the disease, with no concern for the age or gender of the victims. Although there are many known cancer survivors today as a result of advanced technology, it cannot be helped that those who have cancer feel depression and resentment for what they are forced to go through.

How to support a friend with cancer

If you find a friend, a family or a loved one suddenly contracting cancer, do not lose hope. Emotional support is greatly needed by those who are suffering from the disease. You might be amazed at how much a hug can do to uplift a person's spirit.
Although some cancer patients are not inclined to talk, there are those who will be open enough to tell you their fears and hopes. When this happens, do not hesitate to listen. Sometimes, all they need is an eager ear to pour out their grievances.

Knowing more about cancer

As you may well know, cancer is an illness that takes different forms. Hence, you might want to expand your horizons and learn more about the ailment, especially if you have a loved one suffering from the sickness. Technology is now making improvements in the cancer field and knowing more about the enemy is one way to ease the fear.

Keep in mind that the number of cancer survivors today is continually growing as knowledge about the illness increases. Hence, it is important that you never lose hope for your loved one. Make sure that you are always there for them throughout the highs and lows. One of the most harrowing part for a person with cancer is the fear, and that it is something you can help ease with just your presence, help, and hugs.

Scientists have observed in their in their study that involved mice test subjects that a protein called Cyld controls Bcl-3, thus protecting mice from tumor growth. The study showed the cellular signaling path which causes uncontrolled growth when the Cyld gene is defective. There is also an evidence that such a defective Cyld gene may be the root cause of kidney, liver, uterus, and large intestine tumors. In both mice and men, Cyld could possibly be one of Bcl-3's most important opponents.

The growth, separation, and differentiation of cells is one of the body's most well regulated processes, and even just a single cell escaping this regulation can lead to a tumor. The oncogenes are like ticking time bombs which can cause cancer, and their activity is controlled in healthy cells by tumor suppressor genes. Cyld can be found in every cell in the body and functions as a tumor suppressor in all tumors in which the Bcl-3 oncogene plays a role in mice and in humans. The researchers also found very little, or no, Cyld in the cells of other skin tumors, and the situation is similar in some cases of liver, kidney, and uterine cancer.

When experts devote their time on developing cure for cancer, most of us are not aware of the challenges that a cancer survivor faces after winning the life-threatening battle. Most women cancer survivors find themselves dealing with emotional fallout -- fear of recurrence, depression, body changes, loneliness, and changing relationships -- to name a few. The Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers steps to deal with life's chapters after cancer.

It helps a lot if you will be very honest about your feelings, for only when you acknowledge the problem can you begin to solve it. Do not be critical of how your loved ones have handled things during your illness or how they are handling your return to health. It is not that easy to adapt to changes especially if they are too drastic. Clarify to your family and friends what you can and can't do and encourage them to be also clear about their expectations of you. Cliche as it may sound, but laugh as often as possible. Laughing helps release endorphins which are brain chemicals that help fight pain and depression. Finally, devote your time in keeping a healthy lifestyle by doing regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and having a well-balanced diet.

Physicians and engineers at Dartmouth are collaborating to test new imaging techniques to find breast abnormalities, including cancer. They have been developing and testing imaging techniques to learn about breast tissue structure and behavior. The experts have been working for the past five years to build a completely new type of imaging system, which integrates magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared imaging (NIR).

Brian Pogue, associate professor of engineering and one of the authors of the study, explains that researchers can locate and quantify regions of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. This is because infrared light is sensitive to blood. This is done by sending infrared light through breast tissue with a fiber optic array which might help detect early tumor growth and characterize the stage of a tumor by learning about its vascular and cellular makeup. The new integrated system allows to quantify the hemoglobin, water, and scattering values of the tissues with NIR, while using the high resolution of MRI. With regards to breast imaging, this new system means that experts will be able to enhance the information that MRI provides by allowing them to image breast tumors. This is with a completely different mechanism of contrast, namely hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, water, and optical scattering.

Exercise is usually tagged as a preventive method against illnesses; being branded as such, the therapeutic potential of exercise had been largely ignored. People with chronic diseases, such as those with cancer and heart ailments, were advised to avoid exercising for fear of aggravating their conditions. This may be true for more serious conditions such as those people on life support. However, recent studies and researches have proven that being active and exercising can actually improve a patient's condition.

Being active had been proven beneficial in counteracting the negative results of the disease and prevent loss of muscle mass and function. Exercises as simple as daily stretching, walking, and jogging had been proven effective in improving the physical condition and functioning of a patient. Studies have also shown that patients who do simple personal exercises or physical activity such as yoga or even weight training reported decreased fatigue and nausea and increased tolerance for physical work and receptiveness to treatments.

Benefits from exercise do not stop on the physical level. Researches had also shown that patients who exercise exhibit healthier outlooks in life. They become less dependent on others, with an increased level of social activity and self-esteem. However, despite its therapeutic effects, exercising within the period of your sickness is not without risk.

Blood counts and blood pressure levels are sensitive to changes in levels of activity. Treatments such as intensive chemotheraphy also require much energy from the patient. Therefore, consultation and approval of your physician or specialist must be secured before starting any forms of exercise to ensure that the activities involve are beneficial to your physical condition.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed of cancer each year. In addition, over 550,000 Americans die each year due to a malignant process. Cancer is a disease process that begins when an abnormal cell is transformed by the genetic mutation of the cell's DNA. Cells are more prone to cancer because of oxidants or free radicals that the body produces.

But did you know that there are substances that help our body fight off these dangerous substances? Anti-oxidants help inhibit the formation of oxidants in the body thereby seizing enzymatic processes that can lead to cancer. A good source of anti-oxidants is found in tea, specifically black or green tea. Catechins ,as they are called, based on laboratory studies is effective in warding off the growth of cancer by scavenging on oxidants and inhibiting tumor cell growth.

In search for the possible role of green tea in cancer prevention, The National Cancer Institute, a federal agency, investigated on green tea and its benefits to prostate cancer-ridden patients. Likewise, NCI is also looking into the potential therapeutic effect of green tea against skin cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death for cancer patients in America. Sadly, the percentage of people with lung cancer is rapidly growing. Most of these people have been smoking all their lives. So now, they have developed this killer disease. Today, the American youth is also prone to lung cancer in the near future. Smoking is now a part of their lives. The only way to prevent the development of lung cancer is to take in healthy food and to immediately ditch smoking.

Many of the lung cancer patients are having a hard time coping with the disease. The agony of having to quit their obsession for smoking is painful enough. The therapies, medications, and side effects are also part of their demise. But, how else can we help them? It's a good thing that there are plenty of support groups for the people who are having difficulty dealing with lung cancer. These support groups provide a 24-hour call support for those who need support and assurance that they can fight the lung cancer disease. There's a phone buddy hotline and regular group sessions for those who have lung cancer. These people share their stories of hope and encouragement. There are tributes and presentations on lung cancer, and its different stories of miracles and new beginnings. So, if you have a loved one who's having difficulties in dealing with lung cancer, you can be with them and show your concern by supporting them and taking them to these support groups. Love and support are the best therapy, after all.

Chemotherapy is the most known treatment for cancer. Although chemotherapy helps improve the health of a cancer patient by killing the cancer cells, this is not proven to completely cure a patient as it has been found out that some cancer victims may lapse and cancer cells start multilplying again in their body.

Chemotherapy is used even before surgery. This is done in the hope that it might decrease the size of the cancer cells or tumors in your body. The drug is induced so that it can kill the fast growing cancer cells in your body. During surgery, high dosage of chemotherapy drugs are placed in the body. It kills the cancer cells but chances are, it will kill the good ones, too. Do not worry as chemotherapy works best on fast growing cells, that is, cancer cells.

A debilitating side effect that chemotherapy has is nausea. People with cancer can be seen suffering from this side effect almost instantly after chemotherapy. Acupuncture may help ease this side effect but there is really no answer on how to stop nausea after chemotherapy. All that is hoped for is the sense that after all the chemotherapy sessions and vomiting, the cancer will be gone, for good.

The common perception regarding cancer is that it is always lethal and totally untreatable. Although the cure for cancer is yet to be discovered, it can be effectively treated in its initial stage. Similar to diabetes Mellitus disease, cancer therapy is long-term and holistic. The cells of the body continuously grow and die everyday. Millions of blood corpuscles are destroyed in the liver everyday to be replaced by new blood cells. Skin is shed and another layer grows. Only the neuron cells of the brain are replaced during the entire lifetime of a person. This life and death process that occurs in the cellular level is a mechanism designed to maintain the overall wellbeing of individuals. Cancer cell is actually an immortal cell that reverted into it original undifferentiated state.

There are two types of cancer. The first type is benign cancer or cancer cells that is localized and do not metastasize. Benign cancer or tumor is not very life-threatening and can be treated by simply surgically removing the tumor. The real life threats from this type of cancer are blocking the blood vessels and obstructing organ functions because of its uncontrolled growth. The second type of cancer is malignant cancer. This type of cancer can spread throughout the body through metastasis. Malignant cancer cells may travel through the blood stream and affect other parts of the body. Metastasized cancer is hard to treat. It may require a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy along with surgery.

Long thought to have no symptoms, ovarian cancer kills about half of the 21,000 who will develop it each year. A new study has focused that early warning signs do not exist and knowing what they are can lead to a cancer diagnosis while the disease is in its first stages, when the cure rate is around 90%. The top 3 signs that say that there's a possibility that you have ovarian cancer are chronic abdominal cramping.

Next is a constant urge to pee. Third one is sudden loss of bladder control. These are early signs of ovarian cancer and there are more signs that lead to ovarian cancer. The best thing to do is not to miss visiting your gynecologist and let him/her know everything that you feel. These early, you should recognize the signs that could save your life

Psychic surgery is one of the very popular alternative therapies done to cancer patients. This is done to cleanse the body's spirits as well as its spiritual problems that are manifested physically. Even though it is called surgery, it does not cut open the person's body; instead, it only uses a psychic surgeon’s bare fingers.

These doctors say that they can heal their patients by treating tumors as well as other damaged tissues inside the body. Even though there are no scientific proofs to this statement, many patients still feel its positive effects on them.

In this procedure, the doctor does not use any surgical instruments or even anesthesia. The doctor only presses his or her fingers on the body, more specifically the abdomen.

Cancer patients have been trying to find alternative cures for the symptoms they experience because of this disease. Radiotherapy, Hormone Replacement Therapy (for women) and Chemotherapy are the common treatments used for cancer treatment.

Herbal treatments, however, are also being endorsed by herbologists and doctors alike. One of the more famous cancer cures is the Essiac Herbal Tea. Rene Caisse, a nurse in Ontario during the 1920s, was the one who introduced Essiac (inverted last name) as a possible cure for cancer. She learned about the herbal medicine from a woman was treated by an Indian medicine man when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

According to studies found, this herbal remedy works in helping the regression of large tumors and reduces the pain caused by tumors.

Many people have claimed that Essiac have cured them of their disease, but medical experts still say that this herbal medicine works best with conventional cancer therapy.

The thing to remember is that cancer patients are not alone in combating their disease. More than anything, we know that a patient’s sound and fortified state of mind and emotional well-being is the first step in addressing his/her condition. Support groups and organizations have burgeoned everywhere, each catering to a different type of cancer and age range of patients. With meetings held either weekly or bi-weekly, group sessions are good opportunities for patients to listen, share, empathize, and be heard. Suffice it to say, the proper atmosphere for a forum among the participants is essential, and it is the facilitator task to foster openness, honesty, warmth, camaraderie, and understanding. When we come to think of it, the proverbial boat amidst the unquiet sea we are all in is not that hard to imagine, but we need not be rendered helpless about it.

Women and men who have breast cancer have always been trying to find different ways of eliminating from their bodies the cancer that has been causing them pain and problems. Surgery is always their last option though it is always being advised by doctors. Doctors will say that the most direct way of eliminating cancer is by removing them physically. This is mostly unacceptable to people who do not want their bodies disfigured.

Hormone therapy has been a suggested treatment for those who do not want to undergo other alternative cancer treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Hormone therapy is done to supplement the decreasing levels of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in the female body. Although these have been proven to be helpful to the treatment of the disease, there have also been researches done that state the opposite. Hormone therapy can also cause a second cancer because of the drugs used during treatment. It can also affect the health and the memory of those who are using hormone therapy.

People who plan on using alternative treatments to cure themselves should first research about the treatments that they would want to undergo.

Clinical trials, particularly for cancer, can be very costly and might not be covered by your insurance provider, especially if it's experimental or investigational. A clinical trial may, and I stress may, be covered by insurance if previous studies show that it's a safe and established form of treatment.

But never fear, there are federal financial institutions that help out in covering the costs of clinical trials. Medicare is one such institution that reimburses patient costs to its subscribers who participate in clinical trials.

Tricare is a medical insurance company used by the Department of Defense. It also reimburses treatment costs in clinical trials.

For veterans, the Veterans Affairs office covers all stages of the treatment. The catch is, you have to be a veteran to qualify.

Immunotherapy is a relatively new form of cancer treatment that enlists the aid of the body's immune system in fighting back cancer. It is mostly used in combination with other forms of cancer therapy, and is more successful doing so than on its own.

The body's immune system is a terribly effective killing machine. It can and does get rid of many antigens that would otherwise cause sickness. But this system has a difficult time distinguishing between normal and cancerous cells. What immunotherapy does is that it makes the immune system aware of an abnormality in the body (the cancer) and this prompts the system to fight and kill these cells.

Immunotherapy is now an approved therapy for many cancers, but it is still far from being a cure for it. Hopefully in time, immunotherapy will be the only therapy we will need because it doesn't have as much side effects as other therapies have.

Clinical trials are undrtaken to study other ways of treating ailments such as cancer. Participants who volunteer to be part of these trials are given the best care and are constantly monitored by specialists who are the best in their fields. It gives the volunteers a unique opportunity to contribute in the further research and progress against cancer.

Bear in mind that a clinical trial isn't a guarantee of being cured. Sometimes the treatment may be not worth it due to the side effects involved. But for those who have nothing left to lose, clincal trials may be their last chance.

Undergoing therapy is sometimes a necessary part of cancer treatment, and as with many types of treatment for other diseases, is laden with side effects. They can range from fatigue and nausea, all the way up to some messy diarrhea. If you plan on giving someone who's undergone therapy a gift, here are some of the most practical:

Shower chairs. This is an excellent gift for those who suffer from fatigue after undergoing therapy. The ten or so minutes of standing up while showering can be too much for a patient.

A bed tray. Often, therapy patients are too weak to move after a session, let alone get up for a meal. A bed tray will make dining easier for them.

Disposable wipes are a must for those suffering from nausea. No more messy rags!

A pill crusher, like its name, crushes pills so that they can be mixed with water and be drunk instead of swallowed. Great for those who find swallowing a difficult action.

A bedside commode will make recovery from cancer therapy easier for the patient and the caregiver. Now they both won't have to rush to the toilet.

Cancer therapy can be a real pain. By giving these items as gifts, you can help patients deal with theirs.

We all know that getting enough exercise is beneficial to everyone, whether they have cancer or not. But most people see being diagnosed with cancer as a death knell and just give up doing anything worthwhile.

What they don't realize is that exercise can help a cancer patient immensely. With some exceptions, such as severe anemia, bone marrow pain and those queasy from treatment, almost all cancer patients can benefit from a regular exercise and diet program.

Exercise boosts a body's metabolism and immune system, and of course there is the boost to the ego that only exercise can give. This has proven effective in raising the morale and health of many cancer patients.

But if you do plan to start, please consult with your physician before you do. I don't need somebody suing my arse off for giving hazardous advice.

Radiation has a bad rap, sometimes undeservedly. While it's true that overexposure to it will lead to certain forms of cancer, its careful use has more often saved lives rather than destroy them.

Radiation in medicine is mostly used in x-rays, which are used to take images inside the human body and diagnose its ailments, and in radiotherapy it's used to kill cancer cells and prevent a relapse.

But radiotherapy can and does have side effects. A feeling of weakness, a low blood count and a skin reaction quite similar to sunburn have been noted as resulting from radiotherapy.

But these effects can be lessened by following your doctor's advice and living a healthy lifestyle. That means no more smoking, eating healthy food, avoiding the sun (unless you want a healthier tan than usual) and wearing loose, natural-fiber clothing.

We should learn to give radiation a kinder, gentler look. Radiation therapy is all right, but when you start glowing in the dark, I think it's time to lay off it a bit.