Cancer Treatment Information and Resources

Skin Cancer is one of the most common cancers. Approximately one in six people will develop skin cancer. Medical experts unanimously agree that overexposure to sunlight is the main culprit. Other factors include sunburn with blistering especially during childhood, skin creams that contain tar if used over a prolonged period, repeated X-rays, exposure to coal and arsenic, radiation, chemotherapy and family history. Freckles with fair skin that doesn't tan very easily can also put one at risk.

Most skin cancers grow slowly. It is imperative you inspect your body on a regular basis for anything unusual. Stand in front of a full length mirror and with a hand held mirror check out every inch of your skin. Have someone check the top of your head as well. You should know your body in detail, so that when something different rears its ugly head, you notice it immediately!

Watch for any unusual spots. Look for lesions, moles or spots that are asymmetrical in shape. Observe for any colored spot that grows bigger or develops an uneven color or irregular, ragged edge. Look for any nodules or patches that are red and scaly, as this can be a squamous cell carcinoma which can metastasize (spread). Other symptoms to look for are changes in the surface of a mole. If you notice the mole is raised above the skin and has a rough surface, is scaly, oozing, bleeding or there is development of bumps on any mole, seek medical attention. In other words anything that develops that wasn't on your body before should be investigated by your physician.

Skin cancer has a high cure rate if caught early. Excision of the lesion is the most common treatment. Self examination is the key to early detection with a regular visit to your doctor for check ups.

The best methods to avoid skin cancer are to avoid the sun, especially during the hottest part of the day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wear a sunscreen if you are out doors with an SPF of at least 15 or more, applied thirty minutes before going into the sun. Put the sunscreen everywhere the suns rays will hit you. Don't forget your ears and men don't forget any bald areas on top of your head. If you have to be out in the sun, use a wide brimmed hat or cap. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Choose sunglasses that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunglasses can help prevent cataracts as well. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants if it is not sweltering hot, to better protect your body. Don't use tanning salons as they can damage your skin just like the sun.

Of course there is the controversy that you need some sun in order NOT to be vitamin B deficient. Ask your doctor to prescribe a good vitamin B supplement. Your doctor can advise the proper dose to take. I know it is hard at times to completely avoid the sun. A few minutes of sun occasionally with a good sun screen, should not be too harmful, as long as you watch the time of day and check your body on a regular basis. Also too much sun can contribute to wrinkles. Avoidance is best, but not always possible. Hence, just be very careful and check, check, check your body regularly (monthly if possible). Go to your doctor immediately when you notice any irregularities. Keep healthy!

After breast cancer diagnosis, time is of the essence to ensure recovery. Digest the news; then start learning, so you're comfortable with your informed choices for breast cancer treatment.

Building Your Team
Before choosing surgery, you build a breast cancer treatment team. You need surgeons, oncologists, anesthesiologist, and radiologist. If you're able, you are the leader of this team. You have to live with the choices made.

Breast surgeon – recommends and performs breast surgery such as mastectomy or lumpectomy under general anesthesia, and a sentinel node biopsy.

Oncologist – also recommends which surgical option is best. Recommends chemotherapies and follows treatment.

Anesthesiologist – usually on hospital staff, unless you want to choose your own.

Radiologist – performs the sentinel node biopsy (where 2-3 lymph nodes in the armpit or breast are surgically removed) is also on hospital staff.

Plastic surgeon – performs reconstruction if you want it, during or well after mastectomy.

Radiation oncologist – manages radiation therapy. Wait till after surgery to find.

First Breast Cancer Treatment: Surgery

Lumpectomy – usually recommended when there is a single, small lump. The lump and the margin around it are surgically removed under general anesthesia.

* Advantage: You have a small scar, usually.
* Disadvantages: You undergo radiation therapy afterwards; because radiation can cause lumps, you may have more biopsies in the future.

Mastectomy – removes breast tissue, comprised mainly of fat, under general anesthesia. Surrounding tissues are undisturbed.

* Advantages: You need no further biopsies on that side; you probably avoid radiation therapy if cancer is detected early.
* Disadvantages: You have asymmetry, and this may temporarily affect sex life or self-image. With psychological adjustment or reconstruction, these disadvantages can disappear.

Breast reconstruction – during/after a mastectomy using techniques such as DIEP, where abdominal fat and skin are transferred to the chest, to shape a new breast. This is not cosmetic surgery; it's part of treatment.
* Advantages: feeling and looking restored; getting a tummy tuck and a breast lift on the other breast.

Breast Cancer Treatment After Surgery

The oncologist considers the information from the various tests. The oncologist stages the cancer, and recommends various breast cancer treatments. The oncologist can refer you to a psychologist or support group to allay anxiety about treatment.

Radiation therapy – usually started after recovery from lumpectomy. It is precisely administered to the breast (and perhaps lymph nodes) in order to kill cancerous cells, while avoiding damage to the rest of the body. Sessions are a few minutes, once a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks.

* Short-term side effects: fatigue, breast soreness, redness, swelling.
* Long-term side effects: breast shrinkage, tanning, lumpiness.

Chemotherapy – started after all radiation is complete. Drugs which kill or disable cancer cells are given cyclically, with time off between treatments, for 3 to 6 months. The chemotherapy visit usually is outpatient, lasting 1 to 6 hours. Some drugs are taken orally at home, sometimes as a permanent regime.

* Side effects: hair loss, nausea/vomiting, nerve or muscle pain, infection, weight gain, fatigue, difficulty sleeping.

Hormone Therapy – taken orally at home; both treats and prevents recurrence in some cases.

Exercise, diet and lifestyle changes help recovery significantly.

Survival After Therapy

With 2 million breast cancer survivors in America, breast cancer is beatable. Breast cancer treatment requires internal fortitude to reach recovery. You emerge with relief, gratitude and hope.

More than half of patients that suffer with any form of cancer are treated with the use of radiation. It has been found to be most effective used either alone or in conjunction with other kinds of cancer treatments.

While other treatment methods are very effective in killing, stopping or otherwise disabling cancerous cells, radiation uses ionization to kill the cells and shrink tumors. The desired result of radiation treatment is to shrink tumors and relieve the symptoms associated with different kinds of cancers to save healthy tissue in the process.

Chemotherapy is another cancer treatment that works to destroy cancerous cells by preventing the cells from growing and spreading. Although some healthy sells may be harmed by the use of this method they are quite capable of repairing themselves following treatment.

Chemotherapy uses a combination of drugs that affect the hormones already present in your body. These drugs have a boosting affect on the bodys immune system that aid in fighting the foreign cancerous cells. These drugs can destroy the cells altogether or change the way the body reacts to the cells formations. Use to both control and cure the cancer chemotherapy also relieves symptoms that cancer can cause, like pain which inevitably help the patient to live more comfortably.

Surgery stands as a sometimes-necessary cancer treatment that cannot be avoided. One type of surgery used in the treatment of cancer is cryosurgery, which is a surgical technique for freezing and then killing the cancerous cells. Some cancers like liver cancer and prostate cancer benefit best from treatments that attack cancers that are contained in one area. Cervical cancer and other cancers where precancerous or non-cancerous conditions exist benefit most from this type of cancer treatment.

Other treatment methods include the process of eliminating the blood supply that feed tumor growth. Cancer treatments that use high-intensity light and still others that treat the formation of tumors with heat are less widely known by the general public but are used widely alone and in conjunction with other treatment methods.

One such treatment that uses laser light to remove cancer growths is most often for cancers on the surface of the skin or on the lining of internal organs. Laser therapy eliminates the chance of excessive bleeding and prevents damage to healthy tissue and has a lower chance of infection than other more invasive surgeries for cancer.

On the other hand, a hyperthermia treatment exposes the tissues to very high temperatures that kill cancerous cells. This form of treatment is always used with other forms of treatment such as radiation and chemo.

Cancer treatment that act as angiogenesis inhibitors are being tested and researched as they will aim to prevent the formation of blood vessels that feed the cancerous cells and allow them to continue to grow. This method of treatment is still being tested and its not yet known whether or not these inhibitors work effectively in humans.