Cancer Treatment Information and Resources

Industrialization crept in fast and furious in the 1700s and after that for about 100 years the mineral asbestos was considered to be a miracle which could be used everywhere effectively and relatively cheaply. It became a must-have in all buildings as insulation and came to be used in all products that could be manufactured. But the late 1800s saw asbestos causing lung cancer in many who were exposed to it. But like the fate of most unpalatable reports this one too was ignored till such time as the condition started getting out of control and finally around 1931 the British government took note of the fact that people exposed to asbestos were at a great risk for lung cancer and this was followed by the United States in the early 1970s. Unfortunately this action was too late for those who had already been exposed and now faced the consequences of the disease.

Exposure to asbestos has resulted in the development of pleural plaques, asbestosis, lung scarring, lung cancer and a particularly nasty strain called mesothelioma. This strain is exclusive to asbestos and deals with the lining around the lungs called the pleura. It can strike a person even after a short exposure 10 or 20 years ago. If the person is a smoker, then the risk goes up 10 fold or more as compared to a non smoker who has maybe a risk 5 times greater than someone who is not exposed to asbestos.

Diagnosis of lung cancers due to exposure to asbestos is carried out through a combination of processes like the medical history, x-rays, MRIs, CAT tissue samples, scans and biopsies. Those with regular exposure must get themselves checked regularly to catch the problem in time as the incubation period is as long as 50 years. Early diagnosis plays its part here too as with all other cancers. Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma have a bad statistic report going as the survival rate is far from satisfactory. Some are even given as little as 8 to 10 weeks, but those who use a multi treatment approach have shown a 40% survival rate for 5 years at least which is as good as that of other cancers. The most responsive treatment for mesothelioma has come to light as being a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy but if the detection happens at a late stage, surgery may not be an option that is open anymore.

But the world of medical research does not sleep and there are advancements being made in the field of chemotherapy even as we speak. February of 2004 saw the first medicine approved by the FDA called Alimta produced by Eli Lilly. It was seen in the clinical trials that Alimta in combination with another drug called Cisplatin did a lot to better the life expectancy of the afflicted people. For those who know that death is imminent a hope that their life can be extended by even a few months works wonders and allows them the freedom to hope for a cure.

About eighty percent of men who reach the age of 80 have prostate cancer. If you have prostate cancer, are concerned about getting it or if you're looking out for the health of someone you love, this article may help. Many men with prostate cancer, especially those later in life, have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait.

Like other cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is unknown; it appears to be more common in African American men and men with a family history of the disease. In most men, prostate cancer grows very slowly; most men will never know they have it. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself; most of the patients with this type of cancer can live for years without experiencing any problems.

Some men, who haven't been diagnosed, will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. One common prostate cancer symptom is difficulty starting urination or holding back urine. Blood in the urine or semen and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs also can be symptoms of cancer.

Just having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. If you have one or more prostate cancer symptoms, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate, get checked right away.

The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion with your doctor. What is called a free PSA, helps tell the difference between BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy), an enlargement of the prostate gland, and prostate cancer. Another test usually used when prostate cancer symptoms are present is a digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by your doctor, proctologist or oncologist.

Urine or prostatic fluid cytology may reveal unusual looking cells. Also keep in mind that experts report that PSA tests are not reliable and they are looking for better ways to diagnose prostate cancer. Sometimes a chest x-ray may be done to see if there's a spread of cancer.

Conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. If chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy is given, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician's office. And in patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative.

An oncologist, a cancer specialist, will usually recommend getting treated with a single drug or a combination of drugs. What you can do is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you're going to start. Surgery, a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues.

Whether radiation is as good as removing the prostate gland is still debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult. The side effects of chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you're taking and how often and how long they're taken. Surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy all have significant side effects; know fully what they are before you go ahead.

Since prostate tumors require the presence of testosterone to grow, reducing the testosterone level is used to prevent further growth and spread of the cancer. Besides hormonal drugs, hormone manipulation may be done by surgically removing the testes. A new therapy is on the forefront that recruits the body's own immune cells to destroy tumors that could become a new way to treat men with advanced prostate cancer – if the FDA approves the highly individualized treatment.

Studies done on antioxidant vitamins question their value when not contained in food; it is clearly better to consume these antioxidants in living foods because they may also need to work with other nutrients present in the food to work properly. Eat at least one, preferably two, organic apples with the peel on every day. Make smoothies with fruit only, using a base of two bananas, adding a cup of frozen or fresh blueberries and mango chunks or substitute any other fruit and add an energy boost of one or two tablespoons of coconut oil; add one or two leaves of lacinato kale for another highly nutritional boost.

If possible eliminate all hormone-containing, inflammatory foods like meat and dairy from your diet. Buy lacinato kale and juice it in your juicer with some sweet carrots. Add a small handful of kale or spinach to your fruit smoothie and blend well; know one will ever know.

Eat foods that contain the important essential fatty acids. Supplements that help any disease or ailment include vitamin B12 — the sublingual methylcobalamin type not cyanocobalamin. It dissolves slowly under the tongue. And vitamin D3 – especially if you can't get a daily dose of 15 to 20 minutes of sun on your arms and or legs so you can make your own vitamin D3 naturally. Making a ginger tea, by adding a thin slice or two of fresh peeled gingerroot to hot water, is helpful to many people I know.

It's important to get as informed as possible and read all the newest books, ebooks and information available both online and offline. If you haven't been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you're having you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you're a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, then make an appointment soon. Most all men with prostate cancer survive for at least five years after their diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years.