One of the most noticeable side effects of chemotherapy treatment is hair loss. Chemo drugs are designed to attack and kill quick-replicating cancer cells. Unfortunately, healthy cells that also replicate quickly, such as those dedicated to hair growth, often become innocent victims of your fight with cancer. Hair loss can make cancer patients feel self-conscious […]
Chemotherapy Hats and Turbans Read More »
All cancer patients, for better or worse, are confronted with a prognosis from their doctors. A prognosis serves as a prediction of how the illness is expected to progress over time. It may also include how different treatment methods may affect survival. For those that are confronted with a fatal type of cancer, an end-of-life
Understanding What An End-Of-Life Cancer Prognosis Means Read More »
Malignant gliomas are an especially difficult type of cancer to treat. Manifesting in the brain or spine, patients diagnosed with this deadly form of cancer have only a 3 percent likelihood of surviving five years or more. Now, a new method for delivering chemotherapy drugs is showing early signs of prolonging survival times among patients
Direct Chemo Delivery Shows Signs of Prolonging Patient Survival Read More »
Pain is an infamously difficult cancer symptom to treat. Even when potent pain relievers are used, waves of pain often flare up and break through the effects of the medication. This type of pain is known as breakthrough pain. Now, doctors and patients have a new tool to help combat breakthrough pain. Recently, the U.S.
Opioid Pain Reliever Approved for Breakthrough Pain in Cancer Patients Read More »
Mesothelioma, a cancer that invades the wall lining of the lungs and other internal organs, is a particularly difficult type of cancer to treat. Almost universally related to the inhalation of asbestos particles, treatment of advanced stages of the disease is largely palliative. Palliative health care refers to the focus of relieving symptoms and pain
Esophageal Stents As a Palliative Care Measure for Mesothelioma Read More »
Stand Up to Cancer, a charity that will provide funding for cancer research is set to launch this summer through a collaboration with major television networks, entertainers and prominent cancer researchers. The initiative will support cancer research by providing money for cancer studies including high-risk high-impact research proposals often not supported by conventional funding sources.
New Cancer Initiative Set for Launch Read More »
British researchers conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of medical studies and found that physical exercise can help improve quality of life during treatment and afterwards. One big complaint of most cancer patients is fatigue. The researchers found “statistically significant improvements in fatigue were identified following an exercise programme.” Story here.
Exercise beneficial for cancer patients, study concludes Read More »
A study in the newest issue of The Lancet concluded that adding chemotherapy to other treatments given to mesothelioma patients does not appear to affect survival or quality of life. Patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma were separated into three groups. The first was given a weekly injection of vinorelbine while the second was a
Study: Disappointing Results for Mesothelioma and Chemotherapy Read More »
Jaqueline Lees, a cancer researcher, is in an online video on cancer. It’s quite good, and she is better than most scientists when it comes to talking to the public about technical issues. She explains the development of tumors through several stages, which can potentially take years. This makes sense to anyone who follows mesothelioma
Video on cancer development Read More »
The University of Pennsylvania’s Oncolink website had an article by Carolyn Vachan on dietary supplements, which is often a sore spot with doctors and medical researchers even as they are very popular with the general public. Supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.) make up a $23 billion industry in the United States, and they are largely unregulated.
Dietary Supplements Read More »