Cancer Treatment and Survivorship

Test Results From Your Doctor - No News Is Not Always Good News

2007-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

You would think that being diagnosed with cancer was bad enough. But what if you discovered that a “communication glitch” resulted in a delayed diagnosis of your cancer? A delay that resulted in your being diagnosed as a Stage IV cancer patient with a 5% life expectancy at 5 years instead of Stage I with an 85% life expectancy. How would you feel? Angry? Disgusted? Disheartened? This isn’t a...

Are Women With Breast Cancer Seeing The Most Experienced Surgeons?

2007-09-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Up for a quiz? Great. Assume that you or your spouse were newly diagnosed with breast cancer and needed to see a breast cancer surgeon. How would go about finding a breast cancer surgeon to help treat your cancer? Remember, your treatment outcome is riding upon making the right choice. In choosing a breast cancer surgeon would you: Select from list of surgeons available through your health...

More Compelling Evidence That Patient Outcomes Are Better At Specialized High Volume Cancer Hospitals – Lung Cancer, A Case In Point

2007-09-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Preliminary findings from a study presented at last week’s meeting International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in Seoul, Korea demonstrates why it so important for cancer patients or their spouses to carefully choose the right physician and the right hospital for their treatment. The study examined the post-operative mortality for Stage III A/B non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...

Don't Confuse Me With The Facts

2007-07-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

As a former hospital executive and a long time researcher in the field of consumer health behavior, I tend to look at things differently than many of my colleagues in healthcare. Call me contrarian. The American Cancer Society for example just released the findings from a study in which 957 adults were asked if they agreed with what turned out to be 12 myths about cancer. Turns out, according to...

Cancer Care In The US Has A Long Way To Go It Seems

2007-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

When I decided to write a blog about cancer, I thought it would be pretty easy. After all, my wife and I have been living with it for some three years come this Fall. And then there is the endless stream of great cancer research that anyone can track by simply signing up for an RSS published by the New York Time or so on. What has surprised me, or should I say disturbed me, is how variable the...

Want To Increase Your Odds Of Remaining Cancer Free Following Prostate Cancer Surgery? Start By Finding A Highly Experienced Surgeon.

2007-07-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American men. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be about 219,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2007. The most common treatment for early stage prostate cancer is a surgical procedure called Radical Prostatectomy. Radical Prostatectomy is where the surgeon takes out the prostate and some...

Best US Cancer Hospitals - 2007

2007-07-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most important decision a cancer patient has to make is where to find the right doctors and hospital to diagnose and treat your condition. So how do you go about finding the best? One good way to start is be going to the US News and World Report website. There you will find coverage of the 2007 America’s Best Hospitals, including the top US Cancer Hospitals. Keep in mind that you...

Ignore Conventional Wisdom About Aggressive Prostate CA Treatment And You May Live Longer

2007-07-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

One of the most important lessons my wife and I have learned during her bout with lung cancer is to never trust anything that sounds like "conventional wisdom." I’ll never forget it when a local thoracic surgeon quoted us the survival statistics for someone with Stage IIIb NSCLC. Referring to the studies as “conventional wisdom,” the doctor preceded to suggest that my wife wouldn’t be around...

Different Asian American Groups Face Different Cancer Risks

2007-07-11T11:08:00.001-07:00

I live in California, and besides having a Filipino wife, I know lots of people of Asian descent, some born in the US and many born in their native land. That’s why an article today in the New York Times about cancer rates in Asian Americans caught my attention. The study, which looked at five ethnic groups living in California: Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese, found that...

Introduction

2007-07-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences regarding cancer for sometime now. Looks like I finally have an audience! I am grateful to the good people at Healthline for this opportunity. So what do I know about cancer? Well for starters, I understand: How hard it is to have someone you love told that they have cancer. How, in a few seconds, your life and...

The Controversy Surrounding John and Elizabeth Edwards and Her Cancer

2007-04-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Since John Edwards announced his candidacy and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards announced the recurrence of her cancer, there has been a lot of controversy. The public seems to have many issues around John Edwards' candidacy while his wife faces cancer. These include: Will Mrs. Edwards having cancer raise more attention and possibly more votes for John?Will Mrs. Edwards having cancer raise concern over...

Other Resources for Colorectal Cancer

2007-03-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

The month of March is almost over and so comes the ending of the Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This does not mean, however, that we stop thinking about or discussing colorectal cancer until March of next year. Many scientists, health care professionals, cancer survivors, family and friends will continue to be concerned with colorectal cancer in April and other months. We will begin...

Targeted Therapies for Colorectal Cancer

2007-03-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Because chemotherapy drugs must be given systemically and can thus harm healthy as well as cancer cells, they tend to cause a wide variety of side effects and are not very specific. More recently, researchers have developed targeted therapies or biologic agents. These have been developed in the hope of stopping tumor growth while sparing normal healthy cells and body functions. These new...

Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

2007-03-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Surgery is one of the main treatments of colorectal cancer. Usually the tumor on the colon or rectum is removed as well as any lymph nodes. Sometimes pieces of the colon have to be removed and then sewn back together with a colostomy (or opening in the abdomen for getting rid of body wastes). Sometimes a temporary colostomy can be done and reversed later. Sometimes newer ways can be used to...

Screening Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer

2007-03-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

The American Cancer Society (ACS) puts out guidelines for all types of cancers so that they may be detected early and treated early. These guidelines are based on average risk men and women. However, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer you should discuss with your doctors if you should start checking early. The ACS recommendations for colorectal cancer are for men and women 50...

What Does Dental Care Have To Do With Cancer?

2007-03-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

About 2 weeks ago I went to my dentist and found out that - right then and NOT tomorrow - I was going to get a temporary crown on my tooth. Now you have to understand I am not severely phobic of dentists, but I can think of lots of other things to do. Today I was to go back and finish the work. - Lucky for me I had the date wrong (so pray for me on Thursday). The reason I mention all this is it...

Spring - What Does the Season Mean

2007-03-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

It is only March 1st. and Spring does not officialy start for several weeks, but it has been on my mind. As in summer, Spring brings dayight hours that are greater or equal to 12 hours and rapidly increasing. Everything begins to warm, new plant growth starts. Snow (if any) begins to melt and flowering plants begin to bloom. As one season becomes another it may be hard if you are struggling with...

Strength - Do you Have It?

2007-02-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

When I met with the long-term survivor's support group the other night I decided to ask 1 question I usually ask. The question was -did you feel that you had a positive attitude, optimism, self-determination, inner strength or faith that helped you survive. They all agreed yes. Clinically I see this all the time and now we actually need to do the research to prove it. As I was thinking about...

Long-Term National Cancer Survivors' Issues

2007-02-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

Despite the many advances we have made in treatment of cancers we still have not made many in the area of long-term survivoship. Tonight I agreed to lead a support group of indivdiduals who have survived cancer several months to 18 years. It was a large interactive group and we had some great discussions. Everyone interacted. They all had different types of cancer but it was amazing how similar...

Avastin to Treat Gliomas

2007-02-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

Avastin is a cancer drug that has been shown and been approved to treat lung and colorectal cancers. A new study now has shown that Avastin can slow the growth and shrink tumors of a common form of brain cancer called glioma. This is exciting news. A larger clinical trial has already been started which will involve some 160 patients to find out just how much of an improvement they can have when...

Reply to George and Merkle Cell Cancer

2007-02-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

George is the Administrator for the Merkel Cell Cancer group, an online support group within Google Groups. The group sent questions and contacted the main office at the Women's Health Center of Excellence at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where I work. Joining this support group requires a user to identify themselves by first name or initials and describe their merkel cell cancer...

How To Start a Support Group

2007-02-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes individuals are interested in a support group but there is nothing offered in their area, yet there are other individuals who are traveling along the same cancer journey. Do not be afraid to start a group, but be realistic. It takes awhile to grow the numbers. But, a support group can be helpful even if it is only 3-4 people. I have listed below some suggestions if you decide you want...

Any Newcomers to Support Groups?

2007-02-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

On my previous post I discussed some of the different types of support groups. But there are many other facts and questions to ask about support groups. One aspect that is essential is what do you do if you are a newcomer? Regardless of the type of support group you decide to participate in, be sure it is CONFIDENTIAL! You should feel everything you say stays within the group and is not shared...

Valentine's Day and Support

2007-02-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Although many people believe Valentine's Day has become too commercial or only commercial. I have tried to make it another day to think about friends and family that I love and who support me. And for individuals with cancer I am sure this may be even more true. Thus, I have been thinking this year about the "SUPPORT" part. We all need positive support in our lives. The type and people who...

Another Good Resource: The Oncology Nursing Society

2007-02-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

In addition to providing news and tips, science and how to cope and improve your physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being I would like this to be a site that you can go to for other resources that are accurate and credible. The one I would like to highlight is the Oncology Nursing Society. It is a professional organization of about 33,000 nurses dedicated to improving the lives...