Archive for the 'Cancer Treatment' Category

For patients suffering from cancer, radiotherapy can be an effective cure, although not all cases can be treated with this form of therapy. This process destroys all the cancer cells in the area, which is treated, while the normal cells can regenerate, cancer cells are entirely destroyed.

There are three main types of radiotherapy; radical radiotherapy is used to destroy the cancer cells completely, this therapy may last up to five weeks and is applied in small doses five times weekly.

Palliative radiotherapy is for those patients that cannot be cured, it is used to help stop the cancer from expanding and to appease symptoms.

Prophylactic radiotherapy is employed to curb cancer cells from reappearing once the surgery has taken place, which will help avoid cancer spreading to other organs, this therapy lasts for a few weeks and is given in small doses.

Radiotherapy works by aiming a beam of radiation on the area, which has to be cured; this external beam radiotherapy is emitted by a special machine, which is placed far from the patient.

Brachytherapy is also another method used to cure tumours; this is placed directly in or on the tumour, and is another form of radiotherapy.

While the very word cancer sends gruesome shivers down anyone’s spine in reality is not nearly as fatal as most people consider it to be, provided you take the proper precautions.

With all the advancements in the medical sciences, nowadays treatment options include holistic and alternative approaches to treat even the most serious forms of cancer.

While routine cancer treatment is essential, it may not be effective enough. There are a wide range of natural treatment methods you can follow at your home to increase the effectiveness of your regular cancer treatment.

Natural home remedies for cancer

1. Eat raw vegetables and fruits: This is the most important way of improving your health. Not only does it improve your overall health, it also enhances the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
2. Exercise regularly: Regular exercise is essential to improve your health. In addition to a healthy diet regime, include exercise in your everyday schedule to alleviate the symptoms of cancer.
3. Say no to white sugar: Do you know that sugar feeds cancer? As you have to starve the cancer and cleanse your body to eliminate harmful cancer-causing elements, a sugar-free diet is crucial when treating cancer.

A new cross-Canada study has found that breast and prostate cancer treatment can foster bone loss. The scientists explain how loss of bone mass might affect 46,000 people diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer each year and place them at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures.

“Our study also looked at possible medications that can reverse or halt bone loss,” says Dr. Fred Saad, lead author and director of urologic oncology.

“Bone is a dynamic tissue which undergoes a cyclic process of breaking down and rebuilding,” adds Dr. Saad. “Medications called bisphosphonates help with the rebuilding process and have been successfully used to combat osteoporosis, which is good news for cancer patients.”

Dr. Saad and colleagues evaluated data from more than 3,500 breast and prostate cancer studies. They concluded that breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors were more likely to have bone loss and fractures compared to patients who didn’t receive the therapy.

Similarly, men who received androgen deprivation therapy to treat their prostate cancer had an increased risk of bone disorders. Although the numbers vary from one study to the next (from five to 45 percent), an elevated risk is consistently observed.

Looking for ways to cut your risk of developing cancer? Here’s a list of 10 diet and activity recommendations highlighted this week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

* Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
* Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
* Avoid sugary drinks, and limit consumption of high-calorie foods, especially those low in fiber and rich in fat or added sugar.
* Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes (such as beans).
* Limit consumption of red meats (including beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
* If you drink alcohol, limit your daily intake to two drinks for men and one drink for women.
* Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt (sodium).
* Don’t use supplements to try to protect against cancer.
* It’s best for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for up to six months and then add other liquids and foods.
* After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.

Read more at WebMD

Women starting chemotherapy for breast cancer often expect unpleasant side effects, from hair loss to nausea.

What they may not appreciate is just how debilitating the side effects of treatment can be.

A recent study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute identified eight serious chemotherapy-related adverse effects that may be more common than reported by large clinical trials.

Fever and infection were the most common causes of hospitalization or emergency room visits. Other serious side effects included low white-blood cell or platelet count, and dehydration or electrolyte disorders.

“Women should be aware that chemotherapy can cause side effects, but should not make a decision regarding whether or not to receive chemotherapy solely based on the results of our study, said lead author Dr. Michael Hassett.

Hassett’s study was not a “randomized controlled trial,” the rigorous type of investigation typically needed to change clinical practice guidelines.

However, several ongoing trials of this sort are looking into the side effects associated with chemotherapy, he noted.

Meanwhile, there are continuing efforts to improve the treatment of patients on chemotherapy.

Read more at U.S. News

Skin cancer is the most common cancer world-wide. The good news, however, is that it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. More and more young people are being diagnosed with skin cancer, indicating that they are not taking proper care of their skin.

If you are really concerned about your health and beauty, it is very important to protect your skin internally and externally from damage. Here are a few ways to protect yourself from skin damage, and skin cancer in particular.

Reduce skin exposure to sun

The basic key to preventing skin cancer is to avoid exposure of your skin to the sun for a long time. In particular, avoid sun exposure between 11 am to 4 pm. At this time, the sun emits strong UV rays, which are quite harmful for your skin.

Be cautious with clouds

Almost 80% of sunlight penetrates through light clouds, fog and mist, and sunburn can be harsher on a cloudy day than a sunny one. Be very aware of the weather conditions and limit your outside work on a cloudy day.

Always wear sunscreen

Lung cancer! It can originate from any part of your lung and usually it takes several years for you to develop lung cancer. The lining cell or epithelial cell of bronchi and bronchioles is the most common place where lung cancer usually develops.

Can you guess what could be the most common and primary cause for lung cancer? Obviously smoking! Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. It is estimated that almost 90% of lung cancer deaths is due to smoking.

Lung cancer is directly related to smoking. You can find almost 40 carcinogens that are responsible to develop lung cancer in cigarette smoke.

If you smoke too many cigarettes, you are considered to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer. More often, it takes long duration of time to decrease your risk of lung cancer, after you quit smoking. So, as soon as possible, quit smoking to prevent the development of lung cancer.

Do you know that lung cancer is the most preventable type of cancers? You can easily reduce your chances of lung cancer with certain simple changes in your routine habits. So, here are few of those simple changes.

Are you diagnosed with cancer? Don’t worry! Many treatments are available to cure cancer, provided if it is in early or curable stage. Particularly, if you make healthy food choices, you can easily cure your painful cancer symptoms without much effort.

It is not that tough to make healthy food choices. Many foods that you regularly use contain cancer fighting properties. So, all that you need to do is, identify the foods that can fight with cancer and include them in your regular diet. Here are a couple of foods that help you to stave off or fight with cancer.

Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower!

These leafy vegetables contain a chemical substance called indole-3 carbinol that can help you to combat with breast cancer. This chemical component simply converts cancer-promoting estrogen into more protective form and helps you in preventing certain cancers like rectal and colon cancer.

Carrots!

Carrots are rich in beta carotene that helps you to reduce your health risks from a wide range of cancers including mouth, stomach, intestine, lung, bladder, prostate, throat and also breast. Even, they are very healthy for eyes. So, try to include carrots in your regular diet to maintain better health.