Seed Implants for Prostrate Cancer
Seed Implants For Prostate Cancer
Seed implants for Prostate Cancer is relatively low-energy sources, and subsequently has limited tissue penetration. Therefore, the best candidates for these procedures are patients who have prostrate cancer that is contained within the prostate and is not very aggressive. Newer techniques using a CAT scan or MRI may be used to guide the proper placement of the implants.
This information is used to custom-design the treatment plan for you. Another option is for the ultrasound and treatment plan to be done at the same time as the radioactive seeds are implanted. The entire procedure takes approximately 90 minutes. Most patients go home the same day.
A radiation oncologist and urologist perform the procedure. During the procedure, the urologist provides ultrasound guidance and the radiation oncologist places the radioactive seeds. Although it is a relatively newer treatment, results show that, in patients with similar types of prostate cancer, seed implants alone or in combination with external beam radiation therapy appears as effective as a radical prostatectomy and regular external radiation in 10-year follow-up studies.
Urinary symptoms are the most common. These include frequent urination and a need to get to the bathroom quickly. Some men have a burning with urination and, in a few cases, an inability to empty the bladder completely. These symptoms can usually be managed with medicine, and they improve over time. Temporary self-catheterization may be necessary to help drain the bladder. Urinary incontinence is rare in general.
What Causes Pancreatic Cancer
What Causes Pancreatic Cancer
What Causes Pancreatic Cancer? It is still not known exactly what causes pancreatic cancer. But some risk factors have been linked to the disease. These include:
Age: The risk of pancreatic cancer goes up with age. Almost 90% of patients are older than 55.
Gender: Men have pancreatic cancer slightly more often than women.
Race: African Americans are more likely to have pancreatic cancer than are Caucasians.
Smoking: The risk of getting cancer of the pancreas is 2 to 3 times higher in smokers.
Obesity and lack of exercise: Very overweight people are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, as are those who don’t get much exercise.
Diabetes: Most of the risk is found in people with type 2 diabetes.
Chronic pancreatitis: A small number of cases of chronic pancreatitis appear to be due to a gene mutation and seem to have a high lifetime risk for getting pancreatic cancer.
Cirrhosis of the liver: Cirrhosis is a scarring of the liver. It happens in people with liver damage from things like hepatitis and alcohol use.
Work exposure: Heavy exposure at work to certain pesticides, dyes, and chemicals may increase the risk of getting cancer of the pancreas.
Family history: Cancer of the pancreas seems to run in some families. In other families, the gene causing the higher risk of pancreatic cancer is not known.
Cures for Breast Cancer
Cures For Breast Cancer
Scientists and Researchers are working feverishly to find once and for all definitive Cures for Breast Cancer. Breast cancer affects both women and men, with no concern for economic status, age, or level of fitness.
Thousands of people are diagnosed each day with breast cancer. Finding Cures for Breast Cancer is a priority not only because of the challenge, but because this disease has directly touched so many lives. While there is still no Cures for Breast Cancer, scientists are closer then ever before.
There are treatments that are used to remove, destroy or control the cancer cells in a specific area, such as the breast. They include: surgery, with either mastectomy or lumpectomy.
There are also different types of mastectomies and lumpectomies. Radiation therapy includes several different types. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Side effects can include nausea, hair loss, early menopause, hot flashes, fatigue, and temporarily lowered blood counts.
Hormone therapy includes medication depending on the stage in a woman’s life. Hormone therapy uses drugs to prevent hormones, especially estrogen, from promoting the growth of breast cancer cells that may remain after breast cancer surgery. Side effects can include hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Biological Therapy works by using the body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells. This targets breast cancer cells that have high levels of a particular protein.
Lung Cancer Symptoms
Lung Cancer Symtoms
What are Lung Cancer Symptoms? Many people dismiss or adapt to a chronic cough, attributing it to something else. But a cough that lasts more than a few weeks can be a sign of something else.
A cough as an early symptom of lung cancer is even easier to miss if you have a condition that predisposes you to coughing, such as asthma, COPD, allergies, or gastro esophageal reflux.
Coughing up blood (hemoptysis) is a common symptom of lung cancer, but can be fairly subtle and you may notice only a small amount of blood-tinged phlegm when you cough.
Another common early symptom of lung cancer is shortness of breath that you only notice with activity. This can be overlooked and blamed on getting older, being out-of-shape, or perhaps due to those few extra pounds you’ve gained.
If you notice that you are hesitant to take that hike or blame the humidity for making it more difficult to breathe, make an appointment to talk to your doctor. Lung cancers may press on nerves, resulting in pain in your shoulder, chest, back, or an arm. More Lung Cancer Symptoms include being treated for repeated episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia.
If a tumor is located near an airway, it can cause an obstruction that predisposes you to these infections. If you have had a few episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia, talk to your doctor. Seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as knee pain, may be an early symptom of lung cancer.
What Does Skin Cancer Look Like
What Does Skin Cancer Look Like
Many people are facing the long-term effects of the sun damage from their youth. Countless youth and young adults spent hours in the sun whether it was sunning, fishing, riding bicycles or just playing.
As a result of the years of unprotected skin exposed to the sun, numerous people are now being diagnosed with skin cancer.
The large question is What Does Skin Cancer Look Like? Is there a checklist of things to look for on your skin to determine if your age spots are something more?
Skin cancer can look like a shiny scar and sometimes like an open sore that bleeds, crusts over and does not heal properly. Cancer can appear as a reddish irritated spot usually on the shoulder, chest, arm or leg.
Skin cancer can also look like a pink patch on your face, lips or ears. Pre-cancerous cancer lesions often appear as red scaly spots on the face, neck or back of the hands. Skin cancer can look like a small growth with and elevated border and an indented center. As it becomes larger, tiny blood vessels develop on the surface.
There are times when skin cancer may appear as a mole that appears after the age of forty as well as any moles that change shape or color, are multicolored, black, white or translucent, have a ridge around the edge, bleed, itch or are irritated by clothing. Because skin cancer can appear in so many forms, it is not easy to self-diagnose.