Resolving healthcare, fitness and well-being issues
Posts tagged cancer
Preventing breast cancer
Sep 6th
If any of the above applies to you, see your doctor, who can refer you to a breast clinic for assessment based on your family history. If you have a high risk of developing breast cancer and you are over 40, you should be offered screening with a mammogram once a year. If you are under 40, you are entitled to screening using MRI scans instead of mammograms because your breasts may be too dense to produce a clear mammogram.
Treating breast cancer — part 2
Sep 2nd
The side effects of chemotherapy only last as long as your course of treatment. Once your treatment is over, the rapidly growing cells that occur naturally in your body will repair themselves. This means that your hair will grow back, although it may look or feel different to how it did before. For example, it may be a slightly different colour, or softer or curlier than before.
Treating breast cancer — part 1
Aug 31st
Your surgeon will always remove an area of healthy breast tissue around the cancer, which will be tested for traces of cancer. If there is no cancer present in the healthy tissue, there is less chance that the cancer will recur. If cancer cells are found in the surrounding tissue, you may need to have more tissue surgically removed from your breast.
The tests to diagnose breast cancer
Aug 29th
Ultrasound uses high-frequency soundwaves to produce an image of the inside of your breasts (in the same way that ultrasound can show an unborn baby in the womb). An ultrasound probe, or sensor, will be placed over your breasts to create an image on a screen. The image produced will show any lumps or abnormalities that may be present in your breasts.
Tests to determine specific types of breast cancer treatment
Aug 25th
If you have cancer cells that respond to oestrogen, the type of breast cancer that you have is said to be oestrogen-receptor positive. If the cancer cells respond to progesterone, the cancer is progesterone-receptor positive. Hormone therapy is most effective on cancers that are oestrogen-receptor positive, but this is only one of the ways that breast cancer can be treated.
New guidelines for cervical cancer smear test
Aug 22nd
The guidelines are unlikely to be met with the kind of rebellion that accompanied new breast cancer screening guidelines this week, which were largely based on computer projections, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said in a telephone interview.
Introduction part 3: Treating cancer (1)
Aug 20th
Most infusion reactions happen within 24 hours of the first time somebody begins treatment, so it is likely that you will be closely monitored once your treatment begins. If you begin experiencing the symptoms of an infusion reaction, anti-allergy medicines, such as corticosteroids, can be used to relieve symptoms.
Vegetables and tea reduce colon and rectal cancer risk!
Aug 20th
Compared with the least intake, the greatest intake of catechins — common in berries, grapes, black chocolate, tea, red wine, and some beans — seemed to be associated with lower colorectal cancer risk among both overweight men and normal weight women.
Introduction part 3: Treating Cancer (2)
Aug 19th
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, talking to a counsellor, or psychiatrist, may help you combat feelings of depression and anxiety. Taking anti-depressants, or medicines that help reduce feelings of anxiety, may also help as you move through the grieving process. Your doctor, or the doctor who is treating you, will be able to advise you about this.
Introduction part 4: Preventing cancer
Aug 18th
For most people, thirty minutes of vigorous exercise a day, at least five times a week, is recommended. The exercise should be strenuous enough to leave your heart beating faster, and you should feel slightly out of breath afterwards. Examples of vigorous exercise include going for a brisk walk, or walking up a hill. However, if you have never exercised before, or if you have not exercised for some time, you should seek advice from your doctor before starting a new programme of exercise.
