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Posts with tag radiation
Posted Sep 12th 2007 6:00AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Thought for the Day
I recently read this article, which states that
children undergoing leukemia treatment generally have lower than average marks in school, particularly those who underwent cranial radiation. This was not because they missed school from being in a hospital -- they were provided with education whether at home or in the hospital. Still, the results are a relief to researchers because the majority of children who had undergone treatment did complete their basic education, albeit with a bit more difficulty than their healthy peers.
What do you think about this? I'm no education expert, but I think it's important that kids with leukemia should have some sort of extra educational help available to them -- maybe a tutoring program that can help them in the learning process. Afterall, they've gone through enough with their illness -- they shouldn't have to suffer through the humiliation of falling behind in class too.
Posted Sep 4th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors, Today, I Am Grateful
The following post is one of a series of posts appearing Monday through Friday on The Cancer Blog. This feature -- Today, I am grateful -- allows me to share with readers my appreciation for all the treasures in my life, both big and small. In my post-cancer world, I find It healing for my soul to be mindful of the good in my life. It is my pleasure to share my gratitude with you.
When I think about how much my mom rescued me during my breast cancer treatment, I always land at the fact that she watched my little boys for 35 days in a row while I transported myself to and from radiation therapy. That wasn't all she did -- she also accompanied me to surgery, sat with me during chemotherapy treatments, parked herself by my bedside when I was hospitalized, dried my tears, fed me, hugged me, encouraged me, and loved me.
My mom helped me survive cancer. She is my hero.
Today, I am grateful for my mom.Posted Aug 30th 2007 10:50PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research
Studies are showing that low-dose radiation treatments may increase the risk of breast cancer. This may include diagnostic chest x-rays, as well as other treatments like radiotherapy for skin conditions. The findings aren't conclusive thus far but they warrant further investigation,
according to this article. Considering the prevalence of X-rays, I think this is fairly alarming. What do you think? Are these findings worrisome, or are the studies making a big deal out of something that's probably nothing?
Posted Aug 26th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors
Walking into my cancer center waiting room is one of my most sobering experiences. I enter this room -- jam-packed full of men, women, and children -- every three months for a breast cancer follow-up. It never gets easier. It always startles me, stirs my emotions, makes me realize how so many people are touched by such a treacherous and all-consuming disease. The fact that I sit in this room, that I am one of these many people, still doesn't seem real.
It's been almost three years since I got a phone call from a surgeon declaring, "You have cancer." I didn't believe it then. Even after all I've been through -- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and more -- I hardly believe it now. But it's real. I have scars and new hair and a whole new set of worries to prove it.
Walking into that waiting room proves it's real. There's nothing like it. There's also nothing like walking out, with a clean bill of health and the promise of three more months.
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prevention
Wouldn't it be great if we could receive full-body scans every year to check for early signs of cancer and other disease? Even if possible and affordable -- right now, scans cost about $900 -- it still wouldn't be such a great idea.
Full-body scans often result in false alarms. People with harmless abnormalities may end up facing more tests, more risks, and more worry in order to rule out illness. The scan itself can present health hazards too. It exposes patients to more radiation than a chest X-ray and could slightly increase the risk of cancer, especially for those scanned every year.
How do we know, then, if something has gone awry in our bodies? Well, we can do our self-exams -- breast exams, testicular exams, skin exams -- and we can report for annual check-ups. We can respond to symptoms we experience -- if headaches are bothersome and persistent, your doctor may prescribe a head scan -- and we can pursue tests and screening that we really need for cancer prevention and early detection. Here are just a few:
Continue reading What tests do we really need?
Posted Aug 21st 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors
Yesterday, I saw my oncologist for one of my every-three-month follow-up visits. As always, I went armed with my list of questions -- which is really my list of worries -- and one by one, I rattled them off. On a little sticky note, I had written:
- Lymph node
- Digital mammogram
- Next MRI
- Heart
- Colonoscopy
And this is what my doctor had to say about my concerns of the day:
Continue reading List of cancer worries yields good news
Posted Aug 15th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Cancer by the Numbers
My sister has skin cancer -- the basal cell variety. She has two spots, both on her chest, each one scheduled to be surgically removed in a few weeks. If it were me with this new diagnosis, I'm sure I'd be freaking out, maybe because I've already had breast cancer and tend to panic about any cancer or maybe just because I'm a worrier by nature. But my sister is taking her cancer news in stride, and I am too -- because now that I've done a little research, it seems this type of cancer is pretty easy to beat.
Here's a little refresher lesson on the skin: The skin is the largest organ in the body, and is made of three layers -- the epidermis (top layer), dermis (middle layer), and subcutis (deepest layer). For the purpose of this post, let's focus on the epidermis.
The epidermis has three layers -- an upper, middle, and a bottom layer. This bottom layer is comprised of basal cells. This is where basal cell cancer begins.
Continue reading Cancer By The Numbers: Basal Cell Carcinoma
Posted Aug 15th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Television, Celebrity news
Good Morning America coanchor Robin Roberts returned to work on Monday, a little more than one week after her breast cancer surgery. Some think her return was a bit hasty. Some think it was the absolute right thing to do. I'm of this camp -- the jump-back-into-life approach. It's exactly what I did after my surgery and throughout every step of my treatment. And while there were surely days I could have cut myself some slack, I tried to keep on my toes. It was the only way I knew how to manage the chaos of cancer.
In the spirit of helping women cope with their breast cancer diagnoses, Roberts' very own doctor offers some insightful words of wisdom.
Click here for guidance about returning to work, managing through surgery and radiation, maintaining emotional health, and the importance of mammograms and self-exams.
What is your take on how Roberts is handling cancer and how her doctor is handling the topics that become critical in the fight against this disease?
Posted Aug 14th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Radiation
I hate it when I fit the mold for some not-so-great research finding. Like the recent news about how women with early-stage cancer of the left breast (that's me) who are treated with radiation following lumpectomy (me again) face an increased risk of developing radiation-related coronary damage.
OK, so the benefits of radiation therapy still outweigh the risks. Still, when radiation is applied to the breast on the same side as the heart, there are worries. I knew about these concerns. My radiation oncologist addressed them prior to my treatment. Hearing that an actual, important, convincing study confirms what I already knew
may be a side effect, though, makes my heart race a little bit more.
There were 961 women with stage I and II breast cancer who were followed in this study. Well, the arteries in their hearts were studied anyway. Some had left-sided breast cancer; the others had right-sided. Some 12 years after radiation, 46 of the 485 left-sided women and 36 of the right-sided group needed cardiac stress testing. Among those tested, 59 percent in the left-sided group had abnormalities. Only 8 percent in the right-sided group showed problems.
Continue reading Left-sided breast cancer radiation spikes heart risk
Posted Aug 10th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Blogs, Cancer Survivors
"Our life is a series of images," writes
Biko Mabilog on her blog canvas and manuscript. "They pass us by like towns on the highway. Sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. And we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment will live on forever."
Biko's stunning moment came when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This moment may live on forever, but this courageous woman is handling it with such grace as she documents her journey for all to read. Plentiful with poignant words and powerful pictures, Biko's blog makes it clear she cherishes her life, her family, her every experience.
Finished with chemotherapy and in the throes of radiation, Biko writes, "I am enjoying the mundane things in life and savoring the moments I have with family and friends. Being able to choose my priorities, my commitments, my concerns makes me feel happier, healthier, more in charge of my life. It's good for my health, it is good for my soul."
Continue reading Cancer survivor blogs life as a canvas
Posted Aug 6th 2007 9:10PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Daily news
Losing the ability to have children would for many be the ultimate tragedy in a young person's battle with cancer. So here's some promising news:
A transplant of ovarian tissue between sisters has shown to be successful, and the eggs have even been fertilized, though complications have caused a loss of the potential the pregnancies.
The transplantation of ovarian tissue between Teresa Alvaro and her sister, Sandra, is promising though the sisters were fortunate to share the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA), meaning that they wouldn't reject tissue from the other's body. Teresa lost ovarian function due to treatment of a blood disorder when she was 20, and preferred transplantation of ovarian tissue to donation of eggs, because she felt it was more natural.
Posted Aug 4th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors
There are 100 lymph nodes in the neck region. That's what my radiation oncologist told me during my recent follow-up exam. At any given time, one or more of these nodes may be palpable. This isn't always bad news. A cold, allergies, even dental work can cause them to react. This is good news for me.
When I saw my medical oncologist eight weeks ago, he felt a swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck. He wasn't worried about it. I was. So we talked, and I learned that changes in lymph nodes are normal. He would know -- one of his primary diseases of study is lymphoma -- so I set my fears aside.
My enlarged lymph node slowly disappeared. At times, though, I'll feel it resurface. It's small when it presents itself, but it's still there. My radiation oncologist agreed: it's there. But it's elongated. It's not swollen in a round, tight, puffy way. These are the nodes that signal cancer.
Continue reading One hundred lymph nodes
Posted Jul 27th 2007 4:31PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Lung Cancer
Patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer who receive an high dose of chemotherapy initially, before their treatment begins, can expect an increase in overall survival, according to a new
study out of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and published in the July issue of the
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.
When patients with NSCLC are not eligible for surgery, a combination of chemotherapy and radiation is suggested. NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer in the U.S.
Patients who received this initial treatment, or induction therapy, saw an increase in overall survival of six months. The rates for distant metastasis-free survival were also better for the group that received the induction therapy, with a success rate of 42 percent versus 23 percent in the group that only received the chemoradiation therapy.
Posted Jul 25th 2007 11:42AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Childhood Cancers, Chemotherapy, Radiation
A recently-published
study has found that a significant proportion of children under the age of three with the brain tumor ependymoma can skip or delay radiotherapy by using chemotherapy without lowering their chances of survival.
This research has taken 12 years to complete and were released in
Lancet Oncology in July 2007 by the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group at The University of Nottingham in the UK
Radiotherapy can be harmful to a young child's brain, affecting IQ, short term memory, growth and puberty.
According to experts, the survival rate for children with ependymoma is increasing, but still unacceptably low.
Posted Jul 24th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Daily news, Radiation
Tomorrow I report for one of my six-month radiation follow-ups. My radiation oncologist will review how I've fared for the past two years since my left breast was zapped, day after day, week after week, in an aggressive attempt to keep cancer from returning to the same local area where it first reared its ugly head. How horrified I would be if I learned the machines used to treat my cancer were faulty, that they did not in fact do anything aggressive, that they were essentially ineffective.
Hundreds of brain cancer patients may be hearing this horrific news, now that malfunctioning machines have been ordered shut down following a manufacturer's warning.
Brainlab of Munich, Germany claims a small targeting error occurred with their machines but that it is unlikely to cause problems for patients. If I were one of these patients, I would still be worried. Targeting the tumor bed area is crucial in any cancer treatment. I don't like the sound of "targeting error," regardless of how minor it may be.
Continue reading Brain cancer patients treated with faulty radiation machines
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